Know The Truth When You Hear It.

Never hesitate to bring a secret perplexity out into the open parts of your mind. Nothing harmful can ever come of it; to the contrary, good alone can result. For instance, you may exclaim, "But there are so many teachers and organizations offering solutions. How can I tell who is right and who is wrong? My bewilderment is doubled by seeing that one group teaches the exact opposite of another group. How can I separate the true from the false?" There is a way to have perfect judgement. Doubt will disappear forever. You will be able to tell by a single glance at a teacher's face, or by reading a single line from a book, whether or not you are being told the truth. The method is both simple yet challenging. It is simply this: You yourself must prefer the truth above that which merely pleases you or which agrees with what you already believe.

Let's say the same thing in another way: By preferring that which is true and right for you, all that is untrue and wrong will fade away of itself. It is like hanging a wet coat out into the sunshine. The natural warmth of the sun evaporates the water, making your coat comfortable once more. But first you had to hang it out into the sunshine.

Whoever you may be reading this, there is something within you that knows the truth when it hears it. This does not mean that we always choose the truth; it means we know it. Our aim is to increasingly choose what we know.

. . .

By this time you realise what is the most valuable kind of teaching: Self-Teaching. While having the assistance of classes and books, we must always end up as self-instructors. The purpose of a class or a book is to help you to find your own resources of wisdom, to guide you toward being your own guide.

. . .

As you attend lectures and classes, and as you mingle with people elsewhere, you have endless opportunities to observe all these human reactions. You should study people just as a scientist examines specimens in a laboratory. The study of other people helps you understand yourself. Also, self-study reveals the motives and desires of others.

. . .

The world is your classroom; use it as such. Observe how anxiety and confusion dominate the people you know. Then notice how unhappiness and pretence go together. Then see even deeper. See that unhappy people live in pretence because they don't know what else to do. They actually believe that pretence is essential to their survival. The fact is, pretence is just another prison bar preventing wholeness. The very awareness of this is an invitation to wholeness.

From: The Esoteric Path To A New Life

Vernon Howard

There is a simple test by which you can tell a true teacher from a false one.