A Star in the East: Krishnamurti, the Invention of a Messiah

by Roland Vernon

The extraordinary story of Krishnamurti, hailed early in life as the messiah for the 20th century, is told here in the light of a century of changing spiritual attitudes. It is a tale of mysticism, sexual scandals, religious fervor and chicanery, out of which emerged one of the most influential thinkers of modern times. Krishnamurti was "discovered" as a young boy on a beach in India by members of the Theosophical Society, convinced that they had found the new world leader, a spiritual savior as historic and as influential as Jesus himself. By the 1920s he was attracting worldwide press attention and people flocked to his talks in the thousands. In 1922, Krishnamurti broke with the society and set out on a teaching mission of his own as a secular philosopher of spirituality. He ultimately had a career that spanned six decades, founded seven schools, published 50 books and encompassed thousands of talks. This extraordinary story is told for the first time by Roland Vernon in the full light of 20th-century attitudes in a narrative that is as compelling as any novel.

Genres: Biography, Religion, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2000

About the author

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Reviews

[Brian Griffith]

I really appreciated this account. It's honest and respectful, and it brings out the vast decency of this teacher, who gave an uplifting, dignified, thoughtful, compassionate face to the movement for a globalized spirituality.

[Preston Bryant]

Krishnamurti was undoubtedly a spiritual savior for the world we live in today. His teachings are practical, free of "new age" jargon, and quite astounding in their presentation and power. Although the man faltered in his consistency (indeed his behavior was not always consistent with his work), I think the teachings are invaluable. This book is beautifully written. For those who are unfamiliar with Krishnamurti, I suggest you pick up one of his books and take a read. His view of intelligence being the ability to observe with a thought without evaluating it, and his decry of western philosophy as a system of impractical thought that does nothing but generate theories is a radical, yet refreshing outlook on a world that is so desperately waiting for a revival of action and creation--especially in the spiritual, conscious community.

"Truth is a pathless land."

[Michael Jay]

The story of the man is impressive; the fleshing out of his character by the author is instructive; Krishnamurti's refusal to be made into an icon is admirable. A worthy read.

[Liam Griffin]

A tale of two halves excellently told. Thorough and unbiased account first of the Theosophical Society under Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater and their attempts to engineer a Messiah on the world stage, then Krishnamurti's post-Theosophical career, his personal and public life as a teacher of transcendence.

[martin]

Fair and even-handed; compulsively gives both sides of the story - it's like the CNN of K. biographies