OBJECTIVES

1. To understand Jiddu Krishnamurti’s life,background and

his philosophy towards education.
2. To Explore Krishnamurti's perspective on education as
not merely the acquisition of knowledge but as a holistic
process of understanding oneself, society, and the world.
3. Provide examples and practical strategies for
incorporating Krishnamurti's principles into educational
practices, both in formal and informal learning
environments.
 INTRODUCTION AND LIFE SKETCH
● A great philosopher, educationist, writer,
thinker as well as speaker. Jiddu
krishnamurti was born on 11 may, 1895, at
Madanapalle, a small village in Andhra
Pradesh in south India.
● He was discovered as a young boy by the
Theosophical Society and groomed to be a
world teacher.
● Krishnamurti spent his life traveling the
world giving talks and lectures on spiritual
and philosophical topics.
● He emphasized the importance of self-inquiry, meditation,
and the need for a radical change in consciousness.

● Krishnamurti authored many books, including "Freedom from

the Known" and "The First and Last Freedom".

● He founded several schools in India, England, and the United

States based on his educational philosophy.
 VIEWS ON EDUCATION

Krishnamurti sees education as:-

● Education is not only learning from books, memorizing some facts, but
also learning how to look, how to listen to what the books are saying,
whether they are saying something true or false. All that is part of
education.
● Education is not just to pass examinations, take a degree and a job, get
married and settle down, but also to be able to listen to the birds, to see
the sky, to see the extraordinary beauty of a tree, and the shape of the
hills, and to feel with them, to be really, directly in touch with them.
● Man does not care what happens to another so long as he is perfectly
safe. And being educated to fit into all this. According to him the world is
mad, that all this is madness - this fighting, quarrelling, bullying, tearing at
each other. Individuals grow up to fit into this. Education is meant for, that
individuals should willingly or unwillingly fit into this mad structure called
society. In religions throughout the world also man is disintegrating,
nobody believes in anything any more. Man has no faith and religions are
merely the result of a vast propaganda.

● If Individual now begin to think, to observe, to learn, not from books, but
learn for itself by watching, listening to everything that is happening
around him, he will grow up to be a different human being – one who
cares, who has affection, who loves people. Perhaps if he live that way,
he might find a truly religious life.
● He looked at education as an instrument of one‘s
liberation which could give the right direction to one‘s
life. He put forward a way of education which could
make a man advance towards liberation. He did not
suggest any pattern to approach truth. He tried to
make every man to be his own truth-seeker without
seeking or receiving help from any sect, organization
or guru whatsoever. He was deadly against any guru,
book or a certain sect which could be particularly
evolved to approach truth.
 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
1) Krishnamurti holds that the human mind is deeply conditioned and contaminated by
thoughts. It makes my mind narrow and old.
2) According to Krishnamurti, right education is a process of self knowing and self discovery
but the present education system is a process of programming the student’s mind like a
computer.
3) Krishnamurti contends that the existing system of education is faulty for they have not
been aiming at creating free and holistic human beings and sane society.
4) Krishnamurti lays utmost emphasis on exposing the students to nature, art and music
5) Krishna Murthy said ,“Giving marks, grading, comparison and any form of compulsion,
either through kindness or through threats, breeds fear, and it is because we are caught in
this fear while we are young that we struggle in fear for the rest of our life.”
 KRISHNAMURTI AND HOLISTIC EDUCATION
“There is no end to Education. It is not that you read a book, pass an
examination and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment
you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning”.

What is Holistic Education?

