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An Instance of Dependent Origination:Are Krishnamurtis Teachings Buddhadharma?

Hillary RodriguesUvrty f Ltbrdg

The cLose conjUncTion btw Kramurt tugt ad ttag f Buddm ra m prvatv qut. My p t tat du t mplat f t mlart, w ap-par t blur t l btw wat vtally alld Buddm,ad tudd a u, ad wat may mr bradly b rgardd a buddha-dharma, r buddhavacana.1

jddu Kramurt wa br t a bram famly 1895 sut ida.2 h fatr wrkd fr t Tpal sty, ad t

yug Kramurt wa ft r arud t bautful 260-artat f t ty adquartr at Adyar, ar ca (Madra).Tpy (dv wdm), w t Tpal sty pr-mtd ad tll prmt, bad a tlrat, -tara ap-pra t rlgu trut.3 Amg tr tr tag t ttat umaty vlvg tward a tat f Uvral Brtrd,markd by a qutal vlut f v Rt-Ra. T vlut furtrd alg by t ffrt f grat Matr w prdally ap-par art t prmulgat tag ad mbu umakd wtprtual rgy. Trug a r f gradd tat, mmbr ft tr t f t Tpal sty bam part f tGrat Wt Brtrd, a arbgr f t Uvral Brtrdt m.Prdally, at t bgg f a larg prtual vlut-ary yl, a grat matr, kw a t Wrld Tar r jagadguru,

wa blvd t appar. i t lat 1800, Madam hla PtrvaBlavatky, a -fudr f t Tpal sty, prdtd tat tbgg f u a yl, amly t sxt Rt-Ra, wa l atad, ad wuld mrg utr calfra.


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Pacic World86

Durg Kramurt byd, A Bat ad c. W.Ladbatr, a frmr prt f t cur f eglad, add tTpal sty. it wa Ladbatr w pttd t furt-

yar-ld Kramurt t ba, utd t adquartr m-pud, ad pyally drd tat aura wa wtut a ttof selshness. The boy was soon adopted by the society and system-atally grmd t b t pyal vl fr t xt jagadguru, rWrld Tar. T trag ludd yga ad tr frm f py--pyal xr, but al atral travl t mt wt dmbddMatr f Tpy, u a Matr Kutum. Kramurt wa ub-sequently taken to England, studied briey at the Sorbonne, and even-tually ttld t oa Vally utr calfra. A rmarkabl

vt urrd 1929, twty yar aftr dvry, w d-badd t ordr f t star, a ubt rgazat f t Tpalsty, ad t lft t ty rdr t ffr w tag.Kramurt travld xtvly, pakg a avrag f 175 tm a

year to crowds ranging from as few as fty to several thousand peopleat a tm, utl dat 1986 at t ag f ty-.4

Some scholars nd close resonance between Krishnamurtisteachings and other philosophical systems, such as akaras AdvaitaVednta.5 hwvr, bt Kramurt lf ad tag, tgratt mlart ar wt Buddm. T paralll t d-tal, but ttal, ad altug tr ar mprtat dffr b-

tw Kramurt tag ad Buddm, t ut arrtaly mpllg. sm f t mr alt f t mlart ardud blw.

Bt f t fudr f t Tpal sty wr trglyalgd wt ad wll dpd tward Buddm. T Rua-brpy Madam Blavatky lamd t av travld t Tbt btw1868 ad 1870, durg w tm rvd tr tag frmvaru Matr. Tr ar umru trad f Buddt dtr r wrtg. cll hry stl oltt, t tr fudr f tTpal sty, wll kw fr ffrt t Buddt r-vval sr Laka. h wrt a Buddt atm, tll u sr Lakatday, ad rmmbrd fr fudg dz f Buddt l

in the country. The strong Buddhist avor in Theosophy carried fromBlavatky ad oltt t A Bat ad carl Ladbatr, t -ty ubqut ladr. i fat, t jagadguru, w pr waagrly awatd by t Tpt, ad w arrval ty pd t


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Rodrigues: An Instance of Dependent Origination 87

augurat trug t pr f Kramurt, wa tr tat Lrd Matrya, t xt tag Budda, a frtld by Buddakyamuni. It is he who would introduce the teachings that would ush-r t prtual vlutary dvlpmt f t sxt Rt-Ra.

jut a t jtakas rut tal f t Budda prvu lv,carl Ladbatr, trug py ury, bga t vtgatt pat lv f Kramurt, ad t publ t Tpal

ural. ovr a prd f yar, frty-gt pat lv wr uvrdpag a prd frm 70,000 Bce t 694 ce. T pat lv wr r-markably tt, dmtratg t arr f a bdattva wtufalg mmtmt.6 T Tpal sty, by t tm, wat a frg rlgu rgazat a ggrapal bakwatr. A

