J Krishnamurti teachings and talks - Notes and a deep dive - Advantages vs critiques.

 

October 2025.

I attended a seminar in Sydney a month or so ago. One of the main talks at the seminar was about J. Krishnamurti, and 10 or so themes in his teachings. The talk was given by someone who was familiar with JK since the 1970s and had attended some talks in person. I thought the seminar was great, and the themes really motivated me to take a deeper look into JK and his teachings and 'approach'.

Several weeks later, I was in a position where I had some free time to do a deep dive and really immerse myself in the teachings of Krishnamurti. I purchased some talks (from 1969, February in the US), and this set had about 4 talks, each 90 mins. I also found a massive amount of talks, dialogues, and the like in podcasts and on YT. To their credit, the Foundation has kept excellent recordings, and much of it is freely available.

I was inspired by some of the first talks. Topics ranged from society, man's condition, the mind, observation, conditioning, and much more. JK's style of speaking and delivery was top-notch. A perfect speaker in a way. Yes, he had been trained well by the TS and the upper echelons of society. And it came out in the way he spoke and direct inquiry in the present moment with the audience. I loved how he made people do 'the work' on the spot, and really forced people to observe and enquire in the audience.

His commentary on self-observation is perfect. Nobody explains self-observation better. The problem is that he doesn't give and structured approach on how to do it. The description and reasons for doing it are given perfectly. The approach is way too vague to be useful to anybody listening.

Over the following days, as I continued, however, I became more and more disillusioned with JK's approach (or non-approach and non-structure as he would have it). Issues and cracks appeared in the teachings he delivered. Sometimes he would overgeneralise and severely look down on ALL and every religious tradition, method, system, etc.. labelling monks as fools or absent-minded simpletons lost in their rituals and routines. Formal practice was derided. Zen and yoga, all just tricks. This didn't bother me too much, as there was a grain of truth in it. 

However, the more I heard, the worse it became. Krishnamurti seemed to be completely mixing levels of experience.. asking why certain spiritual methods hadn't fixed society and its disorder and chaos.. as if any philosophy, method, or system, including his own, ever could. Sometimes he gave vague pointers to having a more mindful approach, being more engaged in the moment with one's experience and environment- yet without any tools or training to do so-- all structured training, tools, methods, etc. were "tricks" based on conditioning.

Yet Krishnamurti himself repeated the same ideas almost at each talk! He repeatedly said "the description is not the described", "the observer is the observed", etc., etc. he gave the same enquiries at different talks-- all of this repetition apparently wasn't static or conditioning, but what excepted it? He told people to deny all authority, including the speaker, and yet for 40 years he held talks with crowds, many of whom regarded him as their guru or teacher. Groups followed him for decades, dependent on more talks.

Talk after talk, 1970s, 1980s etc.. people just weren't "getting it", or any closer than they were from talks in the 1960s. As there was no training given, or structure, people were almost expected to magically gain insight or the experiences he kept offering people. They didn't happen. And people are still as confused about JK's teachings as they were during his time.

I had to lay down the talks and the books.. my deep dive was pretty much over in a week or so. However, there's some parts of Krishnamurti's teachings that are great, and have inspired so many modern day teachers. People like Eckhart Tolle, Barry Long, Osho, Ouspensky, and many more all seem to have picked up parts of Krishnamurti's philosophy or delivery. But the limitations present, such as having no system, no way, no approach, nothing.. seems to have been peculiar to Krishnamurti himself. It appears that JK somehow managed to gain some insight along the way, or randomly discovered the whole observer illusion, no-self deal, but couldn't impart that insight in any effective way that would allow his students to (ironically) depart from their very dependence that JK was daily trying to stop.