Holistic education places an emphasis on the whole growth of a learner instead

of emphasizing only specific parts of the human experience. It deemphasizes
materialism while promoting growth in all areas of the human experience:
intellectual, emotional, social, and so forth. Proponents of a holistic education
argue that it promotes balanced relationships between not only people, but
between people and their environment. Taken all together, holistic education
emphasizes democratic learning, emotional health, and relationship growth, to
a far greater degree than the traditional learning environment.
# Krishnamurti's approach to the nature of education

1. The intentions of education:

“To be religious is to be sensitive to reality. Your total being –
body, mind, and heart – is sensitive to beauty and ugliness, to
the donkey tied to a post, to the poverty and filth in this town, to
laughter and tears, to everything about you. From this
sensitivity for the whole of existence springs goodness, love”

For Jiddu Krishnamurti, the intentions of education

must be the inner transformation and liberation of the
human being and, from that, society would be
transformed. Education is intended to assist people to
become truly religious.
2. The physical nature of the places of education:

“The purpose of education is not to produce mere scholars, technicians

and job hunters, but integrated men and women who are free of fear; for
only between such human beings can there be enduring peace.” - J.
Krishnamurti

Aesthetics: The schools Krishnamurti founded are very beautiful

places, and this is not by accident. Beauty is important, not just because it
is pleasing, but because sensitivity to beauty is related to being religious
and indispensable to the healthy growth of a child. The educational
centers Krishnamurti founded are invariably in parks or the
countryside. This was not just because he felt that nature was pleasing,
but because he felt that a relationship with nature had important
implications for living sanely and for a relationship with the sacred.
# The problem of fragmentation:
Krishnamurti felt that fragmentation was a central problem in modern
life.

He stated: In our present civilization we have divided life into so

many departments that education has very little meaning
except in learning a particular technique or profession. Instead
of awakening the integrated intelligence of the individual,
education is encouraging him to conform to a pattern and so is
hindering his comprehension of himself as a total process. To
attempt to solve the many problems of existence at their
respective levels, separated as they are into various categories,
indicates an utter lack of comprehension.
# What should be the purpose of education?
The function of education is to create human beings who are integrated
and therefore intelligent…Intelligent is the capacity to perceive the
essential, the what is; and to awaken this capacity, in oneself and in
others, is education” (Education and the Significance of Life)

Krishnamurti stated: "The highest function of education is to bring

about an integrated individual who is capable of dealing with life as
a whole."

● Importance of Self-Awareness
● Avoidance of Dogmatism
● Development of Attention
● Central Role of Integration
 Krishnamurti schools

The official Krishnamurti Schools are:

USA-Oak Grove School

UK-Brockwood Park School

India-Rishi Valley Education Centre

India-Rajghat Education Centre Rajghat Fort

India-The School "Damodar Gardens"

