I can define truth as facts yet facts are items of information or data. How we see that data depends on the perceiver. Similarly, truth can be defined as a proposition or idea that is accepted as true. We might call this shared truth. But again, this is relative to the perceivers. We once considered it true that the world was flat and that the sun revolved around us.
In a deeper sense, and the way I use the word here, truth is a “transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality.” But even there, what we recognize as truth is relative to our stage of development.
At one stage, the world is real. In another stage, only pure consciousness or being is real. In another stage everything is That. Each of these are very true for the perceiver at the time.
However, any remnants of ego will have a tendency to try to take ownership of our “truth.” There has to be vigilance to ensure it comes from clarity and is not co-opted.
The Yoga Sutra 2:36 tells us:
When truthfulness is established, activity and its fruit [consequence] are closely connected.
There is little lag between action and result. Karma can complete and does not follow up. But it also means we’re hammered by mistakes immediately. Yet if truth is not established and we mislead ourselves, consequences seem unfair and unrelated.
We could say that truth is relative to the perceiver and that it has layers. There is one reality and an evolving way of appreciating and understanding it.
In a recent email, Lorne and Lucia Hoff shared a perspective I thought very valuable. With permission:
“The residue of a small self (which we all have to some degree) can still color the pure clarity of Being at no matter what ‘state’ of Consciousness. What we do from our side is to make sure we are coming from pure Truth. Pure Truth is not an “I’m right and you’re wrong” type of truth. [It is not a relative truth.] Pure Truth is a compassionate pure Divine Truth that clearly sees everything as it actually is from the most innocent and expanded perspective, and it knows exactly where the “I and the other” are coming from. It is not just pure Awareness. It is the compassionate light of pure Divinity. If the ‘other’ is unclear, unstressing, or colored by the remains of karma and ego, pure Truth sees that and can only feel a deepening compassion for the limitation that may still be there. If it is coming from our side, the light of pure Truth can cut through that and allow us to see, and admit to, our own limitations, in spite of any resistance from the remains of the mind/ego. Be with the clear compassionate Divine Truth, and eventually whatever restrictions are still there, on all levels, will evaporate like water in the noonday sun. The Divine Light of Pure Truth is not a truth that the mind, self, Self or the SELF, knows — It is the pure Divine Truth that remains when all that disappears.”
This is a very high and rare standard of truth, only possible in an established ParaBrahman stage. And yet it is well within our natural potential. Whatever value of that we can live from, this is the degree we radiate the truth of Divinity into the world.
Davidya
In a moment of limitation, negativity or upset, it can be helpful to simply have an intention to realize more Truth.
That is the path anyway, one of realizing more and more, fuller and fuller Truth. So that intention will be instantly supported and we might feel lighter or more settled. Or fuller!
Well said, Share.
In essence, this is the nature of human life. Whatever is arising is there for our benefit, to realize more truth.
When we can recognize the intent of the experience, it can complete and then it doesn’t have to arise again.
Thank you, David. Yes, indeed. Beautifully expressed!
There is a further note to this, in the form of what I would call the perfume of Divinity. This is the advance team that is always monitoring our hearts and minds so that any desire can be fulfilled, in the most surprising ways, as soon as we are ready for its fulfillment.
An interesting example: As a recent evacuee of the catastrophic Camp Fire, and part of a small community, I also serve in a governance capacity for the community and its water company. After we were all evacuated, news was impossible to come by for our specific area.
I took the role of communicating our status to the rest of the community, and had an amazing ability to find out what was going on both from law enforcement and the utility company. I would call a public number and after explaining the situation would always be patched through to fire crew dispatch, or incident commanders for law enforcement, depending on the issue. Unheard of.
Another time I was down the hill and filling up my truck, and I had the strongest feeling about the guy in the utility truck getting gas across from me. Turned out he was the crew chief specifically for energizing our community and I was able to get an accurate turn-on date from him.
Yet again, after we had electricity I received a visit from a supervisor checking to see if the entire community was energized. I said our well pump, septic and main gate were still running on diesel. He apologized and said that had slipped through the cracks and was on a different transformer. It was up in running with some new equipment installed at the well head in a matter of hours.
As if the world knows what is coming and begins arranging itself for our greatest efficiency, benefit and joy.
Jai Guru Dev! 🙂
Right, Jim
Good examples. When the intention is pure, (truthfulness is established) results come quickly. An angle on the quote i didn’t explore.
Also worth noting how relatively unscathed you were when Paradise was ravaged by fire – twice.
Yes, we were completely fortunate. The fire roared into our back forest and torched most of the trees, burned up a fabric cabana in the back, and started many spot fires in the mulch, caught quite a few of our redwoods, though none of them burned up, even with the front canyon on fire too.
Then it swept through again from the north. Our loss rate for homes here was 25%, vs. 97% for Paradise. All of our community infrastructure is intact too, another blessing.
When many did the TM Sidhis in the 80’s the big bonus was inexplicably finding parking spaces more easily. 🙂
This is far more than that, the difference between the benefit of light from the sun, compared to that from a galaxy with millions of stars.
