Thursday, September 10, 2015

Truth

I don't like the word "truth" because it means something different to everyone.  A thirsty man living in Plato's ideal forms sees a golden, jewel-encrusted cup as a cup.  Someone else covets such things, and hides them away in a vault.

That's "truth", to both people.

But there are some things you can say about the concept.  Just using reason, you can enumerate some things about how a greater truth would have to be.


If you really want to call it "truth", then it has to apply to everyone.  This means that there is no division to "truth".   It can't be something that creates separation between people.

A corollary to this, then, is:  There is no such thing as "Buddhist" truth, "Christian" truth, "Zen" truth, and so on.


There is nothing sacred, about "truth".  It is not something worthy of worship, or devotion.

To illustrate, take arithmetic as an  example -- 2+2=4.  OK.  I'm not talking "ultimate truth".  I'm talking arithmetic.  2+2=4.  That's just the way it is.  It is ordinary.  2+2 is simple, but no matter how complex the mathematical methods and formulas get, it is ordinary.  It is just "the way it is".


There  is no "following", to "truth", and there is therefore no "disciple" to "truth". 

Hmmm.  Well, if that is the case, it might be worth examining how seekers might interact.

The way it really works is like this:

You talk with someone, just talk, and you hear answers that, in the depths of your being, are "true".

Or, it's the other way around.

That's all.   That's all there is to real Zen, if you are lucky enough to meet someone who can speak.


But the only reason you hear "truth" is because it exists inside of you.

So it isn't "teaching".  There is no "teaching" in what is true.

It has to be what you want.  You can't be looking for anything else.  You can't be defending something, and you can't be promoting something.  These thoughts can't interest you, because they are are born of ideas of relative measures, between you and another, and all of these are obviously make-believe things.

You can't be looking for approval, or acceptance, or status, or comfort, or calmness, or anything like this.  That's something else, something specific to the person.  These things don't have anything to do with the universal view.  There is no common truth to these things.  That is obvious.

OK, back to examining "truth"...

There is no belief, in truth.  Obviously, that is the case. "Truth" is either "known" or not known.  Belief is not part of the process.

There is no tradition. Is there a tradition to 2+2=4?  No.

There is no student, as it cannot be something that is "learned".  Because it is here, already. 

Truly, there is no master.  If someone can speak from what he is, he doesn't see himself as "master", and he doesn't see you as "student".  He is not "teaching" anything.  He is just speaking from truth, and responding to what is presented.

And there is no compulsion, and there is no commitment, to anything, or anyone.

It just has to be what you want.

If this is the case, for you, then, no matter how crazy it sounds, a path will open, and whenever it seems hopeless, another path will open.  Because it is a difficult, winding walk, good things will show up for you, now and then.  This is a kind of miracle.   A path will always open, because you are what this world needs most.

In times you look back, you won't be able to call that path anything, except "my path".

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