The Mystique of Enlightenment | U. G. Krishnamurti

Here is perhaps the most straightforward, no-nonsense book yet written about that
truth which many 'spiritual seekers' are seeking - what most gurus call
'enlightenment', and what U.G. Krishnamurti calls the 'natural state'. U.G.
maintains, in this selection from his conversations, that 'so-called enlightenment' is
a purely biological phenomenon, that only when we are completely free of culture,
conditioning, religious thinking and intellect, can the body, with its own
'extraordinary intelligence', free the human being to be in the natural state.

U.G. has been living in this state since the experience he calls the "calamity" happened
to him in Switzerland on his 49th birthday. He has since become widely known,
both in Europe and in India, as one who speaks with authority on the subject.
U.G.'s 'talks' are informal and take place wherever he happens to be. He is no
relation to J. Krishnamurti, the famous spiritual leader, whose teachings he once
admired, and now considers 'archaic hogwash'. He is probably the most
controversial of all the experts in such matters, gurus or non-gurus. He has been
called 'outrageous', 'infuriating,'" and a 'prophet of anti-wisdom'.

The Mystique of Enlightenment is a new, unique, invaluable roadside companion
for all those on the 'path' or thinking of setting out on it. It tells the inside story of a
man who knows the 'holy business' from the ground up, and who reveals in a frank
and direct manner how he became 'free' not because of, but despite, a lifetime of
spiritual practice. — Alice Furlaud.

About the Author

Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti (9 July 1918 – 22 March 2007) was a philosopher and orator who questioned the state of spiritual liberation. Having pursued a religious path in his youth and eventually rejecting it, U.G. claimed to have experienced a devastating biological transformation on his 49th birthday, an event he refers to as "the calamity". He emphasized that this transformation back to "the natural state" is a rare, acausal, biological occurrence with no religious context. Because of this, he discouraged people from pursuing the "natural state" as a spiritual goal.[1]

He rejected the basis of thought and in doing so negated all systems of thought and knowledge. Hence he explained his assertions were experiential and not speculative – "Tell them that there is nothing to understand."

He was unrelated to his contemporary Jiddu Krishnamurti, although the two men had a number of meetings because of their association with the Theosophical Society[2] and U.G. has, at times, referred to him as "[his] teacher" in spite of having ultimately rejected said teachings as well as the idea that anything could or should be taught in any spiritual context. [Source: Wikipedia]