Opening Greetings and Session Intentions

Adam Wes: Namaste, everybody! Welcome! We are all on time—how wonderful is this? Welcome! And welcome, Jacob! So happy to see you!

Amazing. So, I am wearing my pin. That is like…

Andrea P: Happy birthday!

Thank you, everybody.

David Parra: Is it your birthday?

It was my birthday yesterday.

Andrea P: Yesterday.

David Parra: Hey! Happy birthday, man.

Mr. Jacob: Happy birthday, Adam.

Thank you, everybody. Yay.

And my dad is visiting; he is in the other room. And, yes, thank you, everybody. Thanks, Mom, Kira, everyone.

Hmm.

So, a little bit of a shift. I would like to keep these sessions to an hour. Exactly. Let us be impeccable, right? We will practice our impeccability. Kira, how impeccable are you? Andrea, how impeccable are you? It is a challenge. You are not—Kira is not laughing? Okay.

It is a matter of impeccability, so that means really starting on time, ending on time. I saw that almost all of you showed up five minutes early. We will start right on time, and this is actually a spiritual practice—to be just precise, you know? There is a discipline, there is a spirituality to discipline.

There is also a spirituality to flow, right? So, you can actually do both. Let us do the discipline, because we are here together. And when we are together, flow does not actually work, because we would all be here at different times, and we would not be able to meet together. That is just the nature of group meetings, so discipline and punctuality are appropriate for this situation.

Another thing is, I would like to keep it to a 20-minute sermon, 25 minutes, and then a little longer for the meditation. So, I am going to try to keep it a little shorter, so we can get high and go deep into that, although I—

We will save super long discussions for maybe one-off intensives. For example, we can have a two-hour discussion on kindness, and that should be a separate sort of thing. But for our weekly rhythm, I think a 20-25 minute sermon is perfect.

So, that might really change things for people, too, because if you have busy schedules—like, Jacob, I know you probably have tutoring after this, right? So, Jacob is constantly tutoring. His mind is like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. That is what happens when you tutor. So, you know…

Alright, so, let us dive right in.

Definitions and Dimensions of Truth

Adam Wes: Today the topic is truth. And I am going to share gems today. I have gone to the edges of the earth to find the jewels of truth. I have walked on coals, I have withstood tempests, and I come to you bearing forth the jewels of truth.

And yes, there are just a handful of us here today, but this is our small Sangha of truth here, and we are all very special to be here. So, we will discuss truth.

So, what is truth? Because this is something that our world is greatly confused on. Greatly. This is absolutely paramount to not only spiritual life, but happiness and harmony. It is also highly relevant to mathematics and physics.

And that is what actually makes it quite interesting for our Sangha, as a part of the School of Futuristic Intelligence. So, truth is fundamentally what is. What is, is.

There is no gray spectrum of truth. There are no shades of gray in truth. Truth is what is. And you might say, well, how is that possible, right? Well, opinions are not truth. Like and dislike are not truth.

What is the truth? Vanilla is better than chocolate? Fact. Truth is fact, right? So, if vanilla or chocolate—neither is better. Vanilla is perhaps gentle? Maybe that is an objective truth to vanilla. Chocolate is perhaps rich and seductive, and heart-opening because of the cacao, right?

So, certain things have certain qualities. A lot of times, we cannot put the truth into words. Chocolate is what it is—the is-ness of chocolate. Chocolate is beyond words. Words can allude to the truth.

So, I am going to try and share a number of little aspects here. We could talk about the truth for a 10-week course, so we will try and do it in 20 minutes here.

Truth is something that often takes courage. One of the most potent places to explore truth is within ourselves. Am I a jerk? Am I a jerk in these situations? Can I look and say, oh, okay, wow, I really can be a jerk that time? Or am I really smart in this way?

Truth is not false humility. You see what you are. Are you brilliant, or are you not? Are you nice, or are you not? What are you? Truth is an ability to look at yourself without judgment, without pushing it away. And it is hard to do.

So I encourage everybody this week to really ask, can I sit and look at myself?

When I first started working with my teacher, he just flooded me with truth, and it was kind of intense. I think most of it was true. I do not know if everything was true, but I was really listening. He said, "Adam, you are like this. There is a bad thing about you." And I was like, really? He pointed it out, and I looked for myself. I said, okay, maybe he is right. And I changed it.

