Theos-Talk Archives (April 2000 Message tt00123)

<< In a message dated 4/6/00 12:54:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
ramadoss@eden.com writes:
 
 << Here are some feedback from some of those who have read the book. I have
  excerpted from the amazon and barnes&nobles sites.
  
  Hope some might find it interesting.
  
  mkr
  =================
  
  The Inner Life of Krishnamurti : Private Passion and
                       Perennial Wisdom 
                       by Aryel Sanat 
                       List Price: $16.95
  ==========
  Here is a comment from amazon.com customer
  
  A reader from San Felipe, CA      February 21, 2000
  This book is not about the title but more about attempting to validate
  claims made by the Theosophical Society and the subject of the book.
  The author says his book takes no viewpoint on these matters and he
  invites "positive" criticism of his work, yet he cuts short such evaluation
  by saying all of his remarks are "facts." These facts actually, in every
  case, are quotes--the opinions of various, mostly Theosophical
  sources--since how, indeed, can one PROVE that the Theosophical Society has
  been tapped to save the world by Himalayan "masters" known only to them or
  that Krishnamurti was the "second coming of Christ" or the Buddha Maitreya?
  These contentions are the focal points of the book. The many inferences the
  author otherwise makes between what Krishnamurti said at various times in
  his life that were contradictory and "what is" remain debatable. As
  Krishnamurti himself spoke of his source of inspiration as "the Other," we
  must assume that Krishnamurti the man existed separately as an individual
  and was prone to the occasional contradictions and foibles of individuals.
  In the last chapter, the author closes with a further note of confusion,
  stating that the entire book "may be transcended." 
  
  
  Another reader from Albuquerqui, NM -- February 19, 2000
  
  The title of this book indicates that Krishnamurti had an "outer" and an
  "inner" life, the latter to be reveal by the author. However, it was my
  impression that this book is merely restatement of the old agendas of the
  Theosophical Society in Krishnamurti packaging, to wit: the Theosophical
  Society is the crucible of all esoteric knowledge; the T.S. was annointed
  by "Masters" unrecognized by any other faith but believed by them to rule
  the affairs of the world and to "save" said world; Krishnamurti was the
  second coming of Christ (called the Buddha Maitreya by the T.S.) appointed
  and trained by the Masters as the only means of world salvation in this
  age. Additionally, he was the sole beneficiary of the highest initiation
  process ever performed on a human. The author invites "positive" criticism
  of his ideas, but cautions that since his research is based in "fact" only,
  that he has no viewpoint to debate.
  To those who find elitist theologies appealing, this book will be 
intriguing.
  
  ==================
  A reader from Barnes & Noble:
  
  February 22, 2000,  
  
  Book's agenda is clouded
  Was Krishnamurti always 'channelling' his inspirational ideas at the
  highest level or did he sometimes act like a human being 'off stage' and
  get caught up in certain illusions? Aryel Sanat (or Miguel Sanabria, as he
  also calls himself on the jacket) goes to unnecessary lengths to try to
  reconcile Krishnamurti's sometimes contradictory words and behavior. Most
  great gurus have exhibited a dichotomy but Sanat, a lecturer at
  Theosophical groups, seems to want people to regard Krishnamurti and the
  Theosophical Society as a 'cut above' other teachers and societies. His
  book sets out to prove that
  Krishnamurti was none other than Christ reborn and the Theosophical Society
  (like the B'hais, it might be said) the vehicle for world salvation. The
  proof the author feels he must offer is self-referencing quotes among
  Theosophists, former Theosophists, one nameless Buddhist monk, and
  Krishnamurti himself.
  It's difficult to take this serious subject seriously when the author
  himself states in his last chapter that we might just as well 'transcend'
  everything he has tried to say.>>
 
To M.K. Ramadoss,
Thanks for sharing these "reviews" with everyone on these lists, in which 
there is interest, for diverse reasons, in things having to do with K, the 
perennial philosophy, and the TS.  I had read the two that appeared on 
amazon.com, but not the one from B&N.  For whatever it's worth, I had quite a 
belly laugh with the first two, when I first read them; ditto just now.  I 
could not shake the impression that this was just one person, using somehow 
two different e-mail addresses, and that this person may be a fundamentalist 
Christian (FC).  That, of course, is just "an impression," which I'm sharing 
with you.  As you know from a discussion that appeared in the act-l list a 
while back, such groups have apparently tried to take over the TS, very 
recently, thus becoming part of a VERY LONG history of not very CHRISTIAN 
behavior on the part of FCs, since the 1870s.  That failing, other approaches 
continue to be used.  I remember how at various times during the 1970s, there 
would be FCs near where the K talks were held in Ojai, trying to save our 
souls from that "anti-Christ," with specific tracts to"prove it."
The "reviewer" from B&N, however, strikes me more as someone who knows very 
little about either theosophy or K and did not read the book carefully, but 
who for those very reasons feels qualified to discourse hysterically on these 
subjects.  "After all, WE all know theosophy & K (not to mention the TS) are 
nothing but a lot of hogwash.  Well, don't WE?  WE don't need to go into all 
that tiring list of major influences the theosophical movement has had in the 
creation of the perennial renaissance, which has in fact been in recent times 
the backbone of all culture, throughout the planet, do WE?  After all, OUR 
minds are made up:  Please, please, don't bother US with so many facts; they 
give US a headache THIS big!"
If anyone reading this sees any value on specific comments made in these 
"reviews," though, I would really like to hear them.  If so, I would very 
strongly appreciate specific references, facts, and evidence.  Generalities 
based on unsupported opinions tend not to interest me very much.  At best, 
they can give me new & improved belly laughs (which, of course, I don't mind; 
it's just I'm not likely to respond, in that case).
Again, thanks for putting a big smile on my face this morning!
Aryel

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