A token of truth

There is nothing higher than the truth.

What is the truth?

If I put an orange (fruit) in a brown paper bag, we can form many religions about what is in the paper bag.

We can form the religion of the apple - that believes there is an apple in the paper bag. Or we can form the religion of the pear - that believes there is a pear in the bag, and so on.

However in respect to this - there is only one truth.

The truth is that there is an orange in the paper bag.

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So what is the truth?

The truth is - what is the case, ..the truth is what exists.

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In our world, there are many imaginings and notions which come to us from hearsay, stories & books, tradition, and religion.

It is detrimental for humanity if our views are tainted by what is not true - what is the case. It leads us astray from what is good for us.

What would be great is if everyone's views were united in the truth.

The 'Buddha' had a suggestion on finding the truth.

"Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; .. when you yourselves know: "These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness," enter on and abide in them.' " - Kalama Sutta

So the truth is not found by imagination and thinking - it is found by observation and reason. It can be confirmed by experience.

a reply to: nOraKat

In my experience, the simplest path to truth is to look for a lie. If you do it right, everything that can be disproven, will be. Everything that can't be disproven, is clearly true. It is advisable to run multiple trials using multiple analysts investigating target subject in order to eliminate human error.

What an easy simple post. Just like pandoras box. Just a box on the outside, but open the lid. You've just opened the lid. What is truth? A provable concept. All religions (which you allude to but don't outright say), including Buddhism, are based on faith. There is absolutely no definitive truth which could prove one religion over another. But listen to the priests, imams or whatever religious leaders you want to listen to and they will all tell you that theirs is the true religion, theirs is the true light and if you don't agree with them they will try to alter your opinion to their faith even going as far as killing you if you don't convert. You quote Buddha so I could assume you believe more in Buddhist teachings than any other religions in that Buddhist teachings is more pacifist and truer to you personal thoughts. But it's still a faith, like all other religions it's based on some truths, half truths and downright lies. That's where the word faith comes into its own. In other words using your example "no need to look into the bag, I've already looked and it's a cherry so have faith in me as leader of the cherry religion". What is truth (provable fact truth) no-one has that though they will tell you they have. The world you seek is a Utopia, an impossibility, it will never happen on this world. there are to many people got to much invested in their followers to the one and only true faith.

And here I Thought actually Truth is what one Chooses Not to see!

Who wants to go into their head and find out most of what was ever Told since childhood is pretty much a Lie. Sure some experenced some Truth, yet never really Questioned anything told to them. So when Truth actually does happen to come, it comes at a surprise!

Yet somehow most people know the Truth, just advoid it. Then it leaves one to have to deal with it and that could be a chore! One has Lied so much to oneself, forgot How to deal with anything that Is Truth until its too late.

Next comes Prayer!

Peace

originally posted by: crayzeed
All religions.. including Buddhism, are based on faith. ..But it's still a faith, like all other religions.

Did you read the quote? He is saying - do not believe things based on faith (whether because it is a highly praised teacher saying it, or because it is in scripture, or whatever else). He said you should confirm the truth based on your own experience and observation. Only if you have proven it to yourself that a particular practice or truth is good, should you abide in them, or adhere to them.

I am not here to endorse or promote Buddhism. I am not a Buddhist or any other -ist. (though I believe this particular point was well said). I'm just here to make this particular suggestion - to abide in the truth and not in speculations. ..and to say - how great it would be if everyone did.

The only truth for every individual is what they have experienced. To infer anything beyond that is speculation.

Many people adhere to tradition because they trust others that adhere to the same tradition as being truthful, knowledgeable people
Many others abhor tradition because they don't trust those who adhere to those traditions as being truthful, knowledgeable people.

Finding truth for yourself is all the harder now because we all rely so heavily on second, third and forth hand opinions.
If I'm taking anything from the OP's quote it's to get away from computers, books, seminars, videos and meetings at all costs and live a real life.

a reply to: nOraKat

I like this one as to the subject of truth.

“Babylon 5: Meditations
on the Abyss (#5.14)” (1998)

If I take a lamp and shine it toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on
the wall. The lamp is our search for truth, for understanding. Too often, we
assume that the light on the wall is God, but the light is not the goal of the
search, it is the result of the search. The more intense the
search, the brighter the light on the wall. The
brighter the light on the wall, the greater the sense of revelation upon seeing
it. Similarly, someone who does not search – who does not bring a
lantern – sees nothing. What we perceive as God is the by-product of our search
for God. It may simply be an appreciation of the light… pure and
unblemished… not understanding that it comes from us. Sometimes we stand in
front of the light and assume that we are the center of the universe – God
looks astonishingly like we do – or we turn to look at our shadow and assume
that all is darkness. If we allow ourselves to get in the way, we defeat the
purpose, which is to use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all
its beauty and in all its flaws; and in so doing, better understand the world
around us.

But, observation and reason can only get you so far.

a reply to: HarbingerOfShadows

But, observation and reason can only get you so far.