Bat rprt 1907 utd 677 Ldg wrldwd, ad t mm-brp ubqutly wlld t m 45,000 wt t prm ffrdby t yug Kramurt.7 Mmbrp ludd m f t mtpwrful ad walty mmbr f bt eatr ad Wtr t,ad durg tutlag wt t Tpal sty, Kramurtyd u mpay a tat f t mmly r Amra r-, M Mary Ddg, ad t cut D La Warr. h wa vrtuallyadptd by Lady emly Luty, daugtr f t Frt earl f Lytt,a frmr vry f ida. Lady emly wa t ubad f sr edwLuty, t artt f nw Dl.8 s Kramurt lf wa vrymu tat f a yug Brt artrat. h xrd at sadw gym-

aum, vtd art gallr, t ballt, t ra, ad t pra, playdglf, ad drv fat ar. Bar Plp va Palladt datd t catlEerde in Switzerland, along with its ve thousand surrounding acres,t Kramurt fr u. i bdag t a matralt ryal lf-tyl, w t a paralll btw t lf f Kramurt ad tat fthe young Siddhrtha Gautama.

Kramurt mmtd lttr t Lady emly tat wamvd by t tal f t Budda lf a rutd u wrtga edw Arld The Light of Asia ad Paul caru The Gospel of theBuddha. Kramurt mvd t calfra 1922 wt brtrntya, w wa uffrg frm tubrul, wr t wa pd tatt dry lmat wuld lp ntya dt. Tr Kramurt b-

ga t fl t wgt f rpblt a t Wrld Tar adplugd t mdtat wt tty. h udrwt a rf pwrful ad mtm paful xpr, w alld tpr, w ulmatd a prfud trafrmg gt wl


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at mdtat udr a larg pppr tr. h brtr ntya latrwrote that Krishnamurtis experience reminded him of the Tathgataudr t B tr.9 of t xpr, Kramurt wrt, i wa u-prmly appy, fr i av . ntg uld vr b t am. . . . iav tud mpa w al all rrw ad uffrg; t tfr mylf but fr t wrld.10

Kramurt tally tk t rl tat ad b ratd frm. h bga t pak a f t pr f t Budda Matryaad trd t m, ad amg t larg rwd tat attratdwr may w rgardd m a tg l ta dv. hwvr, 1925, w brtr ntya dd, a mar ag grw appart Kramurt wrd ad at. h bga t dta mlf pr-

grvly frm Tpy ad t Tpal agda. i a pgv 1927 ad:

When I was a small boy, I used to see Sri Krishna, with the ute, as pturd by t hdu, bau my mtr wa a dvt fKra. W i grw ldr ad mt wt Bp Ladbatr ad tT. s. [Tpal sty], i bga t t Matr K. h. [Kutum],aga t frm put bfr m, t ralty frm tr pt f vw.. . . Latr , a i grw, i bga t t Lrd Matrya. Tat watw yar ag, ad i aw m tatly t frm put bfr m.nw latly, t a b t Budda wm i av b g, ad t my glry t b wt hm. i av b akd wat i ma by tBlvd. i wll gv a mag, a xplaat w yu wll tr-

prt a yu pla. T m t allt sr Kra, t t MatrK. h., t t Lrd Matrya, t t Budda, ad yt t bydall t frm. . . . Wat yu ar trublg abut wtr tr u a pr a t Wrld Tar w a maftd hmlf t bdy f a rta pr, Kramurt. . . . My purp t trat du autrty, t maftat f t pr-alty f Kramurt, but t gv yu t watr tat all wa awayyur rrw, yur ptty tyra, yur lmtat, tat yu wllb fr, tat yu wll vtually tat a wr tr lmtat.11

. . . i ld tat tr a tral Lf, w t sur adt Gal, t bgg ad t d, ad yt t wtut d r b-ginning. In that Life alone is there fullment. And anyone who fullstat Lf a t ky t Trut wtut lmtat. Tat Lf fr all.it tat Lf, t Budda, t crt av trd. Frm my pt fvw, i av attad, i av trd t tat Lf. Tat Lf a frm, lmtat. Ad t tat Lf vry mut rtur.12


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T p qutd m dtal bau t ar m f tfw ta w Kramurt du mlf. i mt f latr dur, ad t trug t tat mt ppl kw f tag, wuld rarly rfr t mlf, pat, r ralza-t, fug almt mpltly mag. s t vat martyf ppl w av rad Kramurt ar qut uawar f arlylf wt t Tpt. Kramurt pr f dtag m-lf frm Tpy ulmatd famu addr t t ordr ft star 1929, swtzrlad at catl erd, w ubqutlyrturd t Bar va Palladt. h ad:

i mata tat Trut a patl lad, ad yu at appra tby ay pat watvr, by ay rlg, by ay t. Tat my ptf vw ad i adr t t ablutly ad udtally. Trut, b-g lmtl, udtd, uappraabl by ay pat wat-vr, at b rgazd; r uld ay rgazat b frmd tlad r r ppl alg ay partular pat. . . . [Y]u wll prb-ably frm tr ordr; yu wll tu t blg t tr rga-zat arg fr Trut. . . . if a rgazat b ratd frt purp, t bm a rut, a wak, a bdag, ad mutrppl t dvdual, ad prvt m frm grwg, frm tab-lg uqu, w l t dvry fr mlf f tatablut, udtd Trut. . . . Bau i am fr, udtd,wl, t t part, t t rlatv, but t wl Trut tat tr-al, i dr t, w k t udrtad m, t b fr, t t fl-

lw m, t t mak ut f m a ag w wll bm a rlg,a t. . . . i av w ddd t dbad t ordr, a i app tb t had. Yu a frm tr rgazat ad xpt ml. Wt tat i am t rd, r wt ratg w ag, wdrat fr t ag. My ly r t t m ablutly,udtally fr.

