Self-knowledge can come only through relationship, not through isolation
2015/10/22 4 Comments
Relationship is action, and self-knowledge is the result of awareness in action.
– Krishnamurti
Courtesy of Monica Cassani
Relationship is action, and self-knowledge is the result of awareness in action.
I feel an inner urge to express what I see, to communicate and share with others all these impressions. Often the things I see are there, not yet manifest, but waiting... to be observed, talked about, and embraced.
These new insights need another approach, a more vivid curiosity...
Due to fear and prejudice we prefer to see only "the official" truth - but THE OFFICIAL TRUTH IS DEAD - being dead, it has nothing to give...
We can continue pretending Death is fascinating or... we can take the trouble to LIVE...
THE NEW has no definition yet...
Again, IT requires another "perception", the courage to apprehend everything differently, from a totally new angle, with new confidence and inquisitive touch. This blog is not about interesting concepts, it is about participation... finding new solutions, inspiration, togetherness.
4 Responses to Self-knowledge can come only through relationship, not through isolation
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Julien Matei
Mirrors of Encounters 
I beg to differ
I´ll try to find the entire quote. Will get back tomorrow.
So, to understand the innumerable problems that each one of us has, is it not essential that there be self-knowledge? And that is one of the most difficult things, self-awareness -which does not mean an isolation, a withdrawal. Obviously, to know oneself is essential; but to know oneself does not imply a withdrawal from relationship. And it would be a mistake, surely, to think that one can know oneself significantly, completely, fully, through isolation, through exclusion, or by going to some psychologist, or to some priest; or that one can learn self-knowledge through a book.
Self-knowledge is obviously a process, not an end in itself; and to know oneself, one must be aware of oneself in action, which is relationship. You discover yourself, not in isolation, not in withdrawal, but in relationship, in relationship to society, to your wife, your husband, your brother, to man; but to discover how you react, what your responses are, requires an extraordinary alertness of mind, a keenness of perception. – Krishnamurti, The Book of Life
Why do you think it would be a mistake to think that one can know oneself significantly, completely, fully, through isolation and through silent meditation in solitude?
Why should we not remove ourselves from the lies, the fearfulness of society and relationships in order to be able see the truth within, from an outside perspective, at least for 5 minutes, an hour or even ten days or even 40 nights and 40 days?
I do look up to knowledge based on hypothetical deductive science used for the good of man kind and nature, however I believe meditation in solitude is the best teacher for higher awareness.
Your ego is not the higher awareness within you, and you know it. Your ego can develop higher awareness, therefore “self-knowledge” can be counterproductive.
To be aware in our interaction, as you are in meditation and as you are after meditation, you know the higher will of what to do and will also be able to do it, feel it as a direct reward and simultaneously realize that you did not do what your “self” wanted, but what God wanted.
https://therealmaitreya.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/what-is-god-does-other-prophets-except-maitreya-speak-the-word-of-god/
I am sure Krishnamurti, if he knows God, would agree with me and change his statement to:
“Relationship is action, and self-knowledge is NOT the result of awareness in action.” or
“Successful relationship is action together with higher oneness-knowledge is the result of awareness in action.” …or similar.