Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in the village of Madanapalle in the south of British India in 1895. As a young boy, he was identified by theosophists Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant as the Theosophical Society’s expected World Teacher. They directed Krishnamurti’s education. They first took Krishnamurti with them to Europe in 1911, when the Order of the Star was formed to support his work. Following the death of his brother in 1922, Krishnamurti began to find his own voice. In 1929, he dissolved the Order of the Star, returning all the money that had been raised for him, and became an independent teacher. For the next 50 or more years, based at home in Ojai, California, he lectured around the world, reminding people constantly that we are human beings first, not a nationality, caste, religion, or any other divisive identity. Krishnamurti also cautioned his followers to care for the environment. His books include The First and Last Freedom, The Only Revolution, The Book of Life, and many more. Krishnamurti purposely left behind only a large archive of talks and writings, but no successors to continue his work after his death in 1986.