T p glgt bt a paralll wt t tral Buddalf, ad a dramat dffr frm t. Kramurt at dur-ing this period reect a renunciation that some have compared withSiddhrtha Gautamas renunciation when he left Kapilavastu and hisprly rta. Kramurt, w ad g frm rlatv pv-rty ad burty, t fam, walt, ad al prtg, wa at tat

tm al bg vrtually wrppd by may a a mbdmt ft Budda Matrya. h ruat f all tat walt ad adula-t wa rtaly twrty. i trat t t Budda, wvr,Kramurt dd t frm a sagha, but dbadd tad. h


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alrady ad a wrldwd rgazat at dpal, mad v-ery region by very inuential persons who were eager to carry out histrut. it wa rtaly quvalt t tw t f t fur-fld ambly, amly t upsaka ad upsiksagha. if Kramurtwa ambtu t frm a rlgu rgazat mmttd t m ad tag, rtaly uld t av pd fr a bttr fuda-t. Yt, rud t. Qut tllgly, wvr, Kramurt ddt ru matral, al, ad prtual tatu t ap t ampl, ular lf, but t lv mr tly a lf tat wa ttwt ralzat f Trut. Lk t Budda, pt t rt f lf gvg dur, mtg vtr, ad awrg qut.h wrt a fw bk, but mt f publat ar trarpt f

ral dur.13 i t ur f lf vtually rldwt t Tpal sty, w a vr qut rvrd frmthe blow delivered by his departure. He had signicant inuences onsuch notables as Jawaharlal Nehru, the rst prime minister of India (aswll a idra ad Rav Gad), ad t trtal pyt, DavdBm.14

Tu Kramurt lf d t dtally paralll tat f ttral Budda, but wa atually apd ad mapulatd t rm-bl t m way. o mgt uggt tat by rug pwrand privilege he paralleled the life of Siddhrtha Gautama even moreta Tpal sty mtr ad magd, but by dbad-

g t ordr tat ty ad bgu t dvlp fr m ad dugt valu f ay rlgu rgazat dvrgd frm t tralBudda, al a way umagd by mtr.

T f Kramurt tag gt w rmark-abl paralll wt t rux f Buddt tag. Kramurt talkdabout many things in his long career, and his work has ramications insuch elds as psychology, education, and philosophy. However, almostall f tag vrg t urgt ty fr t dvdualt udrg a prfud pylgal trafrmat tat fr -u frm a dtd tat t tat lbratd r u-dtd. Furtrmr, t pvtal trafrmat, r gt, atb brugt abut trug ay purpful at udrtak by t

lf, u a trvd mdtatv prat f ay kd, all uat rfr t lf. Prat trally apt t lluf tm ad f prgr, ad tu ffr t dtd lf (.., tg) a utad xt a t k t mprv prtually, t dvlp


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gratr larty, t grw gd, ad . All t mag fdvlpmt ad prgr fudamtally dvd wat Kramurtall wat- frm a magary wat wll b, ad t dv rdualism generates the matrix for psychological conict and suffering.igt, wvr, fr t dtd md frm t prpt tap frm wat-, lbratg t t t udtd, v-abl mvmt f wat-.

T , f ur, a tr ummary f Kramurt tag,w wr vr dlvrd a a mpl tlltual m t b lardad fllwd. nvrtl, a dtald aaly f Kramurttag d appar t rdr lar t mprta f pvtal r t-tal gt t trafrmat f u. T partularly

vdt publd vrat tat Kramurt ad wt DavdBm t lat yar f bt f tr lv. 15 Bm wa a rwdtheoretical physicist whose conception of the implicate order, inu-d by radg ad vrat wt Kramurt, a bgag m trty t lat fw dad. Bm l f qu-tg wr ytmat ad prvd t radr wt a larr ft tut ad ty Kramurt tag. i tvrat wt Davd Bm, Kramurt ud pt u aMd, wt a bg M, t pak f t udtd tat, altug allu trm ar ly pt ad tu fudamtally part f t -dtd r rlatv trut rg ralty.

As difcult as it is to make a case for having extracted the kernel ofKrishnamurtis thought, it is far more difcult to do so for Buddhism,partularly w d t av t full uadultratd rpu f ttag f ma, but a 2,500-yar try f Buddm. T m-plfy mattr, ratr ta mpar t tag f ma wt aglbal rlgu tradt wt a lg try f ptatd pl-sophical notions, widely diverse social congurations, and so on, I usea mpl mal txt t rv a a ba fr mpar.

