The observer and the observed are one

"The observer and the observed are one" is a principle rooted in the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti and echoes in certain branches of mysticism and modern thought. It challenges the usual division between the person perceiving (the observer) and the object being perceived (the observed), proposing that both arise together from the same mind and that this separation is illusory.reddit+3​

Krishnamurti’s Teaching

Krishnamurti argued that division between observer and observed leads to conflict and psychological time, as people separate their inner experiences (thoughts, emotions) from "outside" reality. For example, when you look at a sunset, you usually differentiate between yourself and the sunset; that gap, he said, is the root of human fragmentation and struggle.kfoundation+1​

Instead, Krishnamurti encouraged directly observing thoughts and emotions as they arise, seeing that the same mind creates both—the observer and the observed are expressions of a singular process. For instance, when anger appears, usually "I" as the observer try to fight or change the feeling. But Krishnamurti suggests the "I" and the anger are not truly separate—they are both patterns within consciousness.reddit+1​

Implications in Practice

• When genuine observation happens (without judgment, comparison, or intervention), the boundaries dissolve: you are not a separate watcher, but simply awareness.o-meditation+2​

• Krishnamurti explained that identifying with an ideal (trying to be non-violent, for example) preserves the division and causes inner conflict, while true insight comes when the observer "realizes" it is not separate from violent impulses, but is itself constructed from such images and reactions.kfoundation+1​

• This insight is said to release internal tension—there is direct understanding and freedom from conflict when observer and observed are not divided.krishnamurti​

Philosophical Context

• In mysticism and some schools of modern psychology, true knowing happens only when the subject-object split dissolves, showing there is no ultimate separation between "self" and "world".brucesanguin+1​

• The statement defies strict intellectual logic, which always maintains the knower and known must be distinct; instead, it points to a lived, experiential awareness.o-meditation​

Summary Table

Observer	Observed	Krishnamurti’s View	Practical Effect
Person/watcher	Object/thought/emotion	Not truly separate; both are patterns arising in consciousness	Division causes conflict; realizing "observer is the observed" ends inner strugglekfoundation+3​

This teaching encourages awareness beyond conceptual fragmentation, inviting a direct experience where the boundary between self and world dissolves in perception.brucesanguin+2

Editor:

​This fits in with Quantum Theory

The idea that "the observer and the observed are one" does resonate with foundational insights in quantum theory, particularly the quantum observer effect. In quantum mechanics, the act of observation fundamentally influences the behavior of quantum systems—meaning that measurement and perception are inseparable from the way reality unfolds at the microscopic level.wikipedia+2​youtube​

Quantum Observer Effect

• The double-slit experiment demonstrates this principle: when a quantum particle (such as an electron or photon) is not observed, it behaves like a wave, passing through both slits and creating an interference pattern. When its path is observed, it behaves as a particle, choosing only one slit and losing the interference pattern—highlighting the physical change caused by the act of observation.thequantumrecord+3​

• The observer in these experiments need not be a person—any measurement apparatus can act as the observer, and its presence alone disturbs or collapses the system, turning unmanifest potential (wave-like behavior) into concrete reality (particle-like behavior).youtube​scienceabc+1​

Philosophical Connection

• Krishnamurti’s notion that observer and observed are one also touches on the collapse of boundaries between subject and object, a theme that arises in quantum mechanics: no strict division exists between the system and the observer, both participate in the creation of outcomes.ketansheth.blogspot+1​

• Some modern quantum interpretations argue that measurement is intrinsic to reality itself, and that what the observer knows—through observation—becomes the physical fact in that instant, challenging classical intuitions that reality is observer-independent.nature+2​

Comparison Table

Aspect	Classical Physics	Quantum Theory	Krishnamurti’s Teaching
Observer role	Passive, detached	Actively shapes observed reality	Observer and observed arise togetherthequantumrecord+2​
Boundary	Sharp subject-object split	Boundary dissolves upon measuring	Separation is illusoryketansheth.blogspot+1​
Reality’s nature	Objective, pre-existing	Probabilistic, actualized in measurement	Experience and reality are co-createdthequantumrecord+2​

These parallels show why the quantum observer effect is often cited in philosophical discussions about perception, consciousness, and the unity of experience.theimmeasurable+2​

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