Dialogue Is Not Intellectual Amusement

From Krishnamurti’s Book TALKS AND DIALOGUES IN SAANEN, 1967

We are going to talk things over together for six days. I think we ought to be clear what these so-called discussions are. They are a dialogue, a form of conversing seriously together about problems, going into them not only analytically, carefully, but also seeing the whole structure of each problem: not merely the details of it, but its whole form and content. As this is a conversation, a dialogue between you and the speaker, we ought to be vulnerable; that is, not have any defence, any resistance, but be willing to expose ourselves completely not only to the problem, but to what is involved in the problem, giving our whole attention to it.

So this dialogue, this conversation is not an intellectual amusement, a mere exchange of arguments – one opinion against another, or one formula against another formula, or one experience against various other experiences. Rather it is to look into the very problem itself and not merely be concerned with how to be rid of it, how to go beyond it; nor how to have a concept or a formula, which we hope will solve all problems. So we are not dealing with ideas, we are not concerned with an idea which is yours, or that of the speaker. What we are concerned with is the fact, with what is – what actually is! Then if you and the speaker both accept that we are starting with what actually is – not what you think about it or what you think it should be – then our relationship in this dialogue will be entirely different; it won’t be a one-sided affair. It will be worthwhile to be vulnerable to everything that is said, not rejecting anything; so that one begins to be very sensitive, alert to the problem itself. If this is somewhat clear and I hope we shall clarify it as we go along during these six days, meeting here every morning, then we can with profit go into the various problems that we have.