In Search of Ultimate Truth
From AlexanderSeveral years ago I started off searching for an absolute truth to life, however the more I searched the less important this ultimate truth became. Instead I became more interested in experiencing the fullness of each unique part of existence rather than pinning it down within the exact boundaries of truth. Likewise, instead of looking for the right approach to life, I began seeking different approaches to look at life.
In the realm of existence there are possibilities without limits - which makes finding Truth in one single aspect of our existence impossible. However there is truth in the sum of all of the parts together. In this article I will explore 2 methods to move from the absolute truth seeking mindset into a more productive mindset. Here are 2 questions to ask:
How Can I Use This?
Instead of validating each experience as true or false, ask "how can I use this?" If I have to complete a report for work within 1 week I do not think about how good, valid, or true this requirement is - I just scale it from 1 to 10 based on how long it will take to complete the report.
However when it comes to culture or religion, for instance, we are often inclined to make statements such as how true or right an idea is.
Even if an idea is right, what does that change? You are still in the same situation as before, but now thinking about how right or wrong the notion is.
Unless it is applied and unless we act on those ideas we face letting them turn into dogmas and beliefs.
How Else Can I Use This?
One of the common problematic thinking patterns is "If I can't use this, then I'll ignore it".
The fact is that the mind does not throw up the best ideas suited to an exact situation at the exact moment someone needs them. Often we will get an idea that will be useful tomorrow or 2 weeks from now, but to ignore it is to ignore our creative potential.
Other times we will experience an insight or an idea that does not seem to fit the task at hand or might seem quite random. For example, someone said to me at one point "I am afraid of being judged by God", and I had this inner reaction that made me question how much we are afraid of being judged by ourselves in contrast to God. In other words, how much do we externalize our fears of being judged onto a figure of power?
Rather than forming a belief such as "God does not judge" or "God is not real" or a number of other possible beliefs, I tried to see what the reason and purpose behind this conversation was.
Often rather than drawing a distinct line between true and untrue we can use the insights we gain from how things appear to be in both creative (writing, drawing, etc.) and introspective (reflecting, looking for different meanings etc.) endeavours.
Conclusion
Truth cannot be found in logic alone. It is determined on a scale of how harmonious an experience is with the true nature of the soul. Using the meaning behind these beliefs allows people to open up about their reasons for acting out and holding onto to those convictions. In converse, dismissing people and their statements as untrue causes the opposite. To brush off statements as an absolute truth or falsehood causes us to get further from the actual truth hidden in each unique experience.
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sambit
September 13, 2008 @ 3:17 am
AlexD
September 13, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Allen Papapetrou
September 15, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Early on I exploring different perspectives I found the primary location of truth to be within myself. Logic was one test. Sometimes failed, leaving me with a question only answered deep within myself: Is this true?
Early on, I found truth and love eternally conjoined. An oxymoron supported by the belief in duality/non-duality. Resolved only by delusion.
I came to the conclusion the only reality is experience. Without direct transmission as in shaktipat you can only know, sense, my experience when I describe it to you. The description is a symbolic representation removed from the experience.
If what I say makes sense to you, you might say I understand what I'm describing. But the description is never the experience.
As the saying goes:
"You can know what you think, but you can't think what you know."
Shifting the panorama from the ephemeral scope of true/untrue to a passionate detachment of comfortable/uncomfortable may be more productive in your pragmatism.
For me, satchitananda sums it up in a way which I never can explain or understand. I just know.
Thanks for the article.
AlexD
September 15, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
I often feel the detachment from experience as an attachment to an idea rather than being open to the actual experience. Having a pragmatic mindset helps me avoid clinging onto descriptions and to find the essence instead.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Irene | Light Beckons
September 15, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
Isn't it interesting how the journey and experience from our search for truth take on greater importance than the destination itself? I like your point on "how ELSE can I use this?". That's a part I tend to skip after asking the first question!
AlexD
September 15, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
Yes - the destination is not half as fun as the path itself
Often we think "Can I use this?" and if we can't at that exact moment we dismiss it, but we can often find a number of other sources to use those energies - like as creative outputs for example. Nothing should go to waste and no experience is ever 'irrelevant' in the grand scheme of things.