Think of a doctor who knows the truth, and a doctor who does not know the truth. A doctor who knows the truth does a test, does a scan, and can see something. Because they know the truth, they can do something about it. So the truth empowers us. A doctor who waves his hands around and does not know what is going on is just giving you false hope, right? But a doctor who knows the truth can do something about it.

So, when we look at ourselves and recognize, “Wow, there is an element of selfishness within me, and that is actually causing my heart chakra to contract, or my relationships to become abrasive,” we realize that we can do something about it. The truth does not mean that is what we are forever; it simply means that is what we are right now.

That kind of truth—then there is the truth of logic. Often, people phrase things in terms of like and dislike, or opinions. It is very important to be precise with language. If this, then that. That is usually a true statement. For example, if you yell at your neighbors, they are less likely to be cooperative with you. These if-then statements really hold a lot of truth, because they tend to be—notice how I am speaking—tend to be.

I hesitate to speak in absolutes, because I always love the truth. It is like being a Vulcan. If anyone is a Star Trek fan, Vulcans cannot lie. They love the truth.

Spock. Maybe you know Spock from Star Trek. I love Star Trek—yes, thank you, thank you. I love Star Trek. School of Futurist… did you do it, Mom? Let us see it. You did not quite have it. She cannot do it! There you go. Okay, so…

So, truth is Vulcan. So there is truth in—

A lot of times, truth can bring us together. We have one religion and another religion, and they clash. They go to war, and they kill each other. Why? Because they both think that their dogma is the truth. This is an interesting aspect of religion.

Real religion is based on truth. Commercialized religion—the kind that allows us to sit in a comfortable illusion—is not based on truth.

And when we have—who did we lose? Oh, Andrea. I am sure that was not about the religious part. So…

Some people cannot handle the truth, although I think Andrea can. You know, it might be very confronting for people to talk about religion in this way, but the heart of religion—real religion—is founded on truth, which means there is some ontological, existential fact at the heart of all religions through which they coincide.

When things are opinions and judgments, or like and dislike, there is discord. But when we find what is, there is always consistency. The rock is on the side of the road. There is a rock on the side of the road. There is a tree over there.

This chemical process happens this way, this mathematical equation works this way—these are all facts. So, in facts, we come together, and there is harmony in that. It is differing opinions and like and dislike that separate societies and religions and divide us.

So… war, and the potential for harmony in the world, is greatly predicated upon the capacity for a society to apprehend truth. This is why it is really profound and important.

What is belief? Well, belief is not truth. Belief is illusion. I believe that there is something that I do not know. That is not truth. I see that there is something, something real. Perhaps I have a meditative experience where I experience gold light—that is truth. It is there; I saw it. It is a part of me. Maybe other people are not seeing it, but there is truth that—it is.

Essentially, knowledge is truth. Illusion is belief. Osho says something: he says, “I do not believe. I know. I have no need to believe.” Do you believe in the moon? Do you believe in the sun? “I believe there is a moon up there.” No, I see there is a moon up there, right?

So religion, a lot of times, is centered on belief versus knowledge, but real spiritual practice has nothing to do with belief. Now, there is a word: faith.

Now, this is just to clarify one thing about belief that is important, but it is not really belief in the way I just used it. Faith is the willingness to try. I have faith that if I start a business, it can succeed; therefore, I start a business.

I have faith that there is a god. I do not feel I am connected with god, but I am going to avail myself to that possibility. That is not just believing blindly, which is a kind of false security. Right? So…

You can see how these are things people grapple with. Most people do not even think there is such a thing as truth. There are no shades of gray—there is truth, there is or there is not, and the rest are opinions. But an opinion is also truth in a way.

My opinion is vanilla is better than chocolate, or chocolate is better than vanilla. Okay, that is an actuality in my predilection system. That is the truth, too.

Jacob likes physics. Fact. We are not saying physics is better than math, or physics is better than ballet, right? We are just saying that is a fact. Jacob really likes it.

Now, mathematics is pure truth. Mathematics is pure, coherent, consistent logical systems of truth—structures of dimensionality, eternal truths that we discover.

So, I have this shape called the Goldberg Polyhedra, which I will be covering. Can you see it, everybody? This is the Goldberg Polyhedra. It requires exactly 12 pentagons. Exactly 12.