India-The Valley School Bangalore Education Centre

India-Sahyadri School
 CONCEPTION OF A CHILD
● Emphasized recognizing each child as a unique individual.
● Advocated for providing children with freedom to explore, inquire,
and learn autonomously.
● Holistic Education: Nurturing emotional, psychological, and spiritual
well-being alongside intellectual growth.
● minimal interference in the child's natural development process.
● Emphasized encouraging children to question, explore, and discover
truth for themselves.
● Recognized importance of emotional and psychological well-being.
 CURRICULUM
● Encouraged the cultivation of finer aspects of life - aesthetic, emotional and
spiritual development of students.
● Art and Craft should be included in the curriculum besides academic
subjects.
● Dance, music and culture - key position in curriculum propogated by him.
● Laid great emphasis on ‘art of listening’.
● Curriculum where art of listening is emphasised and developed.
● Hands-on-activities like gardening, carpentry, painting, etc.
● His schools - subjects are not just taught to pass examinations, but are deeply
connected to the individual’s life by being co-related with ’self’ to make
them meaningful.
 AIMS OF EDUCATION
For Krishnamurti, “there is no end to education. It is not that you read a
book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life,
from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of
learning.” He emphasised on:
(i) Educating the whole person-
● He considered that the individual is made up of different entities and
education should bring about the integration of those separate
entities.
● For without integration, life becomes a series of conflicts and sorrows.
(ii) Educating the person as a whole-
● “Education is not just to pass examinations, take a degree and a
job, get married and settle down, but also to be able to listen to
the birds, to see the sky, to see the extraordinary beauty of a
tree, and the shape of the hills, and to feel with them, to be
really, directly in touch with them. To merely to stuff the child
with a lot of information, making him pass examinations, is the
most unintelligent form of education.”
● According to him, education is not merely acquiring knowledge by
gathering and correlating facts.
● Create human beings who are integrated and therefore
intelligent.
● In other words, the purpose of education is not to produce mere
scholars, technicians and job hunters but integrated men and
women who are mature, free of fear and who have
self-awareness, love and goodness.
(iii) Educating the person within a whole:
● As part of society, humanity, nature, etc.
● In Krishnamurti's view, another aim of education is to
cultivate the right kind of relationship, not only
between individuals, but also between the individual
and society.
● The right kind of education will encourage
thoughtfulness and consideration for others without
enticements or threats of any kind.
● True education enables one to understand the deep
significance of the human life; but to understand, the
mind must intelligently free itself from the desire for
reward which breeds fear and conformity.
● In other words, education should provide for individual
freedom through which love and goodness can flower;
● Should encourage the understanding of the inherited
tendencies and environmental influences, which
condition the mind and heart and bring about an
integrated human being.
(iv) Schools as places of learning ways of life:
● “Education is not only learning from books, memorizing some
facts, but also learning how to look, how to listen to what the
books are saying, whether they are saying something true or
false. All that is part of education.”
● Children must be educated rightly in order to make them religious
human beings.
● Wanted these centres to be the places of learning the ways of life
- not based on pleasures or self-centered activities, but on the
understanding of correct action, depth of relationships and
sacredness of a religious life.
● These places should only be meant for the enlightened ones.
“Right Education should help the student not only develop
his capacities, but to understand his own interest.”
● Awaken the capacity to be self-aware and not merely
indulge in gratifying self-expression.
● Right kind of education- not concerned with any ideology,
however, it offers much to an ideal future or utopia.
● Not based on any system.
● Nor is it as a means of conditioning the individual in some
special manner.
(v) Create New Values:
● Education is intimately related to the contemporary world
situation at any point of time, and thus education should
awaken intelligence and help the coming generations not
to bring about further conflict and disaster.
● “When inquiry is suppressed by previous knowledge, or by
authority and experience of another, then learning
becomes mere imitation, and imitation causes a human
being to repeat what is learned without experiencing it.”
● The right kind of education consists in understanding the
child as he is, without imposing upon him an ideal of what
we think he should be; and there should not be any
compulsion, as sensitivity can never be awakened
through compulsion.
● “To understand life is to understand ourselves, and that is
both the beginning and end of education.”
● Each person - unique vocation - needs to be discovered -
part of understanding oneself, and consequently
education.
