Saturday, September 06, 2008

Is it true? The Work of Byron Katie, 1st Question

plumbing

The Work of Byron Katie
is an amazing system
for helping us
get out of the unhappinesses
we occasionally carved
for ourselves.

It goes like this:
Judge Your Neighbor
Write it Down
Ask Four Questions
Turn it Around


the questions are:
Is it True?
Can I absolutely know it's true?
How do I react and what do I do
when I attach to believing the thought?
Who or what would I be without the thought?

So, let's start with the first:

IS IT TRUE?

This is a very kickass question,
though
the temptation
to say
yes
to various thoughts like,
"So and so should have listened to me better."

"So and so should support me more."

"So and so should answer my phone calls."

"So and so shouldn't call me so much."

"So and so should like me better/ treat me better/ respect me more, ..."

and so on.

We feel they are true, yes.

And we could get other people to agree,
which creates a weird gossip level truth:
if five other people can agree that your
mate is a bastard/ bitch,
then it must be true.

And so
sorry,
but the Work of Byron Katie
like any real work,
is about truth,
not social opinion.

So true,
means
true
like gravity is true.

All my friends can disagree
with gravity,
and it will still pull the rock
to the ground when I let go.

So Is it true?
Means, is it true like gravity is true?

And even clearer
and more bracing way to put it,
is,
"Is it true like gravity is true,
or is it true like Chris Elms (fill in your own name)
is true?"

This is a whole other discussion,
but that name
and a whole series of images and ideas
I have around
it,
that's not "me."

So to ask the question
like that
gives it at least double
the kick.

Hmmm.
what a kick.


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