Kramurt u f trm u a Md ad igt ld mvia Vijnavda and Yogcra to tathgatagarbha wrtg wt tCittamtra school, and ultimately to The Awakening of Faith, t cwork attributed to Avaghoa.16The Awakening of Faith a la ad

ut xpt f tral da Maayaa, ad tu rv a adal txt fr mpar. T paralll ar rmarkabl. Fr ta,The Awakening of Faith tat tat t


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Who have fullled the expedient mean will experience the oneness a tat; ty wll bm awar f w t pt f mdar, ad wll b fr frm t r f ay tugt. s ty ar farway frm v ubtl tugt, ty ar abl t av a gt tt rgal atur f Md.17

Tr ar may tr mlart btw Kramurt tag(w aalyzd ad ytmatzd) ad t kd f ut pr-tat f Maayaa dtr a fud The Awakening of Faith.18 Ttrut f t papr, wvr, t t prt a argumt abutt mlart, but t qur t m f tr mplat.

W w dr t l paralll btw Kramurt lfad t Budda, ad f w d tat dpt rta mprtat

dffr, u a t valu f a pat r a rlgu mmuty,tr ar al qually dramat mlart tr tag; mayrtaly ak wat t rlatp btw t tw. A mpl a-wr mgt b: Tr ral rlatp btw t tw, bauKramurt t a Buddt ad trfr t tag Buddm.Wl t wuld b a vt f fr a lar t rt arudhis or her eld of study, the matter is not resolved that easily. For in -ta, Kramurt tag av attratd Buddt ad avon occasions inuenced their thought.19 of ur, t mlart b-tw Buddm ad Kramurt av mtm prvkd trggatv rat. Fr ta, P. M. Ra, a artl MahaBodhi,

rtzd m tatmt mad by t Vrabl sat BadraTra, w a prvu papr publd MahaBodhi ad ad:

T trl t md ardg t a rta pattr r muld mplyt mpr t; tr frdm u dv. it by pav adalrt brvat f t way f t md wtut dmat rjustication that the mind could experience a stillness and freedomt bud by tm.20

T, ardg t Ra, wr t t Budda tag, but a tr-mlgal yrtm tat makd f Kramurt laguag.Wl m, u a Ra, ar rd tat Kramurt ta-g ar rpg t Buddm ad dtrtg t udrtadgf t Budda tag, tr av uggtd tat rta frm

f Buddm may abl t bttr udrtad Kramurttugt.21

Another signicant exemplar of the effect of Krishnamurti onm Buddt tar samdg Rmp, frmr drtr f t


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ctral ittut f hgr Tbta stud, sarat. A yug ma, ad a frd wuld rgularly vt Ragat ( f t Kramurtctr ida, latd ar sarat) t ar Kramurt talk.They thought of Krishnamurti as a sort of Ngrjuna in the esh.Kramurt tag vraular egl wr mw mrabl ta t laguag f t Buddt txt tat wa tudy-ing. Krishnamurtis teachings enabled them to understand Ngrjunabttr.22 samdg Rmp ad a fr mtm b a trut fthe Krishnamurti Foundation of India. He also conded to me that hewa plpally agat t tradt f rurrt rgzd -arat f lama tat xt may bra f Tbta Buddm.He himself is the fth or sixth incarnation of the Samdong Rimpoches.

Altug tr ar pltal ratal fr prptv rar-atg lama, wdr t wat xtt t da av b -uenced by Krishnamurti, whose renunciation of his role as a vehiclefr Lrd Matrya wa mwat ak t a rgzd arat lamadg t am tg.

T d tabl xampl tat f T Pakr, w bgatudyg Z wt R Plp Kaplau at t Rtr Z ctr.Vwd by may a Kaplau lar ur, T Pakr, w wav -ladr f t Rtr ctr wt Kaplau, lft t -tr aftr utrg Kramurt tag. s w ta att sprgwatr ctr nw Yrk, wr lgr all r-

lf a tar ad mak pal lam t autrty. i ffr txampl ly t pt t t taglmt btw Buddm adKramurt at rta marg f t tradt. Prap tagl-mt a pr f wrd, ad trptrat mgt b mrapprprat. i kpg wt Buddt trmlgy, mgt ug-gt tat Kramurt lf ad tag ar a trgug tafprattya-samutpda (dpdt rgat). Ad prap t mar-g ar t qut margal. samdg Rmp urrtly KalTrpa (Prm Mtr) f t Tbta gvrmt--xl. sd th hl t Dala Lama, samdg Rmp arguably t mtrgzd Tbta lama, amg Tbta. Ad Plp Kaplau f t mar trbutr t t Z tradt nrt Amra,

r-appart T Pakr dpartur frm Z Buddm -dicates a noteworthy inuence by Krishnamurti at the heart of thenrt Amra Z tradt. Tu, f t tag f Kramurtad m frm f Maayaa Buddm rat lly ug t