(vi) Helping the individual to be mature and free:
● Flower greatly in love and goodness.
● Not in shaping the child according to some
idealistic pattern.
● Enable the child to develop mentally in such a
way that he should know himself.
● Education should help one to feel freedom of
mind and fearlessness.
(vii) Inner Transformation and liberation of human being:
● Society would be transformed.
● Criticized the conventional education, which makes
independent thinking extremely difficult and hinders
one's comprehension of himself as a total process.
● Present system of education is making us subservient,
mechanical and deeply thoughtless; though it awakens
us intellectually; inwardly it leaves us incomplete,
stultified and uncreative.
● The individual is made up of
different entities and education
should bring about the integration
of those separate entities.
● Without integration, life becomes a
series of conflicts and sorrows.
 RIGHT KIND OF EDUCATION
Here are some key pointers regarding the right kind of
education according to Krishnamurti:
1. Holistic Development: Education should focus on developing
the whole person, fostering a sense of interconnectedness and
wholeness.
2. Freedom and Inquiry: Education should promote critical
thinking and independent inquiry.
3. Awareness and Observation: Students should be
encouraged to observe themselves, their thoughts,
feelings, and actions, leading to greater insight and
understanding.
4. Relationships and Environment: Krishnamurti
emphasized the importance of fostering a conducive
atmosphere for learning, characterized by trust,
respect, and cooperation.
 NOTION OF FEAR
Krishnamurti views fear as:
1. Rooted in Thought: Fear arises from thought, often related to
the anticipation of future events or the consequences of past
experiences.
2. Product of Time and Imagination: It is linked to the
psychological time, fueled by imagination and projection into
the future.
3. Division and Separation: division between the
observer and the observed
4. Escaping the Present Moment: when the mind
is not fully engaged in the present, worries about
5. Freedom through Understanding: true
freedom from fear comes through understanding
its psychological roots
 SOURCE OF FEAR
Jiddu Krishnamurti believed that fear in learning or
education arises from various sources. Some key pointers
include:
● Conditioning and conformity
● Comparison and competition
● Authority and dependency
● Failure and success
● Future-oriented anxiety
RELIGION ,AUTHORITY AND EDUCATION
1. The Tyranny of Authority in Education:
● Education primarily emphasizes functional skills and societal
roles, neglecting the cultivation of intelligence and freedom.
● Students are trained to conform to societal demands and rely
on external authority, hindering genuine inquiry and
understanding.
● The mind's hesitation to engage deeply stems from a lack of
freedom, perpetuated by the emphasis on obedience and
conformity in education.
2. The Quest for Genuine Inquiry in Religion:
● Traditional approaches to religion often rely on inherited beliefs, structures,
and authorities, stifling genuine exploration.
● True religious inquiry demands freedom from preconceived notions, beliefs,
and external authorities.
● Intelligence and freedom are essential for authentic religious exploration,
requiring the mind to set aside all preconceptions and structures of thought.
3. Cultivating Freedom and Originality in Learning:
● The essence of learning lies in cultivating a free mind that can observe,
question, and explore without the constraints of authority or tradition.
● Genuine learning requires individuals to break free from second-hand
knowledge and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
● True education should prioritize the development of intelligence, freedom, and
innocence, allowing individuals to engage authentically with knowledge and
experience.
[Link] in Society: Krishnamurti observes a trend of
degeneracy in society, particularly among politicians and religious
leaders who exploit religion for personal gain. He stresses the
importance of addressing this trend and fostering a truly religious
mindset to prevent further degeneration.
5. Responsibility for Education and Enlightenment: Despite the
challenges posed by societal norms and traditions, Krishnamurti feels
a profound responsibility to educate and enlighten others, especially
young people. He advocates for creating an "elite" group of
individuals who are genuinely concerned about deeper understanding
and self-awareness, despite the resistance they face from various
societal forces.
 TEACHER AND TEACHING
How should a teacher be?
● It is teacher’s duty that they do not pass on anxieties, ambitions,
greeds and fears to a young person.
● There can be no real hierarchy between the staff and [Link]
we continue to equate success with money and power, we will
continue to see the wrong that perpetuates in the world
unchecked.
● There can be no real hierarchy between the staff and students.
● the educator is changing his own values also; he too is
beginning to be rid of the “me” and the “mine”
 ROLE OF A TEACHER
1. Since Krishnamurti counted all ideals as subtly coercive, the
teacher’s first task is to abandon these, along with his own will to
power, in favour of giving her ‘full attention to each child, observing
and helping him.’ ‘The moment we discard authority,’ he added,
‘we are in partnership, and only then is there cooperation and
affection.’

