At the Feet of the Master and Towards Discipleship

Jiddu Krishnamurti was a fourteen-year-old Brahmin ragamuffin when early Theosophist C. W. Leadbeater discovered him on the campus of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, near Madras, India. Improbably sensing great potential in the boy, Leadbeater oversaw his education and spiritual development. As part of his instruction, Krishnamurti was apparently taught during his sleep by one of the advanced "Masters of the Wisdom." At the end of each session, the teacher summarized the lesson in a few simple sentences; and each morning the boy would write down what he remembered of the night's teaching. Aside from corrections to the English, spelling, and punctuation, his writings as they appear in this volume have not been changed. They were first published in 1910, when Krishnamurti was fifteen. He addresses the practical problems of daily living on the spiritual path and sets forth a simple guide to right behavior--the prerequisite for any spiritual progress. "Alcyone" is his "star name," alluding to his higher Self.