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armz (r at lat trat) wt a tr, ld t addrtr drvatv qut.T wat xtt mgt Kramurt tag b rgardd a

buddhadharma r buddhavacana? Aga, t ay awr t dmt qut t grud tat ly t Budda tag may brgardd a darma, ad ly wrd may b rgardd a buddha-vacana. Tr rtaly vd Buddt rptur t dtfykyamuni Buddha alone with the promulgation of dharma. However,tr ar al ta f pr tr ta t Budda pakgdarma (ad by xt utra). By ug t trm buddhadharma rbuddhavacana, i am tryg t dtgu btw t w atuallyprt w tag t darma vru t w ar mrly

purveyors of the historical Buddhas teachings. MacQueen identiesthree types of certication granted to non-Buddha dharma speakers t arly ltratur: apprval aftr t vt, apprval bfr tevent, and authorization of persons. In the rst type, the hearer of adur rpat t vrbatm t t Budda, w gv apprval,ayg tat wuld av ad t am tg udr t rum-ta. i t d typ, t Budda vt m t gv a d-ur balf, a kd f buddhavacana by prm. Ad t trd typ, altug autrzat gv, t Budda a pr-vuly pk abut t grat dpl wdm tat tr wrdcarry a pre-certied sense of authority.23 Ratg wt t a-

ceptable categories, the Mahsghika Vinaya tat:By darma mat tat w t Budda a pk ad tatwhich the Buddha has certied. By that which the Buddha has spo-k mat tat w t Budda a prally ad wt wmouth spoken; by that which the Buddha has certied is meant thatw t Budda dpl r tr av pk ad w abeen certied by the Buddha.24

Of course, the rst two types of certication were only possibly whilet Budda wa alv, ad t trd typ wuld d aftr t pagf t Grat Dpl, fftvly plag a al utra prdut.Tr ar, wvr, xampl fud t Stra-piaka f a wakgf t lur trug t pt f prd p (pratibhna).

ipratibhna, a dpl may b prd t pak darma bad gtat f u, r tr at ratv fault. Tr al, f ur, t dramat ad farly wll kw tatmt fud tAguttara-nikya, w p t dr t wat may b drd


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a buddhavacana. There, in a conversation with Upli, the Buddhaay,

T Dtr f w yu may kw: T dtr lad tmplt war, dg, alm, kwldg, t awakg, tcool [i.e., nibbna],regard them unreservedly as Dhamma, the dis-pl, t wrd f t Tar.25

A MaQu pt ut, t p t dr t a purly futaludrtadg f buddavaaa.26

crtaly Maayaa Buddm draw up u tatmt t l-gtmz t w rpu f utra. i t gt tury ce, t Buddtmonk antideva quotes a sutra that expands the concept ofpratibhna

(prd uttra) t atually b t wrd f t Budda f tymply wt fur fatr: () [t uttra] td wt trut,t utrut; () t td wt t Darma, t tat w t t Darma; () t brg abut t ruat f mral tat[klea] t tr ra; ad (v) t w t laudabl qualt fnirva, t t f t yl f rbrt [sasra].27 Paul Wllamt t trut f u Maayaa atttud utly by ayg, TMahyna took the Buddhas assertion that the Dharma should guide fllwr aftr dat, ad trd tat t Lrd a drbdt Darma a watvr lad t lgtmt, tat , watvr prtually lpful. Wat prtually lpful wll vary drably,dpdg pr, tm, ad pla.28 T l f argumt wuld

vry lkly qualfy Kramurt tag a darma.i atr avu fr t rg f darma dur dlvrd

by m tr ta t Budda, Paul Wllam draw ur atttt tPratyutpanna-stra. Tat utra t mdtatr t rllta buddha (in this sutras case it is the Buddha Amityus), visualizingm pur lad urrudd by bdattva ad prag tdtr. T prattr trat day ad gt fr m vday.29 carl Wllm a td tat t a mdtatv vualza-t wg f arly butu prat, w tr wg, w fu t vat f t am f t Budda, latr bm tral such sects as Jdo Shinsh.30

But rturg t ur utra, aftr t t v-day mdtat,meditators may see the Buddha Amityus in a vision or dream and actu-ally ar t darma. Ty ar v abl t qut t Budda wl t abrpt, ad ar apabl f rvg udlard wrd f tdarma. Aftr mrgg frm tatsamdhi (tmplatv abrpt),


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ty ar abl t xpud wdly t tr t Darma a [tyav] ard, rtad, ad matrd.31 Rmmbr Kramurttatmt mad t arly yar aftr awakg: Latr ,a i grw, i bga t t Lrd Matrya. Tat wa tw yar ag, adi aw m tatly t frm put bfr m. nw latly, t a bt Budda w i av b g, ad t my glry t b wt hm.32Tu, frm t Pratyutpanna-stras prptv a wll, Kramurtindirectly evoked identication between his words and the dharma.

