There May Come a Moment in Life...
By: Jean Klein
"Be knowingly silent as often as you can and you will no longer be a prey to the desire to be this or that. You will discover in the everyday events of life the deep meaning behind the fulfilment of the whole, for the ego is totally absent."
—Jean Klein
Jean Klein (1912–1998) was a French philosopher and spiritual teacher whose approach to Advaita Vedanta—a non-dualistic path of self-realization—spoke to Western audiences in a unique way.
Originally trained as a doctor, Klein later became a healer of the soul, weaving together the insights of Western medicine, the quiet wisdom of philosophy, and the timeless truths of Eastern spirituality. His teaching did not linger in the realm of intellect but called one to experience life directly, to know without the weight of knowing.
His journey into Eastern thought began when he traveled to India and studied with spiritual teachers, leading to an awakening that shifted his entire perspective. Klein taught that self-realization isn’t something to strive for but something to rest in—pure awareness that’s already here.
In his words: “Liberation does not concern the person, for liberation is freedom from the person.”
I’d like to share a profound passage from his remarkable book — I Am. I hope you enjoy it.
There may come a moment in life when the world no longer stimulates us and we feel deeply apathetic, even abandoned. This can motivate us towards the search for our real nature beyond appearances.
When we no longer find interest in activities and states, when we no longer feel much pleasure in objects and human relationships, we may find ourselves asking: “Is there something wrong with this world or with my attitude towards it?”