By Rudi Florian
This reflection of mine is all about this quest for truth, as I see it, regardless of our religious affiliation, spiritual belief or philosophy of life. Just have a closer look at the pictorial model of the wheel on the upcoming page which depicts our quest for truth. These individual parts of the wheel I have mentioned below, symbolize the various aspects of this inner journey to the truth within just about every one of us:
The hub symbolizes the truth within, the all-encompassing, ultimate goal.
The spokes symbolize the many paths leading to the truth within.
The rim symbolizes the freedom to choose a path from the outset of the quest.
The spoke supports symbolize the liberty to change path along the quest.
The gaps between the spokes symbolize the distance between different paths.
Since the wheel I have chosen has altogether only eight spokes, I selected the following eight kinds of seekers on their quest for truth to represent all the others worldwide. In addition, I have listed those cherished texts these seekers will most likely use among others as a guide in an attempt to reach that goal:
A Jew —————– The Tanakh (Torah, Nevi’im & Ketuvim), Talmud, Midrash & Zohar
A Christian ———- The Bible (Old & New Testament) & Apocrypha
A Muslim ———— The Qur’an, Hadith & Shariah
A Hindu ————– The Vedas, Upanishads & The Two Sanskrit Epics (Mahabharata & Ramayana)
A Buddhist ———– The Tripitaka (Pali Canon), Mahayana Sutras & The Tibetan Book of the Dead
A Confucian ——— The Four Books (Analects, Mencius, etc.) & Five Classics (Shu Ching, Shih Ching, I Ching, etc.)c
A Humanist ———- Books on Origins, Evolution, Ethics, Population & Environment, etc.
A Course Student — A Course in Miracles & The Two Supplements (Psychotherapy & The Song of Prayer)
I believe the wheel is a perfect metaphor of our quest for truth. It clearly shows that from the outset of our quest (rim) we are free to choose a path (spoke) that will lead us to our goal, the awareness of truth within (hub). But we will have to have faith and be willing to listen to our inner Guide, the True Self. Without this faith, we will not move along this path in search of truth. Instead, we will move around the rim from spoke to spoke, like on a merry-go-round, going nowhere. Of course, this is okay if we so choose and we will continue to do so until we’re sick and tired of this ride to nowhere. Only when we become still and are willing to let go of past learning, follow our inner Guide and commit ourselves to a path, will our quest for truth begin in earnest. Our progress on this particular path is directly proportional to our commitment to it. I believe to have faith, be honest and keep an open mind, to be humble, patient and kind, to be helpful, joyous and do no harm, and to extend love and compassion to all are essential parts of any genuine quest for truth. Consequently, we will know we are on the right track when we become ever more loving, peaceful, joyous and helpful to others as we pursue our goal together; helpful even to those seekers who have chosen a very different path from ours on their quest for truth. Truth simply cannot be limited or coerced; it cannot be conceptualized, it can be experienced solely in total freedom and with an open mind and a sincere and grateful heart.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”(The New Testament)
“The search for truth is but the honest searching out of everything that interferes with truth. Truth is. It can neither be lost nor sought nor found. It is there, wherever you are, being within you.”(A Course in Miracles)
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”(Confucius)
“If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path.”(a Buddhist saying)
“As a torch is not diminished though it kindles a million candles,
so will he not lose who gives to a good cause.” (Midrash Exodus Babbah)
To be committed to our path does not mean that we cannot also remain open minded to inner guidance regarding the suitability of our choice along the entire journey of our quest for truth. Why would we be afraid of any question about our path if we are convinced it leads to truth? Truth is incompatible with fear. Suppose you are a particular kind of seeker and you begin to have doubts that the path you are on continues to be right on track with your goal. Simply be still, be open to change and listen to the Guide within. In time you may realize that your path has served its purpose on your journey to truth. Be unafraid and be willing then to choose once again; just change tracks and realign your quest for truth with this newly chosen path (spoke support). Remember, however, not to judge the former path as less valuable because it is no longer the one you prefer, or perhaps, you may even want to reconsider and change back to it again in the end. I like to emphasize once more, you will have to make a commitment to that new choice of yours if you want to move on.
“During our brief stay on planet Earth, we owe ourselves and our descendants the opportunity to explore — in part because it’s fun to do. But there’s a far nobler reason. The day our knowledge of the cosmos ceases to expand, we risk regressing to the childish view that the universe figuratively and literally revolves around us. In that bleak world, arms-bearing, resource-hungry people and nations would be prone to act on their “low contracted prejudices.” And that would be the last gasp of human enlightenment — until the rise of a visionary new culture that could once again embrace, rather than fear, the cosmic perspective. “(Neil deGrasse Tyson)
There are, as I have implied earlier, all kinds of seekers on the quest for truth all over the world; some of them believe in only one God, while others believe in multiple deities, some question or even deny the existence of God, while still others have no concept of a creator God or a Supreme Being. Many Native tribes have their very own unique, spiritual paths. Then there are certain spiritual paths that deal with specific issues such as Twelve-step programs for those recovering from addiction or compulsive behavior. You may even feel inspired to seek your very own path to truth. Just be open and willing and follow the Guide within, but keep in mind, we are all on some kind of path searching for truth; none of those should be judged superior or inferior.
“It doesn’t speak well for one’s spiritual path if it is used to belittle someone else’s path.” (Asoka the Great) “The Great Spirit gave us each a song.”(an American Indian proverb)
“I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books;
I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.”(Herman Hesse)
“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth
not going all the way, and not starting.”(The Buddha)
To make one final, important point in regards to our quest for truth, let us examine the wheel one more time. From the outset, where we began our search, we notice quite a sizeable distance between the different paths (gaps). As we draw nearer and nearer to our goal, we see that the distance narrows, the differences of the paths diminish and then vanish completely in the end as we reach the subtle truth within to find there the everlasting love, peace and joy, we had been looking for all this time. I believe we will all reach our goal in the end no matter where we began our quest for truth from the outset and the changes we made along our path, provided that to find the truth is wholly our hearts’ desire. We can delay to reach this goal as long as we want to, but we cannot change the final outcome because we are already what we are seeking to become. So, let us be still and listen to our Guide within and in time we will know that we are all one in truth; truth that abides forever within, and will ultimately set us free regardless of our religious affiliation, spiritual belief or philosophy of life.
“Do not mistake words for truth…”(The Pirke Avot) “Words only point to the truth.”(author unknown) “The more you talk and think about it, the further astray you wander from the truth.”(The great Way – Son-Ts’an)
“We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the Secret sits in the middle and knows.”(Robert Frost)
“Yet at the journey’s ending there will be no gap, no distance between truth and you.”(A Course in Miracles)
“Therefore no single religion or spiritual system can lay claim to truth as its exclusive property. Truth cannot be confined or limited to a single set of beliefs. It will filter through in all languages and cultures, in every era and epoch, in countless forms, and to everyone who is ready to hear it.”(Robert Rosenthal)