Jiddu Krishnamurti

Jiddu Krishnamurti
J. Krishnamurti c. 1920s
Born	11 May 1895 Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, British India
Died	17 February 1986(1986-02-17) (aged 90) Ojai, California, United States
Occupation	public speaker, author, philosopher
Ethnicity	Telugu
Relatives	Jiddu Narayaniah (father) Sanjeevamma (mother)

Jiddu Krishnamurti (/ˈdʒɪduː ˌkrɪʃnəˈmɜːrti/;11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected this mantle and withdrew from the Theosophy organization behind it. His subject matter included psychological revolution, the nature of mind, meditation, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasised that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.

Krishnamurti was born in British India. In early adolescence he had a chance encounter with prominent occultist and theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater in the grounds of the Theosophical Society headquarters at Adyar in Madras. He was subsequently raised under the tutelage of Annie Besant and Leadbeater, leaders of the Society at the time, who believed him to be a 'vehicle' for an expected World Teacher. As a young man, he disavowed this idea and dissolved the Order of the Star in the East, an organisation that had been established to support it.