memberoftheTheosophicalSociety.Hislovingmothercaredforhimandhisbrother
NityauntilherdeathwhenKrishnamurtiwasten.Atthistimehisfatherretiredfrom
the government and worked for the Theosophical Society in Madras. There
KrishnamurtiwasdiscoveredbyC.W.LeadbeaterandMrs.AnnieBesant,thehead
of the society. Believing he was to be the vehicle for the World Teacher, Lord Maitreya,Leadbeatertookonthetaskofeducatingtheboy,teachinghimappropriate
behaviorandmakinghimafitinstrumentforhislaterwork.Krishnamurti'seducation
included nightly astral visits with Leadbeater to the feet of Master Kuthumi, Leadbeater's immortal Tibetan guru. He was soon taken under the wing of Annie Besant as well. His spiritual education and initiation into the White Brotherhood of Masterscontinued.
Krishnamurti's education continued to England, France, India, and Australia.
Though remaining devoted to Theosophy, he grew increasingly independent of the influence of Leadbeater and Besant once he turned eighteen. In his mid-twenties, Krishnamurti began to undergo an intense process of spiritual purification and illumination, culminating in the enlightenment experience recounted here. By the time he was supposed to take over the reigns of the Order of the Eastern Star and assumethemantleofWorldTeacherfortheTheosophists,thisbuddingworldteacher
had questioned intently and become disillusioned with the idea of organizations, masters,gurus,andspiritualpaths.
In one of his most famous speeches, at the age of thirty-three, Krishnamurti, instead of continuing his leadership of the Order, dissolved it. He proclaimed, “I maintain the Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect…. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any
organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path…. The momentyoufollowsomeoneyouceasetofollowTruth….Iamconcerningmy-self
withonlyoneessentialthing:tosetmanfree.Idesiretobefreehimfromallcages,
fromallfears,andnottofoundreligions,newsects,nortoestablishnewtheoriesand newphilosophies….Myonlyconcernistosetmenabsolutely,unconditionallyfree.”
Krishnamurtipursuedthatsingleaimuntilhisdeathin1986attheageofninetyin
Ojai, California, the site of many of his talks and activities. He traveled the world spreading his philosophy of understanding the nature of the mind in order to gain liberation from the limitations imposed by self and society. Krishnamurti believed 128
thateducationisthekeytodevelopingamoreharmoniousandpeacefulsociety,and sowasinfluentialinthefoundingofschoolsandretreatcentersinEngland,India,and the United States. The author of more than 200 books, Krishnamurti's legacy of written and spoken philosophy is enormous and reflective of his having become a World Teacher of a different kind than that for which he had been prepared by his Theosophicalmentors.
TheselectionisfromalettertoC.W.LeadbeaterandMrs.AnnieBesantrecorded
inthebiographyentitled Krishnamurti:TheYearsofAwkeningbyMaryLuytens,a closeassociateduringhisearlyyears.
129
IAMGOD-INTOXICATED
EVERSINCE I left Australia I have been thinking and deliberating about the message which the Master K. H. gave me while I was there. I naturally wanted to achieve thoseordersassoonasIcould,andIwastoacertainextentuncertainastothebest
methodofattainingtheidealswhichwereputbeforeme.Idonotthinkadaypassed
without spending some thought over it, but I am ashamed to say all this was done mostcasuallyandrathercarelessly.
ButatthebackofmymindthemessageoftheMastereverdwelt.
Well, since August 3rd, I meditated regularly for about thirty minutes every
morning.Icould,tomyastonishment,concentratewithconsiderableease,andwithin
a few days I began to see dearly where I had failed and where I was failing.
Immediately I set about, consciously, to annihilate the wrong accumulations of the past years. With the same deliberation I set about to find out ways and means to achievemyaim.FirstIrealizedthatIhadtoharmonizeallmyotherbodieswiththe
Buddhic plane [the highest plane of consciousness] and to bring about this happy combination I had to find out what my ego wanted on the Buddhic plane. To
harmonize the various bodies I had to keep them vibrating at the same rate as the Buddhic,andtodothisIhadtofindoutwhatwasthevitalinterestoftheBuddhic.