On the topic of "conditioning", which is one of JK's central themes, it is always explained as a negative thing. JK relates it directly to the past (or it IS the past), and anything coming from conditioning is therefore dead, past, mechanical in nature, and something to overcome of transcend. But using Krishnamurti's own inquiry-- Is this actually and always true? Is ALL conditioning bad? Well, I'd have to say, no, not all conditioning is a bad thing. Being conditioned to jump out of the way of an oncoming car seems to be good conditioning. Being conditioned to get up each morning at the same time, or go to bed early seems to be a healthy conditioning for maintaining one's body. And "deconditioning" too, is sometimes needed. Deconditioning in the form of affirming the truth of something vs what we've been conditioned to believe can be helpful at times. For example, having a phobia about spiders, or some other psychological trigger, can benefit from deconditioning in terms of seeing the fearful object in a new light, or conditioning oneself to accept difficult people in life. These are just examples. JK would deny that there's any utility in this, in favour of a spontaneous, fresh, and present experience. And he's correct for certain situations, but of course, "one size fits all" doesn't work for the majority of aspirants. People need conditioning on occasion, likewise with structure, training, discipline, and practice. Making a sweeping removal of all of these concepts and activities ensures the teachings remain untenable and purely a philosophy to think about, rather than anything of practical use.

Some decent critiques I found on the internet are below. They're not entirely true, but there's a grain of truth within each, so I post them below.

Still, however, Krishnamurti is a GOOD teacher/place to do a deep dive, if you have time. You can learn (or unlearn) a lot if you immerse yourself in his teachings. However, they're a stopping place, or rather, a resting place to use to deepen one's inquiries and awareness of one's current state. Nobody stops with JK's teachings alone, however, and despite his protestations against systems and processes, training IS really needed to get a better picture of where he's standing and talking from. Krishnamurti was fortunate (if we're to trust his own admissions) in that he didn't need to awaken from a sleep as deep as most mere mortals find themselves in. In fact, he mentions a few times that he just didn't have an ego functioning from a young age. In another chat, he mentioned, "I've been at this for a long time, since age 15". Bear this in mind when listening to a teacher who doesn't have the same experience as most people when it comes to dealing with the survival instincts of the ego and working to transcend the false self altogether.

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Did Gurdjieff have any personal contact with Krishnamurti?

There is no concrete evidence to suggest that G.I. Gurdjieff and Jiddu Krishnamurti ever had a personal meeting or direct, sustained contact, despite both being prominent spiritual figures in the early to mid-20th century.

They operated in different, though sometimes overlapping, spiritual circles and geographical locations.

Gurdjieff focused on his "Fourth Way" teachings, which often involved groups and intense practical work, primarily in France in his later years.

Krishnamurti, after dissolving the Order of the Star in 1929, stressed that "Truth is a pathless land" and discouraged followers, institutions, or organized systems, which is contrary to the Gurdjieff Work's structure.

However, some of Gurdjieff's students, such as P.D. Ouspensky, were contemporaries of Krishnamurti and it's noted that Krishnamurti was reportedly attending meetings held by Ouspensky in Hollywood, California, in the 1930s, establishing relations with people in the Gurdjieff Work. This shows an indirect connection through their respective followers.

How about Osho (Rajneesh) who spoke of JK during some talks?

Osho held a complex and often contradictory view of Jiddu Krishnamurti, which he expressed as a blend of deep admiration and sharp critique. He considered Krishnamurti to be one of the most significant and intelligent spiritual figures of the 20th century, yet ultimately a failure as a spiritual "master."

Here are the key aspects of Osho's take on Krishnamurti:

1. The Deep Affinity and Oneness (The Praise)

Osho often spoke of Krishnamurti as an "enlightened being" and expressed a profound, non-physical connection with him.

"Oneness": Osho stated that he felt such a deep affinity with Krishnamurti that "to talk of connection is not right; connection is possible only between two separate things. I feel almost a oneness with him."

A "Pure Fire": He described Krishnamurti as having the purest philosophical and intellectual understanding of the truth, saying, "If you hear him, if you allow him, if you open your doors to him, he is pure fire. He will burn all that is rubbish in you."

