The Teaching Is Not Supposed to Be True

"I have a doubt that teachers like yourself, as sincere as you are, could still be wrong. The ‘I am’ is beyond doubt – it’s impossible for me to say ‘I am not’. But there are subjects that can’t be verified from the point of view of ‘I am’. I can’t say I know there aren’t any objects outside consciousness. These doubts give me fear, especially when I’m alone and depressed. Sometimes going to the ‘I am’ isn’t enough – you’re skimming on the top, you can’t get there. Can I go to faith instead? Rupert says: ‘I could be wrong about everything. The only thing I’m certain of is that I am, and the nature of being. All other knowledge without exception is relative to the finite mind through which it is known. My models, my lines of reasoning – they are at best relatively true, not absolutely true. The non-dual teaching is concerned with the absolute truth. If we only wanted to stay at that level, we would spend the week in silence – there would be nothing to say. So, the teaching comes down and consents to dialogue with our limited point of view. Remember the Zen master: “If I speak, I tell a lie, but if I remain silent, I am a coward.” The teaching is not supposed to be true – it’s supposed to be effective. It’s supposed to evoke the truth, not express it. You should doubt everything I say, everything every teacher says, everything you think. Ask yourself: what can I be absolutely certain of? And cling only to that. If you’ve lost access to the “I am” because of your emotions and thoughts, then it’s legitimate to project the “I am” outside yourself, consider God’s being to be outside you, have faith in that God, and pray.’"

From event 21 - 28 November, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at The Vedanta, 21–28 November 2025

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