The Kindle edition of The Kitchen Chronicles by Michael Krohnen, a memoir of sharing in conversations with one of history's most remarkable men.
The teachings of J. Krishnamurti could perhaps be boiled down to a single word: "observe." Here, we have the gentle, wry, comprehensive observations of a man who met Krishnamurti and became his personal chef, thus joining in meal time conversations both with Krishnamurti and with the wide array of people drawn to Krishnamurti and a message of genuine self-discovery.
From the first chapter of the book:
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There was some eager nodding and a murmur of consent among the group. He started by emphasizing that this was a dialogue, in which everyone was to participate, and that he was not the authority. As the dialogue unfolded, more of the people took part and a lively exchange of views ensued. But he kept probing deeper by putting fundamental, simple questions, “What is religion? What do you mean by ‘inquiring into’?” and the like, focusing the inquiry on the original question and insisting that everybody slowly and deliberately move together. All at once, he earnestly entreated us to face the actuality of what we were discussing, “Please listen: we are concerned with understanding the whole of existence, not just one tiny corner of it. You have to find out for yourselves, discover for yourselves, what truth is in your daily life, in your actual everyday existence.”
I was struck by the simple immediacy of his approach and its practicality, away from theorizing and abstract conjecturing. No answer seemed to satisfy him, no conclusion was accepted. At one point, drawing attention to the fact that organized religions throughout history had divided humanity and caused untold conflict and suffering, he stopped in mid-sentence, and an impish smile spread over his face.
“May I tell you a joke?” he interjected. “Some of you may have heard it, so don’t get bored. The devil and a friend of his are walking the earth. Ahead of them, they see a man bend down and pick up something shiny from the ground. He looks at it with delight, puts it in his pocket and elatedly walks off. The friend asks, ‘What did that man find that changed him so much?’ The devil answers, ‘I know. He found a piece of the truth.’ ‘By Jove!’ exclaims his friend. ‘That must be bad business for you.’ ‘Not at all,’ the devil replies with a sly smile, ‘I’m going to help him organize it.’”
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Michael Krohnen: "J. Krishnamurti visited Ojai and California each year, from 1975 until the death in 1986 - eleven years. Each time he stayed from February until May, during which time I prepared luncheons for him and his guests and friends on a daily basis. Thus the total number of luncheons during that period amounted to about one thousand.
"Taking into account the fairy-tale quality of his life, which somehow brought to mind "The 1001 Tales from the Arabian Nights" (folktales which actually originated in India and other parts of the Middle East), I thought it an apt parallelism to include the number in the title."
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Gov. Jerry Brown, governor of California, wrote this on the memoir's initial release:
"A gentle introduction to the mind of Krishnamurti. Alone among teachers, K pressed his listeners to give up their subtle violence and dead memories. 'Just observe sir,' was his refrain. In this interesting book, you will discover what it was like to dine and share conversations with one of history's most remarkable men."
The teachings of J. Krishnamurti could perhaps be boiled down to a single word: "observe." Here, we have the gentle, wry, comprehensive observations of a man who met Krishnamurti and became his personal chef, thus joining in meal time conversations both with Krishnamurti and with the wide array of people drawn to Krishnamurti and a message of genuine self-discovery.
From the first chapter of the book:
=====
There was some eager nodding and a murmur of consent among the group. He started by emphasizing that this was a dialogue, in which everyone was to participate, and that he was not the authority. As the dialogue unfolded, more of the people took part and a lively exchange of views ensued. But he kept probing deeper by putting fundamental, simple questions, “What is religion? What do you mean by ‘inquiring into’?” and the like, focusing the inquiry on the original question and insisting that everybody slowly and deliberately move together. All at once, he earnestly entreated us to face the actuality of what we were discussing, “Please listen: we are concerned with understanding the whole of existence, not just one tiny corner of it. You have to find out for yourselves, discover for yourselves, what truth is in your daily life, in your actual everyday existence.”
I was struck by the simple immediacy of his approach and its practicality, away from theorizing and abstract conjecturing. No answer seemed to satisfy him, no conclusion was accepted. At one point, drawing attention to the fact that organized religions throughout history had divided humanity and caused untold conflict and suffering, he stopped in mid-sentence, and an impish smile spread over his face.
“May I tell you a joke?” he interjected. “Some of you may have heard it, so don’t get bored. The devil and a friend of his are walking the earth. Ahead of them, they see a man bend down and pick up something shiny from the ground. He looks at it with delight, puts it in his pocket and elatedly walks off. The friend asks, ‘What did that man find that changed him so much?’ The devil answers, ‘I know. He found a piece of the truth.’ ‘By Jove!’ exclaims his friend. ‘That must be bad business for you.’ ‘Not at all,’ the devil replies with a sly smile, ‘I’m going to help him organize it.’”
======
Michael Krohnen: "J. Krishnamurti visited Ojai and California each year, from 1975 until the death in 1986 - eleven years. Each time he stayed from February until May, during which time I prepared luncheons for him and his guests and friends on a daily basis. Thus the total number of luncheons during that period amounted to about one thousand.
"Taking into account the fairy-tale quality of his life, which somehow brought to mind "The 1001 Tales from the Arabian Nights" (folktales which actually originated in India and other parts of the Middle East), I thought it an apt parallelism to include the number in the title."
=====
Gov. Jerry Brown, governor of California, wrote this on the memoir's initial release:
"A gentle introduction to the mind of Krishnamurti. Alone among teachers, K pressed his listeners to give up their subtle violence and dead memories. 'Just observe sir,' was his refrain. In this interesting book, you will discover what it was like to dine and share conversations with one of history's most remarkable men."
