{"id":14647,"date":"2025-02-01T13:08:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T18:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aiglebleu.net\/?p=14647"},"modified":"2025-02-01T13:12:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T18:12:05","slug":"what-is-true-what-is-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aiglebleu.net\/en\/what-is-true-what-is-the-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"What is true, what is the truth ?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Ian Stauffer<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

WHAT IS TRUTH?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week, when I was thinking about a theme for my readers, I chose a subject that is particularly close to my heart: truth.<\/p>\n

From an early age, I meditated and reflected on this subject. I perceived inescapable truths within myself that were not, however, shared by the world around me. History shows us that collective errors about what is true can have catastrophic consequences. For example, believing in the superiority of one people over another has led to unimaginable suffering, such as the pogroms perpetrated against the Jews under the Nazi regime or the enslavement of blacks in America.<\/p>\n

It is therefore vital to determine clearly and precisely what is true. Before colonization, it was a custom among the indigenous peoples of America to place great value on a man’s word. A man was judged and esteemed according to the authenticity of his words. Telling the truth and keeping one’s word were essential criteria for measuring one’s influence within the community.<\/p>\n

I discussed the notion of truth in depth in my book The<\/em> Philosophy of Nature<\/em><\/a>. I won’t return to it here, and invite you to discover those thoughts for yourself. The important thing today is to understand the importance of deep introspection in identifying, respecting and honouring truth. As Socrates said: \u2018Know thyself and thou shalt know the universe and the gods.\u2019<\/em> Within us, as in nature, lies the truth. Nature never lies. But you have to know how to read it, and the world’s indigenous peoples have a head start on civilizations that have distanced themselves from it. To live in harmony with nature is to come closer to the truth.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths are worth mentioning:<\/p>\n

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  1. The truth of suffering<\/li>\n
  2. The truth of the origin of suffering<\/li>\n
  3. The truth of the cessation of suffering<\/li>\n
  4. The truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I have often emphasised the deep links between Tibetan Buddhism and Native American wisdom. Inspired by these teachings, I have integrated them into my own practice. Tibetan Buddhism offers several paths to realisation:<\/p>\n