2. According to Krishnamurti ―The right kind of education consists in

understanding the child as he is without imposing up on him an
ideal of what we think he should [Link] right kind of a teacher
doesn‘t depend on a particular [Link] is fully aware of the fact
that the pupils are living beings who are impressionable, volatile,
sensitive, affectionate and often timid.( understanding the children)
3. The best way for a teacher to understand a child is to
observe him at play, work, and at different moods. The
teacher should not be tempted to project upon the child
his prejudices, hopes and fears. ( keen observer)

[Link] says “the right kind of education

which encourages the language of technique
should help man to experience the integral process
of life which is of greater importance. It is this
experiencing that will put capacity and technique in
their right place” (integrated educator and learning).
 Method of Teaching

Right kind of teaching should provide certain method-

[Link] role of 'right education' is to make the individual
highly sensitive to everything.
2. The right kind of education does not only produce
engineers, doctors or scientists, but also a 'human
being who is alive, fresh, eager.’
3. The method should not teach the child “ what to
think” but ‘how to think’.
4. The method provide freedom for the child which
enable him to think for himself. Study the child
thoroughly and employ such methods that suit him best.
5. The method employed in teaching should enable the
child to study the subject in thoroughly. Problem
solving and explorative methods should be encouraged.
Repetition encourages the mind of the child to be
sluggish.
6. Questioning and critical thinking is must part of the
instruction process.
7. In teaching and learning process,
teacher and students should form
an equal partnership. Teacher
should strive to motivate the
student to taken learning.
 VIEWS ON DISCIPLINE
● “Discipline means to learn, not to conform, not to suppress, not to
imitate the pattern of what accepted authority considers noble. In it
are involved several things: to learn, to be austere, to be free, to be
sensitive, and to see the beauty of love. Discipline is freedom.”
● Krishnamurti avoids using the word discipline as it laden with all kinds
of meanings, conformity, imitation, obedience etc.
● Used order instead of discipline.
● Freedom does not mean that an individual does whatever he wants to
do, but it is an order and for bringing that order one have to be
“extraordinarily receptive, sensitive to everything.”
● Krishnamurti continues to say, “If you are considerate, if you are
watching, if you are listening, then, because you are free, you will
be punctual, you will come to the class regularly, you will study,
you will be so alive that you will want to do things rightly.”
● Therefore, Krishnamurti advocates self-discipline.
● In schools when there is one teacher to a hundred students, then
you jolly well have to be very strict; but such discipline will not
produce an intelligent human being.
● Discipline is not conducive to understanding; for understanding
comes with observation, with inquiry in which all prejudice is set
aside.
● In a disorderly world where there is much confusion politically,
socially, and even in religion, our schools must be centers of order
and the education of intelligence.
● Sensitivity can never be awakened through compulsion.
● One may compel a child to be outwardly quiet, but one has not come
face to face with that which is making him obstinate, impudent, and
so on. (no inquiry into reasons causing that behaviour)
● Compulsion breeds antagonism and fear.
● Reward and punishment in any form only make the mind subservient
and dull; and if this is what we desire, then education through
compulsion is an excellent way to proceed.
● Discipline is an easy way to control a child, but it does not help
him to understand the problems involved in living.
● With the right kind of educator who can give his full attention
to each child, observing and helping him and a small number of
students, any repression, politely called discipline would not be
required.
● If, in such a group, a student still persists in disorderliness or is
unreasonably mischievous, then the educator must inquire
into the cause of his misbehaviour, which may be wrong diet,
lack of rest, family wrangles, or some hidden fear.
 TRIO OF TEACHERS, PARENTS AND CHILDREN

● Dynamic relationship where teachers, parents, and

children learn from each other.
● Teachers act as facilitators rather than authority figures.
● Parents are encouraged to engage in open
communication and active listening with their children.
● Children are active participants in their own learning
process.
 SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATION

Krishnamurti's sociological perspectives on education revolve

around the idea of liberating individuals from societal constraints,
fostering self-awareness, and promoting a holistic approach that
goes beyond academic knowledge.
[Link] Transformation: Krishnamurti believed in education as
a means of individual transformation
2. Freedom from Authority: He believed that true learning occurs
when individuals are not bound by external authority.
3. Observation and Inquiry: Societal norms and structures should be
observed critically, encouraging students to question and inquire
rather than passively accepting established norms.
4. Holistic Development: Krishnamurti advocated for a balanced and
integrated approach to learning.
5. Breaking Down Divisions: Krishnamurti encouraged breaking down
societal divisions and prejudices through education.
6. Mindful Living: Education, according to Krishnamurti, should prepare
individuals for mindful living, helping them navigate the complexities
of life with sensitivity, compassion, and a deep understanding of
oneself and others.
 ROLE OF EDUCATION IN SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
Development of capacities to face challenges - If the individual is to grapple with life‘s
problems, intricacies, mysteries, and sudden demands, he must be free from theories
and particular patterns of thoughts.