My xuru t t ara a draw attt t m f tmay lvl up w Kramurt tag may b rgardda buddhavacana r buddhadharma. Kramurt, a t TpalSociety originally congured him, was molded on a conception of the

Budda Matrya, a vd by Tpal mtr. ev t ptur aumd w dlvrg dur (utd fida), atd a mpl tragt-bakd ar, vkd t trad-tal rprtat f Matrya. hwvr, Kramurt ffr ytatr uuual, f t uqu, twt t ffrt t atgrz m. ofur, t prblm f atgrzat a larly , ad tatKramurt mlf dmd. Aftr brak wt t Tpalsty, Kramurt lgr ud r lgtmatd t vabulary fTpy r v Buddm. Altug mtd t Budda a vrat, dd t rfr t mlf a Matrya, r tag a darma. i tr wrd, dd t prtray mlf (ad

t pt-Tpal pra tat bt kw t t wrld) a ay way rlatd t t Tpal agda f bg t vl frt Budda Matrya. i fat, dmd ay attmpt t mpar tag wt t f t Budda ad Buddm, tatg tatu mpar wr t partularly duv t t ralzat fTrut. Pgat utr t u ar vdt vr-at wt Buddt ad Buddt lar, u a Walpla Raula,w frqutly ptd ut t mlart a ty ar. Wat lar frm t du, wvr, Kramurt ttat v a dp tlltual udrtadg f a Buddt tag Trut t t am a gt t t f Trut.33

Rappg m f t prvu matral, t wuld m tat

Kramurt tag d av ug ra wt t Buddatag t b rgardd a darma. slarly aaly f t f tag rtaly uvr uquval paralll btw ttwo teachings. Furthermore, his teachings have inuenced inuential


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prattr ad purvyr f Buddm. h tag ar lug t Buddm t lp m ppl udrtad t tagf Buddm trug Kramurt, r v vra; ad ty ar vl ug t b aud f bg t am tg. Furtrmr,Kramurt arly lf wa drtly apd by t Tpt tfrm t a Buddtally prd v f t xt tar f tWay, t Budda Matrya.

Wat mak Kramurt dtt frm tr wuld-b Matrya,f w tr a b rtag t try f Buddm, tat dd t tu t ta Buddm, but tad taugt watmgt arguably b alld darma, wrt larg.34 hwvr, Kramurtfelt that certain essential elements in the Tathgatas message were

dtrtd, mtrprtd, r mapprpratd vr tm. T -tt wt a Buddt t tat t darma wll dgrat vrtm. T wll kw Matrya addat, w ar t turafter kyamunis departure, were often great monks or bodhisattva-kg w attmptd t rvv t darma, but frm wll wt tBuddt mld. i tr wrd, ty prmtd Buddm, lag, trdr, rptur, ad a farly full rpu f t tradt f Buddm.In Krishnamurti, however, we see a gure who attempted to revivedharma, but not Buddhism. One wonders if there were other such g-ur trug t try f Buddm, w lf ad tag wr t marg, ad tu margalzd by t Buddt tradt (b-

au ty wr t Buddt), r ar v urrtly t margad margalzd by lar f rlg tudyg Buddm.or Kramurt uqu, bt ralzat ad tag

ad t fft Buddm? Altug tr ar at prblm tryg t arta t valdty ad atur f m ralzat,tr a dwd t drg Kramurt ralzat uqu,bau a al tu b fftvly margalzd. Fr ta, mtabl v, u a P. D. oupky (t dpl f t Ruamystic George Gurdjieff) and Father Bede Grifths (the Christianmonk who was drawn to Advaita Vednta), held that Krishnamurtisralzat wa a uqu ad gular vt. i tr wrd, tymply tat Kramurt ad mtg uqu app t m ad

tu urgt all fr ppl t udrg u a prfud (but vr-tually mpbl) trafrmat, wtut ffrg tm ay mtdr ttutal upprt fr t attamt, uraabl ad lf-rvg.35 hwvr, Kramurt tag d t appar t b lf-


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prmtal. nr d ty glgt pral ralzat a m-tg uqu. h mag ptdly abut t atv xplrat ft vry ral pblty f w trafrmat trug gt,apart frm t trat f fllwg ay prvuly trammld rl-gu pat. Kramurt quatd t gt wt tat attad by tBudda, ad w tu t ultmat gal f all Buddt.

if tr t apply m tradtal Buddt atgr tKrishnamurti, his message is denitely not a call to follow theravaka-yna, t way f t ltr. nr t a all t t bdattva-yna, bau tag dm all t f t prgrv d-vlpmt r lvl f attamt tat w ft aat wt tatappra. it a all t all pr t awak, trug gt, t a

tat ak t uprm buddad wtut fllwg t Budda,Buddm, r v Kramurt. i m way t rmbl a all ttpratyekabuddha-yna, t way f t ltary budda.

Fr rlgu tud lar gagd atrplgal tud- f kr f t lgtmt xpr, Kramurttag ffr a trtg a. Tr ar may pr wrld-wide who have been inuenced by his teachings. These persons arekly trtd t rva trafrmat t w pt,but d t lam allga t ay tar r rgazat, t vt Kramurt. Ar ty lt Buddt? Prbably t, bautally mut tak rfug t Budda, t darma, ad t

sagha t b a Buddt, f w ty wuld agr t ttutpart f tr appra. Ad yt, fudamtal way ty ar krof a similar goal, nirvana. And they have denitely been shaping, al-tug drtly, t atur f Buddt dur alg t way. owdr f tr wr tr u mvmt f adw Buddt t ur f Buddt try.

