Tagged: inner knowledge
Notes on Quotes: Truth
“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.” –Maya Angelou
If man Z kills man X, the fact is that man X is dead because of man Z’s action. The truth behind that action is what may not be so easy to elucidate. In a war, a man could kill another in the name of freedom, paradoxically; by taking away the freedom of another to live. In this case, the truth behind that action is not necessarily in the one who acts, but in those who promoted that action. In the case where death happens without premeditation, the ultimate truth is in the intention of the perpetrator and that answer comes by looking honestly at the feeling of his heart.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The mental “reason” or the immediate perception of the senses are not necessarily the truth in a life changing decision, but the feeling of the heart. Paradoxically, the heart doesn’t make decisions. It follows its truth.
“The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark.
The small truth has words that are clear; the great truth has great silence.” — Rabindranath Tagore
The deeper a truth is, the harder it becomes to put it in words. Thus, many times we take the evidence of the small initial inspection as the whole truth of that which is larger and deeper. That is deceiving.
“In essence, you are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility arise out of that realization. In the eyes of the ego, self-esteem and humility are contradictory. In truth, they are one and the same.” — Eckhart Tolle
For centuries man has engaged in a fight with another man to prove his superiority by using race, religion, nationality, etc. as the excuse to fight. The ones conquered and then oppressed experienced in time an inferiority complex. Society has taught us to enhance our self esteem by comparison with another. Religion has tried to offset that value by using humility as the ‘virtue’ meant to truckle to others. When we realize that as humans we are equal in essence, and our personal uniqueness cannot be the element to separate us but rather to unite us, as the common good requires our particular strengths and uniqueness; we may have found the truth that dualistic words are deceitful to show: Those who are truly humble or have self esteem do not practice the concept behind those words. They just ARE.
“A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.” — Demosthenes
That is the truth of a belief or its own lie, as well.
Knowing the self
When the words, to “know the self” are uttered; immediately there is an interpretation of those words according to our consciousness.
For some, it will be about looking at the mirror to see our latest freckles or to discover that little mole that just popped up from “nowhere” by our left ankle. 😉
For others, it will be about “looking at our thoughts and desires.” Yet for others, that little phrase means nothing.
In Spirituality, the key element is to realize something by looking at it in ourselves.
That is, read whatever scripture, holy book or Guru’s words of wisdom; see those words in yourself to find their truth.
For example, a Guru just spoke about “lust.” Then there is a “pretty” girl walking by, someone may stop and look at her. Another may say something to her, yet someone else may not say anything and pretend that he didn’t watch a thing.
Let us say that we want to “judge” who is exhibiting the “vice” of lust in the above scenario according to the Guru’s teaching…for whatever those teachings may have been 🙂
Any takers?
There is no way to tell by just looking at their actions. To look at someone is not lustful. To say some words to someone is not lustful either. To pretend not to see, is deceitful but no lustful either.
We have to go beyond the outside “movie film” and observe/feel what a person feels. What is in his heart? Usually, we could observe that in their faces but not always. Many good actors out there! 🙂
Only I can know with certainty what I feel and how I feel. It is not about someone else, but about me.
This is the first realization in the spiritual path.
To observe “me” there is a need to be in a peaceful, tranquil state of mind. Slow down, relax and watch the show in front of your eyes… 🙂
Someone who is engaged in “knowing himself,” needs plenty of time, plenty of solitude. A busy schedule will not do. To be surrounded by everyone and your funny cat; may not work. Those are distractions in the beginning. Please note the word “beginning,” for a life away from everyone is not what life is all about.
It is in that serenity and amplitude of “doing nothing” throughout the day, where we could catch our emotions, our anxiety for action, our cravings for emotional support, company, need to be someone in life, etc.
All of that inner noise is not allowing us to see with clarity, and our minds will be in continuous turbulence, trying to find a way on how to fulfill those recurrent desires… Isn’t that so?
The mask of being “good” or acting “good” or putting up a “façade” with others is our own deceitful way to deal with this turbulence in our minds.
Basically, “I” cannot deal or understand myself but “I” can pretend that “I” do.
Pretending sooner or later will show the real naked picture of ourselves to ourselves.
When we see that picture and not before, is when a “true” spiritual walker has been born.
At that point, any beliefs are of no consequence. What matters is to return to that tranquility, to that serenity in our day to day living.
It is when we reach this understanding, that we finally make choices in life to support that tranquility, that serenity. Before that, is just lip service and internal chaos.
We say that we want to be peaceful but we act in the opposite way. We say that we are “good,” but there is no goodness coming from a clouded mind… there is just a “script” to do, something that someone has told me to do, so I could be qualified as “good,” “honorable,” “worth of being God’s child,” etc.