Inside of a sphere, to make these hexagons go spherical—hexagons are flat, but when we insert 12 pentagons, they close in. And they can be tiny little pentagons, but they close in and make a sphere. That is an existential truth revealed in mathematics. Twelve. Nobody can deny that.

You can see it, and there is an actual equation that governs the reason for that. These points contribute spherical curvature. Each pentagon does one-twelfth of the curvature needed to produce a sphere. And you can see that mathematically.

Alright, so do we have a little movie time? I am going to show you a scene from The Matrix. The Matrix is about truth, actually. Where is it? Let us watch a quick scene.

Let me share with audio. I am not sure if you can see it, or hear it. Just real quick, real quick. We have a few minutes. You have to watch this if you have not seen it yet. I put the link to this in the chat. It is four minutes; we will just do a couple minutes of it.

Audio shared by Adam Wes: At last… Welcome, Neo. As you no doubt have guessed, I am Morpheus. It is an honor to meet you. The honor is mine. Please. Come. Sit.

I imagine that right now, you are feeling a bit like Alice—tumbling down the rabbit hole? You could say that. I can see it in your eyes. You have the look of someone who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, this is not far from the truth.

Do you believe in fate, Neo? No. Why not? Because I do not like the idea that I am not in control of my life. I know exactly what you mean.

Let me tell you why you are here. You are here because you know something. What you know, you cannot explain, but you feel it. You have felt it your entire—

For your mind.

Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.

You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.

You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Remember… all I am offering is the truth, nothing more.

Adam Wes: It is amazing how much that scene mirrors enlightenment. That movie is very much about enlightenment, in case anybody does not realize. It is a metaphor.

Was everybody able to see that? And hear it? Okay, did you like it? Did it intrigue you? Okay.

Watch the movie. It is one of the top three movies in the practice room. Watch that movie and recognize that they are actually talking about truth. Notice how he said, you can believe whatever you want to believe. But if you want the truth, that is what he is offering—nothing more than the truth.

It is everywhere, and there is an illusion that is pulled over our eyes to prevent us from seeing the truth.

I think I have covered everything.

Subjective. Oh, there is also truth between individuals. A lot of people have a lot of pretense in relationships. But when you bring forward the truth, like, "I do not like it when you do that, can you do this?"—when you know each other, there is a lot of teamwork that can occur.

Truth in relationships is something that people really do not do, and it is important to be able to say, "Hey, this is the truth of my experience of a relationship," and therefore you can remedy things in relationship. Where there is truth, there is often love—or perhaps not just often, perhaps they are directly correlated.

For there to be truth, there must be acceptance. To see the truth, one has to look without the eyes of judgment, look without the eyes of fear, and see what is without resisting it.

The only way one can do that is if they are so steeped in the bliss of their own being, and the freedom of their own existence—they are so complete that they want to know what is true. So, you have to love the truth, you have to want to know what is true. This is absolutely essential to the path to enlightenment.

And then there is Ultimate Truth, which is the unassailable, immutable, quintessential substrate of all existence that you see in samadhi, in moksha, in awakening. That is ultimate truth. So there are all these different dimensions, but that is the heart of truth.

Do you have the courage to face the truth?

Follow Neo into waking up from the Matrix. By the way, that is one of my top favorite scenes in all of Hollywood history. So… Hi, Kira!

Kira: Yeah, but what about my truth?

That is funny. She is making a little bit of a joke right now.

Kira: Yeah, this is nice and all, but, like, what about my truth, you know?

Yeah, she is making a little bit of a joke right now. A lot of times, you hear people talk about, "My truth is different than your truth," and it is very much—I do not know—an LA thing, I feel, but maybe it is a global thing.

Andrea P: It is an American thing.

It is an American thing. Okay, good. I am glad to hear that. Because there is no "my truth." There is the fact of my experience. It may be wrought with illusion, but it is still a fact of my experience.

There are feelings, like, I might say, "Oh, when that happens, I feel this way," and that is a fact, and that is okay. But a lot of times, people start to say, "Well, agree to disagree." There is no truth, but there is a truth, right? And… David is laughing. "Agree to disagree."

It is kind of funny when you know these things and you watch people talk like that. You are like, okay, this person is not ready, that is okay. They go into the Matrix, and they stay in the Matrix.

Movie assignment of the week: please watch The Matrix. If you have not watched it, or if you have not watched it in a while, probably rewatch it.