Intellectual Genius: Osho called him the "most intelligent man of this century," and an "intellectual genius."

2. The Critique: "A Philosopher, Not a Master" (The Failure)

The central point of Osho's criticism was that Krishnamurti's approach was too intellectual, bypassing the human element needed for transformation.

"Failed to Touch the Heart": Osho's main point of difference was that "Krishnamurti failed because he could not touch the human heart; he could only reach the human head." He argued that the heart needs a different approach.

No Devices or Methods: Krishnamurti did not provide any practical techniques or devices for people to transform what they intellectually understood, which Osho believed was necessary for modern people to experience the truth. Osho said, "he was not creating the right climate, the right milieu in which it could become a seed."

Intellectual Preparation: Osho saw Krishnamurti's role as a preparatory one, saying, "Krishnamurti has prepared the ground for me. He has prepared people intellectually for me; now it is my work to take those people deeper than intellect, to the heart; and deeper than the heart, to the being."

The Problem with "No Guru": While Krishnamurti was vehemently against gurus and following, Osho argued that this stance itself was given by a "guru." He noted that people who claimed to follow Krishnamurti's command not to follow anyone were, in fact, following him.

3. The Personal Relationship

Despite their differing views and methods, Osho claimed a playful and deep connection with a man he never physically met.

Osho said he had a "tremendous communion that needs no language, that need not be of physical presence."

He also mentioned that they would "criticize each other," and that he enjoyed "joking with the old man, provoking the old man" by, for example, sending his own followers in their distinctive red robes to sit in the front row of Krishnamurti's talks.

what are other criticisms of krishnamurti by other spiritual teachers?

Jiddu Krishnamurti, due to his radical rejection of all spiritual authority, gurus, and organized belief systems, often stood in sharp contrast to other prominent spiritual teachers. The most notable criticisms came from those closest to his philosophical space.

Here are the main criticisms of J. Krishnamurti by other spiritual figures:

1. U.G. Krishnamurti (A Fellow Radical and Critic)

Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti (U.G.), who was not related to Jiddu but had an association with him, became perhaps his most scathing critic. U.G.'s perspective was entirely anti-spiritual, asserting that there is no such thing as enlightenment.

"He Has Seen the Sugar Cube, But Never Tasted It": This is U.G.'s most famous critique. It implies that Jiddu Krishnamurti's vast, intelligent discourses on truth and freedom were merely intellectual concepts, not based on an authentic, biological transformation (which U.G. claimed to have experienced, calling it "The Calamity").

The "Holy Business": U.G. viewed Jiddu Krishnamurti, despite his anti-guru stance, as part of the "holy business," selling a concept of liberation that did not exist. For U.G., the talk of ending suffering and psychological freedom was an illusion created by thought itself.

2. Osho (The Philosopher vs. The Master)

As detailed previously, Osho's view was the most nuanced but was ultimately a criticism of his method, not his wisdom.

Failure to Touch the Heart: Osho criticized Krishnamurti for being too intellectual, stating he "failed because he could not touch the human heart; he could only reach the human head."

Lack of Practical Tools: Osho believed that while Krishnamurti's words were true, they were not delivered with the "devices" (meditation techniques and catharsis) necessary for the modern individual to actually experience the transformation. Osho saw his own role as taking the intellectually prepared "Krishnamurti people" into the heart and being.

3. Implications from Advaita/Gurus (Ramana Maharshi's Way)

While Ramana Maharshi never directly criticized Krishnamurti, the different conclusions drawn from their similar core premises often lead to an implied critique by their respective followers (and Osho):

Focus on Action vs. Pure Being: Krishnamurti was intensely concerned with the state of the world's suffering and felt compelled to travel and speak widely to help humanity. The traditional Advaita Vedanta and the path of Ramana Maharshi (Self-Inquiry) often prioritize abiding in the "Real Self," where the external world's suffering is seen as an expression of the unreal, and the jnani (one with knowledge) is not moved to change it.

