To occupy ourselves with the investigation of things that are is the way of wisdom.
If we are serious about our practice, then we will be serious about this investigation. This investigation is about seeing things as they are, as they present themselves through the senses, from moment to moment. It’s about observing those things clearly, which means with a mind that is free of selfish intention or anything that would cloud our observation. And it’s about distinguishing between what is true and what is false, and accepting only the facts. It’s not easy. Much of what we take for fact really isn’t. What we think is permanent really isn’t. What we think is ours really isn’t. To see things as they are requires us to put aside our preconceived notions and much of our conditioned thinking. We need to discover that which is real and which is hidden behind what is false. This week’s piece by James Allen is called Light on Facts and Hypotheses and reminds us how important it is to see things clearly, as they really are.
One Comment
I’ve been reading your writings by James Allen, and I do think he’s so inspiring. It’s so true that it is our own attitudes and state of mind that determines whether we are happy or unhappy, and we are responsible for what we think. It’s so easy to go off in a negative direction with our thoughts, but it can also be just as easy to turn it around. But first we have to know that it is our thoughts that cause us so much aguish and by being determined to think with the intention of goodness and making righteous and conscious choices every moment, this will transform our characters. We just become happier.