Truth Relative or Absolute?
by Eckhart Tolle

"Beyond the realm of simple and verifiable facts, the certainty
that "I am right and you are wrong" is a dangerous thing in personal
relationships as well as in interactions between nations, tribes,
religions, and so on.

But if the belief "I am right, you are wrong" is one of the ways in
which the ego strengthens itself, if making yourself right and
others wrong is a mental dysfunction that perpetuates separation and
conflict between human beings, does that mean there is no such thing
as right or wrong behavior, action, or belief? And wouldn't that be
the moral relativism that some contemporary Christian teachings see
as the great evil of our times?

The history of Christianity is, of course, a prime example of how
the belief that you are in sole possession of the truth, that is to
say, right, can corrupt your actions and behavior to the point of
insanity. For centuries, torturing and burning people alive if their
opinion diverged even in the slightest from Church doctrine or
narrow interpretations of scripture (the "Truth") was considered
right because the victims were "wrong." The Truth was considered
more important than human life. And what was the Truth? A story you
had to believe in; which means, a bundle of thoughts.

The one million people that mad dictator Pol Pot of Cambodia ordered
killed included everybody who wore glasses. Why? To him, the Marxist
interpretation of history was the absolute truth, and according to
his version of it, those who wore glasses belonged to the educated
class, the bourgeoisie, the exploiters of the peasants. They needed
to be eliminated to make room for a new social order. His truth also
was a bundle of thoughts.

The Catholic and other churches are actually correct when they
identify relativism, the belief that there is no absolute truth to
guide human behavior, as one of the evils of our times; but you
won't find absolute truth if you look for it when it cannot be found
in doctrines, ideologies, sets of rules, or stories. What do all of
these have in common? They are made up of thought. Thought can at
best point to the truth, but it never 'is' the truth. That's why
Buddhists say "The finger pointing to the moon is not the moon." All
religions are equally false and equally true, depending on how you
use them. You can use them in the service of the ego, or you can use
them in the service of the Truth. If you believe only your religion
is the Truth, you are using it in the service of the ego. Used in
such a way, religion becomes ideology and creates an illusory sense
of superiority as well as division and conflict between people. In
the service of the Truth, religious teachings represent signposts or
maps left behind by awakened humans to assist you in spiritual
awakening, that is to say, in becoming free of identification with
form.

There is only one absolute Truth, and all other truths emanate from
it. When you find that Truth, your actions will be in alignment with
it. Human action can reflect the Truth, or it can reflect illusion.
Can the Truth be put into words? Yes, but the words are, of course,
not it. They only point to it.

The Truth is inseparable from who you are. Yes, you 'are' the Truth.
If you look for it elsewhere, you will be deceived every time. The
very Being that you are is Truth. Jesus tried to convey that when he
said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6) These
words uttered by Jesus are one of the most powerful and direct
pointers to the Truth, if understood correctly. If misinterpreted,
however, they become a great obstacle. Jesus speaks of the innermost
I Am, the essence identity of every man and woman, every life-form,
in fact. He speaks of the life that you are. Some Christian mystics
have called it the Christ within; Buddhists call it your Buddha
nature; for Hindus, it is Atman, the indwelling God. When you are in
touch with that dimension within yourself--and being in touch with
it is your natural state, not some miraculous achievement--all your
actions and relationships will reflect the oneness with all life
that you sense deep within. This is love. Laws, commandments, rules,
and regulations are necessary for those who are cut off from who
they are, the Truth wihin. They prevent the worst excesses of the
ego, and often they don't even do that. "Love and do what you will."
said St. Augustine. Words cannot get much closer to the Truth than
that."

Excerpt
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
by Eckhart Tolle
Copyright © 2005
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