Presenting the finer nuances on fundamental spiritual approaches, Always Awakening simplifies Buddhism and Jiddu Krishnamurti for readers. The book unfolds before us in the form of conversations between erudite Tibetan Buddhist scholar Samdhong Rinpoche and Michael Mendizza, an educator and filmmaker who has made a documentary film on Krishnamurti. These discussions explore Jiddu Krishnamurti’s teachings in the light of Buddhism. The narrative is weaved in the form of questions and answers. As the title suggests, does this book awaken readers? Let’s stay with this question for a while before delving deeper into this book.

At the very outset, Mendizza, who possesses an exclusive collection of Krishnamurti’s speeches and dialogues, gives us the links between Buddhism and Krishnamurti’s teachings. He elaborates on what triggered him to write Always Awakening and how none other than Rinpoche can help us put things into perspective. Before the book begins, Rinpoche explains the intricacies of understanding two approaches which go beyond comparative study, which is an academic field and must not be applied to metaphysics. ‘We cannot compare Buddha’s teachings and Krishnamurti’s teachings….our efforts must be in this direction, not finding similarities and dissimilarities. Not comparing. Not finding agreements and disagreements”(pp.30). Therefore, Foreword, Preface, and Introduction serve a specific purpose in the book – to familiarize readers with the flow and context of the contents.

Buddha and Krishnamurti were centuries apart, separated by different contexts and challenges. It was 2500 years ago, when dogmatism attained a new peak, that Buddha emerged on the scene and advocated the non-dogmatic approach. Understanding human suffering was fundamental to Buddha’s teachings. Krishnamurti, born in India in 1896, and educated in England, was prepared to be the World Teacher by the Theosophical Society but he rejected that mantle. He repudiated connections with all organised religions and methodologies declaring ‘truth as a pathless land’. Krishnamurti’s times are marked by two World Wars, rapid scientific advancements, and the advent of computers, while Buddha’s times are a typical representative of ancient India. In spite of the time gap, emphasis of awakening connects Buddha and Krishnamurti. This metaphor of awakening forms the very basis of this book.

Rinpoche, who has worked closely with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is known as the indisputable authority on Tibetan Buddhism. He met with Krishnamurti several times over the years. Mendizza is instrumental in putting these thoughtful exchanges before readers through an interesting narrative in the book. Krishnamurti’s teachings can be summed up as “Choiceless Awareness” the term he uses to describe awareness. Readers may naturally encounter the question, does this book awaken? Krishnamurti always preferred to shake us to the core challenging everything we had believed so far. Thus the book wants us to be awakened, but Choicelessly, without getting conscious of the process of this awareness.  

In his foreword, His Holiness the Dalai Lama elucidates upon two key terms in the book, ‘Buddha’s Realization’ and ‘Krishnamurti’s Insight’. “His (Krishnamurti’s) statement that it is the responsibility of each individual to bring about their own transformation is reminiscent of Buddha’s advice, ‘you are own master’.”(pp.13). Dalai Lama, through this sentence, brings forth the striking similarities in Buddha’s and Krishnamurti’s teachings. 

Lee Nichol’s preface comes handy for readers alien to Krishnamurti’s teachings. Having served in Krishnamurti Foundation School in Ojai and a Tibetan school in Berkeley, Nichol is in a better position to prepare readers, giving them a fair idea of what unfolds in the book ahead. Philosophical explanations and arguments in this book can look contradictory at times because despite the similar approaches, Krishnamurti and Buddha employed different means to impart their teachings. Therefore, Nichol explains that “It (the book) will present you with ever-deepening paradoxes”. (pp.14).

Divided into nine chapters, the book progresses thematically. These nine chapters are nine discussions that take place between the two authors on nine different days.  Initial chapters deal with the traditions in Buddhism and theosophical background of Krishnamurti while the last ones are exclusively devoted to Krishnamurti’s teachings. Mendizza, who largely acts as an interviewer, opens up each discussion elaborating on Krishnamurti’s concepts.  He has quoted Krishnamurti and Buddhist masters like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nagarjuna, Lao Tzu, and Tilopa to explain his arguments. Rinpoche takes forward Mendizza’s point and analyses Krishnamurti’s standpoint on Buddha’s backdrop.

The conversational style of this book not only introduces readers to the different shades of Krishnamurti and Buddha but it also acts as a catalytic force to understand each standpoint as per their own orientation. “For those with Buddhist Orientation Always Awakening, provides a fresh context to approach and explore Krishnamurti’s observations. For those familiar with Krishnamurti, Always Awakening provides a lucid and accessible window into Buddhist philosophy, practices and traditions.” (Back cover) 

Thematic progression of the book is immaculately logical. For example, themes proceed from emptiness, nothingness to direct perception. Concept of emptiness runs parallel across two paradigms of Buddhism and Krishnamurti. And the book unfolds the common method of negation which Buddha and Krishnamurti used to explain emptiness through an intriguing narrative. The book gives us a glimpse into how Krishnamurti described emptiness, “It was an emptiness that had known no knowing. It was emptiness that had known no space, it was empty of time….meditation was ecstasy of this emptiness.” (pp.39). Rinpoche is very lucid and original when he explains how Buddha negates everything that leads to emptiness. This emptiness gives ‘direct perception of reality’ (pp.40). The book oscillates between language, thought, images, and the direct truth – concepts that form the fabric of metaphysics. As these concepts are interconnected, liner thematic progression almost becomes impossible. The themes of emptiness, negation, and transformation resonate across. 

