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Jiddhu Krishnamurti (1895 - 1986)

EARLY WRITINGS - 1927 1928 1929

ESTABLISH YOUR PURPOSE

Bombay, India 1927

Human beings forget the goal to which their life leads; hence there is always confusion. Because of the lack of foresight of the thing they desire, they are confused and they are lost, and it is for this reason that you must establish for yourself whither you are going, what your purpose is in life. And when once you have established this for yourself -not by the authority of another, not by the authority of sacred books, nor by the authority of individuals but by a clear-cut ideal- and have definitely decided to follow it, you will attain liberation. And if you have been able to establish such an ideal, then that ideal will become part of your own life and you will walk towards that goal, all things becoming easy to you.

Now, you will see wherever you look -beyond the seas, in America or in Europe- you will find that there is confusion of purpose. The people of the West are seeking happiness, as everyone else in the world is seeking, but they are seeking it in material things. Because they have lost the purpose, because they have forgotten the goal, they are lost in the things that do not matter. If, for example, you desire to go to a particular house and you know the path that leads to that particular house, and you know where the house exists and its exact address, the path to that house will be quite easy and you will go there, avoiding pitfalls without any difficulty. When you know the goal, you will get there, time being of no account. But if you did not know to what house you were going, and what was your goal, you would get lost in the bye paths, in the narrow streets, and in the wayside houses. But when once you have established for yourself the goal towards which you are tending, all things, which lead you away from that goal will have no attraction for you. It is for this that men struggle through their days, during their years and during their many lives. It is, to me, that Kingdom of Happiness which gives Liberation. We are like the river that at the beginning is small but grows as she flows towards the sea, in search of liberation. On her way she accumulates many experiences, feeds many banks and many trees and quenches the thirst of many people and gathers many waters; and slowly, through many places and through the progress of time, she reaches the sea, where she finds her liberation. But when entering that sea of liberation, she brings her experiences of sorrow, of delight and of joy and gives to the sea a part of them. That is the purpose of a human being. When once you have found that and established that for yourself, then life becomes very easy, life becomes very simple and also comprehensive, and all the religious shackles and complications, all religious superstitions vanish, and you remain as steadfast as the sky, looking and trying to learn from everywhere. To attain Liberation has been my aim for many years together. Because when once you have tasted that Liberation you will really be able to help. Then you are beyond the limits of birth and death. Because you have entered into that Kingdom of Liberation and Happiness, you will become one of the great helpers of the world.

Thus the purpose of human life is to accumulate experience and from that experience to learn wisdom, and from that wisdom to hear the voice of intuition, which will lead us towards the goal which belongs to everyone, irrespective of caste, race or religion, irrespective of forms of worship of any God. So you see, if you have that view, if you have such a purpose in life, then all the restricting ideas of your religious thought, all your narrowness will vanish and you will become like the sun, giving light to all those who seek it. And there lies the beauty of life, which is seen in the bright running waters. We must therefore come out of our stagnation and go into the stream of Liberation.