ORDER OF THE STAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 260, 2 November 1929, Page 10

ORDER OF THE STAR.

WHY IT WAS DISSOLVED.

KRISHNAMURTI THE TEACHER

NEW ZEALANDER AT OMMEN,

, A vivid impression of Mr. J. Krishnamurti, proclaimed by his followers as a world teacher, has been brought back by Mr. J. Ross Thomson, leader of the order in New Zealand, who returned'to Auckland yesterday after attending the camp gatherings which are held annually at Ojai, California, and Ommen, Holland. It was at the latter camp three months ago that Mr. Krishnamurti made the bold stroke of dissolving the Order of the Star, of which he was the head.' "We were informed of the proposal a .veek or two before the opening of the great camp at ,Ommen," Mr.. Thomson said, "and after, hearing the thoughts of the leader we applauded nis intended action. It is the logical outcome of the universal teaching." ■ ''••. The Order of the Star in the East was founded in Benares, India, in 1911, to proclaim the coming of a world teacher and to prepare the world for that event. J. Krishnamurti was placed at the head of the order by those who recognised the potential teacher in him. ' In 1927 the name of the order was changed, to Order lo'f' the Star, as its members felt that the days of expectation were over and Krishnamurti was for them the world

teacher. In May last Mr. Thomson was one of a gathering of 1000 people, representing 45 nationalities, which gathered daily under the oak trees in a sequestered valley in California to .sit at the feet of the teacher. In August he was at Eerde Castle, Ommen, where as many as 7000 peop'e gathered round the great campfire. The castle was a gift to the Order for use as headquarters. It is now being used as a publishing house for the teachings of Krishnamurti, which are not special writings but notes taken by shorthand writers as he speaks to his followers.

Not a Philosophy. Mr. Thomson some years ago spent a holiday in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with Krishnamurti and his brother, and he met the former again in India in .1925. .He told an interviewer last evening that the teacher had evolved to a remarkably high stage of development.

"To have once heard him as he squats on the ground under the trees, and oxpounds his teaching as to the meaning of life," said the follower, "is ever after to be conscious of his existence. He refuses to call his teaching a philosophy, a science or a religion. He believes that what you are is reflected in character, that true behaviour is righteousness in word and thought and deed. If you do anything which is not animated by love and kindness you are on the wrong track, but if every moment of the day you live in accordance with the law of love you are on the right track."

In dissolving the order, Krishnamurti said he maintained that truth was a pathless land. Truth being limitless, could not be organised. It was for the individual to discover for himself absotute, unconditioned truth. "This is no magnificent deed," he said, <c because I do not want followers, and I mean ,thjs. The moment you follow someone you . cease to follow truth. I , arii concerning myself with only one essential thing—to set man free. I desire to free hiin from all cages, from all fears, and not to found religions or new sects or to establish new theoriesand new philosophies. I have no disciples, no apostles, either oh earth, or. in the realm of spirituality. You may have' the idea that only certain people hold the key to the Kingdom of Happiness. No one holds it. No one.has the authority to hold that key. That key is your own self, and in the development and the purification and in the incorruptibility or. that self alone is the Kingdom of Eternity.

"For two years I have been thinking about this," he said, "slowly, carefully, patiently, and I have now decided to abandon the Order as I hapen to be its head. You can form other.organisations and expect someone else. With that I am not concerned. JMy only concern is to set men absolutely, unconditionally free." . . . -.

Lives Intensely. It is difficult to pass on the word picture which Mr. Thomson gave of Krishn'amurti. He is not gifted as a speaker, but as he expounds his teaching Irti hearers are so caught up that at times he stops and asks them to smile in order to break the tenseness. In all ways he lives intensely—physically, mentally and spiritually. He is a champion tennis player, wields a strong club at golf, travels by aeroplane in order to conserve time, is intensely fond of people, children, flowers, am 1 , exerts a remarkable influence over all who come into touch with him. His is a miraculous force, for once you get en rapporte with him. he seems to be always present with you." As to Krishnamiirti's expected visit to this Dominion, Mr. Thomson said that so far the teacher had only committed himself to the statement, "When I visit Australia I will also visit New Zealand.'