06/01/2022
Landscapes of Truth
Sunstar; May 24, 2005
By: Sensei Erwin Rimban
Why is absolute truth so hard to discover?
I was asked this question by a friend who is very much in the theories of knowledge. Let us analyze why the mind as we know it is limited by its present capacity to understand the great laws of the universe and therefore, absolute truth.
The first feature of the mind is its processing styles. There are actually two processors in the brain: the left brain and the right brain. The left brain is a structured processor; its main hallmark is linear thought. As a step thinker, it will logically process data step-by-step, the next procedure building on the previous data sets. It is methodical, precise, and seeks to develop logical structures that reflect this nature. Disciplines like science, engineering, logic, mathematics, geometry, grammar, and computer programming manifest the left brain functions very strongly.
On the other hand, the right brain is an unstructured parallel processor; its main hallmark is nonlinear thought. As a web processor, it accesses many data streams simultaneously. It seeks to form interconnections and inter-relationships among its data streams. Then, it assimilates content from even seemingly unrelated modes of thought to gather inspiration. When it produces a solution to a problem, that solution may even be unrelated to the original problem. In other words, the right brain is creative, innovative and unorthodox in its methods. Disciplines like art, music, dance, psychology, architecture, poetry, lo******ng and synastry manifest the right brain functions very strongly. The left brain is the masculine mind while the right brain is the feminine mind.
Fragmentation therefore is a feature of human thought process. A certain discipline is mastered but due to the rigors of specialization this field is cut off from the others. Say you are specializing in zoology. You study the nature, hierarchy, anatomy, physiology and development of animals. You become familiar with concepts in an unrelated field like religion because they contradict you conceptual position. You will view concepts from an arcane field like astrology with disdain. The problem now presents itself. Your mind, albeit your lower mind, had erected a conceptual tower from which you think that you are impregnable. Little do you know that you wallow in ignorance and misery. That tower must be destroyed eventually in order for you to understand Ultimate Reality with more clarity and accuracy.
Let us take another example. A sociologist studies interaction in certain groups. He becomes adept in the latest research concerning group interaction. Feeling quite knowledgeable, he will think he is an absolute master of the subject. He looks at newspapers and magazines and may come to regard astrological and archetypal psychology articles with derision. He may conclude that the insights from these disciplines are useless. He is dead wrong, of course. But a specialist is necessarily narrow-minded.
The zoologist and the sociologist cited above will benefit from a paradigm shift in their ways of thinking. If the zoologist becomes familiar with theosophical writings then he will come to realize that other questors of knowledge have approached evolution from a different perspective and have surprisingly advanced insights. If the sociologist becomes familiar with correct astrological precepts, then he will come to realize that this field can help him discover new vistas of knowledge about human nature and human interaction that is very profound and valuable. Such is the gift of insight coming from a willingness to explore new realms of thought.
You must endeavour always to discover new realms of thought, even those that are alien to your thinking. Treat yourself to paradigm shifts from time to time and you will emerge a better man and a smarter thinker.
The fragmentation of the disciplines of thought is one of the reasons why absolute truth is so hard to discover. The universe yields a plethora of information on many levels and dimensions. It is hard to relate one discipline to the next. This requires a seeker of knowledge to exert himself to the fullest and do the hard work to assimilate concepts from disparate areas of knowledge. Yet, if he is an aspirant of wisdom, then he must force himself to get out of his shell and explore the unknown. This will exact from him a dedication that must be intense and preserving. Otherwise, his efforts are bound to fail.
And so it is that the disciplines that attempt to discover absolute truth are among the hardest to synthesize. Examples are religion, philosophy, psychology, cosmology, metaphysics, astrology, divination, paranormal phenomena, theosophy and mysticism, among others. All these disciplines and related systems of thought are actual attempts to map the complexity that is the universe. They are paths to the workings of the Divine Mind itself. To the beginning student of wisdom, the task is very daunting indeed. He will ask himself many perplexing questions. How come these fields yield different results? How come that they differ in many fundamental respects? How come that they present different conclusions as to the nature of Ultimate Reality?
Well, I am going to tell you that the fragmentation in the orthodox sciences, meaning the conventional modes of knowledge, is even more paramount when applied to the mystical arts, the unorthodox realms of thought. That is why a quantum physicist, an astrologer, a metaphysician, a psychologist, a priest, a psychic, and a shaman may initially have altogether different perceptions of Ultimate Reality. But even these may come to agree on fundamental tenets if only they exert themselves to understand the interrelationship and interconnections among their fields. They should integrate conclusions from various areas to reach a higher synthesis. And so it is with all spiritual aspirants and questors of wisdom. Explore new fields. Associate concepts from disparate areas. Integrate tenets. Combine insights. Synthesize truths. Only in this way can the heights of Absolute Truth be scaled. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow put it very aptly in the concluding stanza of his immortal poem.
The Builders:
“Thus alone we attain
To those torrents where the eye
Sees the world as one vast plain
And one boundless reach of sky”
