Following a post by Gangadhar – Truth, where does it lead to? I had these comments…
There’s a story…
Two guys are in a church, one guy says “I want to smoke”, the other guy says “I also want to smoke, but are you mad, the father wont let us!” So the first fellow says – go and ask anyway. So the other chap goes and kneels down and asks “father, may I smoke while I pray?” and the father says “of course not, this is a church!!” Then the second guy kneels down, and asks “Father, may I pray while I smoke?” And the father says “oh of course you may, son”! 🙂
So sometimes it may seem like lying is merely a twisting of the truth and can’t be too bad 😉 In Mahabharatha, Yudhisthira said “Ashwattama is dead” and added in a softer tone “ashwattama the elephant”. So Drona didn’t hear the second part, and in his grief, his alertness reduced, and this was an opportunity which was used to kill him.
Of course Yudhisthira spoke the truth, but if we can see that its the intent that was different (the story goes on to say that Yudhisthira’s chariot sunk lower by a few inches).
One might say some dark aspect of a man’s history in front of his wife and be very truthful – but still he has wrecked the man’s current family, and so his intent is not really pure.
So I believe its the purity of the intent that really matters, more than the speech.
Nipun writes…
Dishonesty, however subtle, is an expression of dis-satisfaction with your current world view. We think lying will help us create favorable circumstances but that conclusion is a result of a confused intellect that has been built upon an accumulated pile of lies. In practice, if we just cultivate a heart of simplicity, our contentment will bring nobel speech to our lips and noble silence in our minds. Then, we will stop wasting our lives in weaving through the imaginary maze of white lies, and actually start being the change we wish to see in the world.
The truth is not out there, its in here 🙂
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