Jiddu Krishnamurti viewed self-centredness as the core of human conflict, sorrow, and isolation, driven by a “me”—a construct of thought, memory, and accumulated images. This self-centered activity narrows life, creates loneliness, and perpetuates conflict through selfish ambition and desire. Freedom comes through effortless observation of this mechanism.
Key Aspects of Krishnamurti’s View on Self-Centredness:
The Structure of “Me”: The self is a bundle of memories, experiences, and thoughts, not a fixed entity. It is a product of time, continually trying to secure itself through accumulation, whether of knowledge, power, or money.
Identification as Self-Centredness: Identifying with a country, religion, or belief system is not selfless; it is a way for the “me” to expand its importance and continue its existence.
The Root of Loneliness: Self-centred activity is the cause of profound human loneliness, as the “me” acts as an isolating factor from the vastness of life.
The Observer and the Observed: Krishnamurti highlights that the “observer is the observed.” The “me” trying to eliminate its own self-centredness is still a self-centred act.
Freedom from the Self: The self ends not through willpower or forcing a certain state, but through Choiceless Awareness—direct, non-judgmental observation of the self’s activity in daily life.
“When you are really looking at something there is the absence of the self.” — Krishnamurti
Know Thyself 