KRISHNAMURTI'S NOTEBOOK

In a foreword, Mary Lutyens proclaims this notebook--an almost daily record of spiritual experiences over a seven-month stretch--""the well-spring of Krishnamurti's teaching."" She seems to be right. Early on he allows that ""words however accurate. . . do not convey the real thing""; yet his struggle to communicate the truth of his experience is valiant, if not wholly victorious, and his spare, understated style conveys just the right sense of awe and mystery. Almost every entry involves the same elements: a recurring pain and almost cosmic pressure which he calls ""the process"" (his body seemingly a too fragile vessel for the immensity of his awareness); concomitant experiences of transpersonal ecstasy; delicate descriptions of nature dovetailing with accounts of his inner states; and laconic observations on basic truths of human existence. The sacred looms as an overwhelming, tangible presence negating all human language, gods, symbols, rituals, meditation, and conscious striving; the challenge is to remain true to the process of purifying transformation taking place. This is a firsthand account of genuine natural mysticism, a risk-all adventure of concrete encounters with the holy as always new, but ever the same. More approachable, more intimate than Krishnamurti's didactic writings, this will speak not only to those already involved in his thought but to all readers with a feeling for the mystery of existence and an ability to delight in each turn of a kaleidoscope of simple pieces.