In truth, it requires a great deal of humility, a great deal of love. When you see the light, there is a profound degree of truth. The light and truth go together. The light and love go together, but truth is at peace.

When you live in illusion, there is a subtle, chronic sense that underneath, you are resisting something.

So I think I will end on this, because we could talk forever about this, but when you live in illusion, it is kind of like when you live with lies.

When you tell lies, you always have to keep up with them. Somebody lied about this a long time ago, you have to keep the lie going, and eventually someone catches your lie, and you never have peace.

Never lie. Always be honest with yourself and honest with others. Truthfulness allows you to let go.

Without truth, there is this chronic sense that you have to keep a vigil and attend to non-truth. But truth stands in its glory without needing to be attended to.

And there is peace in that, because you can let go into existence and be with the truth.

Namaste.

If we were having a longer discussion on truth, I would become much more intense. I am being somewhat playful right now, but if I were to really delve into truth, there is an intensity—a Sri Yukteswar intensity. Sri Yukteswar was a sage from the 20th century, and the 19th as well.

He embodied the austerity and truth of a sage. I like to feel that way at times, and I will enter into that state of mind. It is a channeling of truth. There is love in it, but—

It is love wrapped in truth, or perhaps the truth is on the outside and the love is a bit more subtle.

Alright, are there any questions?

Science is in pursuit of truth. Mathematics is the pursuit of truth. Religion, in its real form, is truth. We need to distill religion of dogma and return it to its true form, where it sits comfortably alongside mathematics, science, and philosophy.

Did the talk resonate with anyone? Did it awaken anything? David, would you like to share something? Or Praveen? Hello, Jacob.

David Parra: During the math course, this was very important for me—the link between mathematics, truth, and spirituality. That was a key element in my transformation.

Yes, it is interesting. In school, I have an 11-year-old student, and I was just speaking with him and his parents about truth the other day.

I told him, because he loves mathematics, that if you love math, you love truth. It is interesting that we do not hear that in elementary school. Mathematics and truth are part of the same thing.

It is quite profound that this is not said, but those who have studied and discovered mathematics are philosophers of truth. They live in a state of communion with the suchness of existence.

Thank you, David. I know that was a beautiful experience for you. I appreciated how you connected all those elements, and that it was meaningful for you, because—

Because there is a fracture in humanity. It is apparent to us. For those of us who are attuned to that aspect of existence, we feel that there is a fracture here.

I want godliness, but I am scientific. I appreciate logic. And I feel as though I cannot enter religion, because I do not belong there for some reason, since I am a logical being.

Yet, that is due to the way these things are presented. Why are religion and mathematics not taught side by side in school? It is because religion ceased to be what it originally was, and became separated into belief and education.

Praveen?

Praveen S: Thank you for the lecture, I thought it was fantastic. I just want to know, how do we differentiate illusion from truth? You spoke about the existence of an ontological fact. So, how do I know that when I am seeing it, it truly is—and not an illusion?

Practices for Discerning Truth and Entering Meditation

Adam Wes: That is an important question. Here comes the practical side: how do I experience truth? Because I am surrounded by illusion. I cannot see anything but my own self-reflection. I look out and I do not see the person; I see how I feel about the person. I do not see the tree; I feel my anxieties. I do not see reality; I feel my plans for tomorrow. Reality is in the present moment.

Meditation is essential for this. When you enter into Shakti and light, it washes away the sediments that accumulate on the surface of truth and reveals it in its pure, white splendor.

We meditate, and silence allows truth to emerge. The only way a mind can apprehend what is true is to be extremely silent—no responsive thought, no reactivity. I see, and there is no me.

There is no self. Where there is no self, there is truth. Where there is self, there is obscuration of truth. Meditation is a formal exercise in this.

Mathematics helps with this, because we are engaging with something that is purely true. Also, self-reflection and contemplation are important.

You need to consider yourself. Ask, who am I? Look at yourself and describe yourself as you are. Become aware of the mechanisms, confusions, and complexities in your personality, and simplify them. Truth and simplicity go together.

That is why E equals MC squared—the great equation of the universe—is so simple. Thank you, Einstein. Brilliance, simplicity, and truth are all part of the same thread.

Alright, let us meditate. What is a truth meditation like? Well, entering into absorption and light is one approach. Thank you, Andrea. Beautiful.

Stillness, love, and peace are all part of truth.