Well put, Jim. While the mind may seek evidence, the benefits are deep and thorough.
“While the mind may seek evidence, the benefits are deep and thorough.”
Very nice! I was recently observing something like this pertaining to a specific thought, and finding markers attesting to the tsunamic power of same [in the context of PB]. I used to have to try so hard relatively speaking, to accomplish anything, and it is a new found art dialing it back, or at least calibrating much more finely.
Working naturally with finer vibrations is a symptom of the clarity of thinking. Then add the Totality, and before we know it, we have quite a rodeo on our hands. 🙂
Ah yes, I know what you mean. As the perception continues to refine, I’ve been surprised what has been driving some things. And a few women in my life remind me how much of a bull remains in the china shop. (laughs)
Who knew a single chromosome could make so much difference? 😉
It is a gift that we are designed with both masculine and feminine energies, ’emerging’ and ‘enveloping’, though one dominates in the physical expression.
Otherwise, no babies, or bulls in china shops either. I am afraid we are stuck with both. 🙂
(laughs) Well put. Yes, we all have the same laws of nature but each of us has some more emphasized and others less so. The result is a unique blend that brings a unique experience of the whole.
But yeah – some of these are polarities, both required for completion.
I had a thought about truth lately.
(Enlightened point of view)
What seems to be madness for logical mind is an Objective view on things. Never try to aproach it relative way, you will go nuts. 😉
I went through lot of description of people telling what is the final truth the divine
I wouldn’t be surprise that it is just another state of duality (ultimately subtle),moving from relative to objective existance. Interesting thing is that what they experience is nonpersonal thats why even consiousness must be removed to get to this point, but what is above objective and relative is above my understanig 😉
Hi Bartosz
Yes, this is where an understanding of the stages of unfolding is useful. We can recognize where our truth is relative to the larger picture and we can get a sense of what someone is speaking to.
We can’t assume what someone is saying this or that time is their highest truth. It can depend on what is being called out. For example, speaking to someone on Self Realization means speaking to that truth.
Also, words like divine have different meanings in different stages. There is a Divine that moves within the relative creation and has form, for example. There is also a Divine that is beyond even an objective existence. (objective inherently requires a subject and thus is still relative and dual)
But yes, there is always the potential for more. The Kala model tells us that the most evolved human is still only half way. 🙂
That what i like in looking for the answers, more you know then you realize you know nothing 😀
nondual path inherently is an mistake best prank ever 😉 It is just another approach of relative mind to breach the wheel of duality.
People don’t see the contradiction in root of this philosophy. It’s seems to be beutiest expresion of our understanding of divine but sth what is called Nonduality and is lets say final expresion merging oppositions exist only (sick) with duality as an refference point therefore beeing a part of duality 😀 we can’t brake this madness because ideas and all concepts belongs to relativity are part of it 😉
Hi Bartosz
Yes about knowing.
I would not say a nondual path is a joke but yes, some are using it to collect concepts. Same happens with my blog. It’s also suffered from losing touch with its source in Shankara. His later teachings were more inclusive. You may enjoy this article:
https://davidya.ca/2015/08/01/what-is-nonduality/
They do discount the world as illusion and thus not part of reality, but this misses its deeper nature and true nonduality.
There is still value in maps and concepts. But the key is recognizing thats what they are and not taking our stories as reality. 🙂
Hi David
Don’t take me wrong, i really value your knowledge, i would say it’s top of the top 😉
I just wanted to emphasize comical attempt of describing sth what can not be described what make a lot of confusion and misunderstanding 😉
Even sentences i found in your book of people in brahman state telling what it is.theyr Answers from logical point of view seems to be senseless but they are closer truth, anyway any description is doomed to fail 😉
Yes, in the higher sense, any words are just symbols of meaning for the mind. When taken by another mind without a relationship to direct experience, it just becomes a construct in a story that is believed.
And yes, that is the challenge of talking plainly about such topics.
However, there is value for people who are unfolding those stages and they’ve become much more common than they used to be.
There is also another level of speech where the words are carriers for truth. Heard by an identified mind, they sound senseless. But heard by the Self, they wake people up or open new vistas of being.
The effect of this depends on where the speaker is speaking from and where the listener (or reader) is reading from.
Sometimes, the words fall on rich soil. And sometimes they fall on hard rocks. Then they are doomed.
I continue to write because they continue to fall on the first. 🙂
Thx David
Its really interesting topic about level of speech, i remember you mention about it on your blog. I need to look closer and make some research 🙂
By the way, i have ordered book you recommended about mechanic of kundalini. Really hard to find but i am really stubborn guy sometimes 😉
This is so precious! Thank you. Just came off of my monthly session with Dorothy and we were talking about the Whales and the compassionate truth they embody. My heart feels softened yet brightly clear and this post just articulated what was felt deeply in the end of my session with her.
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Amri.
