Theos-Talk Archives (January 1997 Message tl00755)

Tom:
>I have basically the same definition, but I don't see how it includes
>falsehood, except as perception, since it does not exist as reality.

There is a lot of debate as to what is Truth.  Buddhists (at least the
Dzogchen Tibetans) see it as both Nirvana and Samsara and thus
they would include what is called maya--the lower four cosmic planes.  
Christian Scientists, on the other hand, see Truth as only the
spiritual, and they would deny any reality to matter (i.e., the four
lower planes, though they know not of them).  I take the Dzogchen
view, and see all seven cosmic planes as Truth, which itself contains
both truth and falsehood (note I use T's and t's to distinguish).
	Of course perception is involved here.  Nothing at all is true
or false but what we perceive.  Perception is everything.  I do not
believe that "objective truth" exists per se, except in a relative
sense.  For example, pink elephants seen by a drunk have
objective reality for the drunk.  Dreams seem real and have objective
reality to us while we are dreaming.  Perception changes over time
because our objective reality itself changes.  Our objective reality
always tends to express our subjective reality, and vice versa.

Jerry S.
Member, TI