Sam Harris and J. Krishnamurti - some commonality.

 

I've been using the Waking Up app recently, and am enjoying it for its approach to meditation, nonduality, and mindfulness. Sam Harris is a great speaker and gets his points across in simple, easy-to-understand language that can make a difference to someone's day in terms of how they perceive things and approach living a more examined life.

I noticed quite a few similarities between his approach and J. Krishnamurti's approach. Some of the language also crosses over, such as 'choiceless awareness', and espousing a kind of mindfulness that involves less effort and more on the natural happenings in the moment.

Of course, there's some differences. JK was against all structure and training (which isn't very helpful for beginners), while SH delivers a structured approach and philosophy that deconstructs itself as one progresses (similar to how Buddhism approaches things, in particular the nondual Buddhist paths).

Here's a few points from G:

You are spot on in noticing the connection. There is a significant philosophical overlap between Sam Harris and J. Krishnamurti, and Harris has explicitly engaged with Krishnamurti’s work, though he doesn't typically cite him as his primary teacher.

Here is the breakdown of the link between the two and the extent to which Harris "studied" him.

1. The Link: Shared Core Philosophy

The reason you see so much commonality is that both men are proponents of secular non-duality. They both argue that you can access profound self-transcendence without buying into religious dogma, mythology, or rituals.

• The Illusion of the Self: This is the strongest link. Krishnamurti famously taught that the "thinker is the thought"—that there is no separate entity controlling the mind.¹ Sam Harris focuses heavily on this same concept (anatta), often using the phrase "the self is an illusion" and pointing out that there is no "rider in the head."

• Choiceless Awareness vs. Mindfulness: Krishnamurti spoke of "choiceless awareness"—observing the mind without judgment or the desire to change it. This is very similar to the "open monitoring" or "non-dual mindfulness" (Dzogchen/Mahamudra) that Harris teaches in his Waking Up app.

• Rejection of Authority: Krishnamurti famously dissolved the Order of the Star, claiming truth is a pathless land, and cannot be reached through organizations. ³ Harris similarly rejects religious institutions and gurus (despite having had teachers himself), advocating for a rational, empirical approach to spirituality.⁴

2. Did Sam Harris study Krishnamurti?

Sam Harris has almost certainly "studied" Krishnamurti in the sense of reading him and analyzing his talks, but he was not a direct student in the way he was with his primary Dzogchen teachers (like Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche).

• Curatorial Endorsement: Harris considers Krishnamurti's teachings valuable enough that he featured a collection of Krishnamurti’s talks on his Waking Up app. This is a major endorsement, implying he views Krishnamurti as a valid pointer toward the truth of non-duality.

• Discussion with Jack Kornfield: Harris has discussed Krishnamurti with meditation teacher Jack Kornfield.⁵ In these contexts, they often analyze Krishnamurti’s approach—specifically noting that while Krishnamurti was brilliant, he could sometimes be frustratingly intellectual or abstract for beginners, lacking a "method" (which Krishnamurti did on purpose).

Summary

While Harris’s primary spiritual lineage comes from Dzogchen (Tibetan Buddhism) and Advaita Vedanta (specifically H.W.L. Poonja), Krishnamurti is a close philosophical cousin.

If you enjoy the intersection of these two, you are essentially picking up on the "Direct Path" teachings. The idea that freedom is available now in the nature of awareness, rather than something you earn after years of practice.