Development of self knowledge - Education should help an individual discover the true
values which
come with unbiased investigation and self-expression becomes self assertion with all
its aggressive and ambitions conflicts.

Development of free and mature human beings - Education in true sense should help the
individual to be free and mature and to blossom in love and goodness. The conditioning
of the child‘s mind to fit a particular ideology whether political or religious breed‘s
enmity between man and man will not help to bring about brotherhood and change in
the society
Development of Wisdom and not Acquiring Knowledge - Wisdom
surpasses knowledge; explanations and facts don't alleviate suffering.
Education fosters shallowness. True understanding integrates
knowledge with action. We mistake parts for the whole, missing life's
essence.
Development of creative intelligence- The spirit of constant inquiry and
the feeling of discomfort in the existing system can bring forth creative
intelligence. To keep this spirit alive is cumbersome task. Most people
do not want their children to have this kind of intelligence, the reason
being the uncomfortability they have to face when the established
values are questioned.
 RELEVANCE IN MODERN EDUCATION
[Link] on holistic education: Krishnamurti advocated for a
holistic approach to education that focuses on the overall development
of the individual, including intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth.
This has influenced contemporary educational practices that prioritize a
well-rounded education for students.
2. Importance of self-inquiry and critical thinking: Krishnamurti
believed in the importance of self-inquiry and critical thinking in
education. His emphasis on questioning and exploring one's own
beliefs and assumptions has influenced modern educational
approaches that encourage students to think independently and
analytically.
[Link] on experiential learning: Krishnamurti promoted experiential learning
as a way for students to engage with the world and learn from direct experience.
This has influenced contemporary educational methods that emphasize hands-on
learning, project-based activities, and real-world applications of knowledge.

4. Encouragement of creativity and freedom: Krishnamurti emphasized the

importance of nurturing creativity and allowing students the freedom to explore
their interests and passions. This has inspired contemporary educational models
that value creativity, innovation, and student-centered learning approaches.

[Link] on mindfulness and self-awareness: Krishnamurti stressed the

importance of mindfulness, self-awareness, and inner transformation in
education. This has influenced modern educational practices that incorporate
mindfulness techniques, social-emotional learning, and character development
programs to support students' well-being and personal growth.
 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, exploring the life and ideas of Jiddu Krishnamurti offers profound insights
into the nature of education and human development. Krishnamurti's journey from a young
boy discovered by the Theosophical Society to becoming a renowned philosopher and
educator is a testament to the power of self-discovery and the importance of questioning
conventional [Link] emphasis on freedom from authority and the exploration of one's
own mind challenges traditional educational paradigms and invites us to reconsider the
purpose of education. Instead of merely imparting knowledge and skills, Krishnamurti
advocates for a holistic approach that nurtures intelligence, empathy, and a deep
understanding of oneself and the world. Krishnamurti's philosophy underscores the need for
an education that goes beyond academic achievements and fosters critical thinking,
creativity, and a sense of responsibility towards humanity and the environment. By
encouraging students to inquire into the nature of existence and their place in it,
Krishnamurti promotes the development of individuals who are not only intellectually adept
but also compassionate and morally grounded.
 REFERENCES
ONLINE SOURCES:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
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READINGS REFERRED:
Krishnamurti, J. On Education and the Significance of Life, Krishnamurthy Foundation: Chennai, 1953.
IGNOU, Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986)
Thapan, M. Education and the Purpose of Living: The Legacy of J. Krishnamurti
Krishnamurti, J. On Education, Orient Longmen, New Delhi, 1974