The Mystique of Enlightenment (eBook)

Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti, commonly referred to as U.G. Krishnamurti, was a thinker and philosopher who diverged sharply from mainstream spiritual traditions. Born on July 9, 1918, in Machilipatnam, India, and dying on March 22, 2007, in Vallecrosia, Italy, he carved a unique philosophical niche in questioning the very nature of enlightenment and rejecting conventional wisdoms of the time. Despite sharing a name with the renowned Jiddu Krishnamurti, with whom he held discussions, U.G. established a distinct identity, often dismantling the expected narrative for spiritual teachers and seekers. His seminal work, 'The Mystique of Enlightenment' (1982), offers a challenging and unorthodox perspective on the quest for spiritual enlightenment. In it, U.G. critically dissected the traditional concepts of enlightenment and systematically dispelled the illusions surrounding spiritual experiences and practices. He did not position himself as a guru or a teacher; instead, he was known for his candid and often abrasive critiques of the spiritual marketplace and the disillusionment with the pursuit of 'spiritual progress.' His contributions to the discourse on consciousness and the human condition have received both acclaim and criticism for their radical approach. U.G. Krishnamurti's literary style is characterized by a direct, no-nonsense tone devoid of the ornaments that typically characterize spiritual literature.