Reality is based on Truth

 As I have previously said, my practice these days is more and more based on what is, rather than what I would like to be so.  For me this really came to the fore when I was a Practicus 3^○=8^□, and issues of personal integrity came up. Without going into details, I was offered the chance to either preserve appearances, by lying and obfuscating, or preserve my real integrity by being honest and shattering the self-image that I had cultivated up to that point.

Ever since then, integrity has been central to my worldview, if I am not being completely honest, then I am not in line with the universal way. Even if other people don't know it, I know it. 

Gudo Nishijima Roshi put this point across very well, to paraphrase:

“The universe is based on truth, and if we want to be aligned with the universe, we ourselves have to base our practice on truth”.

To me this means, that the universe is what it is, so to speak, and no amount of elaboration, fantasy or wishful thinking will change that. My practice therefore became one not of ‘becoming’ something, not an act of self-creation, but of alignment with what is. This is the reason I reject most magical practice, spells and such, as organised wishing, and reject visions and illuminations as self-reflected imagery. It is also why I regard those practitioners who indulge in self-delusion, as not really on the path.

Reality is uncompromising, often brutal, and frequently not as we’d wish it to be. It is also complex and confusing. People often want simple answers, somebody to blame, and a sort of structure that they can direct their concerns to. They want to ‘speak to the management’, and so they invoke God, or invent conspiracy theories that seem to explain things in ways that they can readily grasp. However, these things often don’t really help. They seem to do so, they are a sort of salve for the hurting self, but when analysed, I found that they really don’t stack up and are really a form of escapism.

I’m as uncertain about life as the next person. I work in a climate science related field, the future looks scary, and there are no easy answers that I can see. I would love for there to be simple answers: who to blame, exactly what steps to take, but I have had to learn to live with uncertainty in my work life as well as my practice, and accept that sometimes it’s ok not to know.

Not knowing is part of life. For me, not knowing is often the only honest position to take. Adhering to stories and narratives that simplify, or justify my failings and fears, or such forms of self-delusion both don’t help in any practical sense, and don’t help in terms of practice, whish is ultimately one of alignment with the truth of the universe as it is, right here, at this moment.