August 30th ~ Is not discontent essential in our life, to any question, to any inquiry, to probing, to finding out what is real, what is truth, what is essential in life? I may have this flaming discontent in college; and then I get a good job and this discontent vanishes. I am satisfied, I struggle to maintain my family, I have to earn a livelihood and so my discontent is calmed, destroyed, and I become a mediocre entity satisfied with things of life, and I am not discontent. But the flame has to be maintained from the beginning to the end, so that there is true inquiry, true probing into the problem of what discontent is. Because the mind seeks very easily a drug to make it content with virtues, with qualities, with ideas, with actions, it establishes a routine and gets caught up in it. We are quite familiar with that, but our problem is not how to calm discontent, but how to keep it smoldering, alive, vital. All our religious books, all our gurus, all political systems pacify the mind, quieten the mind, influence the mind to subside, to put aside discontent and wallow in some form of contentment. . . Is it not essential to be discontented in order to find what is true?
November 8th, 2019 ~ There is an article in the editorial section of the New York Times or San Jose Mercury News yesterday. It talks about the current generation i.e. the Millennials blaming the Baby Boomer generation for all of our current problems. There is a quote from a band in the 80’s or 90’s Mike and the Mechanics: “Every generation blames the one before it.” We start out with good intentions but life happens. I remember reading about a question an attendee asked Krishnamurti: “How can we follow what you are saying and earn a while raising 5 kids?” K said: “First of all, I wouldn’t have 5 children.” Or something to that effect. Keeping the flame of discontent alive, even when you have children. He says: “Because the mind seeks very easily a drug to make it content with virtues, with qualities, with ideas, with actions, it establishes a routine and gets caught up in it. We are quite familiar with that, but our problem is not how to calm discontent, but how to keep it smoldering, alive, vital.” In Zen & Creative Management, Albert Low talks about keeping the tension alive without trying to eliminate it, which is what large businesses and governments for that matter try to do. In the US, prices are kept relatively low. In China, it was gas. Big business is afraid of tension. What they don’t realize is there are some forms of good tension. That is where Creativity comes from, he said. Keeping this discontent alive in our minds.
What K is saying is that even the new generations don’t get it. They are conditioned as well. We are all violent, angry, fearful, greedy, etc. Collectively, we have to come together as a society, and change. Notice what is going on. See what is going on. It has to come from within. It is tempting to think we can do this with another app. Some kind of technology will pull us out of this mess. Like meditation, we have to step back. Go deeper. It takes a tremendous amount of determination. Discontent!