T ay tu lud wt a r f qut. hav trbeen, in the history of Buddhism, gures who presented teachings withuay mlart t Buddm, but w tag av t bclassied as Buddhist?36 Varu Z Buddt matr m t md,bau tr tag ar trd t lgtmt xpr.However, their afliations to particular transmissions, lineages, tech-

qu, ad , grat tm a lar pla wt t Buddt trad-t. But av tr b prpral Buddm, adw Buddm,adw darma, paralll darma, ad , t ur f t -try, ad wat d w kw abut t lmal darma? W kw


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tat plpal dffr, r u f dpl, dd lad t brakwt t sagha, but dd dffr vr lad rta grup m-pltly ut f t Buddt fld? Wat d w kw abut u grupad tr da?37

T mdr tuat ffr m trgug xampl f tarwho might t this bill, although their messages and orientations needt b xamd lly ad ar fraugt wt trvry. Braktgart abut t valdty f t atual attamt f ay f ttar, r v t valdty f tr tag, t vrtlwrtwl t pulat t buddhavacana prpt wttr tag. W av td t a f T Pakr, w ta-g ar vrtually mpltly algd wt Z Buddm, but wt t

Kramurt-lk abrgat f autrty ad ytm.38 Atr utar carltt jk Bk, altug arguably mr v-tally wt t Z Buddt tradt. sm, wvr, wuld d-agr, drg r tag t b Z dvrd frm Buddm,w t rt ld tg. Atr addat VmalaThakar, an Indian teacher originally inuenced by Krishnamurti.hwvr, r urrt tatu larly a a autrtatv guru wprrb tradtal yg sdhana. Ad tr m t b mlarra t tag f U. G. Kramurt ( rlatp t

j. Kramurt). if t mdr prd a b prdug mayparalll purvyr f pttal buddhavacana, mgt tr t av

b may tr trug t ur f Buddt try? or t auquly mdr pm? But f t, w wll tudd ar tpud r lmal Buddm trug t ur f t lat tw ada alf mlla? Wat mgt ty tll u abut pr f dtwt a rlgu tradt, f dgagmt frm a tradt, f p-bl rapprprat by a tradt, ad tr attdat pr?Rumatg t qut , f ur, mply qurg t tstory of Mahayana Buddhism, but particularly at its congurations att marg. T papr al a frm f wdrg alud, trug tagy f Kramurt, abut wr w a lar uld at t p-rmtr arud ur ubt mattr, abut wat prprly Buddm,ad wat ttut darma, ad wat uld r uld t b r-

gardd a buddhavacana.39


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noTes

1. T papr drv frm mr ta a pag trt t tag fjddu Kramurt, t ida-br rlgu tar. i av publd wrkbad a l aaly f da rlg, rlgu md, ad gt.Ad i am al gagd a atrplgally rtd tudy f kr f trt f pvtal pylgal trafrmat prmtd by m ad tr rl-gu tar. s, fr xampl, hllary Rdrgu, Insight and Religious Mind(nw Yrk: Ptr Lag Publg, i., 1990) ad Mvmt empt:Ag jddu Kramurt Lf ad h Tag Rlg, Reli-

gious Studies and Theology 15, . 23 (1996): 4560.

2. Bgrapal matral may b fud Mary Luty, Krishnamurti: The

Years of Awakening (Ld: j Murray, 1975); ad Pupul jayakar, Krishna-murti: A Biography (sa Fra: harpr ad Rw, 1986). A mprvtml f lf wt Wb lk fud at ttp://www.rbtwdm.m/r/kramurt.tml.

3. o Tpy, Bru F. campbll,Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of theTheosophical Movement(Brkly: Uvrty f calfra Pr, 1980).

4. ifrmat uppld by t Kramurt Fudat f Amra (KFA),oa, calfra.

5. s R Wbr,Dialogues with Sages and Scientists: The Search for Unity (L-d: Rutldg & Kga Paul, 1987).

6. s A Bat ad c. W. Ladbatr, The Lives of Alcyone, 2 vl. (Adyar,Madra: Tpal Publg hu, 1924).

7. Luty,Krishnamurti, 254271.

8. Lady emly aut f r rlatp wt Kramurt fud rbk Candles in the Sun (Ld: Ruprt hart-Dav, 1957).

9. Luty,Krishnamurti, 156.

10. ibd., 159160.

11. ibd., 250.

12. ibd., 261.

13. Ardg t a lttr (datd D. 20, 1993) ltg fud fr t KFAArv, t ldg lud 5000 pag f lttr ad adwrtt mau-rpt, a tmatd 120,000 pag f typd maurpt, rugly 7000 pt-

graphs, 2500 audio programs, 550 video tapes and 20 lms.14. Krishnamurtis inuence on Nehru has been mostly undocumented. SeeFra Wat, The Trial of Mr. Gandhi (Ld: MaMlla ad c., 1969),190.


