Falsehoods

A student complained to the Teacher that another had wronged him. The Teacher asked, “How have you been wronged?” The student explained that the other had insulted him, and spread false rumors about his character. The Teacher said thoughtfully, “How do you know it was you who was being insulted and slandered?”

The student looked puzzled. “I told you – he insulted me directly to my face. Then he told the same story to my friends – he used my name.”

“Were these things that he said true?”

“No – of course not. That’s why I am angry at him.”

The teacher smiled. “Sometimes it upsets us more to hear the truth about ourselves than to hear falsehoods. And sometimes another person gives voice to what we secretly fear is true about ourselves. That may be the most upsetting of all.”

“But if these things that were said are not true, then they cannot have been said about you. This person is trying to create another you that is false, to deceive your friends and even you yourself, into accepting this artificial creature as you.”

“If you and your friends are deceived at all by this ruse, it can only be because you are not convinced of its falsity. This happens because your ego is aware that it too is a fabrication. If you identify with your ego, then you must think of yourself as something that can be created or destroyed. If your friends see only the ego you project – or whatever parts of their own egos they have projected upon you – then they may be as likely to believe in the new projection as in the old.”

“However, if you know yourself as a faultless manifestation of the divine, then you cannot be fooled by falsehoods constructed by your ego or another’s. Moreover, if you allow the true light of Spirit to shine into the world through your being, no one who is capable of seeing the truth will believe that you are possessed by depravity or evil.”

“Falsehood cannot exist in the presence of truth. The remedy for any pain you feel when someone tells lies about you is to stop believing lies about yourself. You are a perfect child of God, and nothing can change that. If you will only align your perception with that truth, you will not be troubled when other egos seek to pull you into the web of their suffering by projecting their own faults upon you.”

“Nor will you be concerned that others may believe empty falsehoods about you. Emptiness multiplied a thousand times is still empty. But if you truly know yourself, those around you will not be able to ignore the brilliance such knowledge brings to your soul; they will be as aware of your perfection as you are.”

"Finally, if you know who you truly are, there is no way you can be troubled by falsehoods that are spoken about you. When you hear something that triggers the beginning of resentment in you, remind yourself of its emptiness and your peace will be restored."