I have just watched myself get deeply tested. There was no fire as above, though I have lived that experience in the past. My test now is family, as I just did a visit…I have experienced deep stillness and a feeling of seeing everything as being me…also, awareness in witness. It all collapsed in a moment with a word from a family member. There was a watching of the extreme response as a pattern. Then, arealizing of the others judgement and projections. I have done this a few times recently, however, i wondered….is it better to avoid the triggers or, should I simply see them as karmic residue ? Lornand lucia’s comment was so helpful, however, I am nowhere near brahmin consciousness. In this between stage, what is best strategy,? Avoid the triggers in family, as they are not doing this work, or keep with the program of knowing it’s all me?
Very painful. So good to just be home now, in the stillness. At least I now feel appreciation of finding it while home, and, with the right conditions.
I understand the different levels of truth. Thanks for confirming that.
Hi Deborah
Yes, there is an old saying – if you want to see how deep your enlightenment is, spend a week with your family. Some of those dynamics go back to when we were very young and are thus largely unconscious. This goes back to the Inner Child stuff I recently wrote about.
I would not avoid them as they remain there as triggers. I would continue on the spiritual journey until you’re clear enough to see the source and release it. We might call it karmic but thats more results – this is about a contraction itself. Poking it causes a reaction. Releasing the contraction will clear it, then the poke won’t cause anything.
That said, it is fine to moderate time with family but avoidance is rarely a solution.
Thinking “it’s all me” when its not the experience isn’t helpful. Then you have an idea thats in conflict with reality. Better to see what is real (true) for you now and deepen into it.
You’re welcome. Thanks for sharing.
This feels utterly profound. It’s so helpful to realize that truth changes, depending where you are. Lorn and Lucia’s email is one I shall return to, also, as events come up.
Glad you appreciate, Deborah.
Hi there, Yes, just keep up your innocent tendency to transcend the family issues, and wholeness and later Totality will result. No shoes, no shirt, no problem…what Davidya said 🙂
I find the discussion of experiences on the IA in the dome in Fairfield to be very evolutionary. When I hear an experience, I sometimes have the experience instantly, or I realize that I have been having that experience and I had just been taking it for granted. Once, I described my experiences while listening to Gandharva Veda. Someone stated it would be nice if Maharishi could verify it. The very next day, they played a tape in the dome of Maharishi describing experiences with Gandharva Veda, and most of it was almost word for word a what I said the night before.
Hi Jeff
Beautiful. Understanding the process and hearing examples is very valuable. I find it sometimes opens doors that may not have been noticed otherwise.
The only caution I’d make is that lack of clarity on whats an experience and whats a shift has caused an emphasis for some there on chasing experiences and losing sight of source. It’s source that leads to permanent shifts.
(laughs) yes, I’ve had similar. Always nice to get that kind of support.
My experiences of the divine are mostly when listening to Vedic recitation, Gandharva Veda, or with mantras, or sutras. While I consider myself firmly established in being, these tools seem to direct my attention to specific qualities of the gap. But during activity, I have intense experiences of dynamism and silence, or small (b) brahm. With intense bubbling bliss. When walking my body wants to fly. It feels like nature telling me that flying is much more efficient. I feel this will happen when addition laws of nature have been awakened.
I suspect this is one of the reasons Maharishi encouraged these. Where transcendence cultures clarity of source, quality Sanskrit sources enliven refinement. Thus there is development of both Shiva and Shakti. The West is a little behind on the latter.
Yes, when further laws awaken, more will be possible. But there is also a natural progression of unfolding. The larger group consciousness needs to catch up a bit so that such activity won’t be abused or cause roughness or fear in others.
Remember that we’re never alone in this. We’re all in it together, one cosmic being. 🙂
I am established in the regular practice of my meditation program and I have been witnessing both activity and sleep for decades. I have part of Dr. Travis’s cc study for about six years now.
I find the beauty of Vedic recitation makes the yoga sutras look like training wheels. The length of Vedic recitation provides for me greater quality of detail and helps me to further establish awareness in the gap. Hopefully that will help refine my awareness.
Hi Jeff
Very nice. The TMO holds the position that witnessing full time is CC. However, it’s been the experience here and with others I’ve met that witnessing can arise prior to the Self waking up to itself. Essentially, in witnessing the Self wakes up and observes the body-mind. Yet the ego can remain attached. Self Realization happens when that witness wakes up to itself. It’s a step deeper. Sometimes the 2 come together and sometimes they come in steps.
I talked about this more in the first BatGap interview.
Yes, when perception refines, the Vedic texts can be very enlivening. And yes, this does help refining just as transcending helps wake up source.
It’s not really awareness that refines. It sits beyond all filters. What refines is the layers between awareness and form via clearing shadows, nuts, and filters inhibiting the clear flow of attention. Kind of polishing the mirror.
An interesting article on truth in science
http://nautil.us/issue/29/scaling/the-trouble-with-theories-of-everything
They discuss the variance at scale but don’t yet recognize the layered nature of reality that leads to some of the observed effects.
They also touch on infinities. Math requires you eliminate infinities to make functional equations. But then they forget those infinities are still there.