The Theosophical Society that discovered and nurtured the young Krishnamurti had a philosophy that emphasized the reality and the significance of the occult. They had and still have an exclusive “Esoteric Section” devoted in part to the study of occult phenomena. Krishnamurti’s own philosophy, by contrast, avoids any mention of topics that might be considered occult.
Nevertheless, he was open and receptive to the possibility that such phenomena might exist. I discovered this somewhat to my surprise in a conversation that developed at the lunch table after everyone had finished eating. A more sober and contemplative atmosphere often came over the table at those times, and, in one of those intervals, the conversation turned to clairvoyance and mental telepathy. Krishnamurti’s comments made clear that he accepted that some people are able to read other people’s thoughts.
I knew from his biography that in his youth, he was purported to be able to tell the contents of a letter without opening it and that he could read people’s thoughts with ease. I expressed some skepticism about telepathy at the lunch table, and he replied that it was fairly common among some married couples, as if this were sufficient evidence of the phenomena.
But I objected and asked, what is the medium of transmission? What is it that conveys the thoughts in the brain of one person into the brain of another? And he said, “Thought.” (I felt this answer was inadequate but was unable to articulate my objection.)
One day I met with Krishnamurti privately to discuss some problem I was wrestling with. He made one or two observations, then he said he could tell me more if I were willing to let him look more deeply into me. I was unwilling at that time to let him go down that path. I concluded, however, that he still had the capacity to read someone’s mind, but he refrained from doing so without the person’s permission.
Later I heard that he said that to read someone’s thoughts without their permission was like reading a letter written to that person. Without their permission, it would be a violation of their privacy.
[This is the first of a two-part blog.]
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