Mendizza and Rinpoche both do not allow discussions to get lengthy. Some excerpts from Krishnamurti’s book not only give it some freshness but they help readers get more familiar with his teachings. At the same time, the book has also explained Buddhism in toto.

The difference between Buddhism and Krishnamurti is of practices and traditions. While Krishnamurti did not make methods, gurus, and scriptures a reference point, Buddhism has traditions, monastic disciplines, and practices.

Krishnamurti acted as an isolated entity and denied to be the preacher. We do not have Krishnamurti’s successors of philosophy. Buddha was the master of many and there are many Buddhist schools in different South East Asian and Indian traditions. Rinpoche explains why these methods are important and at the same time, why methods have their own limitations. Rinpoche throws light on the paradox of why “methods are necessary to train mind” (pp.68) and how Krishnamurti could see methods making the mind dull.

We can see that Mendizza sets the tone and raises arguments leaving explanations to Rinpoche. As a result, the book has longer answers by Rinpoche who is non-judgmental in his approach. This remarkable objectivity of Rinpoche makes him the right choice to explain Buddhist and Krishnamurti’s standpoints in an unbiased manner. What strikes us most about Rinpoche is that he doesn’t try to convince the reader. He simply explains, like Buddha and Krishnamurti. That makes narratives natural, arguments stronger, and dissimilarities parallel. Rinpoche has an insightful understanding of Krishnamurti and is also trained in Buddhist traditions.

Buddha and Krishnamurti both preached for decades in their own right. Both relentlessly answered people’s question. Krishnamurti tried to explain the inexplicable while Buddha remained silent about things that could not be explained. The panorama of their teachings is expansive. Paraphrasing such vast panorama into words knowing the limitations of language requires extraordinary ingenuity. Rinpoche does this job with incredible cadence and clarity. The book has also highlighted Krishnamurti’s concept of awareness which he called ‘Choiceless Awareness’ – “The moment choice enters into awareness, there is no awareness.” (pp.81). Krishnamurti and Buddha both emphasized transformation that comes in the present moment. Mendizza is curious why Krishnamurti (and Buddha as well) stressed upon now and Rinpoche answers, “because we are so deeply rooted in conditioning…unless and until we are shaken forcefully to awaken, we will convert into a form of ism, or another form of conditioning. …to awaken us from conditioning, he had to negate everything.”(pp.82)

The theme of negation moves back and forth in the book and there comes a sense of affirmation. It leaves readers with an essential emptiness pregnant with pristine precision. While the first half of the book is a little heavy on philosophy, the second half gives those much-needed tectonic shifts. The second half of the book largely enters into the core of Krishnamurti’s teachings. Here Mendizza has also taken quotes from other Krishnamurti associates like Achyut Patwardhan who confirmed that “I have gone to the extent of saying that Krishnamurti is the only footnote of Buddha’s teachings.” (pp.88). At this stage of the book, tuning in with Krishnamurti’s teachings becomes essential for readers.  Teachings have always been there and Rinpoche asks us to “develop frequency to catch Krishnamurti’s teachings” (pp.102). “Transformation that is not dependent on time and knowledge” (pp114) forms the central core of the book. Surprisingly, Buddha and Krishnamurti maintained that “transformation is a responsibility of the individual” (pp.114-15). This part of the book gets more engaging for readers. Rinpoche is giving us some transcendental insights into transformation correlating it to the book’s titled Always Awakening. Krishmaurti and Buddha talked about the awareness which is instantaneous. Rinpoche also echoes it, “Time has no role in transformation…Transformation and awakening are quite similar” (pp.116). 

Krishnamurti and Buddha were not identical. While Krishnamurti denied masters and authority Buddha has prescribed the eight-fold path. The book takes it up. Here we can say the book operates in three time zones simultaneously. Buddha’s time! Krishnamurti’s time! Present time! There is a lot more to this time than the chronology. This could be one of the ever-deepening paradoxes that Nichol referred to in his preface “These existential paradoxes are real fruit of the logic and the inquiry, and the insight” (pp.14).   Time is more psychological than chronological and timelessness is understood only in the analogies of time.

