ABOUT THE BOOK: This book is the third volume in the series titled 'Selections from the Decades', and consist of twenty-three public talks that Krishnamurti gave between 1961 and 1968. Whereas in the 1950s, Krishnamurti dwelt largely on individual change, his focus here is on a radical mutation in human consciousness as a whole.

Addressing large international audiences in different parts of the world, Krishnamurti points out that the present crisis is not just what we perceive outwardly in society; it really lies in the unconscious, deep within oneself. So what is required is not more knowledge or more collective action, but a totally new mind.

And that is needed, says Krishnamurti, 'to deal not only with the everlasting but also with the immediate problems of existence'. It is important to see the urgency of having such a mind now and not wait for time to bring it about. The new mind is not merely logical or intellectual; rather, it is a mind that is completely free of all its old patterns and has, therefore, the quality of stillness, love, and compassion.

'What the world needs is compassion, not schemes. And compassion is the very nature of the new mind. Because the new mind is the unknown mind, it is not to be measured by the known,' says Krishnamurti.