12.13.11 Theosophy.net Rene Wadlow the Unconditioned Mind

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The Unconditione

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David Edmund Moody

The Unconditioned Min(Weaton: Quest Books,

The function of educatiovarious fields of humanfrom all tradition so thatOtherwise the mind becknowledge. Unless it istradition, the mind is inceternal, but it must obviinformation so that it isand must produce. Souseful and necessary atdetriment. To recognizdestructive and has to b

allowed to function withof intelligence. J. Krishn

How to put the iframework of a primary tthe theme of this fascinDavid Moody.

Mind (Book Review)

adlow on December 13, 2011 at 9:49am

: J. Krishnamurti and theOakGroveSc2011, 260pp.)

n is to give the student abundant knowlendeavour and at the same time to freehe is able to investigate, to find out, tome mechanical, burdened with the m

constantly freeing itself from the accumpable of discovering the Supreme, thatusly acquire expanding knowledge andapable of dealing with the things that mnowledge, which is the cultivation of ma certain level, but at another level it bethe distinction to see where knowle

e put aside, and where it is essential an

as much amplitude as possible is themurti in This Matter of Culture(1964)

sights of J. Krishnamurti into practice inhrough secondary private school in Caliting account by the former director of th

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Krishnamurti stressed that along with knowledge necessary foreveryday life, it was essential to have students understand the process ofthought, the working of the mind. He said In a real school, the studentmust not only be taught various subjects but also helped to be aware of theprocess of his own thinkingYou cannot create a new world if your mind isnot alert, watchful, expansively aware; and that is why it is so importantwhile you are young, to spend some time reflecting over these very seriousmatters and not just pass your days in the study of a few subjects.

Our present education consists in telling us whatto think, it doesnot teach us howto think, how to penetrate, explore; and it is only whenthe teacher as well as the student knows how to think that the school isworthy of its name.

A crucial feature of intelligence is the capacity of self-awareness.Self-knowledge comes when you observe yourself in your relationship withyour fellow-students and your teachers, with all the people around youIf

you can just observe what you are and move with it, then you will find thatit possible to go infinitely far.

To go beyond its hindrances, the mind must first be aware ofthem. You must know the limitations, the boundaries, the frontiers of yourown mindIf one can watch the hindrances of the mind, not only thesuperficial hindrances but also the deeper hindrances in the unconscious

watch them without condemnation then the mind can go beyondthem; and that very going beyond is a moment towards truth.

In order to develop a school in which there is both the transmissionof knowledge and an emphasis on the processes of the mind, you needteachers who are aware of these processes of the mind. As Krishnamurtisaid You must have teachers who really have a song inside them and aretherefore happy, creative human beings. Teachers must help thestudents to explore, to discover, to understand the whole process of lifewith a mind that is very acute, sharp, alive, inquiring, curious, and thereforecapable of discovery.

Understanding how the mind functions should also open the doorto creativity. There must first be freedom of the mind for creativeness totake place, and then technique can be used to express that creativeness.But to have the technique is meaningless without a creative mind, withoutthe extraordinary creativeness which come with the discovery of what istrue.


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By understanding the working of the mind, a student also learns tounderstand how negative conditioning can take place. As Krishnamurtisaid Your mind is like a rich soil, and if given sufficient time any problemthat comes along takes root like a weed, and then you have the trouble ofpulling it out; but if you do not give the problem sufficient time to take root,then it has no place to grow, and it will wither away. If you encouragehate, give it time to take root, to grow, to mature, it becomes an enormousproblem. But if each time hate arises, you let it go by, then you will find

that your mind becomes very sensitive without being sentimental; thereforeit will know love.

Understanding the processes of the mind is a crucial step inovercoming fear. The overcoming of fear is necessary for psychologicalfreedom. As Moody writes The full, unmediated perception of fear is thesolvent in which it is dissipated. Such perception is not easily achieved,however, for the mind is quick to supply judgements or justifications,reasons why fear should or should not exist, as well as the impulse to fix it,

suppress it, or overcome it. All these movements of the mind introducedistortions and prevent the act of pure perception. Choiceless awarenessin Krishnamurtis phrase, is therefore an art in its own right, one thatrequires dedication, clarity, and the intention to live a different kind of life.

Krishnamurti had said we shall give our hearts, our minds, ourbodies towards creating a school where there is no such thing as fear withall its implications. Understanding the processes of the mind helps tocreate a sense of world citizenship, of going beyond narrow identifications.As Moody stresses Right education will cultivate in the student a global

outlook, a realization that all of humanity is linked and shares a common,basic psychological condition. The individual is not, in any deep respect,different from mankind everywhere. The schools work is not to reproducean American mind, or a European mind, or an Indian mind, but rather amind unconditioned by identification with any national, ethnic or culturalgroup. The role of the teacher entails unconditioning himself as well as thestudent. There is no blueprint or method for this process because anyprescribed method can only produce a mechanical result. What can bedone is to explore the meaning of conditioning and the actual, living realityof ones own state of mind.

Teachers must help students to create an atmosphere in whichsuch learning is possible. For students, Krishnamurti underlined theimportance of cleanliness, tidiness of dress, a smile, a graceful gesture,the rhythm of walking, a flower in your hair, good manners, clarity ofspeech, thoughtfulness, being considerate of others, which includespunctuality all this is part of beautyIt is to sit quietly without pressure,to eat elegantly without rush, to be leisurely and yet precise, to be clear inones thinking and yet expansive.


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Much of the book is devoted to why reaching these processes andgoals is difficult problems which will be known to those who have beeninvolved in private progressive education. There are relatively fewteachers who are already trained in such an approach to teaching, andthere is little time or opportunity for such training. There is a hope thatthrough dialogue and inquiry consensus on methods can be reached.However, such consensus-making takes time. There is the persistentissue of parents who do not fully understand the teaching system and whoworry about the future of their children when it gets time to go to college.Thus many parents are willing to have unorthodox primary schools butprefer to have their children in secondary schools that prepare students toget into good universities.

There are financial issues. Such education requires small classes.Oak Grove aimed to have 12 to 14 students per class. Thus you need tofind parents who both understand the approach and who have money to

pay for it. Although mixed social backgrounds would be an ideal; inpractice finance limits social backgrounds.

Oak Grove School administration was made even morecomplicated by having a school board, largely parents of current studentsand also a board with members of the Krishnamurti Foundation with manydifferent aims: publication of talks, organization of lectures, management ofproperties as well as having a say in the way the school was structuredand run. Moreover, people who are attracted to innovative educational

methods often have strong personalities, making compromise andcooperation difficult. There was a small group of people aroundKrishnamurti who had been with him for a long time. Although thesepeople were not officially in the school administrative structure,Krishnamurti depended on them.

These factors and others well set out, led David Moody to give upthe direction of the Oak Grove School. He may have left just before beingpushed out in any case. The book can be read on two levels: one, thepedagogical implications of Krishnamurtis ideas on the processes of the

mind, and on another level, on the joys and sorrows of progressive schoolmanagement.

Rene Wadlow

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12.13.11 Theosophy.net Rene Wadlow the Unconditioned Mind