The book has something very fundamental and intrinsic which cannot always be narrated in words. Readers should read white spaces as they carry latent meaning.  Generally, nothing transcendental can happen with words, or simply reading books. This book, in a way, says that mystical things need to be understood at the experiential level and not just at an intellectual level. Rinpoche helps us understand the subtleties behind Krishnamurti’s stand, “One can say that Krishnamurti’s mission was to challenge us, to break up the conditioning (which) we accept as normal and natural. This challenge may be confusing. It does not serve people immediately but this will not harm them” (pp.130). This honesty to rise above scholarship and explore the possibility of ‘nothing can happen’, perhaps, makes this book ‘original’. This philosophical construct is engrossing, engaging, and oozes the sense of questioning. The book says ‘nothing may happen’ and that could be the point where ‘something happens’.The book has no climax. Any theme that touches the reader could be a gamechanger because Krishnamurti minces no words when he says “Benediction is where you are”. 

Now comes another question. Are Krishnamurti and Buddhist followers the target audience of the book? As the book speaks of unconditioning, this could work better with people who are still not caught in their own preconceived notions. The challenge for readers is not to get conditioned with Krishnamurti or Buddha either. Rinpoche maintains his no-comparison stance throughout as he says, “We cannot make fine distinction between Buddhism and Krishnamurti because of vocabulary…if we try to frame Krishnamurti’s insights into Buddhist jargon, and we will distort his teachings.” (pp.196)

When this book is about to end, Mendizza, introduces the idea “First step is the last step” (pp.226), a phrase used by Allan W Anderson, a scholar on comparative religion and someone who had a series of dialogues with Krishnamurti. Anderson’s reference is ideologically and philosophically important because his exposition of Krishnamurti’s ideas is an essential contribution to the philosophy.  Documenting Krishnamurti and inspecting his teachings from various perspectives is very helpful for readers. Rinpoche puts it rightly. “No other teacher in human history has been so accurately documented” (pp.233).

Understanding Krishnamurti is a challenge and Mendizza has taken this up as well in the book. “Krishnamurti said many times that what we call his teachings aren’t in books, are not in words, videos. These teachings, he said, are living, alive. This brings us to the challenging point.” (pp.248).

Here readers can understand what is meant by experiential understanding. Mendizza makes it simpler for readers when he says, “His particular realization or enlightenment was a state, not an idea. He lived that. He was it” (pp. 248).  

The flag end of the book is entirely dedicated to explain in what ways Krishnamurti is challenging us. Krishnamurti never allowed anyone to be dependent on him and his teachings. The book has rather an interesting narrative where Krishnamurti categorically denied being the anchor for anyone.  Asit Chandmal, one of Krishnamurti’s associates visited him on his deathbed .Krishnamurti asked him where is your anchor and Chandmal replied it is in you sir. Krishnamurti immediately answered, “I am going… If you have touched that, you must be anchored in it. Otherwise, you will go to pieces” (pp.251). Again, it is left to readers to understand what it is that which Krishnamurti is referring to.

Transformation is one of the themes in this book. The book makes readers aware of the fact that merely reading cannot transform. Rinpoche explains why, “As Buddhists say, teachings of any great person are understandable, knowable, but they are not easy. To understand, to know, the real teaching, you need to transform yourself. Transformation is not so common” (pp.252).

The book is thought-stirring and perhaps, can change the very perception of life if we allow it to. 

Though Rinpoche and Mendizza use simple language all the time, readers may get some sense of heaviness here and there as many philosophical ideas explored in the book are rather abstract. Experiential understanding alone can shed the feeling of heaviness, if any.  The book is not serious.  It is incredibly intense. Insights cannot be imparted. Wisdom cannot be transferred. Transformation cannot be brought about. As Krishnamurti was out to shake our very foundations of ignorance, prejudices, and conditioning, this book doesn’t intend to offer anything ‘new’. Rather it challenges to leave all that we have gathered in the process and prompts to empty the ‘content of consciousness.’ The book questions all our conditioning and prejudices that hinder our awakening. Paradoxically, the book offers nothing and may take all that you have. Such type of content can trigger some awakening moments to give some glimpses of nothingness.

At some point, we may finish off reading the book but the process would still continue. Somewhere, one may feel, ‘it’s too much’. It is an antidote for too much. If it is about emptiness, why fill it first? This emptiness shouldn’t be in comparison with ‘something’. Perhaps, Always Awakening can help readers unlearn. If the edifice of our notions, concepts, prejudices, feelings, anxieties, pleasures, success, memories, and sorrows stands taller, it will tremble with Buddha’s Realization and Krishnamurti’s Insight. Though the book title talks about Buddha’s realization, do we miss Buddha in the book as emphasis on Krishnamurti appears frequently? Readers can also look at it this way that the book is about Krishnamurti on Buddha’s backdrop. As the book is open-ended, it is left to the reader’s interpretation.

Before signing off, a little more pondering over Buddha becomes pertinent. Buddha’s compassion was unique, expanse was deeper, intensity was unparalleled, reach was farther and spirit was unmatched! He was the light of lights. Krishnamurti kindled the flame. A little of that sparkle, too, can be (en)lightening!