What is truth?

lol! :)

The truth of a rule created by consensus cannot be denied.

How about some Jamaican Blue Mountain, medium roast, fine ground?

So - truth as a social construct. Thank you.

I believe post-modernists regard all truths as relative

and hold that any absolute truth is impossible.

:)

I agree that numbers become relative when we conceive of them as numbers of something, since the somethings may be variable in many ways -- but pure number works by logic alone, so it is one area in which the truth of an algorithm can be proven without doubt.

On all the rest, I agree with you completely. Love the way you think.

I like the way you think -

taking into account the different permutations of the meaning of the word in different contexts.

:)

Thank you. :-)

Pure numbers work by logic because they are based on a system we have agreed on being the one that makes most sense to us. Interesting question, what defines a number?

Try posting it and see if the mathematicians here respond. :)

Done!

Excellent question

What we are dealing with is Relative truth 

and Absolute truth.

     The western world is rooted in relative truth.

that truth which can be seen through a microscope

and can be observed through the senses

in this dualistic world of  separational consciousness.

...in the Absolute sense

there is a deep hidden Truth

within each of us

that goes beyond the Physical plane of life.

    The west is rooted in materialism, separations and divisions

and does not look beyond that. We are aware of our differences

but not of the oneness that lies within. We come close through love

in seeing the differences merge.

and then we have an Absolute truth which

is on the other side of our thoughts, which we are not aware of because of incessant thoughts 

and our attachment to everything.

    So with the Absolute

we are talking about awareness of consciousness beyond the physical plane.

...There have always been enlightened masters to share the awareness 

of the ultimate truth on the planet.

In the west you had Jesus who taught about Christ consciousness within each of us and how to experience this.

Through time the churches in the west have not understood this deep truth and have built walls around their misunderstanding and have taught confusion and separation.

     In the East enlightened spiritual Masters have taught meditation since the beginning of time.

For meditation can take us to the ultimate truth within us. Consciousness is deep

and goes way beyond the physical plane of activity.

...The absolute Truth cannot be observed through a microscope.

The absolute Truth can only be experienced and known through the Self.

so to know the truth, know your true Self. Which is not your egoic self,

but the light of your soul, Called Christ consciousness in the west

and Shiva Loka in the east.

     WE are always looking outside of ourselves, which locks us into that realm. In meditation

we look within, and bring our awareness to within our Self, beyond the separations and differences into the oneness

of existence. The inner worlds are vast making the physical universe very small.

     I could go on forever on this but for a real good look at the Truth within, learn to meditate.

Read "Play of consciousness" by Swami Muktananda. It is his spiritual autobiography

and takes us along with him in his deep meditations and he describes what he sees

in the Astral and Causal planes of consciousness. This was written for his personal students and not for

the general population, but it is available. It is very deep and enlightening and a must read

for those that are seeking the ultimate truth.

A consensus of one and the first rule on the AnswerMug TOS list. :)

LOL!

I met Muktananda, through my sister, Kunti Harcourt. Many years ago, I read his book.

After searching through several gurus and variants of teachings, I was attracted to Theravadin Buddhism - specifically Vipassana in the teaching lineage of U Ba Kin, in Burma.

There are many points of similarity between esoteric Vedantist spirituality (irrespective of whether gurus follow Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva.) Your Shiva Loka is Buddha's Nirvana. The paths and method are clearly laid out.

After over thirty years, I can say meditation has made a big difference in my life. But I am not a strict adherent. There are tendencies within organized religion which occur from human fallibility, and so are inevitable and ubiquitous. So I quit the Sangha and live an ordinary life. The differences between relative and absolute truth are never too far from awareness and help life in many ways. In Buddhism the relative is called "conditional" because it arises dependent upon the conditions of time, space, and matter. Consciousness can also be conditional, dependent on the level of awareness. Its truth can be realised by anyone at the level of direct experience, but few choose the path. I do not regard this as a thing of better or less than - simply what is. I find it easy to be an atheist with the context of Buddhist teachings - despite the fact that Buddhism itself is not entirely atheist.

This is a deeply philosophical question, way beyond my capacity to answer. But from what little I've read - and indeed it is very little, and much of  which I cannot understand - truth is something unthinkable, unimaginable, inconceivable. 

If you think of something, then it is not truth. It is merely what you think of. Likewise for imagining and conceiving. They say it is all illusion, or Maya. Truth is beyond all this. I've even read that truth is ultimately the germ of Creation. 

As I've said, I'm only parroting words I've read before ,and which have stuck in my mind without my properly comprehending them. My parents have never been inclined to think of these matters, let alone discuss them, and that's fine too.

But I must say that reading the various answers you have received to this query has stimulated me to search deeper. How I'll do that, given my present life, I do not know. But I must work something out, that's for sure.

Thank you. I wanted to attract people interested in sharing all the different views, or as many as possible.

Your view is almost perfectly in agreement with the esoteric teachings of Hinduism. The easiest way to access the writings is via a tiny book called, "The Ten Principal Upanishads." It's series of sacred texts written by forest meditators in the North of India in roughly 600 BC.

Other ways to access it are via the writings of gurus teaching the inner spiritual heart of the Vedas. Some teachers who stay true to the core include Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Marharshi, Muktananda and Sai Baba - all dead now - but their writings are still available and the appointed teachers in their lineages are still teaching.

The Eastern definition of truth has been very different to that of the West for over 5,000 years - since oral transmissions of teachings first became evident via the linguistic studies of ancient hymns. The views of each are so different that those who believe one tend to scoff at those who believe the other. I believe that if one can accept paradox, both views are valid and useful in different ways.