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The Path of Truth by Arya Putra
The path of Truth is known as DHARMA. The meaning of Dharma is expounded in the Vedas
(and Vedic literature), which reveal the nature of Reality. There are not two Realities; there are not two
Truths. There is One Reality;
there is One Truth. The one Reality is Truth, and the nature of Reality
(Truth) is revealed in the Vedas. The nature of Reality is revealed to be three-fold,
yet One and indivisible. That
Reality is SatChitAnand. SAT is Existence, CHIT is Consciousness, and
ANANDA is Bliss. The reality of innumerable particles of Existence devoid
of consciousness and bliss is known as PRAKRITI. This is one aspect
of Reality. Another aspect of
Reality is the reality of the existence of innumerable conscious beings
known as Souls (ATMAN). Pervading
all of this, and beyond all of this, is the Highest
aspect of Reality which is All-existing, All-conscious, and All-Blissful
and is known as SatChitAnand, the indivisible, One Supreme Reality. The One Supreme Reality is Eternal: it is beginningless and endless.
Similarly, the innumerable souls and Prakriti
are uncreated (beginningless) and indestructible
(endless), and like the qualities of that Highest aspect of Reality
their characteristics too are eternal.
These three: the Supreme Self, the innumerable
Souls, and Prakriti are eternal aspects of
Truth. One who is truthful, one
who is real, completely embraces the Truth and manifests all aspects
of Reality. Such a truthful one lives a natural life, knows
the limits of mind and matter, and worships (reaches for) the Supreme
Self. One who is not truthful ignores natural boundaries
(the limits of Prakriti and Purush), breaks the laws of nature, and never reaches beyond
himself, but instead worships the temporal as permanent, the limited
as the limitless, and the half-truth as the whole truth. The path of half-truth leads nowhere. In fact, half-truth cannot be called truth at
all. Truth is indivisible and whole, and only those who wholly embrace
it know it. Completely
embracing Truth means practicing it in thought, word, and deed. This does not mean one has to be perfect to
know the truth; it only means one needs to be truthful. Those who are truthful do not hide behind images
or the mask of ego (false-identity). This does not mean they are completely
free of their images (including their self-image) and ego; it only means
that they do not lie to themselves and others by pretending to know
what they do not know, or pretending to see what they do not perceive,
and pretending to be free when they are not yet free. Those who pretend to be free remain in bondage
like a caged bird that sings. When a person is accustomed to their mental
cage (of ego and images) they choose to remain in their ego and hold
onto their images even when their images are broken and their ego is
confronted. The path of ego (personality worship) and images
(mental superimpositions) is not the One Universal Path of Truth; it
is the fragmented path of manmade religion.
The many paths of different religions all lead in circles and
never bring the Self face to face (so to speak) with the Supreme Self,
because these different religions are ALL halfway measures to reach
the immeasurable imageless TRUTH. ALL of the various religions resolve themselves
back to a particular person, personality, or image. One who really wants to know the Truth has to
leave all these religious trappings and turn his or her mind inward
to the Light of the Soul. Guided by Divine Wisdom, and protected by
one’s own solid practices, one will tread the only true path that there
is—which is
the Path Within. The ‘Path Within’ is not some New Age buzz word
employed to justify one’s self-involvement or self-centeredness. The
‘Path Within’ simply means that one stops looking outside of himself
for the answers that can only be found within. The Truth-seeker stops
trying to validate his or her ego with false knowledge and flimsy images
of spirituality. The Truth-seeker drops ALL images and becomes
like a child sitting in the lap of his Divine Mother or Father. The Truth Seeker embraces universality and sheds
all his images of unreality, his personal bias, and any cravings for
personal recognition or appreciation. This is the one Path of Truth which is known
by various names: the Path Within (the search for Truth within), the Path of Dharma (the
practice of Truth), the Path of Divine Wisdom (the knowledge of the
Vedas), the Path of YOGA (the realization and actualization of the essence of the Vedas). We can call it the Vedic Path, or we can call it the Universal Path; or we can simply call it the Path of the Wise. |