Life Ahead: On Learning and the Search for Meaning

by J. Krishnamurti

Book Overview

Life Ahead presents lessons that move far beyond the traditional forms of education taught in most schools and colleges. Drawn from transcripts of talks given to Indian students, the book covers a wide range of universal topics. In short, accessible chapters, Krishnamurti explores the danger of competition, the value of solitude, the need to understand both the conscious and the unconscious mind, and the critical difference between concentration and attention, and between knowledge and learning. Krishnamurti exposes the roots of fear and eradicates deeply entrenched habits of tradition, limitation, and prejudice. The life he holds forth requires a complete change of thought, even a revolution, one that begins "not with theory and ideation," he writes, "but with a radical transformation in the mind itself." He explains how such transformation occurs only through an education that concentrates on the total development of the human being, an education carefully described in this simple yet powerful book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1577315170
• ISBN13: 9781577315179
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: New World Library
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Interesting Read!

This is a book taken from transcripts of lessons given to Indian students on the meaning of many aspects of life by Krishnamurti. Many, many topics are covered, for example, what is the root of fear, why are the poor happy and the rich unhappy, what is obedience, and the list goes on with many questions asked and answered according to Krishnamurit's theory on the aspects and meaning of life. For the person that maybe searching some life answers this would be quite an enlighten read and one that will hold your attention. It is very in-depth and will leave you with much to think about.

Most accessible of K's books (plus "Think on These Things")

I've read over 25 Krishamurti books, including all the "big ones" like Freedom from the Known, The First and Last Freedom, Total Freedom, Awakening of Intelligence, Flight of the Eagle, Krishmaurti's Notebook, etc., many of which I've read more than once. I've given all of them away to share K's message but kept four of them which I keep as references for focused daily reflection/meditation (as opposed to the meditation of all waking life). The four I've kept are Freedom from the Known, On God, On Right Livelihood, and Education and the Significance of Life (the last one of great relevance to me since I'm an educator). And so now I always recommend (and often give) the first three books on that list I just mentioned to anyone who wants to learn more about K's "teachings." "Freedom from the Known" is the single best, most concise and thorough summary of all K's teachings. "On God" should greatly help anyone who is searching for ultimate reality, Truth, God, Enlightenment, Nirvana, The Meaning of Life, or whatever one wants to call it. No summary will do it justice; you must read it for yourself. "On Right Livelihood" addresses the issue of our daily living, in work, leisure, and even to some degree home life and family relationship, becuase, as K emphasizes, they all should be an integrated whole, not fragmented parts of our lives. "Education and the Significance of Life" is also or relevance to anyone who has children or who teaches; it will transform the way you view childrearing and education. I would say that those four books would be all a person would need to transform one's life; to have a radical revolution in living. Now that being said, why do I still highly recommend "Life Ahead"? This book and "Think on These Things" are numbers Five and Six on my list; those two are books that I never keep for myself, but I often give to others: mostly children and young adults, or people who otherwise either wouldn't enjoy or couldn't handle the relatively more complex and philosophically-oriented nature of K's other works; I even gave copies of them to my mentally-disabled adult sister, and she is able to understand these latter two books. This is because both "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" were talks given to young students and their parents, and both the language K uses and the ideas themselves seem much more simple and direct, yet retain all their power and vibrancy. I highly recommend "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" as gifts, or for any reader who wants a more "accessible" Krishnamurti.

An important book for young people thinking about life

This book goes into the root of human problems, addressed to young audiences. Spoken with clarity, it can cause a turning point in a young person's life, as it did to me when I read it while at the university.

A great, inspiring book

This is a GREAT book! It's aimed basically at the highschool student, but can be applied to anyone. JK talks about the problems with the way most education is setup, the problems with teachers and parents. He says "Learning is possible only when there is no coercion of any kind...There is coercion through influence, through attachment or threat, through persuazzive encouragement or subtle forms of reward." I reccommend this book highly! Next time you see it in a used bookstore get a copy of it.