Truth is what works

Buddha said, "Truth is what works." Rupert Spira reminds us that there are no true teachings—only words and concepts that can serve as agents of Truth.

In meditation, this led me to a realization: the debate over whether neo-Advaita teachings are true or false, or whether they are better or worse than modern or traditional Advaita, seems to miss the point entirely. It’s like arguing whether a doctor is more useful than a nurse, or a surgeon more useful than a doctor. It depends. I wouldn’t want a surgeon changing my bedpan—they might lack the bedside manner—but I also wouldn’t trust a nurse to perform heart surgery.

Maybe it’s not a perfect analogy, but it lands for me. Neo-Advaita teachings and teachers feel like a scalpel: not particularly useful in most situations and potentially dangerous, but absolutely essential for cutting through certain things, like removing a tumor.

So, does it matter that I find Tony Parsons creepy? Does it matter if I agree or disagree with their views on progressive methods or their judgments of others? I can’t quite tell what is the blade and what is the handle, but it doesn’t matter. Something needed cutting, and it feels like it happened.

If it resonates, then it’s true in that moment. If it doesn’t, then it isn’t. A few weeks ago, it didn’t resonate with me at all. Then, for a few days, it cut through something essential. Now, I feel a little repulsed by it again. But the surgery happened, and now I feel like I’m in free fall.

As Chögyam Trungpa once said:
"The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hold on to, no parachute. The good news is there’s no ground."