In Search of Truth and Walking Hand in Hand with Truth

 Sages/ Philosophers/ Mystics approach discovery of Truth/Reality from consciousness.

Scientists approach the discovery of truth from matter.

Eventually both must arrive at the same conclusion because Truth can’t differ. If it differs it can’t be said to be truth.

The former group has concluded by logic, reasoning, observation and experience that Reality is of the nature of consciousness, existence and bliss. This group has also reached the conclusion that creation and matter are illusions superimposed on Truth( existence consciousness bliss).

The latter group is yet to arrive at conclusive evidence but has made significant progress with quantum mechanics leaning towards exploring if consciousness is the substratum of all creation/matter. They are headed in the right direction. 

Both approaches run on the fuel of curiosity. 

Whatever the approach, whatever the start point, the journey towards the destination leads through some shared interim concepts of honesty, integrity, social justice, social responsibility and cooperation, compassion,benevolence, sacrifice, gratitude , humility, respect and value for life in the larger sense. It leads to a multi dimensional growth of the explorer. 

Therefore wherever life has placed you, become an explorer. Protect and nurture the curiosity of your mind. Ask questions. 

For me it took a long time to gain clarity in the mind. Without clarity it was difficult to ask worthwhile questions, let alone find the answers. But once there was reasonable clarity, ironically, doubts began to appear with an identifiable form. It became apparent that the most productive questions were those that questioned one’s own beliefs, values, feelings and behaviors. Questioning became a precursor for transformation. And when observed closely, what lay unspoken and invisible in the gap between the questioning and the transformation was the truth. The answers to the questions that were quietly heard, understood and realized as true beyond doubt, those silent answers influenced the transformation.

Every mind in the universe is a thing of beauty. It has the capacity to understand the universe. A whole lot of minds are “lost”, feel “lost” or behave “lost” in the world because it never occurs to them that their internal turmoil, their restlessness, their distress is their secret power that is calling to channelize into curiosity and lead to the magical discovery of what secrets lie in the belly of the universe. Often the turmoil tends to destroy them because it is not understood. It can cause the person to feel overwhelmed, confused and fearful. But a chance meeting with a kind soul or some mysterious intervention from the universe can sometimes change everything for them. The same chaotic energy in the mind can express in a way they could never have imagined possible. I can attest to it that yes, chaos can turn into perfect bliss and understanding. Meaninglessness can turn into meaningfulness by the magical power of Truth. All one needs to retain is patience and perseverance. 

Some call it faith and surrender. But these terms don’t often make sense to many. In fact they turn them away. The same happens with words like God, divinity. They alienate people for various reasons.

Language is a particularly complex subject. Each mind understands a unique language. Someone can understand love, someone may not. Hope may make sense to some mind, and to another mind, it may not. The same applies to beauty, service, faith, goodness etc. My mind has great difficulty understanding the language of mathematics and physics. Recently was trying to read a book written by someone I know from our weekly Sunday class. He had explained some basic concepts of Hinduism through mathematical reasoning. After a few pages I had to put the book down. My brain just hit a block where nothing could be understood. On our return flight together from Boston, Minal( my sister) explained to me a few pages from that book. I could understand after she explained it, but on my own I still cannot read that book. My mind can easily comprehend truths through poetry. It can experience heightened consciousness, existence and bliss through Nature and solitude. But it still has difficulty having the same experience when in a crowd or even smaller company. It boils down to external environment and language influencing internal stillness. When stillness occurs, I acquire the ability to understand practically anything and anyone. Even the most troubled minds are easy for me to understand and empathize with. But in the absence of that stillness, personal struggle to regain the equilibrium takes over and makes it impossible to understand anything that is outside the mind. It is work in progress. 

One thing that this has done is allowed me to understand those that don’t understand the same language as me( here I don’t mean language in the sense of English, Marathi, Spanish etc but the language of poetry, religion, mathematics, philosophy, science, psychology etc). When I meet those people I can now resist from starting a conversation in my “ language” and bore them to death. A silent internal pause to the voice in my head when I’m in their company affords me much more understanding of their views than spilling my thoughts can ever achieve anything. For example, of my two nieces, one believes in the presence of God, one is entirely dismissive of the idea of God. Not too long ago I had prompted my non-believer niece to conclude only after personally ruling out the existence of God before buying the concept. Until then, I suggested, she can just say that she is not sure. Today I would encourage both of them to explore the truth in their respective beliefs until they arrive at a proof. Believing in anything is primitive. You are here to evolve, not remain in the primitive state of beliefs and belief directed or irrational behaviors. And for that beliefs must be challenged at every step.

At my personal level, although achieving stillness of the mind at all times is work in progress, nevertheless , significant strides have been made that only my mind knows. Rising out of the dark state was no easy feat. Experiencing daylight was no ordinary joy. Overcoming existing challenges is not something mind can take for granted. Yet, the journey now seems to have come out of the jungles, thorny bushes, hidden pits, and steep rocky terrain into a more or less visible and defined trail where it is possible to look around and enjoy the scenery than worry every moment about lurking dangers. A large part of that security comes from the direct experience of Truth. It is probably a natural reaction to want others to experience the beautiful scenery when you are experiencing it.  It is instinctive to wish for others to come out of the woods and see the vast expanse of the ocean after you have seen it. 

Just a natural thing to wish for……………