“Truth is rarely writ in ink; it lives in nature.”  ~Martin H. Fischer

Dear Friend,

I must write to share with you, to remind you, (and actually to remind myself) – that truth, my truth, the truth of all Truth, can only be found, seen, or understood in deep penetrating presence.   In presence, we confront our ability to accept, not what we want tomorrow or what we felt yesterday, but what is, as it is, right now.  Just as your heart is beating against your chest and your tongue is resting against the back of your teeth.  Only here, as your eyes are scanning these words, is your mind focused and present.  This moment alone holds the eternal knowing of all that is, has been, and is yet to be.

All other truths are explanations or descriptions of truth, mere perceptions, and none can be other than what is here and now.  As quoted by Ramana Maharshi, “There is no Truth.  There is only the truth within each moment.”   No story, no memoir, no prediction, no assessment can equate or determine the magnitude of the truth as it is.   It exists within each breath unfolding through time; dying and being born from breath to breath; one truth ending as another begins.

In this way, Truth is eternal and has no borders.  It cannot be contained.  No book cover, box, or bar can protect it.  These things can hold a sacred place for what was, but like an image of youth, there is no fountain to turn back in time.   Flesh is not eternal, nor is a bound book, but the words and thoughts contained therein are — and, only in presence do they become true.  There is nothing hidden in yesterday’s knowledge, nor is it growing in tomorrow’s surprise.  Truth is whole and complete only when we sink into this very moment.

The moment we surrender fully, letting go of the need to know,  to act,  to control…is the moment we rest (without holding or grasping) in the present truth.  As we accept the natural order of constant change, and as each breath is drawn in and each breath released, we move into the presence of Truth.  Breathe deeply with awareness and be ever-present Truth.

In devoted expression,
Swami Karikananda