The Implied Critique: The concern from this camp (as articulated by Osho) is that Krishnamurti's tireless talking was still a form of action based on suffering (sympathy/guilt), suggesting a subtle incompleteness in his state, whereas a true sage (like Ramana Maharshi) simply is—and that being itself is the transformative power.

Further points on some differences between JK and RM:

While both J. Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi pointed to a state of liberation that is our true nature, their approaches and emphasis contained key differences:

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Core Methodologies

Teacher	Primary Method	Description
Ramana Maharshi	Self-Enquiry (Atma-Vichara)	The core practice is the constant inward query, "Who am I?" The aim is to trace the "I-thought" back to its source, the Self (Atman/Brahman), leading to the dissolution of the ego-mind and realization of one's inherent being as the ever-present Reality, which is peace and bliss.
J. Krishnamurti	Choiceless Awareness / Observation without the Observer	The practice involves total awareness of "what is" (thoughts, feelings, actions, external reality) without judgment, comparison, or choice. The key insight is that the observer (the I, the censor, the ego) is the observed; when this is deeply seen, the division ceases, and a state of intelligence and freedom from conditioning arises.

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Stance on Effort and Authority

• J. Krishnamurti famously asserted that "truth is a pathless land" and strongly rejected all forms of authority, systems, methods, gurus, and spiritual practices (sadhana), including his own teachings being turned into a system. He emphasized the immediacy of seeing the truth, which no effort or time-bound practice could bring about. The revolution must be radical, total, and now, arising from direct insight.

• Ramana Maharshi was the embodiment of the Guru tradition (although he never positioned himself as a 'guru' in the traditional sense and often pointed out that the real guru was the 'inner guru'. He often gave his teaching through silence (mauna) and maintained this was the highest form of his teaching. While he held that the Self is ever-present and liberation is our natural state (not something to be attained), he acknowledged that effort (abhyasa) in the form of Self-Enquiry is necessary to remove the obstruction of the mind (ego/ignorance). His teaching is closely aligned with the classical Advaita Vedanta tradition.

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Vocabulary and Philosophical Context

• Ramana Maharshi's teachings are rooted in the ancient Indian tradition of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism). Key terms like Self, Brahman, Jnani (liberated one), Jivanmukti (liberation while alive), and the importance of stillness (summa iru - just be) are central to his expression. Noting that this was also due to the time and place where the teaching was delivered, and that many of his questioners were coming from a traditional Hindu spiritual background.

• J. Krishnamurti intentionally avoided traditional spiritual or Sanskrit terminology, believing it was burdened with conditioning and beliefs. He used modern, psychological language focused on concepts like conditioning, image-making, the observer and the observed, choiceless awareness, intelligence, and freedom from the known to directly address the modern, often non-religious, mind (especially for Western audiences).

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Emphasis on the World and Action

• Ramana Maharshi's teaching largely focused on the inward realization of the Self, stating that once the ego is gone, the actions of the liberated one (Jnani) occur spontaneously and faultlessly, regardless of their outward appearance (passive or active). He lived primarily in one location, Arunachala, radiating his presence.

• J. Krishnamurti showed a strong concern for the suffering and conflict in the world, believing that fundamental social change could only arise through radical psychological change in the individual. His choiceless awareness was a means to end inner conflict, which he saw as the root of all outer conflict. He traveled and lectured globally, actively engaging with the world's problems.

Though their methods and language appear distinct, Ramana Maharshi himself noted that effortless and choiceless awareness is our real nature and aligned with his teaching. Whether they were talking about the same thing is a bit unclear.

4. Criticism of Personal Life and Organizational Hypocrisy

A different category of criticism focuses on the disconnect between Krishnamurti's radical teaching of non-authority, freedom, and non-attachment, and certain aspects of his life.

Maintaining a Structure of Support: Despite dissolving the Order of the Star and denouncing all organizations, Krishnamurti's work was supported by foundations, schools, and wealthy individuals, which required a functional, institutional structure that contradicted his rejection of authority.