When it comes to the truth. Observation and reason gets you nowhere. If it were so, truth would be a simple matter of reading a book. There's no way to cast the beam of light onto yourself, and see yourself because you are the source of the light. If your conscious awareness was a beam of light, you are the flashlight it's trying to find. Will never work. Because everything the light illuminates (meaning every thought or observation which is captured and seen) isn't it. Like a burning Sun flare trying to find the source of itself by reaching out into space. The beginning of knowing truth can only happen when you first realize this is what you've been trying to do all along and stop doing it.

When you rediscover the Truth, there is no more need to utilize observation, reason or thought. Because those are all external phenomena to you. The ideologies, theories, summations,and ideas (ALL thoughts and mental concepts) which were heavily used to find oneself, is cast into the flame. The 'questioner' (the one in the mind that is trying to know reality and self by asking questions and trying to find the answer in the external world), is also discovered and cast into the flame, and all the questions with it. Because that questioner was never YOU. It is just talking to itself and you're listening to it and participating in it.

The truth is not the question, nor the answer, it's the unreality of the questioner itself. And that questioner is not you. And this questioner is trying to use your beam of light to cast light onto you so it can see, define and know you. That's all it is. Realizing the fruitlessness of that mental toil is the beginning of liberation and the return of directly experiencing the truth. Truth isn't words written in book. It isn't a profound theory or idea. It is NOTHING contained within the thought of even the most 'intelligent' person. Truth is each and everyone of us, and to know it you have to stop identifying yourself with every shape and form that is caught within the beam of your consciousness awareness and realize the folly of trying to find yourself in it, because you ARE the caster of that beam. And everything caught in its light, is NOT you.

Most seekers haven't cast their nonsense into the fire. Even the most devout and dedicated seeker who is still doing this mental search for self, is no further along than your average non-spiritual person. Don't let their spiritual pride deceive you, they are just as blind as the rest and just as desperate to find the truth and themselves like a fish searching for water while swimming in the ocean. Where ever the light of consciousness shines, you are the one behind it. Behind the looking glass..

a reply to: Visitor2012

Now That's something to consider, ponder and Live By!

Frankly, I Don't Know and it's okay! Could look it up though, spend a day Learning and after all said and done. I still Don't Know!

How the Crap got into my head in the first place! Most is outdated, needs to be questioned again, and what I thought were Facts are mere ideas I never checked into myself. Took for granted it was Fact, now I'm relearning!

Peace

a reply to: Visitor2012

Matters in what context you mean "truth".

Observation and reason gets you nowhere. If it were so, truth would be a simple matter of reading a book.

How so?
A book cannot dictate to you what will percieve.
It can suggest, and with certain highly suggestable types strongly suggest even, but it cannot dictate.

a reply to: HarbingerOfShadows

Matters in what context you mean "truth".

The one I'm referring to, is the ever present one, the one that doesn't need to be found and the one that ISN'T anything that has been found or lost. And the one that is before the perception of everything even the passing of time, that which is never separate from you. In other words, the REAL you.

Which one are you talking about? And is it more important than this one?

How so?
A book cannot dictate to you what will percieve.
It can suggest, and with certain highly suggestable types strongly suggest even, but it cannot dictate.

If today, a person is trying to figure out who they are or searching for enlightenment or whatever you call a quest for ultimate understanding, and every morning they wake up still at square one, then obviously, everything they've learned, reasoned and observed up until that point is proven absolutely useless. And despite ALL the answers that have been gathered thus far, the same questions remain, disguised in different clothes. And instead of casting it aside, we try to patch up old ideas and philosophies lodged in the dim light of memory to keep up with the ever changing nature of reality.

In terms of finding the ultimate answer or understanding, I said 'observation and reason gets you nowhere'. Every honest seeker of truth can attest to this at some point in their journey and If they don't know this already, then they haven't searched intensely enough.

a reply to: Visitor2012

The one I'm referring to, is the ever present one, the one that doesn't need to be found and the one that ISN'T anything that has been found or lost. And the one that is before the perception of everything even the passing of time, that which is never separate from you. In other words, the REAL you.

Which one are you talking about? And is it more important than this one?

O.o
Surely you jest.........

If today, a person is trying to figure out who they are or searching for enlightenment or whatever you call a quest for ultimate understanding, and every morning they wake up still at square one, then obviously, everything they've learned, reasoned and observed up until that point is proven absolutely useless. And despite ALL the answers that have been gathered thus far, the same questions remain, disguised in different clothes. And instead of casting it aside, we try to patch up old ideas and philosophies lodged in the dim light of memory to keep up with the ever changing nature of reality.

In terms of finding the ultimate answer or understanding, I said 'observation and reason gets you nowhere'. Every honest seeker of truth can attest to this at some point in their journey and If they don't know this already, then they haven't searched intensely enough.

Or the use of the word "ultimate" in this instance is ultimately meaningless.