With ease which rather astonished me I found the main interest on that high plane wastoservetheLordMaitreyaandtheMasters.Withthatideaclearinmyphysical
mindIhadtodirectandcontroltheotherbodiestoactandtothinkthesameasonthe nobleandspiritualplane.Duringthatperiodoflessthanthreeweeks,Iconcentrated
to keep in mind the image of the Lord Maitreya throughout the entire day, and I foundnodifficultyindoingthis.IfoundthatIwasgettingcalmerandmoreserene.
Mywholeoutlookonlifewaschanged.
Then,onthe17thAugust,IfeltacutepainatthenapeofmyneckandIhadtocut
down my meditation to fifteen minutes. The pain instead of getting better as I had hopedgrewworse.Theclimaxwasreachedonthe19th.Icouldnotthink,norwasI
abletodoanything,andIwasforcedbyfriendsheretoretiretobed.ThenIbecame
almost unconscious, though I was well aware of what was happening around me. I cametomyselfataboutnooneachday.OnthefirstdaywhileIwasinthatstateand
more conscious of the things around me, I had the first most extraordinary
experience.Therewasamanmendingtheroad;thatmanwasmyself;thepickaxehe
held was myself; the very stone which he was breaking up was a part of me; the tenderbladeofgrasswasmyverybeing,andthetreebesidethemanwasmyself.I
almost could feel and think like the roadmender, and I could feel the wind passing through the tree, and the little ant on the blade of grass I could feel. The birds, the dust, and the very noise were a part of me. Just then there was a car passing by at somedistance;Iwasthedriver,theengine,andthetires;asthecarwentfurtheraway from me, I was going away from myself. I was in everything, or rather everything wasinme,inanimateandanimate,themountain,theworm,andallbreathingthings.
AlldaylongIremainedinthishappycondition.Icouldnoteatanything,andagainat
aboutsixIbegantolosemyphysicalbody,andnaturallythephysicalelementaldid
whatitliked;Iwassemi-conscious.
130
Themorningofthenextday(the20th)wasalmostthesameasthepreviousday, and I could not tolerate too many people in the room. I could feel them in rather a curious way and their vibrations got on my nerves. That evening at about the same hourofsixIfeltworsethanever.Iwantednobodynearmenoranybodytotouchme.
Iwasfeelingextremelytiredandweak.IthinkIwasweepingfrommereexhaustion
andlackofphysicalcontrol.Myheadwasprettybadandthetoppartfeltasthough
many needles were being driven in. While I was in this state I felt that the bed in whichIwaslying,thesameoneasonthepreviousday,wasdirtyandfil
thybeyond
imaginationandIcouldnotlieinit.SuddenlyIfoundmyselfsittingonthefloorand
NityaandRosalindaskingmetogetintobed.Iaskedthemnottotouchmeandcried
out that the bed was not clean. I went on like this for some time till eventually I wanderedoutontheverandahandsatafewmomentsexhaustedandslightlycalmer.
I began to come to myself and finally Mr. Warrington asked me to go under the peppertreewhichisnearthehouse.ThereIsatcrossleggedinthemeditationposture.
WhenIhadsatthusforsometime,Ifeltmyselfgoingoutofmybody,Isawmyself
sittingdownwiththedelicatetenderleavesofthetreeoverme.Iwasfacingtheeast.
InfrontofmewasmybodyandovermyheadIsawtheStar,brightandclear.ThenI
couldfeelthevibrationsoftheLordBuddha;IbeheldLordMaitreyaandMasterK.
