bzichett
Tuesday, May. 23 2023, 02:17:41 PM
Edited: Tuesday, May. 23 2023, 02:33:27 PM
Quote
 

Truth is a pathless land.

Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection.

Man has built in himself images as a fence of security—religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these images dominates man’s thinking, his relationships, and his daily life. These images are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man. His perception of life is shaped by the concepts already established in his mind. The content of his consciousness is his entire existence. The individuality is the name, the form and superficial culture he acquires from tradition and environment. The uniqueness of man does not lie in the superficial but in complete freedom from the content of his consciousness, which is common to all humanity. So he is not an individual.
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Krishnamurti (Core of the Teachings)
https://www.jkrishnamurti.org/about-core-teachings

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I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path. If you first understand that, then you will see how impossible it is to organize a belief. A belief is purely an individual matter, and you cannot and must not organize it. If you do, it becomes dead, crystallized; it becomes a creed, a sect, a religion, to be imposed on others. This is what everyone throughout the world is attempting to do. Truth is narrowed down and made a plaything for those who are weak, for those who are only momentarily discontented. Truth cannot be brought down, rather the individual must make the effort to ascend to it. You cannot bring the mountain-top to the valley. If you would attain to the mountain-top you must pass through the valley, climb the steeps, unafraid of the dangerous precipices. 
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https://www.jkrishnamurti.org/about-dissolution-speech


 bzichett - 11 months, 3 weeks ago Open

The invention and use of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) epitomize the concept of breaking free from the constraints of established norms and preconceived notions, much as the author emphasizes the need for such freedom in the pursuit of personal truth. Through TEM, scientists were able to transcend the superficial barrier imposed by the limited resolution of optical microscopes and delve into a deeper understanding of the biological world. They could now observe and analyze components of life at an incredibly minute scale, from viruses to single atoms, which was previously unimaginable.

This breakthrough in microscopic technology mirrors the author's contention that truth is accessed not through conformity to societal constructs or pre-established doctrines, but through individual observation and understanding. Just as the TEM enabled biologists to directly visualize the intricacies of life, breaking free from the shackles of collective consciousness allows individuals to perceive their own truths through the mirror of their relationships and introspective understanding. In both cases, the exploration of the unseen and the unknown is central to unveiling the truth.

However, this pursuit of truth is not without challenges and limitations. By the 1970s, the reliance on "molecular markers" in virology and cell biology signaled a shift away from the direct visualization that TEM offered. Researchers started to lean more towards the indirect evidence of existence and behavior of microscopic entities. This shift could be seen as parallel to the tendency in individuals to resort to introspective dissection and intellectual analysis, rather than direct observation and understanding in the quest for personal truth.

Such a move away from direct observation and towards indirect indicators or intellectual analysis can lead to incomplete or distorted understanding, both in scientific exploration and personal introspection. It underscores the potential risks of relying too heavily on indirect evidence or intellectual dissection in the pursuit of truth. This highlights the importance of maintaining a balance between direct observation and analysis, and the need for continuous questioning and exploration in the quest for truth.

While the advent of molecular markers and similar techniques has undoubtedly advanced our understanding of biology, it has also imposed new limitations on our perception of the microscopic world, much as societal constructs and pre-established beliefs can limit our understanding of personal truth. The ongoing challenge, therefore, lies in breaking these barriers and continuously pushing the boundaries of our understanding, whether in science or personal introspection.

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