Where Can Peace Be Found?

Krishnamurti taught that in order for there to be peace in the world, we must each first make peace with ourselves. No spiritual path, leader, or philosophy will guide us in this endeavour; this transformation of the human psyche is a truth that each of us must discover within ourselves. In Where Can Peace Be Found? Krishnamurti focuses on how the war and destruction we human beings wreak on each other and the environment are primarily caused by our feelings of nationalism and by a misplaced attachment to religion. The root of the problems we face in our world-primarily war and hatred of one another-is due to an attachment to a sense of self and individuality that leads to aggression, competition, greed, and conflict. When we free ourselves from our conditioning by recognizing that our consciousness is not individual but common to all humans, we can finally work together in a spirit of cooperation and compassion. Krishnamurti teaches that each of us needs to take personal responsibility for our actions and reactions-in our relationships and in our lives-as a necessary first step toward a more global view of reality.

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. He traveled and lectured throughout the world until his death at the age of ninety. His talks and works are preserved in more than seventy books.