H.Iwassohappy,calmandatpeace.IcouldstillseemybodyandIwashovering
near it. There was such profound calmness both in the air and within myself, the calmnessofthebottomofadeepunfathomablelake.Likethelake,Ifeltmyphysical
body, with its mind and emotions, could be ruffled on the surface but nothing, nay nothing,coulddisturbthecalmnessofmysoul.ThePresenceofthemightyBeings
waswithmeforsometimeandthenTheyweregone.Iwassupremelyhappy,forI
hadseen.Nothingcouldeverbethesame.Ihavedrunkattheclearandpurewatersat
thesourceofthefountainoflifeandmythirstwasappeased.NevermorecouldIbe
thirsty,nevermorecouldIbeinutterdarkness.IhaveseentheLight.Ihavetouched
compassion which heals all sorrow and suffering; it is not for myself, but for the world.IhavestoodonthemountaintopandgazedatthemightyBeings.NevercanI
beinutterdarkness;IhaveseenthegloriousandhealingLight.ThefountainofTruth
hasbeenrevealedtomeandthedarknesshasbeendispersed.Loveinallitsgloryhas
intoxicatedmyheart;myheartcanneverbeclosed.Ihavedrunkatthefountainof
joyandeternalBeauty.IamGod-intoxicated.
From Krishnamurti:TheYearsofAwkeningbyMaryLuytens.
131
FRANKLINMERRELL-WOLFF
132
NINETEEN
FRANKLINMERRELL-WOLFF
1897-1985,UNITEDSTATES
FRANKLIN MERRELL-WOLFF, a brilliant mathematician, gold miner, philosopher, and
mystic,awokespontaneouslyin1936.BorninPasadena,California,in1887,theson
of a Methodist minister, Franklin studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology as an undergraduate at Stanford University. He pursued graduate studies in
philosophy at Harvard, but returned to teach mathematics at Stanford prior to receivinghisdegree.Hisphilosophicalstudies,influencedbyKant,eventuallycaused
him to entirely abandon academia in a successful twenty-year quest for self-
realization.
Franklin was influenced by Sufi, Theosophical, and Hindu philosophies,
particularly the Advaita Vedanta of the Indian master, Shankara (the founder of Hindumonasticism),whomheconsideredhisguru.Hewasalsoguidedtoclarityby
an unnamed sage, who, while helpful, did not claim to be Franklin's guru. Through his own contemplation of Shankara's thoughts on spiritual liberation, Franklin
understood that what was to be realized was not experiential, nor did it involve a changeinthecontentofconsciousness.RatheritwastherealizationofaNothingness
that was identical with his own Self. Fourteen years before his final realization, Franklinhadrealized,“IamAtman”(Self).Theyearbeforehiscompleteawakening,
he further recognized, “I am identical with Nirvana.” Nevertheless, he had always expected that the final realization would involve some form of experiential
happening.Asyouwillread,itwasnotuntilhecompletelydroppedanyexpectations
of finding something that could be experienced that the transformation he had long beenseekingoccurred.Asmanymastershavefound,itisoftennecessarytoabandon
allseeking,sothatfindingmayhappenwithoutinterference.
Franklin's account of his enlightenment was discovered by John Lilly, M.D., a researcherinthefieldofconsciousnessandinterspeciescommunication,whosought
outFranklininretirementathisremoteretreatatLonePine,California,intheSierras.
The work was published in 1973 as Pathways Through to Space. Franklin's further description of his enlightenment, The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object,isanextraordinaryphilosophicalcompaniontotheoriginalmanuscript.The aphorismsinthesecondbookarenottobemissedbyanyonesincerelyinterestedin
self-realization. Both works have been reprinted as Franklin Merrell-Wolff's ExperienceandPhilosophybytheStateUniversityofNewYorkPress.
AWesternpioneerinthefieldofmysticismandtranscendentalawareness,though
largely unsung, Franklin produced work that is still appreciated today by sincere seekers of realization. His bodhisattva vow (promise to dedicate oneself, above all else, to spiritual practice until all beings are enlightened), taken before awakening, 133
did not permit him to remain in a state of blissful inactivity. After realization, he continuedwriting,lecturing,teaching,andworkingonhisland.Hisclose,longterm
relationship with his wife and spiritual partner, Sherifa (Sarah), sustained him throughtheyears.HepassedawayinLonePinein1985,attheageofninety-eight.
