The Way, Part Five

Buddha Precepts, Part Five

Do not lie: Respect and value the truth.

Authentic being is grounded in non-duality. We present ourselves as we are, directly, honestly, and without spin. I am, for example, a monk. No more or less. I struggle to present myself as I am as that “I AM” is often clouded by “I Was” or “I Want to Be” thoughts. To present myself as I was would not be true; likewise, presenting myself as I want to be, a fiction.
Lying has to do with protection of an image, a view, of something about ourselves. Yet, paradoxically, every time we lie, we damage ourselves and that image. By lying we demonstrate or lack of faith in both ourselves and others. By lying we demonstrate we do not trust the universe.

While it is true, the truth will set us free and demonstrates our faith, it is equally true that the truth can often be used to cause harm. When approaching the truth know its effect. We live by a higher standard than “simply” telling the truth. We must also live by the standard of ahimsa: do no harm. By this standard we must use wise, balanced judgment in dealing with each other.

All of his is the easy part, though, for those who face the wall. Our practice demands a view of interdependence and nurturance. Judgment arises from and is built upon this practice.
The hard part is coming to know ‘the truth’ at all. Take any class in history, philosophy, religion, art, music, etc., and you will discover the truth is intensely personal, situational, and obviously relative. Those of us who are loathe to take on the mantle of moral relativists are, by definition, living in a reality that cannot be true as it is a reality created from thoughts about what should be universal. In Zen we speak of truth then as both Absolute and Relative. The Absolute Truth is Non-duality itself, which subsumes the relative, the dualism of everyday life, and “Small Mind.”
Can we ever “know” the “Truth”? I doubt it. As a result we are all prone to live in a view of it which may not be shared by others. Our practice is to have our eyes wide open and be as authentic as possible in every life context.
Do not lie.

Be well.