As is well known, Franklin Jones early on went after Krishnamurti, attacking K's writings as "so much adolescent philosophizing." The reason for his attack, one assumes, was that many people had compared his ideas to K's, and had even accused him of appropriation. The following letter in response was printed in Issue #6 of The Dawn Horse, a magazine published by Adidam in its early days.

To the Editors:

Re: "On the Teaching of J. Krishnamurti" by Bubba Free John in issue No. 5 of The Dawn Horse. It always distresses me when one great teacher attempts to belittle the intent of another, as is the case I think in this article. (On the other hand, it must be said that Krishnamurti has never had one good thing to say about "gurus" either individually or collectively.) It always puzzles me why "egoless men" engage in intra-fraternity snubbing. Why aren't they rejoicing together in their common effort to elucidate the Dharma?

I do not think it increases the stature of Bubba Free John or enhances his own teaching to refer to Krishnamurti's teachings as "adolescent philosophizing" that attracts "the most mediocre and sophomoric inclinations in men" by "method and trickery."

The depth of Krishnamurti's teaching has been respectfully acknowledged world over by men the caliber of Aldous Huxley, Rollo May, and Alan Watts.

Also, Bubba's article contains many inaccuracies or misstatements of facts concerning Krishnamurti's teachings. Krishnamurti never advocated pursuing "the quiet mind" or any kind of "meditative state" as Bubba suggests. Bubba states, "It relies on a form of attention that is methodical or deliberate and certainly oriented toward a specific goal." K takes great pains so that people will not so misinterpret his teaching on "choiceless awareness". And I'm sure K himself would vehemently deny that his way "pursues a change of state as a specific exercise."

Is it accurate to characterize K's teaching as a "mind dharma"? Do the following statements of K (from his book Freedom from the Known) suggest this, and in fact could they not have been made by Bubba himself?

I can observe myself only in relationship, because all of life is relationship.

Understanding is not an intellectual process.

A man who does not know what passion is will never know love because love can come into being only when there is total self-abandonment.

Control in any form, like suppression, produces only conflict.

It is not discipline first and then freedom; freedom is at the very beginning, not at the end.

A living mind is a mind that has no center and therefore no space and time. Such a mind is limitless and that is the only truth, that is the only reality.

Greg Treleaven
Ojai, California.

I will post some further commentary on Frank's attack on Krishnamurti at a later date. For now I'd like to point out that K's statement, "Control in any form, like suppression, produces only conflict." is a damned good criticism of what ultimately became of "Bubba Free John".