Saying For Today: One cannot think truth, one is found by truth. Truth can find you anywhere, truth being nowhere, which is to say, everywhere. Truth is as present on death row as in a temple, as alive in a pub as a church.
pray not to find the truth pray to be found by the truth and truth will show itself while hiding from those who search for it
A Sufi story tells of a woman speaking to another woman. The first woman says, "Poor Maisie really has suffered for what she believes in." "And what," asked the second woman, "does she believe in?" "She believes that you can wear a size six shoe on a size nine foot."
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Interesting that many persons refer to themselves as believers.
Belief itself has no inherent value whatever, no more than Maisie's belief that her size nine foot can fit in a size six shoe.
But isn't belief important in guiding us in right behavior and right thought?
Belief is only of value to the extent it mirrors truth. Belief itself is not truth, and is or may not be true. Truth is wisdom, wisdom being timeless, placeless. Ideas speak to the head, truth within the heart.
But can't truth be relative to a particular place and time, a particular group?
Truth is never relative, this is why, like the Self of all, it never changes. Truth and that we are are one. To reduce truth to "my truth" or "our truth" is a reduction of truth, like saying "I belong to myself," for you cannot divide truth into pieces anymore than you can partition yourself off from the one Self. When you encounter truth, you always encounter all truth, you meet yourself. This, even as when you hold in your hand a drop of water, you hold water, not this or that water. You hold the ocean in your hand, the rain, the rivers, the streams, the tears of everyone who has lived, lives, and will live.
What about conviction, for many speak of being convicted about something, especially in religious settings?
What I have said applies to conviction, also. Conviction is generally meant as a personal conviction. "I" am convinced of something. Truth is not personal in nature.
Some persons seem to feel that if they are convinced inwardly, which is conviction, that something is true, that it must be true or they would not feel this so deeply. They are, actually, not feeling deeply at all, for all personal feeling is surface, regardless of how strong.
Then, reason is thrown out the door, all reason is rejected that attempts to challenge the supposed truth. This shows that much of politics and religion is cultic in nature.
You're saying that truth hasn't feeling. That's not a world I'd want to live in.
You live in a world drowning in emotion, with all the drama associated with it, do you like that? Is that your preference?
No. But a feelingness world isn't what I want either.
We cannot say truth itself is or has a feeling. There is, however, a feeling of truth ~ even as beauty and love and kindness ~ but it is not an emotion, it is more subtle than that, more subtle than emotional conviction and includes logical reason. That is, the being of truth remains open to learning, while generally persons of conviction do not, and their emotion clouds their judgment, their discernment. As I have said before, most humans do not think, even though they have thoughts running through the mind-stream; a reason they do not think is they are already convinced of what is truth and not truth.
Recall the Zen story... A seeker visits the sage. "I've come to you to be your disciple." The sage, holding a cup up before the man, "Pour tea into my cup." The seeker does until the cup is filled with tea. "Pour more!" The seeker does, while the cup is overflowing. "But it's running over!", said the seeker. "And so are you, full of your ideas. Go and empty yourself, return, and I'll be able to guide you."
Like Suzuki Roshi's "beginners mind"?
Always, yes, be a beginner, and you will always be freshly open to learn, to see truth. Life will be freshness. You will not fall asleep under the influence of ideologies, whether regressive or progressive; even when asleep, you will be awake.
How do we most recognize within ourselves, if not by inner conviction, truth?
Two matters, as noted by Jean Klein, in Living Truth, are that truth will be one with sensitivity and with beauty. He equates the three: truth, beauty, sensitivity. These are a unity. One realizes inwardly in meeting with truth the beauty of it, one feels this ever-more deeply, until one lives in the beauty and sensitivity always. Holiness is living in the beauty of truth.
This may sound odd, but where's truth?
Truth is nowhere but here, always now, alive in the moment. I once read a scientist speaking of why anywhere in the universe is the center of the universe. Truth is like this.
One cannot find a static truth located somewhere. Truth is non-repetitive. Again, Jean Klein observed, "It is only the 'person' who, looking for security, turns life into repetition. In reality, there is analogy between moments, but there is no repetition." So, truth is not in repetition, and truths are analogies of truth. One may express truth in varied ways, and these ways, based on, say, different cultures and religions, are subject to repetition, but truth is not so subject. Again, we began speaking of belief, so belief is in location, truth is not, it is nonlocal, truth cannot be found anywhere.
How does this relate to your speaking of the absolute as Truth and truth?
Truth, capitalized, is a way to speak of the Absolute, God, Being, Reality. Truth as expressed is one with that Truth. We need to see, however, that truth is not a matter of the head, but of the knowing of the inner Self. When one is discovered by truth, it is not specific, is ubiquitous, not tangible, but intangible. It is present, but you cannot say where or how present. You may feel surprised, as though you were not expecting it.
One cannot think truth, one is found by truth. Truth can find you anywhere, truth being nowhere, which is to say, everywhere. Truth is as present on death row as in a temple, as alive in a pub as a church. Thinking is a step from truth, even as thinking about beauty is a move away from beauty. We do not think truth, we fall in love with truth. Desire only truth, at whatever cost to your person, truth will reveal itself as Love, as Beauty, as cosmic Harmony.
How does this relate to your teachings on silence and our need to go into time of silence daily?
Truth speaks loudly, for truth is silent, the most eloquent silence. Inner silence means receptivity to truth within ~ truth is never found anywhere else. In silence, beliefs are swallowed up in the beauty of truth and the Truth. Entering the silence often, you find yourself silently drawn to truth, you witness your attraction to truth increasing by the grace of Truth.
To conclude our sharing today, worthy to pray is a prayer from Kenya...
From the cowardice that dares not face new truth, From the laziness that is contented with half-truth, From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, Good Lord, deliver me. Amen.
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'The Taste of You'
your truth rested upon my lips like subtle mist rested upon them quietly I tasted truth, tasted you sweetest taste lingering there, timelessly still how can I forget, my Love? you, yes you, have changed me from the inside for forever, in one blazing moment of love, when you breathed me from death into life, now home is you, wherever I turn, wherever I look, you are there ever your life to be always mine and mine, yours, my Dear sweetest truth, most sweet you
yes, how can I forget such love, you?
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*The theme of "Lotus of the Heart" is 'Living in Love beyond Beliefs.' This work is presented by Brian K. Wilcox, of Maine, USA. You can order Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, through major online booksellers.
