The Tao of Dark Sages - Chapter 2, Part 3

The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley

Forgive me for asking, but how do you know any of this is true?

What!? You question my authority!? Good for you! And you might also ask, “How do I know that what you think you know is true?” There are multitudes of teachers out there with many mutually contradictory ‘truths’, all professing to know the truth. What are we to do?

First, to answer your question, I have experienced that of which I speak. It rings within my very being as true. Lao-tzu asks rhetorically, “How do I know these things are true?” And answers, “I look inside myself and see.” That’s how I know. How can you know? Certainly not by believing me. Only by looking inside yourself can you find the answers to your self, for yourself. But when I speak of ‘true’ I do not mean ‘facts’—I mean that there is an understanding that resonates within.

Have I given you anything to believe!? Have I given you Truths or Doctrines or Creeds? If I have, pick up the nearest rocks and stone me! Because I could do you no greater disservice! Within the world of knowledge I give you nothing. I have nothing to give. I invite you to take up the sword of complete and brutal personal honesty, the sword of not-knowing, and wield it mercilessly against any and all belief, teaching or spiritual refuge. Eradicate every particle of false-knowing within and let the Unknown fill you with true understanding. My message to you is the same that Lao Tzu gave millennia ago: “Learn unlearning.”

And let me remind you that awareness has made you this sense of self each one individually and each one alone. Ultimately, you’re on your own, baby. This is your life. Your path. Your awakening.

If you're interested in reading more from this series by Scott Bradley, go here.