Personal Relationships: His long-term, secret love affair with Rosalind Williams, including three aborted pregnancies, became public after her daughter wrote a book, Lives in the Shadow with Krishnamurti. Critics seized upon this, arguing that his private life—marked by attachment, secrecy, and dependency—was hypocritical to his teaching of "love without attachment" and freedom from psychological conditioning.

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#krishnamurti

#advaita

#awakening

#truth

#meditation

#insight

A list of Osho’s notable talks ordered by their earliest known delivery dates from the 1970s.

 

-- Thanks to AI search for this list of Osho talks with dates.. note that he was known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh well before the name change in the late 1990s.

Here’s the list of Osho’s notable talks ordered by their earliest known delivery dates:

### 1. **My Way: The Way of the White Clouds**  

   - **Dates:** Early 1970s  

   - **Location:** Pune, India  

   - **Theme:** Talks on freedom, individuality, and spiritual evolution.

### 2. **Bhagavad Gita Discourses** (*Geeta Darshan*)  

   - **Dates:** 1970–1971  

   - **Location:** Various  

   - **Theme:** Commentary on the *Bhagavad Gita* from a spiritual and existential perspective.

### 3. **Vigyan Bhairav Tantra** (*The Book of Secrets*)  

   - **Dates:** 1972–1973  

   - **Location:** Pune, India  

   - **Theme:** Commentary on the 112 meditation techniques from the *Vigyan Bhairav Tantra*.

### 4. **Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega**  

   - **Dates:** 1973–1976  

   - **Location:** Pune, India  

   - **Theme:** Comprehensive commentary on Patanjali's *Yoga Sutras*.  

   - **Volume Count:** 10 volumes.

### 5. **The Mustard Seed: Discourse on the Sayings of Jesus**  

   - **Dates:** 1974  

   - **Location:** Pune, India  

   - **Theme:** Exploration of the esoteric dimensions of Jesus's teachings.

### 6. **The Secret of the Golden Flower**  

   - **Date:** October 1975  

   - **Location:** Mount Abu, India  

   - **Theme:** Taoist meditation and spiritual awakening.

### 7. **Zen Series**  

   - **Examples and Dates:**  

      - *And the Flowers Showered* (1974)  

      - *No Water, No Moon* (1974)  

      - *Zen: The Path of Paradox* (1977–1978)  

   - **Theme:** Zen anecdotes and koans explained in Osho’s unique style.

### 8. **The Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra)**  

   - **Dates:** 1978  

   - **Location:** Pune, India  

   - **Theme:** Teachings on the Buddhist *Heart Sutra*, focusing on emptiness and mindfulness.

### 9. **The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha**  

   - **Dates:** 1979–1980  

   - **Location:** Pune, India  

   - **Theme:** Interpretations of Buddha’s teachings through verses of the *Dhammapada*.  

   - **Volume Count:** 10 volumes.

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This chronological order highlights how Osho's teachings evolved over time, addressing diverse spiritual traditions and meditation techniques as he attracted a growing audience.

Note the interesting progression from Indian spiritual texts and spirituality through to Christianity, then to Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.

Barry Long - 4 - Final notes in the Myth of Life series - Habits, Thought, Life, Karma, Death, Love, Relationship, Prayer, Consciousness, I-am.

 

The Law of Life - Karma

This recording deals with:

• Honesty, and radical self-honesty of one's inner state and emotional state. An evolution of consciousness (in terms of maturity of understanding and being aware of one's inner state) is talked about, and how that initiates a direct understanding of how life and the law of karma works. 
• There is some talk towards the end of the recording about the mechanics of "reincarnation", which is rather unique with BL's teaching, and equates to a continuance of ignorance only versus the dying to the moment in the now by understanding the truth of one's being. 
• The idea of individuals being free rather than a mass awakening is discussed. This idea also appeared in Gurdjieff's teaching, and BL may have developed this idea from there. By "individual", BL also refers to the beingness itself, as opposed to the person, personality and body, which cease at death.
• The main takeaways here are to cultivate a radical self-honesty, know when one is being true to one's inner state and life situation, rather than covering up the truth and living a life based on automatism and habit for the sake of safety and egoic comfort. The rewards for doing so are a deeper understanding of the "law of life" and a dissolving of ignorance that perpetuates itself in time and existence.

