Yes. It's the ego that is behind it. Find the ego, see the ego, let the ego go.Cannot be all illusion. What is behind the illusion - find that.
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How is the Truth determined?
- Thread starter whatisthetruth?
- Start date
It is said that we are like musk deers who go mad trying to find the source of their own scents. It is said that we search for truth in mental and sensual objects when it is closest to us, as the source of the mind-senses.
To think we can find "Truth" as an absolute seems outside the realm of human possibilities.
As some noted though, truth seems to be internal. So we look inside seems the best answer. I'm just not sure the truth we find inside is a truth we share.
Ha ha.
We do share the truth.
How do you know? If I find truth to be one thing and you find it to be something else, who is right?
sealchan
Well-Known Member
That is a set of really big questions!
Here are my overly short (of necessity) answer.
There are four kinds of Truth. They are the four functions of consciousness (rational: thinking and feeling, irrational: sensation and intuition) as recognized by Carl Jung based on his study of personality theories in history (see Psychological Types). These four functions have two attitudes (introversion and extroversion). Each function and attitude reflects a type of neural activity in the human brain. We all possess these cognitive functions and attitudes but through the development of our brain/mind we have come to adopt a biased configuration favoring some functions over others. This gives rise to several personality types that can be recognized in people.
The truth is the result of an individual's adaptive cognitive response to the world and is colored by the biased development of their psychological type. Different individuals may, on this basis, have difficult to agree on differences in their sense of truth which will manifest in a variety of specific points on which they will disagree on in a variety of ways and yet not seem wholly in disagreement on. Different individual may also find a profound agreement and perceive each other to be overall compatitble in their mutual viewpoints.
The ability to recognize one's own personality type, to identify one's bias or preference and to recognize the value of the un-preferred functions and attitude of consciousness is a profound basis for the development of an individual's personal morality and spiritual satisfaction as well as for the development of a compassionate and insightful appreciation for the truth perspectives of others.
Cultures as well as individuals can take on a "configuration of biases" with respect to these qualities of the personality. Other factors such as language and culture and other historical personal and cultural experiences are often equally as or even more important to a sense of truth but the way in which the brain functions to establish self-evident truth in the individual is, perhaps, the most prevalent influence.
Oh dear God! Hahaha. The clueless fool.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Yes, ego interferes and does not let you find what exists (Brahman or Shunya, void, two options).
Tiberius
Well-Known Member
The best way to find the truth is to test it. If something is true, then it will always pass any proper test.
If you liked the Bible and Quran you will love Baha’u’llah’s “Book of Certitude” because in it the Biblical and Quranic messages are reconciled.
You can read it here: The Kitáb-i-Íqán | Bahá’í Reference Library
Kind regards,
~Dan
Exactly.
If we don't have the same understanding of what truth is, we're probably not talking about the same thing.
I described earlier what I thought truth was and how it was determined. If that's your idea of what constitutes truth, too, then not only are we talking about the same thing, but we have a method of determining who is right when we disagree.
If you have a different understanding of what truth is or how it is determined, then you probably won't be able to demonstrate what it is you are calling a truth, which makes the idea not useful to others. It's essentially opinion.
I was just reading a thread of emails on alternative medicine, naturopathy, and homeopathy, in which claims were made about the efficacy of these treatments. This issue came up in that discussion as well. Which claims in these areas are factual (truths), and how do we determine that. We have only one method for determining which therapies are efficacious - sufficiently powered, placebo controlled, double-blinded, randomized, prospective studies. If that's not how you decide which therapies work, then what do you have but hunch and anecdote, and what use are such opinions to others?
That’s not true.
Perhaps your starting reference is the issue. Truth must be independent of the decision processes of we mortals. It is not for us to decide what is truth. Rather it is our lot to (try our best to) discern Truth, align ourselves to it, and accept it. We will all come short of understanding Truth due to our limited mortal frame. Others will see some of the Truth that we miss even as we will see parts others miss. That is why humanity is united in our quest and striving. Finding Truth is not an achievable destination, it is a human imperative.
PureX
Veteran Member
The truth is "what is". We all understand this. The problem is that none of us knows the limitations or definition of "what is". So we are each presuming it's akin to our own subjective experiences of it.
The "truth" is the great mystery. And all we have access to, of it, are some limited and relative facts, from which we surmise a possible truth that we then must test to verify according to what works.
It's not a particularly effective system in terms of gaining truth. Though it is effective in terms of manipulating our environment to our own advantage.
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Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I think of it in terms by which the unaided eye cannot see itself, but it sees nonetheless.
It would appear truth is abstract, yet valid enough for a degree of comprehension to manifest by which such is acknowledged.
sealchan
Well-Known Member
What works is true...for the most part. How people perceive what is happening and what is causing it always leaves room for error. Science with its extensive reach has done wonders in that regard but there are still vast areas of human experience where science is less able currently to form an adequate perspective. This is especially true when science tries to get at the subjective experience of a conscious person.
Many homeopathic and other alternative medicine practices don't have experimental bases but they may have validity because they are either psychologically efficacious or they make use of systemic knowledge that science is still trying to get at. Science knows genetics and lots of details, but the human body is a very complex, adaptive system and there are emergent levels of behavior from bio-molecular to psychological that science cannot model yet. Repeated use of certain treatments seems to correlate with patients feeling of satisfaction regarding that treatment. That is enough for the patient in most cases although it doesn't go deep enough for good science. But then again, who is science for in the first place?
Ponder This
Well-Known Member
You create your own reality according to Natural Law.
This means that the reality you find yourself in is determined by your thoughts and intentions from before.
If you have an idea of something, say "Love", then your notion of "Love" becomes something that you manifest in your life. That is to say that that reality is formed in part by your intentions and decisions. It is real even if it originated in a subjective perspective.
When you ask, "How can the Truth be determined?" You have to understand that determination is an active process carried out by an observer, whereas Truth is purportedly an objective reality. Science cannot give you the Truth and it never pretends that it does. The scientific method is a means of determination. The reality is always a subjective one.
Sometimes a statement is a literal statement of fact. Sometimes it's bull****. And sometimes it's a metaphor for something else. Linguistically, words aren't definitive. We resolve the meaning of statements internally through processes that have been very difficult to fully unravel and understand. Words can also have double meanings, literal and figurative and figurative and literal.
This moment has already passed and other moments arise continuously. Live in the past or the future and you aren't living in the present. Reality is now. So how do you make sense of it all?
Make your line longer. This means, not allowing your mind to become distracted by the fact that it seems impossible to make sense of things. Focus on the things that are important and on things that improve your capability.
but which is Real? Christianity or Islam? the Bible or the Quran?
Ask a different question: What about this is really important? What about this is really improving my life or the lives of others? What is my greatest desire and my best intention? How do these books really fit into the life I will lead?
The books have been written. The books have been read. Debates have occurred. Like everything, the outcome of intentions, the outcome of realities, created by Natural Law. Now, in the present moment, in reflection, whether confused or clear, distracted or focused, your Reality evolves - inseparable from your own thoughts and intentions -
The path you walk is determined by the steps you take.