The root of contradiction

"To understand contradiction, and it is necessary to understand it to bring about not only within ourselves but in the society of which we are, we must have peace, not war and peace. Peace now is only interval between two wars. And to understand this extraordinary complexity of contradiction, and it is very complex and very subtle, we must go to the very root of it. Not deal outwardly, not merely look at the symptoms and try to patch up the world, but one has to go to the very root of it. The root of contradiction is the division between the thinker and the thought. For most of us there is this wide gap between the observer and the observed, the thinker and the thought, or the centre which experiences and the thing which is experienced. There are two, there is an interval, a gap, a time lag. There is a contradiction – that is the real source of contradiction."

– J. Krishnamurti
Public Talk 5 Paris, France - 30 May 1965

Public Discussion 1
Saanen, Switzerland
July 28, 1976

Q: One feels held in, bound, enclosed - is it possible naturally to come out of that and flower?

It is very important to have freedom to observe, with no direction or motive.

Is it possible to be free of past hurts and to prevent future hurts so that the brain is never hurt, remains young and is innocent?

There is only observation when you observe without the observer.

Note: a total of 48 seconds of missing video is replaced by audio only.

Brockwood Park 1979
Question 1 from Q & A meeting 1

Is it possible ever to be free of self-centred activity?

Is there a real self apart from the self-created image?