Seeing through Death

This recording deals with:

• The truth of death, misunderstandings about death, "death is a dead body" and the errors of equating life and the individual with a body only, and the consequences of society's choice in removing death and dead bodies from daily life and people's experience.
• The main takeaways here are the differentiation between the body, mind, and life itself (which does not die), and correcting the errors in beliefs around death, dying and the emotional pain of grief.
• Love is also mentioned, and the act of cultivating love between parties well before death arrives, so that we are able to understand and deal with death both personally and around us when the time inevitably arrives.

How to Stop Thinking

This recording follows on from the Meditation recording and should be listened to after that recording. It deals with:

• The consequences of the unquestioned habit of thinking, continual thought, and its source, which is an entity consisting of past experience, pain and conditioning but endowed with life that has given it the ability to take over conscious living.
• Lessons in stopping the habitual action of thinking. There are 10 lessons, that range from becoming more aware of when and how the 'thinker' entity takes control of the mind/situation, to understanding how emotion and pain lead directly to thinking and bypassing.
• The best part of this recording is that by listening and practicing along with the recording in terms of attending, feeling inside, and not thinking, then the listener actually experiences what it is like to stop thinking and maintain an aware, mindful state of being (at least for the duration of the recording, which should carry over after the recording is finished, and deepen on repetition).

Making love

This recording follows on from the Living Joyously (Being Behind The Mask) recording and should be listened to after that recording. It would work best with those who are already in a sexual relationship, since the topics and issues it deals with directly relate to this. It won't be so helpful for those who are single, celibate by choice, or have no interest in sexuality. Personally, I see it as an optional 'module' in Barry's teachings, although it should be noted that many or most of Barry's students were in relationships and were interested in this aspect of his teaching, hence his frequent focus on it. This recording deals with:

Barry's creative ideas and philosophy around how men and women began in creation and how "love making" fits in with the means to awaken.

Advice on making relationships (man/woman) more loving, honest, and in particular focusing on sexual intimacy.

Note- there's some odd material in this recording.. especially Barry's views around the badness or selfishness of celibacy and the need for everyone to get a partner and start making love appropriately as a form of divine worship or practice. A better re-frame may be to view this teaching as a way to mindfully engage in sexual relationships and in particular the sexual act itself. Let's face it, sexual union with a partner isn't cut out for everyone or even of interest for everyone, just as celibacy isn't cut out for everyone. I feel BL went a little off track with the idea of 'once size fits all', if that's how the recording comes across, although it's obvious he was appealing to the audience at the time of writing and what he thought people were in need of, especially couples.

On the good side, this recording does bring to one's attention how unconscious and emotionally charged we all are when in relationship, and in particular, the differing needs between men and women while in relationship. There's also the key point of how unconscious men/women are in relationship, which extends to the sexual act itself, which is often performed mindlessly or as if in a trance. If anything, it brings some attention to being mindful and aware of what's giong on during and outside of sexual union.

A prayer for life

This recording follows on from the 'About Death' recording and should be listened to after that recording. It deals with:

• The common idea of prayer, and the issues and problems it has created in the world today collectively and for individuals
• Wrong prayer, and how the person/ego uses prayer to implement its own desires, craving and ignorance
• Right prayer, and what this involves, including examples of how right prayer would work and sound
• Guidance on the inner work around 'right prayer'

Essentially, Barry Long reframes prayer from the usual mental focus on goals, even altruistic ones, into a form of inner awareness or inner alignment with being, life, and surrender. Some of these ideas occur in Gurdjieff's teachings on the behaviour of the masses, gain and loss, planetary influence and how man's automatic behaviour and lack of consciousness have wrought conflict and disharmony throughout the world.

