Krishnamurti Foundations – An Overview
The four Krishnamurti Foundations, in India, USA, England and Latin America, came into being to organize his public talks. Today they continue to run the schools, study centres and retreats, and to preserve and publish his teachings for posterity.
As the founder, Krishnamurti clearly defined the purpose, responsibility and the non-sectarian nature of all the Foundations. The Foundations have no authority in the matter of the teachings. The truth lies in the teachings themselves. The Foundations will see to it that these teachings are kept whole, are not distorted, and are not made corrupt. The Foundations have no authority to send out propagandists or interpreters of the teachings-.
Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI), with its headquarters at Vasanta Vihar, Chennai, was set up as a charitable institution by J. Krishnamurti, Dr. Annie Besant and five other founder members under the name of the 'Rishi Valley Trust'. The name was changed to the 'Foundation for New Education' in 1953 and then to 'Krishnamurti Foundation India' in 1970. The activities of the foundation cover diverse areas- education, research, cultural, humanitarian and environmental programmes and are carried out in the light of Krishnamurti's teachings. Acquiring, preserving and publishing the works of Krishnamurti and materials relating to his life are the other major aims of KFI.
Vasanta Vihar, the KFI headquarters, where Krishnamurti stayed during his annual visits to Chennai, served as the venue of his public talks and discussions. The campus today houses The Study, the Archives, the Publications Section, the Audio Video Section, a bookshop, MP3s and DVD's and a Guest House. The Study has a complete range of Krishnamurti’s works, biographies and memoirs of Krishnamurti, including a large collection of audio CDs, DVDs, and MP3s, monographs, select books on religion, philosophy, psychology, science etc., as also the bulletins and newsletters of the Krishnamurti Foundations.
As the founder, Krishnamurti clearly defined the purpose, responsibility and the non-sectarian nature of all the Foundations. The Foundations have no authority in the matter of the teachings. The truth lies in the teachings themselves. The Foundations will see to it that these teachings are kept whole, are not distorted, and are not made corrupt. The Foundations have no authority to send out propagandists or interpreters of the teachings-.
Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI), with its headquarters at Vasanta Vihar, Chennai, was set up as a charitable institution by J. Krishnamurti, Dr. Annie Besant and five other founder members under the name of the 'Rishi Valley Trust'. The name was changed to the 'Foundation for New Education' in 1953 and then to 'Krishnamurti Foundation India' in 1970. The activities of the foundation cover diverse areas- education, research, cultural, humanitarian and environmental programmes and are carried out in the light of Krishnamurti's teachings. Acquiring, preserving and publishing the works of Krishnamurti and materials relating to his life are the other major aims of KFI.
Vasanta Vihar, the KFI headquarters, where Krishnamurti stayed during his annual visits to Chennai, served as the venue of his public talks and discussions. The campus today houses The Study, the Archives, the Publications Section, the Audio Video Section, a bookshop, MP3s and DVD's and a Guest House. The Study has a complete range of Krishnamurti’s works, biographies and memoirs of Krishnamurti, including a large collection of audio CDs, DVDs, and MP3s, monographs, select books on religion, philosophy, psychology, science etc., as also the bulletins and newsletters of the Krishnamurti Foundations.
Study Centres have been set up at Rajghat(Varanasi), Uttarkashi, Sahyadri, Bangalore, Rishi Valley, Kolkata, Mumbai and Cuttack. Many of these places, which are locations of great natural beauty and silence, are conducive to enquiry and to the study of Krishnamurti's teachings. These centres reach out to various schools, colleges and the general public through programmes and dialogues during the year.
To Krishnamurti, the schools were a milieu in which the larger existential issues could be explored in an atmosphere of freedom and responsibility. KFI also has six schools across India at Rajghat(Varanasi), Rishi Valley, Bangalore, at and near Chennai and at Sahyadri, that endeavour to educate children with the help of Krishnamurti’s vision of education. Over the years, these schools have grown into Education Centres that reach out to the community around them in socially responsible ways.
A project to preserve the teachings for posterity has been initiated after Krishnamurti's lifetime through the Archives at Chennai.
In early winter every year, the Foundation holds an annual gathering at any one of the centres. The gathering is open to all, and its programmes includes lectures, discussions and video screenings. Announcements about the gathering are made through the KFI website, newsletters, bulletins and the Mailing List.
There are Study Centres and Schools in USA and UK, run by the Krishnamurti Foundations there. Archives have also been set up in USA and UK.
To Krishnamurti, the schools were a milieu in which the larger existential issues could be explored in an atmosphere of freedom and responsibility. KFI also has six schools across India at Rajghat(Varanasi), Rishi Valley, Bangalore, at and near Chennai and at Sahyadri, that endeavour to educate children with the help of Krishnamurti’s vision of education. Over the years, these schools have grown into Education Centres that reach out to the community around them in socially responsible ways.
A project to preserve the teachings for posterity has been initiated after Krishnamurti's lifetime through the Archives at Chennai.
In early winter every year, the Foundation holds an annual gathering at any one of the centres. The gathering is open to all, and its programmes includes lectures, discussions and video screenings. Announcements about the gathering are made through the KFI website, newsletters, bulletins and the Mailing List.
There are Study Centres and Schools in USA and UK, run by the Krishnamurti Foundations there. Archives have also been set up in USA and UK.