AWARENESS | MEDITATION | WISDOM | SPIRITUAL GROWTH

j. Krishnamurti’s Freedom from the Known: (4) Pleasure vs. Joy

An excerpt from Chapter 4 of the book Freedom from the Known by renowned spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986)

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Lessons in Ego Death – as I continue ascending into 5D consciousness these wise words are the simple reminders that my soul craves for grounding and keeping my vibrations high.

An excerpt from Chapter 4 of the book Freedom from the Known by renowned spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986)

We are all engaged in the pursuit of pleasure in some form or other — intellectual, sensuous or cultural pleasure, the pleasure of reforming, telling others what to do, of modifying the evils of society, of doing good — the pleasure of greater knowledge, greater physical satisfaction, greater experience, greater understanding of life, all the clever, cunning things of the mind — and the ultimate pleasure is, of course, to have God.

Pleasure is the structure of society.

From childhood until death we are secretly, cunningly or obviously pursuing pleasure. So whatever our form of pleasure is, I think we should be very clear about it because it is going to guide and shape our lives.

It is therefore important for each one of us to investigate closely, hesitantly and delicately this question of pleasure, for to find pleasure, and then nourish and sustain it, is a basic demand of life and without it existence becomes dull, stupid, lonely and meaningless.

You may ask why then should life not be guided by pleasure?

For the very simple reason that pleasure must bring pain, frustration, sorrow and fear, and, out of fear, violence.

If you want to live that way, live that way.

Most of the world does, anyway, but if you want to be free from sorrow you must understand the whole structure of pleasure.

To understand pleasure is not to deny it. We are not condemning it or saying it is right or wrong, but if we pursue it, let us do so with our eyes open, knowing that a mind that is all the time seeking pleasure must inevitably find its shadow, pain.

They cannot be separated, although we run after pleasure and try to avoid pain.

Now, why is the mind always demanding pleasure?

Why is it that we do noble and ignoble things with the undercurrent of pleasure? Why is it we sacrifice and suffer on the thin thread of pleasure? What is pleasure and how does it come into being? I wonder if any of you have asked yourself these questions and followed the answers to the very end?

Pleasure comes into being through four stages — perception, sensation, contact and desire.

I see a beautiful motor car, say; then I get a sensation, a reaction, from looking at it; then I touch it or imagine touching it, and then there is the desire to own and show myself off in it.

Or I see a lovely cloud, or a mountain clear against the sky, or a leaf that has just come in springtime, or a deep valley full of loveliness and splendor, or a glorious sunset, or a beautiful face, intelligent, alive, not self-conscious and therefore no longer beautiful.

I look at these things with intense delight and as I observe them there is no observer but only sheer beauty like love.

For a moment I am absent with all my problems, anxieties and miseries — there is only that marvelous thing.

I can look at it with joy and the next moment forget it, or else the mind steps in, and then the problem begins; my mind thinks over what it has seen and thinks how beautiful it was; I tell myself I should like to see it again many times.

Thought begins to compare, judge, and say `l must have it again tomorrow’. The continuity of an experience that has given delight for a second is sustained by thought.

It is the same with sexual desire or any other form of desire.

There is nothing wrong with desire. To react is perfectly normal. If you stick a pin in me I shall react unless I am paralysed. But then thought steps in and chews over the delight and turns it into pleasure.

Thought wants to repeat the experience, and the more you repeat, the more mechanical it becomes; the more you think about it, the more strength thought gives to pleasure.

So thought creates and sustains pleasure through desire, and gives it continuity, and therefore the natural reaction of desire to any beautiful thing is perverted by thought. Thought turns it into a memory and memory is then nourished by thinking about it over and over again.

Of course, memory has a place at a certain level.

In everyday life we could not function at all without it. In its own field it must be efficient but there is a state of mind where it has very little place. A mind which is not crippled by memory has real freedom.

So if you understand that where there is a search for pleasure there must be pain, live that way if you want to, but don’t just slip into it.

If you want to end pleasure, though, which is to end pain, you must be totally attentive to the whole structure of pleasure — not cut it out as monks and sannyasis do, never looking at a woman because they think it is a sin and thereby destroying the vitality of their understanding — but seeing the whole meaning and significance of pleasure.

Then you will have tremendous joy in life.

You cannot think about joy. Joy is an immediate thing and by thinking about it, you turn it into pleasure.

Living in the present is the instant perception of beauty and the great delight in it without seeking pleasure from it.

Allow the words to resonate with you as you take them in consciously. Meditate on these insights that have inspired thousands of people worldwide.

“Freedom from the Known is the Essence of Intelligence” — J. Krishnamurti

Thank you for your time and for allowing me to share my writing. I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

Love & Light, Gem ♊✨