The "right prayer" sounds a lot like mindfulness of one's intentions, and aligns with his teachings of being conscious of one's inner sensations, feelings, and alignment with 'life' and 'being'. Overall, this is a good recording, and can be used with the meditation series and as a daily practice in affirming one's surrender of the destructive personality in favour of being, life, and flowing with our true nature.

A Journey into Consciousness

This recording is the last recording in the series along with "Who am I?". It deals with:

• The origins of man's existence and the cosmic nature of life
• The start of the 'spacesuit' or the human body and how this evolved along with the unexpected problems that came about with its use and identification, particularly with the emergence of the past and time
• Advice of resolving the problems above, and how to orient oneself in order to make sense of the mind, body and world that one finds oneself in
• Eternity, the present moment and how this is constantly bypassed by the mind that escapes into time, past and future.

A key point in this recording is the idea of the body being a vehicle to house the cosmic intelligence or 'life' that we are. By rightly orienting oneself in the body, but knowing oneself as life, or consciousness, or being, then one is able to live rightly in the present. Overally, this recording sets the scene for some of BL's ideas on cosmology and performs the function of giving a myth or narrative to the subconscious in order to bring the teachings to life. In this, it's a great and unique recording.

Who am I?

This recording is the last recording in the series. It deals with:

• One's true identity as "I" or "I am", and how this has constantly been covered over or erroneously oriented due to the mind's lack of logic and disoriented use of language
• Rightly orienting oneself as "I" and "I am" in daily life, and undoing the tendency to project one's "I" outward onto external objects rather than know one's "I" as the subject

There are many good points in this recording, and it attempts to deliver an experience along the lines of what Gurdjieff would call "self-remembering", and advaita teachers such as Nisargadatta called the "I am". One can see the influence of Advaita in this recording, and it's a highly practical way to initiate the listener into the feeling of "I" and eliminate the constant projecting outward of the conceptual self.

"Wisdom and where to find it" (book of transcripts from 1969)

This is an interesting book if you are interested in Barry Long's early career starting off from as far back as 1969. This book is a collection of various transcripts given in the UK to a small audience of seekers (presumably in response to an advert). The talks are around various topics and questions related to becoming more conscious, less habitual and how to relate to others and the world. Some of the advice is very specifically aimed at the person asking the question, so will be of limited use to those reading the book decades later.

Barry mentions teachers in the book such as Gurdjieff and Krishnamurti (alive at the time), and those teachings clearly come through in the talks given by Barry at this time. There's some mention of a sort of 'mystic death' experience that Barry had in India prior to coming out at a teacher in the 70s (or even 1969). The details of this event are a little vague, and I've not found much written on the actual experience in BL's books. This book has a vibe of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky's philosophy with a bit of Krishnamurti rebelliousness thrown in. Barry seems sincere in addressing the audience at this time.

There's some good parts in this book, being those on self-observation and habit breaking. There's also a lot of philosophy as well which sounds much like Ouspensky's content. Later Barry moved into a totally different direction with emotional work, relationships, sexual union, and mindfulness, which is a good direction to proceed. Eckhart Tolle probably took the best parts out of Barry's teachings, and used those in his simplified approach.

Still, Barry does have some interesting creative content in his later teachings, particularly around the origins of man, the psyche and why emotional work is important, as well as the basics of entering back into the body as a valid means for awakening.

Some of the best recordings in terms of being useful for personal awakening and inner work are- "Start Meditating Now", "How to stop thinking", "The Being Behind the Mask", "A prayer for life", "A Journey into Consciousness", and "Who am I?". Those in relationships could do with listening to "Making Love", if only to become aware of how unconscious behaviour and emotionality affect our close relationships with the other gender with whom we are in intimate relationship with.