The following account of his 1936 awakening is reprinted from his spiritual
autobiography, PathwaysThroughtoSpace.
134
PATHWAYSTHROUGHTOSPACE
TheLightBreaksForth
August17,1936
THEINEFFABLEtransitioncame,abouttendaysago.
WehadjustreturnedtoourSouthernCaliforniahomeafterafewweeks'stayina
small town in the Mother Lode country in the northern part of the State, and I was resting from the fatigue induced by the all-night driving of the automobile. At the time, I was engaged in the reading of portions of “The System of the Vedanta” by PaulDeussen,asIhadbeendoingmoreorlesssystematicallyduringthepreceding
three weeks. This work is an interpretation in western philosophic form of the VedantaasitisdevelopedinthecommentariesofShankaraontheBrahma-sutras.I
had been led to this specific program of reading through the realization that Shankara'swordshadpeculiarpower,atleastinmyownexperience.ForsometimeI
hadspontaneouslylookedtohimastoaGuru(spiritualteacher)withwhomIwasin
completesympatheticaccord.Ihadfoundhimalwaysclearandconvincing,atleast
inallmattersrelativetotheanalysisofconsciousness,whilewiththeotherSagesI
eitherfoundobscuritiesoremphaseswithwhichIcouldnotfeelcompletesympathy.
ForsomemonthsIhadresolvedtodelvemoredeeplyintothethoughtofShankara,in
sofarasitwasavailableintranslatedform.ItwasinpursuanceofthispurposethatI wasslowlyreadingandmeditatingupon“TheSystemoftheVedanta.”
I had been following this course while completing a cross-cut in a gold-prospect nearthesmalltownofMichiganBluff.MuchofthistimeIwascompletelyaloneand
wasmorethanusuallysuccessfulinpenetratingthemeaningandfollowingthelogic
ofwhatIwasreading.Oneday,
aftertheeveningmealandwhilestillsittingatthe
table,Ifoundthat,bygradualtransition,Ihadpassedintoaverydelightfulstateof contemplation.Theactualcontentofthethoughtofthatperiodisforgotten,butasI
madecarefulnoteofthestateIwasinandsubmittedittoclosescrutiny,thequality
ofthestatewaswellimpresseduponmymemory.Mybreathhadchanged,butnotin
the sense of stopping or becoming extremely slow or rapid. It was, perhaps, just a littleslowerthannormal.Thenotablechangewasinasubtlequalityassociatedwith
theairbreathed.Overandabovethephysicalgasesoftheairthereseemedtobean
impalpablesubstanceofindescribablesweetnesswhich,inturn,wasassociatedwith
ageneralsenseofwell-being,embracingeventhephysicalman.Itwaslikehappiness
or joy, but these words are inadequate. It was of a very gentle quality, yet far transcended the value of any of the more familiar forms of happiness. It was quite independentofthebeautyorcomfortoftheenvironment.Atthattimethelatterwas,
tosaytheleast,austereandnotinanysenseattractive.Thisquality,associatedwith the air, I had, in a smaller measure, previously experienced at high altitudes in the mountains,butinthepresentinstancethealtitudewasonly1800feetandtheairwas
far from invigorating, due to the period being exceptionally warm. However,
introspective analysis revealed the fact that the elixirlike quality was most marked duringtheexhalation,thusindicatingthatitwasnotderivedfromthesurroundingair.
Further,theexhaledbreathwasnotsimplyairexpelledintotheouteratmosphere,but
135
seemed to penetrate down through the whole organism like a gentle caress, leaving throughoutaquietsenseofdelight.Itseemedtomelikeanectar.SincethattimeI
havelearnedthatitisthetrueAmbrosia.
Itis,perhaps,pertinenttonoteinpassingthatafewdayspreviously,asaresultof
thoughtstimulatedbymyreadings,Ihaddevelopedaninterpretationofthenatureof
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