Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00198)

Dr Maurice de Montaine:

MdeM
>It was wise indeed to differentiate between relative truth and
>Absolute Truth for the former is distinct from the latter. In
>my many years of membership of The Theosophical Society and
>numerous other genuine organisations similar thereto I have
>found that there are few who have really penetrated into the
>inner heart of Truth. One can argue and define all one wants
>but is this really getting one closer to Truth. As far as I am
>concerned my interest is in Absolute Truth. But even those who
>hold an interest in these types of subjects often say that there
>is no such thing as Absolute Truth. Poor deluded souls!

JHE
Sounds like you are a romantic and a neo-platonist if not a
platonist. Welcome to the club our kind have been disappearing
rather as of late under the pressure of the post modern movement.
Below is my favorite definition for Absolute Truth:

SAULINO. Deservedly oh Sophia for Truth is the most
sincere the most divine of all things. Rather Truth is the
divinity and sincerity the goodness and beauty of things
who is neither driven away by violence nor corrupted by
antiquity nor diminished by occultation nor dispersed by
communication. For sense does not confound her time does
not wrinkle her place does not hide her night does not
interrupt her shadow does not envelop her. Rather the more
and more she is impugned the more and more she is
resuscitated and grows. Without a defender and protector
she defends herself; and yet she loves the company of a few
wise men. She hates the multitude does not show herself
before those who do not seek her for her own sake and does
not wish to be declared to those who do not humbly expose
themselves to her or to all those who fraudulently seek
her; and here fore she dwells most high whither all gaze
and few see.

Giordano Bruno from: ~The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast~
~Lo Spaccio de la bestia trionfante~. 1584

It was around 1971 that I found a copy of ~Lo Spaccio~ in a
used book store and for some reason felt a deep need to read this
rather ponderous tome. When I finally came to the above passage
I found myself moved to tears by it. I believe that Bruno was
one of those rare people who as you say "really penetrated into
the inner heart of Truth."
I'm sure that you are aware as I later learned that it was
this passage more than any other that earned Bruno seven years in
the Roman inquisitor's prison and finally to be burned at the
stake in Feb of 1600.

MdeM
> Let me say however that Universal Truth is equivalent to
>Absolute Truth. There is no need to make a distinction between
>these two terms. Also personal truth is equivalent to relative
>truth but can be different for each individual.

JHE
I agree with you in principle. However I had an agenda in
mind that required a little preliminary hair splitting in order
to bring out some other ideas. The differences among individuals
concerning notions of truth as you mentioned above is one of
them.
One of the units I had developed for teaching theosophy is
called "truth" and the above quote is one that we use in those
classes.

Jerry HE