The First and Last Freedom (1954) by J. Krishnamurti
“Man is an amphibian who lives simultaneously in two worlds – the given and the home‑made, the world of matter, life and consciousness and the world of symbols.” This is the opening of the preface by Aldous Huxley. Amphibians, like frogs, can live both in water and on land. Likewise, Huxley says that human beings have the capacity to live in: The conditioned , sensory world (like land), and The unconditioned , spiritual or transcendent world (like water). But—just as amphibians are not fully at home in either realm, humans often struggle to reconcile or navigate these two dimensions . Krishnamurti emphasized choiceless awareness , freedom from conditioning, and direct perception of truth without the mediation of thought or belief systems. Huxley highlights that Krishnamurti’s teachings are a bridge or pointer to the deeper, eternal world , helping humans recognize and live from their spiritual nature—not just their psychological or material conditioning....