What is a religious person?

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In conversation with Krishnamurti in July of 1961, Laura Archera Huxley (Aldous Huxley’s wife) asked the following question:

“What is a religious man?”

Krishnamurti changed his tone and rhythm. He spoke now calmly, with incisiveness. “I will tell you what a religious man is. First of all, a religious man is a man who is alone – not lonely, you understand, but alone – with no theories or dogmas, no opinion, no background. He is alone and he loves it – free of conditioning and alone – and enjoying it.

“Second, a religious man must be both man and woman – I don’t mean sexually – but he must know the dual nature of everything; a religious man must feel and be both masculine and feminine.

“Third,” and now his manner became intensified again, “to be a religious man one must destroy everything – destroy the past, destroy one’s convictions, interpretations, deceptions, destroy all self-hypnosis –  destroy until there is no center; you understand – no center.” He stopped.

“No center?”  I asked.

After a silence, Krishnamurti said quietly, “Then you are a religious person. Then stillness comes. Completely still.”

Still were the immense mountains around us.

Infinitely still.

(Source: Laura Archera Huxley, This Timeless Moment, p. 114)

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Aldous Huxley and Laura Archera Huxley – July, 1961

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