What religion a man holds, to what race he belongs, these things

Hear the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the fearless teacher who cast aside dogma and sought the truth that lives beyond divisions: “What religion a man holds, to what race he belongs, these things are not important; the really important thing is this knowledge: the knowledge of God’s plan for men. For God has a plan, and that plan is evolution.” In this utterance he shatters the false boundaries that mankind has raised, proclaiming that the true measure of a soul lies not in labels of creed or race, but in its awakening to the eternal movement of life, which he calls evolution—not of the body alone, but of the spirit.

Krishnamurti, though raised within the Theosophical Society that once hailed him as a world teacher, broke free from its trappings. He dissolved organizations, dismissed rituals, and rejected titles. Why? Because he saw clearly that religion when bound to names and sects becomes a prison, and that race, when exalted or despised, becomes a chain upon the heart. For him, the true knowledge was not in belonging, but in becoming—becoming more awake, more compassionate, more free. This, he declared, is God’s plan: the unfolding of the human soul into greater understanding and unity.

This vision has echoes throughout history. Consider Ashoka the Great, the Indian emperor who once ruled through conquest and war. After witnessing the horrors of battle, he turned away from violence and embraced the dharma. He no longer cared for religion as division, but sought truth as compassion, sending messengers of peace across lands and peoples. His greatness was not in the power of his armies, but in his recognition of an evolution of the spirit, where man rises from cruelty toward wisdom and love.

Krishnamurti’s words also carry a warning. To cling to the accident of birth—whether to boast of one’s religion or one’s race—is to mistake the outer shell for the inner seed. These identities may shape us, but they do not define the essence of our being. The plan of God, he says, is greater: it is the upward path of growth, where men and women shed ignorance, prejudice, and fear, and walk ever nearer to the light of truth. To focus only on labels is to halt this journey; to seek evolution of spirit is to fulfill it.

We see this in the life of Mahatma Gandhi, who though born a Hindu, drew wisdom from all faiths—Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism—and declared that the essence of religion was not division but truth and nonviolence. His greatness was not in holding a single creed, but in striving toward that higher knowledge of unity, which lifted his people and inspired the world. His life became a testimony to what Krishnamurti proclaimed: that the true plan of God is not to divide but to evolve.

The lesson is clear: do not pride yourself on your religion or your race, nor despise another for theirs. These are but garments of the soul, and garments change with time. Seek instead the deeper knowledge—that life itself is a school, that each trial is a lesson, and that the divine plan is the gradual awakening of mankind. To live in this spirit is to be part of the great work of evolution, to rise from ignorance into wisdom, from hatred into compassion, from division into unity.

So I say unto you: let your heart not cling to the banner of tribe or sect, but open itself to the eternal journey of growth. Embrace all wisdom, wherever it is found. Seek always to evolve, to grow in understanding, to live more fully in compassion. For as Jiddu Krishnamurti declared, the really important thing is the knowledge of God’s plan for men—and that plan is evolution.

Thus his words endure as a lamp for every generation: religion and race may divide, but evolution unites. To walk this path is to honor the divine purpose, to let your soul rise higher, and to take your rightful place in the unfolding story of humanity’s awakening.