When we are not watching ourselves, we make “mistakes.” Those mistakes are not “financial” issues necessarily; but mistakes in treating another human being without care and concern by using our words in a very sloppy way.
Those mistakes are very costly for they will come back to hunt us down. You can call that “karma” or “God is punishing you,” Avyakt7 just like to call that “oneness.”
What I do to “my hand,” I do it to myself… not just “my hand,” but “myself.”
When we go away from Nature and only take a hike into tech “progress,” we lose sensibility to beauty. When beauty is lost in our lives, all we have left is a “lie,” that is the “ugliness” that we see only in “others;” but the one that we fail to see in ourselves.
That beauty beyond duality in knowing ourselves, is the one which does not know about ugliness.
Freeing yourself from yourself
This idea of self is truly detrimental once we believe in it. One thing is to relate with this “self” label as when “I” greet someone: “Hello John, how are you doing?” or when in my daily speech “I” need to use the words “I” and “my.”
A different thing is to believe that those words that we use to communicate are indeed “real.”
Note that Avyakt7 is not saying that the idea of “self” is “bad,” our “worst enemy,” or that we need to have “distaste of that idea.” That is childish.
Avyakt7 is using the word “detrimental” not as judgment but as a way to communicate and convey a close but not accurate meaning to Avyakt7’s inner discovery.
“Detrimental” is used as an obstacle, an obstruction to perceive something else.
As mentioned before, please do not take that as the “truth,” for it cannot be communicated with words.
Have you ever taken a stroll in a park or the bay early in the morning with a smiling face? 🙂
Do you know where that smile came from, without a particular reason to smile?
That is when YOU are not there. Notice that the harmonious perception of what is already there in Nature, without any thinking or additional ideas will bring that magic.
To be alive in appreciation means not to think, to have a quiet mind. Silence. Stillness. Emptiness.
Is thinking “bad”? Nope. Thinking has its own place. Thinking is not supposed to be an inner voice in our heads. Thinking is not supposed to bring that separation of the “thinker” and everything else. Unless we believe it.
There is no problem which is truly a problem when we realize that everything is temporary.
That is why that perception of “I” is a mental disease. That “I” needs to go away with his/her ideas. That “I” needs to go away with his/her expectations and illusions.
That “I” must go away… but through thinking, that “I” remains the “same.”
It wants to survive forever… 🙂
That is why any ideas about the afterlife are just ways for that “I” to remain. Those ideas will bring certainty through another thought, through another idea, another belief.
Living is not thinking about the “future” and what could happen next. We live “now.” As it is “now” when we are aware of it.
That is why it is important to be aware of our mind and its games. That is why, it is important to awaken to that “reality.”
God cannot help on this. To clear our minds from that on going “mental garbage” is our own task.
The outcome of that inner cleansing is a frank smile.
Observe your neighbor’s cat lazily stretching in the morning, say hello to “top cat.” Observe the birds chirping their tunes, appreciate that music with your awareness… Move slowly into the day by looking at the trees and perceiving their aroma, notice the sun caressing your skin and the wind massaging your face… as long as there is no YOU in it, “YOU” will appreciate that moment without words. Otherwise, it is just an empty thought.
That is the mystery of being and non-being.
Question: Sakar Murli of 14.8.12 at pg. 2/3 that we should have intoxication of the imperishable jewels of knowledge. Yes I understand that. Then it states: It is difficult to break that other intoxication. The intoxication of the poor can be broken. ???? That other intoxication??? Please explain. Thank you.
Thank you for your question.
I do not have the Murli with me. I go to class and listen to it.
What I heard was: “It is difficult to break that other intoxication.” Which in the context of the Murli (See comments on Sakar Murli 8-1-12) meant wealth of the millionaires or just the “intoxication” (exhilaration is the correct word in English) of the physical world. Therefore, the other sentence that you mention: “It is difficult to break that other intoxication,” will make sense for any worldly thing which give us “exhilaration” is an obstacle to be detached from that.
The traditional Indian favorite method to deal with such “tasty obstacles” is “renunciation.” As long as there is no “inner understanding” based on inner knowledge, to renounce something seems the “right thing to do.” However, understanding is “painless,” and “natural,” which should make our life easier rather than harsh.
I am not sure about your sentence: “The intoxication of the poor can be broken.” For the “poor” has nothing to be “exhilarated” about except Baba’s gyan, in the context of that Murli. If your sentence is accurate, then we could understand that is referring to “leaving gyan.” or perhaps, the right sentence is” “the intoxication of the poor cannot be broken.”
If you have access to the Murli, please share the literal full paragraph, to be able to have a categorical answer.
Good wishes!
Exploring the Depth of Living 