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Mara, the Buddhist deity of ignorance and evil, was passing through a village one day with his entourage. He saw a man walking down the road in deep meditation. Suddenly, the man’s eyes lit up, and he leaned over and picked something up. Mara’s entourage questioned, “What did the man find on the ground?”
“A piece of truth,” Mara answered. “How awful! Doesn’t this bother you when persons discover a piece of truth, O evil one?”
“No,” replied Mara, “for soon after this they usually make a belief out of it.”
“The danger is that form can become more important than function, and truth can be hidden by language, or meaning, or culture. In the end, the greatest danger is that truth is rarely offered to those outside a faith in a spirit of love.”
—Todd Outcalt, Candles in the Dark
Thought for Today
Belief in itself is neither good nor bad. And the final efficacy of truth has more to do with the spirit in which it is shared than in the truth itself. Ultimately, we must ask, Is love the servant of truth, or truth the servant of love? If truth is the servant of love, then, love is the ultimate efficacy.
OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spiritual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, write Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at briankwilcox@comcast.net.
Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union, can be ordered through major bookdealers.
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