Shara / Qushta (ܫܪܐ / ܩܘܫܬܐ)
These are the words I taught concerning Truth, for Truth is the bedrock of the Way. Love without Truth becomes indulgence; Wisdom without Truth becomes cunning; Respect without Truth becomes flattery; Honesty without Truth becomes cruelty; Humility without Truth becomes shame. But with Truth, all things are made whole.
I say to you: the heavens and the earth shall pass, but Truth endures.
“Teacher, what is Truth? For many claim it, and each says, ‘I am right.’”
Truth is not a weapon to strike another, nor a prize to be hoarded. Truth is the Breath of the Eternal, unseen yet felt, silent yet speaking.
Truth is not in many words, but in what is. It is the seed that grows whether watched or not, the star that shines whether named or not.
Truth is not bound to one tongue or one people. It walks in many lands, wears many garments, and speaks in many voices. Truth is not possession, but presence.
There once were three men who stood before a mountain. One said, “It is stone.” Another said, “It is forest.” The third said, “It is river.” They quarreled bitterly, each calling the other a liar.
Then a traveler came who had climbed the mountain. He said, “You are all right, and you are all wrong. For the mountain is stone at its base, forest on its slopes, and river from its springs.”
So it is with Truth: no single eye sees it all, yet all who see rightly behold a part.
Why seek Truth? Because lies are snares, and deception is chains. Lies enslave both speaker and hearer; deception wounds both victim and deceiver. But Truth sets free, heals, and endures.
Why seek Truth? Because only on Truth can love be built. A house built on lies is like a hut on sand - it may stand in the calm, but the first storm brings ruin.
Why seek Truth? Because it is the measure of justice, the soul of wisdom, the breath of faith. Without it, all virtue collapses.
There once was a weaver who sold cloth dyed in false colors. In the sun it shone bright, but in the rain the dye washed away. Another wove with true dye, and though his cloth was humble, it endured.
So it is with Truth: what is false dazzles for a moment but fades; what is true endures.
“Teacher, how shall we live in Truth?”
Walk with eyes open. See the world as it is, not only as you wish it. Walk with ears open. Hear even what rebukes you, and weigh it with Wisdom. Walk with heart open. Receive correction, and rejoice when deceit is unveiled.
Speak Truth in love, not with cruelty. Do not use Truth to wound, but to heal. A knife may cut bread or flesh; so too Truth may nourish or destroy. Use it with care.
Live Truth in deed as well as word. For to speak truly but act falsely is to be a broken vessel. Let your hands match your lips, and your heart match both.
There once was a lamp lit in a dark house. A man covered it with a basket, saying, “It is still burning.” But the house remained dark. Another set it on the stand, and all within could see.
So it is with Truth: hidden, it is of little use; revealed, it gives light to all.
When shall you stand in Truth? Always, but most of all when it is costly.
Stand in Truth when it would be easier to flatter. Stand in Truth when it would be safer to deceive. Stand in Truth when you are mocked, when you are threatened, when you are alone.
For the falsehood of many cannot outweigh the Truth of one. A lie may roar like thunder, but Truth is like the sun: clouds may hide it for a time, but it is never gone.
“Teacher, what if Truth brings suffering?”
Better to suffer with Truth than to prosper with lies. For suffering passes, but deceit clings like chains. Truth may wound in the moment, but it heals in the end.
There once was a healer who told his patient, “Drink this, it is sweet,” though it was poison. The patient drank and died. Another said, “Drink this, it is bitter, but it will heal you.” The patient drank, and lived.
So it is with Truth: better the bitter medicine that heals than the sweet lie that destroys.
Therefore I tell you:
Live in Truth, and you will not stumble. Speak in Truth, and your words will be light. Act in Truth, and your deeds will endure.
This is what Truth is: the Breath of the Eternal.
This is why Truth is sought: it frees, it heals, it endures.
This is how Truth is lived: in sight, in speech, in deed.
This is when Truth is stood upon: always, but most of all when it costs you.
Walk in Truth, and you will walk in the Way.
