by Robert Wilkinson
It's been 3 years since I last gave you these. Because they are true for all of us, they’re still relevant given the times we're in, with so much that's ended and begun for everyone. Remembering these Truths may make living through these tumultuous times a little easier.
The following are three Truths in human life. These truths apply equally to all of us, regardless of time, space, cultural, gender, age, or historical distinctions.
I've been pondering these for several decades, and still haven't found a fourth "truth" that isn't related to one of these three. If any of you can come up with a fourth truth not derived from one of these three, it’ll be a great launch pad for an interesting discussion. And in the spirit of eternal jocularity, or the Divine Play that the Vedic scholars call "Leela," I’ll even entertain entertaining suggestions.
These have been put various ways, they're all pretty simple and straightforward, and they have nothing to do with religion or local belief systems.
1. All forms pass away.
So don’t get too uptight at the changes. Don’t get too attached to suffering the difficulties, and don’t get too attached to the enjoyment of pleasures. Both the problems and the enjoyments will pass, so chill out and don’t take any of it too personally.
Remembering the impermanence of almost everything we perceive, we can live life to the fullest while not getting stuck by clinging to habits in thought, feeling, or action that lead to suffering. Basically, this truth helps us live so that the thieves of the past and future don’t steal our present.
2. The Golden Rule works.
Also known as, "What goes around, comes around." Even though we may not see the larger workings of the eternal Law of cause and effect, it’s there if you take a wide enough point of view. A logical corollary of this truth is that as one acts, feels, thinks, and aspires, one creates the tendencies for these to manifest in the future.
We just usually have such short attention spans that we don’t see the bigger picture of the cause-and-effect cycles of our lives. Still, the Law works in mysterious ways whether we perceive it or not, and if this second Truth actually works for all of us, then it is easy to see that the third Truth is...
3. Love is the way.
Since Truth number one is inevitable in our dualistic impermanent system, and Truth number two is an expression of the "karmic law" governing the field of sensory manifestation and creating patterns that persist through space and time, then this third Truth, to embrace, learn, and BE Love, is the only sane way to live.
Certainly, we can all agree that not all things are likeable. However, if we greet all of our experiences with as much love as possible, eventually we will can look back and realize that regardless of circumstances, we have had nothing but loving experiences. And if "what goes around comes around," then love is the only sane way to live, since anything else will bring passages at one time and another where we choose either to love or to suffer.
Contrary to some local religious and cultural superstitions, I do not believe that love and suffering go together. That’s just weird, and somewhat sado-masochistic. We can learn how to be loving in the face of suffering, and to paraphrase my friend, the great Ram Dass, we must learn how to break the link between pain and suffering. Life can be pretty painful, but we do not have to suffer.
There's nothing here on Earth that warrants us being in a non-loving state. Not all things are likeable, but we must choose to learn to love without the usual conditions. It’s that easy, and that difficult. But since only the body, feelings, and brain die, it’s not like there’s any other game in town. And to quote some very popular guys, "The love you take is equal to the love you make."
With all the radical changes going on, with the acceleration of the time stream, with all the pressures we're all under on a daily basis, keep these close to your heart. They may help you remember some things that are beyond the fluctuations of the white noise of daily living.
Copyright © 2005, 2014 Robert Wilkinson
Always nice to have a reminder Robert - thanks. It can be hard to let go of anything that isn't love, but with a little practice, it really starts to work.
Bright Blessings!
Posted by: Zephyr | November 14, 2014 at 01:33 AM
A 4th truth? It could be ; you have no control over anything or anyone, only yourself. Do not get attached to outcomes. I am desperately trying to learn and incorporate this wisdom only with minimal progress I should say, however I am going to keep at it. It has been hard for me to detach from outcomes but I realize now that I really have no choice in the matter and I have to let go. I wanted to give it a shot, I like the challenge.
Posted by: ellen | November 16, 2014 at 11:26 PM
Brilliant synthesis!
A possible fourth truth could be that good will prevail. Or to put it on different terms; The power of WILL is guiding the becoming of our human race and the Universe. It is the tune all has and will finally dance to. from our subjective life: we and everything is divine manifestation and motion.
Blessings be
PS(Nothing to do with will as human determination or desire to...)
Posted by: Nic | November 18, 2014 at 08:19 AM