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15. s j. Kramurt ad Davd Bm, The Ending of Time (nw Yrk: harpr& Rw, 1985); ad The Future of Humanity (nw Yrk: harpr & Rw, 1986).

16. Rtrutd skt. ttl, raddhotpada-stra, jp.Daijokishinron.

17. s Yt s. hakda, tra., The Awakening of Faith: Attributed to Avaghosha(nw Yrk: clumba Uvrty Pr, 1967). Prprly ttld t Ta-cheng chi-hsin lun, t part f t Taishedition of the Chinese Tripiaka.

18. A trgug pulat tat Kramurt wa mlf famlar wtt bk ad t tag. Aldu huxly, a l frd f Kramurt, wrtt frwrd t Tmty Rard 1910 tralat fThe Awakening of Faith(The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana Doctrine: The New Buddhism [saga:crta Ltratur sty / Mtdt Publg hu]).

19. BuddhaNet, an inuential Web site on Buddhism, includes an article int l magaz dug t btw Kramurt ad Bud-dm. s T Kramurt ct ad Buddm, ttp://www.bud-dat.t/kra.tm.

20. P. M. Ra, eapm ad eap, MahaBodhi Journal (ju 1963): 117122.

21. Fr xampl, R Buard, Kramurt Z, Revue de lUniversitdOttawa 54 (otbrDmbr 1984): 91100; ad Rbrt Pwll, Z adLbrat ardg t Kramurt, The Mind of J. Krishnamurti, d. Lus. R. Va (Bmbay: ja Publg hu, 1971).

22. Bad pral vrat ld 1999.

23. See Graeme MacQueen, Inspired Speech in early Mahyna Buddhism I,Religion 11, . 4 (1981): 303319.

24. Taish 1415, vl. 22, 336, a2123. MaQu tralat, iprdsp, 309.

25.Aguttara-nikya iV, 143; tralatd by edward M. har, The Book of GradualSayings, vl. 4 (Ld: Luza, 1935), 9697.

26. MaQu, iprd sp, 315.

27. ntideva, iksamuccaya, d. P. L. Vadya (Darbaga: Mtla ittut,1961), 12.

28. Paul Wllam, Mahyna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (Ld adnw Yrk: Rutldg, 1989), 32.

29. s Wllam, Mahyna, 30.

30. carl Wllm, early Frm f nmbutu (ltur, hpa Buddtcur f Ltbrdg, Mar 27, 2004).

31. P. M. Harrison, Buddhnusmti in the Pratyutpanna-buddha-samukh-vasthita-samdhi-stra,Journal of Indian Philosophy 9 (1978): 3557; 49.


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32. Luty,Krishnamurti, 250.33. s j. Kramurt ad Dr. Walpla Raula, Discussion on Truth (eglad,audtap du, 1979), ad Discussion on Death (eglad, audtap d-u, 1979). A xrpt frm atr du fud ttp://www.ddukramurt.f/kadbudda.tm.

34. Zrcher mentions nine messianic movements between the fth and earlyxt tury ca al prd by t t f Matrya, w tmvmt ladr mtm lamd t b arat f Matrya. se. Zrr, Byd t jad Gat: Buddm ca, Vtam ad Kra, The World of Buddhism, d. h. Brt ad R. Gmbr (Ld: Tam &hud, 1984), 202.

35. s Wbr,Dialogues with Sages, 167; ad Luty,Krishnamurti, 153.

36. akaras Vednta jumps to mind, of course, because his notion of NirguaBrahman has resonance with some Vijnavda ideas. Like the Buddha, he isrdtd wt t frmat f a mat rgazat fr hdu rur.But akara was an stika plpr, radg ad trprtg t Upaniads,tBrahm-stras, ad tBhagavad-gt. So akara is not an example of thistyp bau may aly b atgrzd a -Buddt.

37. A trtg r f ay trafrmat ad dvlpmt tmprary Buddm at t marg (but wt t aptd buda-r f wat vtally alld Buddm) fud stv h adcarl s. Prb, d.,Buddhism in the Modern World (nw Yrk: oxfrd U-vrty Pr, 2003).

38. s ttp://www.wrldtra.rg/cybrsaga/zw95.tm fr a vtrlattak r by Z R f t Z ittut f sa Dg.

39. A mpl Wb ar trug Ggl prdud a umbr f trgug ar-tl tg Kramurt ad Buddm. s, fr ta, ttp://www.buddat.t/kra.tm, ttp://www.buddat.t/bvk_tudy/bvk001a.tm, ttp://www.g-ua.m/Ltur/kramurt.tml, ttp://www.u-g.d/~gk1415/prfa_t_t_budda_kramurt_tudy.pdf,ttp://www.ab.t.au/r/rlg//tr/746134.tm, ttp://www.t-osoa.com/book8.html, and http://www.teosoa.com/book9.html.

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