What is Truth?
There is a saying, “What the mind believes is true or it becomes true.” This is exactly what has been happening through time — it is like auto-hypnosis. Is what the mind believes is true reality? Actually, it appears to be true. Also, “it becomes true” — it can never become true by believing it to be true, it starts appearing to be true. For the believer it can become true, although it is not true because belief begins in ignorance. Belief cannot create truth, truth exists — it is already there — only we cannot see it, we live in ignorance.
Truth is truth, it cannot be denied and nor does your believing or not believing change reality — it makes no difference to the truth! But if you start believing in something it appears to be true to you at least. When we say believe, what we are saying in reality is that we do not know the fact, but we believe it to be so, indirectly you accept your ignorance but rely on your belief to explain your position.
The journey in search of truth is arduous. It needs a great emptying of the mind; it needs a great cleansing of the heart. It requires innocence, the innocence of a child — you need to become a child all over again. Only very few people over the ages have actually discovered the truth. The truth will shake you by your very foundation, it is risky, it may shatter all that you have ever known before! You may end up rearranging your whole life. It is dangerous as it could shatter all your dreams, dissipate all your illusions. It is just like going through fire, it will burn you as you pass through, it will kill your current identity completely.
Just think about this — how does the seed know that by dying in the soil it will one day become a massive tree? The seed gives up its identity and becomes a tree — it is not there to witness the tree when fully grown. How can the seed know that one day after it dies, there will be great foliage, flowers and fruits, a home for birds, a shelter for the weary? The seed will not be there, the seed has to disappear and die for the great tree to appear!
Only a very few people have that kind of courage. It really needs guts to discover the truth, because your self has to die before the truth appears. One needs to die while alive to know the truth and that is possible only under the guidance of a living Master. Even under the guidance of a living Master we have to completely give up our ego and desires — literally die while alive — before the truth reveals itself!
Jesus says, “Truth liberates.” But how to attain to truth? It is not a question of belief, but a question of meditativeness. And what is meditation? Meditation is emptying your mind completely of all belief, ideology, concept, thought. Only in an empty mind, when there is no dust left on the mirror, truth reflects. That reflection itself is a divine blessing.
