Questioning the Truth

There is a practice, often mentioned in the path of Gyana (advaita), in which you reject
everything that is not true, not real. In Tantric teaching this practice is called
Discrimination and there are 5 levels of it. In this practice you reject all that is not
true, all that doesn’t match the truth, the permanent and the real. In the first level
of this practice you question all that is within and without you in order to ascertain
whether it is permanent, beyond possibility of changing, beyond the laws of time
and space. The second level is to question this in relation to truth. We seem to know
a lot about a lot of things, be they internal or external, or at least someone does – but is it
true?

Is it true that the vessel in front of us is really a glass or is “a glass” simply a name given to
a certain form? Is this form real, something true, or is there a deeper reality to it? You can
ask yourself – “what is the truth behind what I’m seeing, hearing, feeling etc.?” – and in
this way, question the truth that you, or someone else, knows. You can question whether it
is true or based on faith; whether it is simply a belief that we hold regarding something, is it
really so or are we simply calling it this way – and what, then, is the truth? What is the
truth concerning what I’m feeling right now? Is this (emotion) permanent and unchanging?
Is this emotion true and, by extension, constant in and of itself, or, is it an associative truth
of an emotion, the truth of an energy movement? Is what I know about myself true or is it a
conviction, an attitude, an opinion, an emotional association which is in itself changeable,
inconstant? Is the knowledge I have of myself constant, or is it prone to change? And so on.

The point of this approach is to question everything inside and outside of us. Is all that I
know about myself and the world around true, or is it something that is agreed upon, a
conventionality, something that’s accepted on account of an agreement with surroundings,
with others? Is the one (man/woman) standing right in front of me, and in whom I am
interested, true, or a projection I hold and project on this screen (them)? Is love, as I know
it, true or merely a chemical reaction; liking, projection, expectation, need for attention,
etc.? Through questioning we come to the truth of the matter: all that we knew up till now
is not our own knowledge; is not knowledge at all; we don’t know the truth.

The trouble with this method is that the mind tends to revert to its previous state, or the
mind splits the method on the time when you work with it, and the time when you don’t –
and when it’s free to revert back to all that it knew before: to all of its convictions,
attitudes, concepts. Usually, for most people this method is not effective because some
other part takes the credit for all of one’s accomplishment, bringing them and their
consciousness back to square one. That’s why this method is not for the ones who are not
determined to pursue it to the end. Pursuing it to the end requires passing through a few
levels, and one of the toughest ones is losing interest and meanings, losing
attachment to internal and external things and their value.

The problem appears because a man lacks crystallized consciousness; his perception
had not shifted to another point so he is in between two perceptions. Since he
hadn’t fully recognized (realized) the mind or “himself” as false, he is repeatedly swinging
back and forth and enters into what is called psychological vertigo: a kind of an inner
dizziness due to loss of the internal center of gravity. In order to avoid losing the center of
gravity a man must, right at the beginning, determine a MOMENTARY truth. Also, he
needs to be willing to modify that truth in the course of questioning. The purpose of such
momentary truth is not to “dig our heels” into it, or to use it as “a line of defense”. Rather,
it serves us to avoid confusion which arises by questioning and discarding lies – for which
we had determined, are not in line with the truth. In order to avoid such psychological
vertigo religions and Bhakti practices use a belief that “Nothing other than God has reality”
or “Only God is real”.

In Gyana and Advaita they use “Only (the feeling of) I Am is real”, while some Tantric
practices use: “Only Brahma is real and pervades everything” etc. The purpose of all this is
not to set up a new belief or a membrane by which you will fence yourself and feel secure,
or for you to repeat it without any meaning or purpose, as usually is the case – but to
provide a support for as long as you are in need of one. In the moment when one is
sufficiently crystalized this prop gets discarded and one remains in a truer state.

The point of the practice is to remain in the truth we came to know. It doesn’t
matter which truth that is, or whether it is the real Truth, what matters is that it is more
true (truer) than the previous one. What is necessary is to be, to abide in this knowledge,
not letting the mind or personality to take over control – and they will try to take over as
soon as possible. At the same time, there ought to be no aggression, hatred, or negative
emotions directed at the mind when it’s not obedient, for those same emotions are also NOT
TRUE. Outwardly you ought to resume your normal living, not showing the truth you had
reached.

