The Search

“Come, 
Come away, 
O love, 
Sit beside me; 
I will teach thee 
The way to 
Happiness.”

 

I have collected here some excerpts of a poetical work by J. Krishnamurti, published first in 1927 under the title ‘The Search’, and later in the book ‘From Darkness to Light’ (1980), along with other poems from this period. Krishnamurti considered these writings as not being part of his official teachings, for they were written when he was still involved with the Theosophical Society, the organisation that raised him to become the new World Teacher and that he left in 1929. They are nevertheless a beautiful read, imbued with the wonder of nature, and the search for happiness. In the Publishers Note, we read: ‘These poetic writings represent a facet of Krishnamurti that is characterized by the intensity of his feelings and by his passionate appeal to the individual for self-realization of truth.’ I hope you enjoy them…

 

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“Balanced between the past and the future, 
the “I” is poised as a tiger ready to spring, 
as an eagle ready to fly, 
as the bow at the moment of releasing the arrow. 

This moment of equilibrium, of high tension, 
is “creation.” It is the fullness of all life, 
it is immortality. 

The wind of the desert sweeps away 
all trace of the traveller. 

The sole imprint is the footstep of the present. 
The past, the future… sands blown by the wind.“

~ J. krishnamurti (From Darkness to Light)

~

 

I have been a wanderer long 
In this world of transient things. 
I have known the passing pleasures thereof. 
As the rainbow is beautiful, 
But soon vanishes into nothingness, 
So have I known, 
From the very foundation of the world, 
The passing away of all things 
Beautiful, joyous and pleasurable. 

 

If thou wouldst concern thyself with the lasting, 
With the eternal, with the indestructible, 
With divinity, with immortality, 
With wisdom which is the pool of Heaven, 
If thou wouldst know of that everlasting Kingdom of Happiness, 
If thou wouldst know of that Beauty that never fades or decays, 
If thou wouldst know of that Truth that is imperishable and alone— 
Then, O world, 
Look deep within thyself

 

Thou hast been taught to seek Truth in the fleeting, 
Thou hast been nourished by the transient things, 
In these thou shalt never find that Happiness 
For which thy soul doth seek and suffer. 

 

So must thou establish thy hidden strength deep within thyself, 
And play with the passing world. 
As the swift-running river knows its source, 
So must thou know thine own being. 
As the soft blue lake whose depth no man knows, 
So must thy depth be unfathomable. 

 

If thou wouldst know thyself,
Thou must cut thyself free from this weed that binds thee,
That suffocates thee,
That destroys thy vision,
That kills thine affection,
That prevents thy thought.

 

As, suddenly, the robes of silence
Fall over the noisy world,
So, instantly, have I found Thee,
Deep in the heart of all things and in mine own.

 

On the mountain path 
I sat on a rock, 
And Thou wert beside me and in me, 
All things being in Thee and in me. 
Happy is the man that findeth Thee and me 
In all things. 
In the light of the setting sun, 
Through the delicate lace of a spring tree, 
I beheld Thee. 
In the twinkling stars 
I beheld Thee. 
In the swift passing bird, 
Disappearing into the black mountain, 
I beheld Thee. 

 

 

When thou art free, untrammelled,
When thy body is controlled and relaxed,
When thine eyes can perceive all things in their pure nakedness,
When thy heart is serene and burdened with affection,
When thy mind is well poised,
Then, O world,
The gates of that Garden,
The Kingdom of Happiness,
Are open.

 

That unfading Happiness— 
The Happiness that is the only Truth, 
The Happiness that is the end of all search, 
The Happiness that is the end of all questionings and doubt, 
The Happiness that brings freedom from birth and death, 
The Happiness that is the only law, 
The Happiness that is the only refuge, 
The Happiness that is the source of all things, 
The Happiness that gives eternal comfort, 
That true Happiness that is Enlightenment— 
Abides within thee. 

 

As the flower sleeps of a night,
Withholding its glory
For the joys of the morrow,
So, gathering my strength,
I delved deep
Into the secret stores of my heart,
For the joy of discovery.
As one beholds the light
At the end of a dark passage,
So I beheld
The end of my search,
The end I have known.

 

Lo! the hour has come,
The hour that I have known.
Liberated am I,
Free from life and death.
Sorrow and pleasure call me no more,
Detached am I in affection,
Beyond the dreams of the Gods am I.

 

As the moon is full and serene
In the days of harvest,
So am I
In the days of my Liberation.
Simple as the tender leaf am I,
For in me are many winters and many springs.

 

As the dewdrop is of the sea,
So am I born
In the ocean of Liberation.

 

As the mysterious river
Enters the open seas,
So have I entered
Into the world of Liberation.

 

This is the end I have known.

 

 

~~~

Poetry by Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986)

Photos by Alain Joly

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To know more about Krishnamurti’s life and teaching, read ‘A Day at Brockwood Park’.

Bibliography:
– ‘The Search, 1927’ – by J. Krishnamurti – (Kessinger Publishing Co)
– ‘The First and Last Freedom’ – by J. krishnamurti – (Rider Book)

Website:
– Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

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