Identification is blindness. Krishnamurti invites us here to go deep and see the source of all identification. Together with OSHO, Krishnamurti was my most revered teacher. I learned a lot by listening and absorbing his talks. He always asks for active participation in his thinking. He is a real Jnana yogi!
Jiddu Krishnamurti, a profound thinker and teacher, often invited his listeners to engage in self-inquiry, urging them to observe the movements of their own minds without judgment or identification. In this talk, he takes us into the heart of human experience: the process of identification, the construction of the psychological “self,” and the limitations it imposes on our capacity for freedom and clarity.
The Nature of Observation
Krishnamurti begins by urging us to observe—not intellectually, but factually—the workings of the mind and senses. Sensations such as touch, taste, and sight are natural and essential aspects of being alive. However, the moment thought identifies itself with these sensations—when it claims them as “mine”—a psychological center, or “self,” begins to form. This process of identification, he says, is the foundation of the ego and its endless cycle of attachment, resistance, and suffering.
The act of observation that Krishnamurti calls for is not passive or detached; it is alive, dynamic, and free of preconceived notions. He asks us to simply watch the movement of sensations without letting thought interfere. Can we experience the taste of food, the sound of a bird, or the warmth of the sun without mentally attaching ourselves to these sensations? This form of observation, he suggests, reveals the truth about how identification narrows the vast energy of life into a limited, confining channel.
The Mechanics of Identification
Krishnamurti’s exploration of identification highlights its pervasive nature. He notes that thought identifies not only with sensations but also with objects, relationships, and concepts: my house, my family, my beliefs, my experiences. This process creates a sense of security and stability, as thought seeks to anchor itself in something tangible amid its constant flux. Yet this very act of clinging leads to limitation and resistance, cutting us off from the broader flow of life.
Through his characteristic clarity, Krishnamurti distinguishes between physical needs and psychological projections. It is natural and necessary, he explains, to identify with certain physical necessities—our homes provide shelter, and our clothes protect us. However, the problem arises when this identification spills over into the psychological realm: my desires, my ambitions, my power. This extension, he argues, is an illusion. It is unnecessary and serves only to perpetuate the false sense of self.
The Cost of Identification
The central insight of Krishnamurti’s talk lies in the realization that identification diminishes our energy. By channeling the vast, boundless energy of life into a narrow construct—the psychological self—we resist the infinite, dynamic movement of existence. Identification becomes a form of attachment, a clinging that traps us in patterns of desire, fear, and conflict. This attachment divides us from the world and from one another, reinforcing the illusion of separation: my nation, my religion, my beliefs.
Krishnamurti points out that this division is not merely intellectual; it has profound implications for how we live. It shapes our relationships, our values, and even our capacity for understanding. To be caught in identification is to live in a state of resistance and fragmentation, unable to fully meet life as it is.
The Freedom of Non-Identification
The antidote to this narrowing of life, Krishnamurti suggests, is non-identification. By observing the movement of thought and sensation without attaching to it, we begin to see the nature of the self as a construct. This observation does not require effort or suppression; it is simply an act of seeing, free from judgment or interpretation.
In this state of pure observation, the “self” loses its solidity. We realize that the psychological center is not a fixed entity but a series of movements—thoughts, sensations, and memories—arising and dissolving moment by moment. Without identification, these movements no longer dominate or define us. Instead, they unfold within the vast space of awareness, which is free, open, and unbound.
A Radical Inquiry
Krishnamurti invites us to ask a radical question: Why does thought identify with anything at all? This inquiry, he says, is not about accepting answers but about deeply observing the mind’s tendency to cling. Is it because thought seeks security? Does it fear its own impermanence? These questions are not meant to be answered conceptually but to serve as mirrors for our own experience.
He draws attention to the fundamental insecurity of thought itself—its constant movement, its need for stability. In identifying with objects, relationships, or beliefs, thought tries to create an illusion of permanence. Yet this illusion is fragile, constantly threatened by change, leading to further clinging and conflict. To see this process clearly is to understand the root of psychological suffering.
Living Without Identification
As Krishnamurti moves toward the conclusion of his talk, he emphasizes that this understanding is not theoretical but deeply practical. It transforms the way we live. Without identification, there is no center around which conflict and resistance can arise. Life becomes a flow of sensations, actions, and relationships, untainted by the need to claim or possess.
This way of living is not a rejection of the physical world but a profound engagement with it, free from the distortions of the self. It is a state of energy and openness, where the boundaries between the observer and the observed dissolve. Krishnamurti describes this as a state of liberation, where life’s vastness can move through us without obstruction.
The Mirror of Self-Discovery
Throughout his talk, Krishnamurti insists that there is no teacher, no speaker imparting wisdom. The discovery must be ours, arising from our own observation and inquiry. He likens this process to looking into a mirror: the insights we gain are reflections of our own minds, not something imposed from outside.
In this mirror, we see the subtle ways in which identification operates, narrowing our experience and perpetuating the illusion of the self. We also see the possibility of freedom—a way of being that is open, spacious, and fully alive. This, Krishnamurti suggests, is the essence of true understanding: not an accumulation of knowledge but a radical clarity that transforms the very ground of our being.
Krishnamurti’s teaching is a call to wakefulness, a reminder that the freedom we seek is already present, waiting to be uncovered through the simple act of observing without attachment. Basically it is the path we described elsewhere on our website as Mahamudra. To live without identification is to step out of the narrow prison of the self and into the boundless flow of life itself. It is both a profound challenge and an extraordinary invitation. Shunyam Adhibhu
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