So, we can do a number of things. I will let you decide. You can focus on your third eye; this helps to access truth.

You can enter into the light, become absorbed in it. For example, Mom, you are able to do that—just go deeply into the light. Let it wash your spirit of all illusion, even the smallest sediments of illusion, because there is not much. It is like taking a shower; you need to do it, otherwise you accumulate illusion.

It starts to take root, and we do not want that.

You can also simply observe—what is, without the response of thought. Observe the moment as it is. There is no self, just what is. Listening, seeing—that is truth as well. So those are three ways you can approach it.

Alright.

The Matrix. Yes.

Audio shared by Adam Wes: Okay, we have 25 minutes. We will do 20 minutes. And a very brief description.

So… go big. Begin with the heart.

Audio shared by Adam Wes: Where there is heart, there is freedom. Third eye.

The first step is to really allow the nervous system and the aura to quiet down and settle.

Audio shared by Adam Wes: Truth will reveal itself, but… morning fog disperses in the afternoon sun.

What is?

Audio shared by Adam Wes: You begin to see the true nature of everyone in the world.

Witness to whom the world…

Audio shared by Adam Wes: Am I within the passage of time? Or is there only…

Audio shared by Adam Wes: Bare the now, and changing…

Look without the fragmentary, responsive thought. Holistic effort. Silence.

The illusion.

Kiss.

It is itself.

Answer. That is for sure.

In truth, there are no questions anymore. In ultimate truth. Because we become the answer to the universe. We stand aloof, in the bliss of our own eternal nature. Being. Namaste.

Whoa. I am so grateful for all of you. It is wonderful to be able to talk about these things together.

Alright, so we are going to end in three and a half minutes. So instead of calling on everybody, although…

Just out of tradition. Mom, will you share?

Colleen: There is nothing different, it is always the same. I start with some light, and then by the end, I have masses of colors rolling around.

What colors did you see?

Colleen: Oh, everything.

Really? Wonderful.

Colleen: Yes, I mean, not black, but all the pink shades, all the purple-blue shades, and the yellow-orange shades.

Wonderful, and did you see your red?

Colleen: Not today.

Oh, okay. Did you see your green?

Colleen: Like a lime green, the yellow-green.

Wonderful. Well, good stuff.

Colleen: Thank you, Anna.

Namaste.

Colleen: Thanks. Namaste.

You are communing with truth. And I am not just saying that. Truth and light go together. Light, truth, love, freedom, peace—these five jewels of…

The avatar… no, the… what are those movies called? The Avenger universe. They could replace them with these five jewels, right? These are like the keys, the dimensions, the basis function of reality, Jacob. Silly. Alright,

Also, there is a word in Sanskrit called Maya, which means illusion. So it might be worth looking into Maya, M-A-Y-A. And that is a part of the discussion of truth.

Anybody else like to share? Did you enjoy the talk? Did you enjoy the meditation?

Kira: Yes, I will share. I was able to… I had an awareness at the beginning of the meditation of thoughts that were obscuring my clarity, or clarity, and just being able to perceive. And so, as the meditation went on, it was almost like the thoughts were like clouds, and they sort of dissipated. Then I was just able to experience a more direct luminosity of the mind, without those kinds of formations—those thought formations. So that felt like an increase in clarity and ability to perceive truth.

Wonderful, Kira. Yes, so watch this.

Kira: Almost like you have foggy glasses on, and then they get wiped off when you go into light.

Yeah. So, look with me for a second. Gaze, look at my eyes. And everybody can watch, too. See, I am looking with emptiness.

Kira: With emptiness, you said?

Yeah, you are doing it too. This way of listening—there is no… you can see when somebody is thinking. Sometimes you can even sense it. And people can feel it.

Are you listening to me? When your girlfriend says, "Were you listening to me?" or when your wife is confessing?

They can feel it, right? Because your mind is full of yourself. So, look and listen.

And this is a part of love. Love is the art of seeing.

Alright, everyone, it is 6:59!

Kira: I was…

9, 8, 7—no, okay. Namaste, everybody. So, make sure to check the practice room. We have gratitude.

Gratitude is the principle of the month. We have the routine element of the month, and we have the book of the month. I hope you have been reading Think on These Things by Krishnamurti. You can watch The Matrix today, or this week.

Alright, namaste, everybody. Thank you. Good job.

David Parra: Bye.

Bye. Bye, David.