“In the complete state of negation is the highest form of passion; that passion implies total self-abandonment. For such complete self-abandonment there must be tremendous austerity; austerity that is not the harshness of the priest agonizing people, of saints who have tortured themselves, who have become austere because they have brutalized their mind. Austerity is really an extraordinary simplicity; not in clothes, not in food – but inwardly. This austerity, this passion, is the highest form of total negation.”
“Austerity is not a thing of the mind, carefully gathered through sacrifice, suppression and discipline. All these must cease, naturally.”
“In the total maturity there is austerity. Not the austerity of ashes and sackcloth but that casual and unpremeditated indifference to the things of the world, its virtues, its gods, its respectability, its hopes and values. These must be totally denied for that austerity which comes with aloneness. No influence of society or of culture can ever touch this aloneness. But it must be there, not conjured up by the brain, which is the child of time and influence. It must come thunderingly out of nowhere. And without it, there’s no total maturity… Aloneness is a life in which all influence has come to an end. It’s this aloneness that is the essence of austerity”
“When love is broken up into fragmentation, as divine and carnal, it ceases to be love. Jealousy is the smoke that smothers the fire, and passion becomes stupid without austerity, but there is no austerity if there is no self-abandonment, which is humility in utter simplicity.”
“Only the sensitive can be alone and this aloneness is destructive. This sensitivity is stripped of all pleasure and so it has the austerity, not of desire and will but of seeing and understanding.”
“There is no beauty without austerity. Austerity does not lie in any outward symbol or act: wearing a loincloth or a monk’s robe, taking only one meal a day, or living the life of a hermit. Such disciplined simplicity, however rigorous, is not austerity; it is merely an outward show without an inner reality. Austerity is the simplicity of inward aloneness, the simplicity of a mind that is purged of all conflict, that is not caught in the fire of desire, even the desire for the highest. Without this austerity, there can be no love; and beauty is of love.”
“Austerity is to be sensitive to beauty, to love… A man who does not love, does not know what it is to be austere; therefore, he does not know what it is to be simple.”
J. Krishnamurti
Austerity which is usually understood as simplicity is seen as the way of life of monks, hermits or spiritual persons. It seems to represent detachment from outer things and events. It is practiced outwardly in terms of simple clothes, simple food, no entertainment, no attachment and emotional dryness. An austere person is not supposed to look at beauty; he is supposed to abstain from sexual activity and all other kinds of enjoyments. A person resorts to a lot of discipline and other harsh measures in order to become austere. But according to Krishnamurti, this kind of austerity is no austerity at all. Austerity is simplicity of the mind. Only an innocent mind can be austere. Also, Krishnamurti puts austerity with love, beauty, passion, self-abandonment, aloneness and negation. In that sense austerity seems to be the least understood aspect of human life. So, what is austerity? What is its significance in our daily life? How is it related to Love and beauty? What is self-abandonment? Why is it necessary in order to be austere? Is loneliness same as aloneness? How is it related to austerity? Why is negation not possible without austerity? All such and many more questions related to austerity will be explored in this workshop. The participants can also ask their questions. It is hoped that by participating in this workshop the participants will get at least some sense of what Krishnamurti means by austerity. Various selections from Krishnamurti’s works relevant to the theme of this workshop will be provided as a reading material to each participant. Also links to the relevant videos of Krishnamurti will be provided. Each participant is expected to devote these two days fully to the study in order to benefit maximum from this workshop.