THESE are not my words; they are the words of the Master who taught me. Without Him I could have done nothing, but through His help I have set my feet upon the Path. You also desire to enter the same Path, so the words which He spoke to me will help you also, if you will obey them. It is not enough to say that they are true and beautiful; a man who wishes to succeed must do exactly what is said. To look at food and say that it is good will not satisfy a starving man; he must put forth his hand and eat. So to hear the Master's words is not enough; you must do what He says, attending to every word, taking every hint. If a hint is not taken, if a word is missed, it is lost forever; for He does not speak twice.

At the Feet of the Master was the first book published by Jiddu Krishnamurti. Written when he was 14 under the name "Alcyone" and published in 1910, it has been translated into 40 languages. There has been some debate over whether the author was Krishnamurti or his mentor C.W. Leadbeater. Krishnamurti never said that he wrote the work, and in the foreword he says: "These are not my own words but of the Master who taught me." He was referring to Leadbeater's claim that the Master Kuthumi was releasing the instruction to the young boy during the night while he was asleep. The book is considered a theosophical classic.

At the Feet of the Master was the first book published by Jiddu Krishnamurti. Written when he was 14 under the name "Alcyone" and published in 1910, it has been translated into 40 languages. There has been some debate over whether the author was Krishnamurti or his mentor C.W. Leadbeater. Krishnamurti never said that he wrote the work, and in the foreword he says: "These are not my own words but of the Master who taught me." He was referring to Leadbeater's claim that the Master Kuthumi was releasing the instruction to the young boy during the night while he was asleep.

Krishnamurti's profound early work of spiritualism displays great wisdom attuned to matters of higher contemplation. Demonstrating a precocious ability to instil and guide others with spiritual wisdom, Jiddu Krishnamurti was twelve when he first authored this primer on gaining knowledge. The book is not an attempt at conversion, but is instead a meditation upon wholesome, guiding principles that anyone who desires spiritual harmony should aspire to. Krishnamurti urges aspiring spiritualists to be honest with themselves. If they are determined, and have the inner wealth to embark upon such a journey, they will go far. Eliminating material desires, behaving properly with good manners and conduct, and regarding other human beings with compassion and love are explained as crucial tenets. Obstacles to attainment, both physical and mental, are also explained. Upon publishing this work, Jiddu Krishnamurti gained renown as a prodigy in spiritual thought. The curiosity of a wise master emerging whilst merely a child sparked great interest within and outside Krishnamurti's home nation of India. At the Feet of the Master asserts that while only a boy, Jiddu Krishnamurti received insight through a series of impressions gained from an unnamed master. A refreshing text certain to provide relief amid the maddening complexity of modern life, At the Feet of the Master not only marks the beginning of Krishnamurti's life as a spiritual teacher, but the commencement of countless spiritual journeys undertaken by its readers.

The privilege is given to me, as an elder, to pen a word of introduction to this little book, the first written by a younger Brother, young in body verily, but not in Soul. The teachings contained in it were given to him by his Master in preparing him for Initiation, and were written down by him from memory - slowly and laboriously, for his English last year was far less fluent than it is now. The greater part is a reproduction of the Master's own words; that which is not such a verbal reproduction is the Master's thought clothed in His pupil's words. Two omitted sentences were supplied by the Master. In two other cases an omitted word has been added. Beyond this, it is entirely Alcyone's own, his first gift to the world. May it help others as the spoken teachings helped him - such is the hope with which he gives it. But the teaching can only be fruitful if it is lived, as he has lived it, since it fell from the Master's lips. If the example be followed as well as the precept, then for the reader, as for the writer, shall the great Portal swing open, and his feet be set on the Path. Annie Besant.