A ‘Pathless Land’ of compassion: An ethical perspective of Jiddu Krishnamurti and Zen Kōans

The connection between the metaphysics of the self and ethics is often relegated to the margins in the mainstream philosophies. Be it the empiricists following Hume concerning the gulf between the “is-ought” judgments or contemporary analytic philosophers who agree with G. E. Moore’s notion of the “naturalistic fallacy.” In this article, we focus on the relationship between the metaphysics of the self and its implications for ethics, particularly a bioethical perspective on the mental well-being of human beings in terms of compassion, empathy and love. Such a perspective has the potential of self-transformation by using the tools of Philosophical Counselling in tune with Krishnamurti’s insights and dialogues of Zen Kōans. Can we speak about empathy as a path or empathy as a goal? Also, can we speak about self-compassion and compassion for others as being separated or divided? The response lies beyond dualism, beyond categories that we are used to, that we are trained to see. Through the exploration of Krishnamurti’s insights on thought, memory, knowledge and experience, which show that these are always limited and therefore bring division and conflict, and then Zen Kōans as a dialogue between the master and a disciple(s), where disciple(s) should get freed from the ideas, forms, and all that is created by thought, we arrive at the place where duality ends. And where duality ends, there dwells empathy, love and compassion opening up possibilities for self-transformation through philosophising.