Questioning - Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

For Jiddu Krishnamurti, the purpose of questioning is to free the mind from prejudices, beliefs, and authorities to foster intelligence, clarity, and self-understanding. This involves doubting and examining one's own experiences and conclusions, rather than accepting them passively, and questioning the very structure of society and all forms of imposed authority to uncover true freedom and a clear perception of "what is". [1, 2, 3, 4]  

Key Aspects of Krishnamurti's View on Questioning 

• Questioning Internal Authorities: Krishnamurti emphasized questioning one's own prejudices, beliefs, and standards, as these are the internal authorities that prevent the brain from being active and clear. [1, 3]  

• Questioning External Authorities: He also stressed the importance of questioning external authorities, including religious figures, societal norms, and political structures, seeing them as potential sources of fear and conditioning. [2, 3, 4]  

• Fostering Intelligence: The act of right questioning is not about finding an answer, but about the process itself, which clears the mind and awakens inherent intelligence. [1, 5]  

• Clearing the Mind: Questioning traditions, dogmas, and beliefs makes the brain lighter and more active, free from the weight of unnecessary baggage. [1]  

• Observing "What Is": The goal of questioning is to bring about a state of self-observation, to clearly see the facts of the present moment, and to understand the nature of illusions and delusions. [6, 7, 8, 9]  

• Doubt, Not Blind Acceptance: Rather than being gullible or blindly accepting what is told, one should cultivate doubt and a deep sense of inquiry to penetrate superficial layers of thought and behavior. [1]  

• The Right Question: A right question, for Krishnamurti, is one that arises from a deep, existential need to understand, leading to a new perception, rather than a mere intellectual exercise. [5, 7, 10, 11]  

• A Fundamental Inquiry: It's about questioning the fundamental aspects of life—how we live, think, and act—to uncover the root of human problems and to find freedom from them. [4, 5]