4. Bondage from Fear

Certain problems are common to human society everywhere in the world, such as sorrow, fear, illusion, cruelty, violence etc. Fear could be regarded as one of the important issues discussed by Krishnamurti in his entire works and pointed as one of the causes of human bondage. Comparatively speaking, fear and authority are intertwined. Fear resulted in the acceptance of authority and authority is the result of fear. One fears certain things and in the process conforms to the authority.

Krishnamurti explains fear in his own words,

‘Fear can exist only in relation to something, not in isolation. How can I be afraid, how can I be afraid of something I do not know? I can be afraid only of what I know. When I say I am afraid of death, am I really afraid of the unknown, which is death, or am I afraid of losing what I have known? My fear is not of death but of losing my association with things belonging to me. My fear is always in relation to the known, not to the unknown.’^[1]

Thus, Krishnamurti said that fear exist in relation to the known. The fear of losing one’s family, reputation, character, bank account, appetites etc., creates fear. One is afraid of the known and losing the known, but one can never be afraid of the unknown. One is afraid of people, things or ideas and is also afraid of losing people or things, afraid of being at a loss, of the pain which might come into being when one have lost or have not gain or have no more pleasure.

Fear exists so long as there is accumulation of the known, which creates the fear of losing. Therefore, fear of the unknown is fear of losing the accumulated known. Accumulation invariably means fear, which in turn means pain. The moment one say that one must not lose there is fear. Though one’s attention in accumulating is to avoid pain, it is inherent in the process of accumulation. So, fear exists in the process of accumulation and as part of the accumulative process one also accumulates beliefs. For instances, when a son dies a person starts believing in reincarnation to prevent himself from having pain of losing. But in the very process of believing doubt arises for belief by nature is not certain. Not being certain one looks for certainty again and pain arises. Outwardly, one’s accumulated things bring war. Inwardly, one accumulates belief and brings pain. So long as one wish to be secure, have bank account, have pleasures etc., and so long as one wished to become something there must be pain. The very thing one is doing to avoid pain brings fear.

Besides, Krishnamurti said that one’s life and human existence ordinarily is an expression of fear. The problem of existence could be visualized as the problem of fear. Self-consciousness is consistently accompanied by the fear of self-extinction. Being constantly seized with fear, our response to the ever changing challenges of life is invariably a reaction of fear, which goes to constitute the self-defensive mechanism of the mind. Fear inhibits the operation of intelligence and breeds the idea of authority, standard of measurement etc. Thus, self-consciousness and fear go together. That is why Krishnamurti asserts fear as the problem of existence.

He said,

‘Surely, this question of how to be free from fear is one of our major problems is it not? Perhaps it is the only problem; because it is fear lurking in the innermost recesses of our minds and hearts, which cripples our thinking, our being, our living. So it seems to me that what we need now is not more philosophy, better systems, or greater knowledge and information, but true individuals who are utterly free from fear; because it is only when there is no fear that there is love.’^[2]

To Krishnamurti, one of the reactions of fear is the search for security and permanency of the self. This search is carried out in many forms and the mind invents theories in which it takes shelter and comfort. For instance, the theory of re-incarnation or survival after death in any form is cultivated by the mind as a shelter for the psychological security of the self, which is an expression of the desire for continuing and for that matter permanence. Not to belittle the faith of re-incarnation, Krishnamurti is more concerned about the motivation of belief, which is the search for permanency. To him, this craving for continuity of the self forms the very essence of seeking the innermost objective of the total activity of the mind.

He again said,

‘As long as one is seeking any kind of permanence, any kind of security, every experience becomes a hindrance to further understanding; all knowledge a block to further discovery. Surely, then, if you and I would discover whether there is or is not the timeless, we must first understand how the mind is seeking, through property, relationship, or belief, a condition in which it can dwell securely day after day. In whatever guise, that is, in essence, what we are after. Is it not?’^[3]

So, according to him, in search for security fear is born and one submits oneself to another who promises them that immortality. Through fear a person creates a spiritual authority, and to administer that authority there are priest who exploits through belief, dogma and creed.

But he said that fear again comes into being when one desire to be in particular pattern Krishnamurti says,

‘To live without fear means to live without a particular pattern.’^[4] When one demands a particular way of living that itself is a source of fear.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Krishnamurti, J. (2008). ‘The First and Last Freedom.’ Chennai: Krishnamurti Foundation India, p. 69

[2]:

Krishnamurti, J. ‘Talks at Ojai, 1953.’ As cited in R.K.Shringy, Philosophy of J. Krishnamurti: A Systematic Study (New Delhi: Munshiram Manohar Lal, 1996), p. 138.

[3]:

Krishnamurti, J. ‘Talks at Ojai, 1953.’ As cited in R.K.Shringy, Philosophy of J. Krishnamurti: A Systematic Study (New Delhi: Munshiram Manohar Lal, 1996), p. 138.

[4]:

Krishnamurti, J. (2008). ‘The First and Last Freedom.’ Chennai: Krishnamurti Foundation India, p. 71