This will be hard in the beginning since changing perception requires a tremendous effort; a
resolve never to revert to a previous perception, and also, you need to learn how to function
in new circumstances. Revealing the truth doesn’t make you exit the dream, rather, it
makes you see through it, the dream can no longer fool you. Even when you have
awakened you will be in the dream, dream will surround you but you’ll cease to be tied to it,
bound by it, you will know it is a dream and that it has nothing to do with you (with what
realizes the truth and the dream). You will move within the dream of others, the world you
are in, but being “not of this world”, “not of this dream”. Making use of the dream world but
not being used by it – which makes a big difference. The truth you had realized is
SOLELY YOURS, subjective; it has nothing to do with others. You mustn’t lose the
sense of responsibility; you mustn’t discard the mind or ego as useless in a dream world.
All of this is simply a dream you participate in, a theatre show you are a part of, but YOU
ARE NOT the role you’re playing. As an actor, you are free to play the part as much as you
like, can or will, but WITHOUT allowing the role to TAKE OVER and without becoming
completely identified with it.

Another common problem is the diversity of truths that you realize. This is simply untrue.
There are no diverse truths. THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTH, but there are variations of it
according to surroundings, people, the world, and these variations relate with the
role you are playing but NOT WITH YOU. If you’re not determined to go to the end don’t
toy with these approaches. This one is a bit more harmless than the one in which you are
seeing the play of forces, gunas, the one which you must finish to the end since remaining
in the middle is not an option – discrimination by means of gunas is not an option if you lack
witnessing, consciousness and the strength to confront everything that this kind of an
approach brings. But, in the moment when you are ripe to question the truth and when you
embark on this path it needs to become your daily work, a daily effort to realize, question
and also remain in the Truth you had discovered. Going back is not an option. There is the
option of playing the part while not identifying with it. Outwardly, play the part, participate
in the dream, share the meanings of others, or don’t, it’s up to you. But inwardly, there can
be no compromise, no calculation regarding the Truth. Either you are truer or you’re not.
Either you are True or you’re not. Accept yourself, question the truth about yourself and the
world around, and then live it uncompromisingly.
More often than not, such resolve is lacking in the ones who work with these kinds of
methods (gyana, advaita and the like). They retell intellectual ideas yet without any
emotional strength or involvement and while they are good at hair-splitting the ideas of
Absolute, Being, Consciousness, I Am feeling and whatnot – none of this is real in their
lives. They are good orators but they are not Real, they had not achieved what they are
talking about, they are simply retelling what they had been re-told. Nor do the ones
following them want to enter the state of Truth, for it would destroy everything they know,
and in the end – them too. Truth needs to be applied on all three minds; as knowledge,
discrimination, realization on the intellect; as understanding, feeling the truth on the
emotion; and on the physical mind as a reality that you live, a karmic reality you had
realized and confirmed by the other two minds.

Physical mind will be most resistant, emotional mind will resist but less than the physical
one, while the intellectual mind will readily accept these ideas since they give him a sense of
superiority, a sense of importance, an idealized image of itself. If you allow this,
remaining blind to the truth that’s behind it, you will be led astray as most
advaitas and gyanis are. Your goal is the Truth, isn’t it?

Applying the truth you had revealed will stir up much conflict, friction, fear, negative
emotions, projections etc. on the internal. Enter into them slowly, realize the truth of them,
accept them for what they are and accept what you found out to be the truth, while
remaining conscious and calm in the back of the conflict. Open up to this conflict, to friction,
and fear with the truth you came to know, and just be aware. Feel this truth, feel your self-
awareness. When this level is strengthened put it into action; impose it gradually on other
minds by pulling this Force (Kundalini Shakti) down into mind, body, vital emotions – while
Trusting in Truth, with Truth as your foundation – and be prepared for an all-out war that
will rage on until you are consolidated in truth.

Many think that simple realization of truth will keep them in that state forever. This is not
true. Consolidating the truth you have revealed sometimes requires much more time than
was spent on its realization. Realizing the truth usually takes some 3, 4 years while its
consolidation may require two or three times that. This is not for those who are
“enlightened”, who have “completed” the whole thing and are now glowing like Christmas
lamps, assuring others of their truth. If you aren’t ready to go to the end, even the end of
your life, do not tamper with questioning, revealing the truth. Amuse yourself with spiritual
methods that were created for those in a dream and not for those who are determined to
wake up. For, just like any other market, spirituality responds to demands. Examination of
Truth is not up for sale, although in the current flood of various gyana, advaita, tantric and
yogic teachings it gets presented as such. In the end, by realizing the truth you will discard
even those disciplines, although you may, for as long as you feel like it, play the role of a
certain discipline for the benefit of the people around you.

Neither is this text the truth, nor is a single word in it true. It is merely a finger pointing at
truth, not the truth itself. It is a combination, a manipulation of letters, words, meanings
and ideas that aim to point toward the truth, yet the text itself is not the truth. The Truth
is what you realize after you had discarded everything, even the one who aims to
realize.