177. Louis Brawley

Louis Brawley was born in Ohio and lived and worked in New York, where he met UG Krishnamurti in 2002. Louis traveled in the USA, India, and Europe with UG for the following five years, acting as an informal caregiver as UG’s health deteriorated. Louis works as an artist, photographer and freelance art handler worldwide – occupations that fund his travels around the world writing and recording accounts and impressions from friends of the "Raging Sage." UG from the book cover..."Goner will teach you the meaning of the phrase 'paradoxical truth'. UG Krishnamurti gave up everything for truth, but delighted in ridiculous fabrications: he was a teacher who refused to teach; a man who mocked do-gooders but was deeply kind; he was chaste but foul-mouthed, he was a man who decried the supernatural ... yet there were strange coincidences around him. Louis Brawley doesn't use honeyed platitudes to tell the story of a sage and his devoted follower; instead, he tells an often unflattering story of his own struggles and shortcomings and the dynamic uncertainties of life with a man who "tore apart everything human beings have built up inside and out for centuries." Books and links: Goner: The Final Travels of UG Krishnamurti A good book of UG’s talks: The Courage to Stand Alone: Conversations with U.G. Krishnamurti Louis' Website Louis' blog Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 5/25/2013 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Louis Brawley and U.G. Krishnamurti 00:05:16 - The Effect of Yuji's Words 00:10:12 - Meeting Yuji and the Influence of Jiddu Krishnamurti 00:14:29 - The Ordinary Language of Yuji 00:18:44 - Acknowledging Spontaneity and Naturalness 00:22:10 - Yuji's Encounter with Ramana Maharshi and the Central Question 00:26:01 - Yuji's Troubled Family Life 00:29:44 - Traveling through Eastern Bloc Countries 00:33:45 - The Pursuit and Loss of Yuji's Life 00:37:08 - The Question that Stopped 00:40:47 - The Body and Thought 00:44:35 - Awakening and Spiritual Practices 00:48:34 - Profound Shift and Continued Unfoldment 00:53:16 - Recognition of Oneness and Enlightenment 00:57:46 - The Influence of Gurus and Classic Hindu Scriptures 01:02:19 - The Evolutionary Force in the Universe 01:06:26 - Contradictions and Judgments 01:11:11 - Comparing Different Spiritual Teachers 01:15:23 - The Transformative Effect of Words 01:19:18 - Challenging Conventional Ideas 01:23:20 - Integration in the World and Inner Experience 01:28:00 - The Influence of UG Krishnamurti 01:31:43 - The Vatican and Obscene Wealth 01:35:05 - A Peculiar and Perfect Relationship 01:38:45 - The Impact of Recognition 01:41:31 - Parallels and Ironies 01:44:36 - Transformation and Disillusionment 01:47:48 - Reflections on a Life-changing Experience 01:50:42 - Explaining the Spiritual Journey 01:54:16 - The Enigma of Yuji Krishnamurti 01:56:52 - Conclusion and Next Steps