The Truth Beneath the Contradiction

"How wonderful that we've met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making some progress." - Niels Bohr, quantum physicist

The spiritually centered life is rife with paradox. To uncover the greatest of truths we must be able to sit in the disquieting milieu of uncertainty and contradictions. We must question our basic assumptions about the way it is until we discover a context in which the contradiction makes sense. As Carl Jung put it, "Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life."

Jesus was a master of life, and a master of paradoxical teachings. Paradox was a common element in nearly all of the parables and aphorisms attributed to Jesus. In fact, the presence of paradox was considered a definitive element to authenticate Jesus’ words from those statements that were not actually uttered by him.

Jesus' skillful use of paradoxical statements was seemingly intended to perplex and disrupt our ordinary understanding with unexpected reversals of meaning.

We know his intention was manifested by the responses of his disciples and those that heard these strange utterances, and effectively disrupted the ordinary thinking mind of those who listened. By upsetting the equilibrium of logic of the binary mind, paradoxical logic has the power to break through the crack of confusion and forces a reversal of meaning and understanding. Such a radical disruption in our ordinary way of understanding and living is a prerequisite to spiritual understanding which is often a complete opposite or reversal of common human logic. Jesus' primary teachings were to lead us to understand the nature of the Kingdom of God, which even in name and common understanding had people expecting an earthly kingdom with a mighty ruler. But Jesus was pointing to an inner kingdom only accessible by reversing one’s search and looking within to the heart of one’s own being.

When we hear a declaration such as the last will be first or those who save their lives will lose it, while those who lose their lives will save it, our common sense of truth initially rejects the seeming contradiction, and we're left to discern in which context these assertions could be true. This gets us moving in the right direction, metaphysically speaking. Once the confusion abates, there is the capacity to discern the presence of a love so unflinching and unconditional that nobody is excluded. And contrary to cultural and societal norms, everyone regardless of their status in society or their religious practices is welcomed and equally entitled to God’s Grace, Love, and Peace. In order for us to uncover the presence of the Kingdom, or our true nature, we must look beyond the surface of our bodies, circumstances and thoughts, and feelings into the deeper realm of our being.

I personally love the paradoxical truth teachings because they act like a splash of cold water against my tendency toward lethargy that allows me to nap on the surface of understanding. Though I am a believer in the wisdom of Jesus' teachings I am apt to drift off and rely solely on my senses to appraise reality. This slumber transports me down a rabbit hole of fear into a world of scarcity with myriad iterations of lack and limitation.

When I contemplate the paradox in a truth teaching, I cannot stay on the surface for long. In order to find the truth in the seeming contradiction I must allow my mind and heart to sink deeply into the realm of spiritual understanding, where the contradiction dissolves, and the deeper truth is laid bare and made plain. In the story of the Prodigal Son, Jesus shocks our human sensibilities and righteous judgments. The young son who takes the father’s money and runs off is not punished but celebrated. The message is not about the sinfulness of greed and riotous living, but the Grace of the Father that rejoices when the son returns. The emphasis is on the turnaround, from seeking outside oneself to reversing one’s pursuit of happiness into the Kingdom within one’s own being. The son’s suffering was not a punishment rather it was a revelation of his directional misguidance and a catalyst to return to the source of well-being within.

Let this lesson be embedded in our hearts as we are tempted to find happiness and peace in the world of objective experience. When we feel dissatisfied it is evidence of a deeper truth that lies undisturbed beneath the surface of our minds, an inner sanctuary that bids us welcome, that we might enter in silence and abide in peace.

Namaste

Rev. Larry