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How to know whether a statement is true? || Acharya Prashant, on Swami Vivekananda (2017)
Scriptures and Saints
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1 year ago
Truth
Nothingness
Facts
Inner Peace
Non-conformity
Reflection
Detachment
Innocence
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that truth can be stated in a thousand different ways and, in fact, must be stated in such a manner because truth is fundamentally nothingness. This nothingness has no agenda and expresses itself according to the ever-changing situations of the world. Because the world is in constant flux, no two expressions of truth can ever be identical; truth is a non-conformist rebel that does not follow even its own previous statements and may even appear to contradict itself. He describes truth as a clean mirror that simply reflects whatever is before it, whether black or white, without adding or subtracting anything. Acharya Prashant distinguishes between facts and truth, noting that while the opposite of a fact is not a fact, the opposite of truth can also be true. Facts are fragments observable through the senses and limited by language, whereas truth is neither perceivable through senses nor limited by finite definitions. He asserts that any statement arising from a state of inner peace and nothingness is a statement of truth, regardless of whether it seems nonsensical or lacks linguistic comprehension. The validity of a statement depends entirely on the center from which it arises; the same words can be truth when coming from innocence or deception when coming from another source. Finally, he advises against trying to decide or judge what truth is, as truth is not an individual's business. Instead, one should limit themselves to looking at the facts of their own life honestly, ruthlessly, and with detachment. By living clearly in facts rather than in fancies or imaginations, one allows truth to take care of them. He emphasizes that one should not bother about the truth itself but should focus on being sharply aware of the reality of their current situation.