Why Truth Is Always Simple

Why do we so often complicate what should be simple? Between the voice of the soul and that of the mind, an exercise reveals how to recognise, in our own words, what rings true — and what is mere dressing-up. When your consciousness is clear, you immediately recognise the difference between what comes from the soul and what comes from the false-ego.

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Why do we so often complicate what should be simple? Between the voice of the soul and that of the mind, an exercise reveals how to recognise, in our own words, what rings true — and what is mere dressing-up.

You all know the importance of words in communication. Depending on your personality, your language or your culture, there are a thousand ways to express yourself. But another difference, a deeper one, transcends these distinctions.

This difference comes from the fact that two parts of yourself can use the same words. You know them well: has it never happened, in a fit of anger, that you spoke words you later regretted once you had calmed down? Words that "ran ahead of your thought"?

Your expression varies according to your state: happy, sad, in love, calm or irritated. Moreover, in any communication there are at least two parties: the sender and the receiver. The receiver matters just as much as the sender. Their mood, their preconceived ideas, their culture shape communication as much as the sender's intention does.

However well-meaning the sender may be, it makes little difference if the receiver, caught up in confusion, interprets what they hear in a negative light. This phenomenon, known as "projection," consists in attributing to the other person feelings or intentions that are, in reality, your own — or ones you fear. Are you immune to this tendency?

You are not a single, undivided being: at least two "persons" live within you. One is your soul, the other your mind, more or less confused, influenced by the false-ego or by vanity. A deep consciousness allows you to tell them apart. When your consciousness is clear, you immediately recognise the difference between what comes from the soul and what comes from the false-ego.

A Small Exercise

When the soul speaks, it is simple and true. When it is the false-ego or vanity speaking, it becomes complicated. Take this example, to illustrate the difference:

"I was thirsty. I drank water, and the thirst went away."

"I had lost five percent of my body's water content, which caused my hypothalamus to signal hypovolaemia, negatively affecting the hyperosmolarity detected by the osmoreceptors of the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis and the subfornical organ (located in the circumventricular organs of the hypothalamus, outside the blood–brain barrier). I therefore ingested a quantity of H₂O to regulate my osmoregulation. Once the hypovolaemia was corrected, the alert ceased."

These two sentences say the same thing, but their form differs. Can you guess which one is simple and which one is complicated? Here is another example, taken from an explanation found online about the present moment:

"Here is the definition of the present moment: one must not feed on corpses; one must be without regret. Regrets, carrying a sense of bitterness, produce an impression of extreme cold that acts upon the etheric body, and therefore upon the physical body: one becomes heavy, frozen. Thus, the present moment, relative to each person, can never be fully lived or known.

But how does one actually live the present moment? Time, as we conceive it, does not truly exist. What we call time is a superposition of the qualities of the spirit that we are. Since the lower mind needs logic in order to produce light within our consciousness, it created a vital logic to convince our consciousness — the lamp of our body — that this is reality.

Thus we see seasons, cycles… But there are no cycles: it is a reality that our ignorant mind has imposed upon our consciousness, too turned toward the outside and cut off from its true nature. Qualities of the spirit do exist, but they are revealed to us through what we call space, the Zodiac.

The spirit asserts itself through nature, of which the human being is the witness. The present moment is not a quantitative notion, but a qualitative one. Time is not an alignment of hours; it is relative to each individual. The right moment to accomplish something varies from one person to another. The qualities of the spirit are available at every moment, but their accessibility depends on what our karma allows us to experience."

Who is speaking in this text? The soul, or the mind influenced by the false-ego? Do you understand what it is trying to say? Does this explanation of the present moment come from experience, or from intellect?

"What is well conceived is clearly stated, and the words to say it come easily." (Nicolas Boileau, 1636–1711)

Confusion does not come from the soul, but from a mind that consciousness fails to illuminate.

"True words are not elegant; elegant words are not true." (Lao-Tzu, Tao-Te-King, 81)

Here is a simplified version, faithful to the meaning of the text above:

"In the present moment, regrets have no place: they plunge us into bitterness and prevent us from fully living the moment.

Time does not truly exist: it is an invention of the mind, which needs logic. It created the seasons, the cycles, but these do not truly exist: they are a construction imposed upon our consciousness, too turned toward the illusion of the outer world.

The One (Tao, God) possesses qualities of its own, but we perceive them through the distorting prism of our subjectivity. We can feel the One through Creation, of which we are the witnesses.

The present moment is not a matter of seconds, minutes or hours, but a quality of the One. Time is relative, different for each person according to their perception. The qualities of the One are available at every moment, but access to them depends on our karma."

The False-Ego Loves Complication

The false-ego delights in complication, in learned words and convoluted reasoning. The soul, on the other hand, favours simplicity. We sometimes complicate deliberately what is simple, out of a concern for seriousness or legitimacy: obscurity feels reassuring, just as a certain kind of technical jargon can intimidate more than it enlightens. It is an old temptation, one that runs through many traditions and many eras. I often receive comments about the texts I share, such as: "it's simplistic!"

What touches the soul and the One concerns everyone and should be accessible to all. Hence the need to express oneself clearly and simply. Why make things simple when you can make them complicated? It is often a matter of an image to maintain, or an audience to win over — the marvellous and the spectacular attract attention more easily than the sobriety of a simple truth.

Truth is simple and natural; it is present in your life, and you can encounter it by turning your attention inward. No magic, no mystery. All that is needed is a deep thirst for truth and fulfilment.

The teaching of La Voie spirituelle, of its Yoga-Originel, is not addressed to those seeking strong sensations or illusory powers. It is addressed to those who aspire to a profound meaning and to true fulfilment.

If you have any questions, please write here:

madhyama.marga@gmail.com