This is a sort of Buddhist-ish version of what the goal of life and meditation really is...gaining an understanding of reality and its inherent truth, free from mental impositions of likes/dislikes and other inclinations based on desires of the senses. I don't see this as a thing that happens all at once or even in a few years. It is a path that takes a lot of work and attention to the conception of self (including desires, inclinations and personality). This idea makes a bit more sense to me when combined with the Hindu idea of jivatman, or the individual soul, combined with the three gunas, or characterized attributes present in all physical entities of the phenomenal world, which influence the behavior and nature of all things through dynamic combinations. This more "personal" explanation registers closer to the heart of my practice than the "non-self" idea of Buddhism. But, both combine to show a full spectrum of positive and negative perspectives of what constitutes reality.
What's this actually mean? Is there a "right view" of reality? There are (probably/obviously/certainly) an infinite number of different paths to understanding what reality is...which balance nicely with the infinite descriptions of what constitutes truth to each individual being. It is odd, because from my years of being programmed through language and schooling, my early explorations of Eastern religions had me training myself to think that there is some static, monolithic version of truth*; that knowledge of reality would be some sort of concrete description, which in itself would show some sort of endpoint. Then I could just as easily turn on some sort of meditation GPS and cruise down the highway of mindfulness to freedom from "me and mine." *[Note: Potential side effect of theological authority imposed by four years of Catholic schooling, maybe?]
Enter the Jain idea of anekantavada, or "many-sidedness," which basically states that a single statement of absolute truth is not possible and, unless the speaker is a fully enlightened being, only a partial idea of truth is potentially posited. Total game changer. This made me realize that, not only was the naivete of my conception laughable, but that cultivating my own path and understanding of reality based on my current life (with both its attributes and limitations) is the only way for me. Imposing someone else's dharma, or duty and understanding in Hinduism, is an obstruction to your own path. Therefore, aspiring to wisdom and understanding taught by others without a foundation built on personal experience is a potentially baseless goal, to say the least.
Additionally, one of the more important things that I have become aware of is that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. My early search for truth about reality was focused more on amassing knowledge as to what other people had experienced. Knowing that behaviors could be changed and life could be lived free from greed, judgment and the egotistical perspective of an uncontrolled mind was really inspiring...but also kind of dry and "academic," for lack of a better word. While all of these concepts were good motivation for desired outcomes, they were missing the crucial elements of discernment and personal experiential action to transform them into wisdom. Basically, while cultivating my path, I was breathing physically, but neglecting to breathe life into acquired knowledge to transform it into understanding on a deeper personal level.
Practically, these revelations have affected my life really positively, especially after realizing that "I" have my own dharma affected by my individual soul and all baggage (gunas and karma) that comes along with it. First, I experienced less frustration with trying to fit-in with a single religion and feeling like I should be at a certain point in my practices or should be following the steps of someone else's progress. Granted, the knowledge of other paths is extremely helpful to cultivating mine, but I have come to know that not all knowledge in the way of meditation practices and resulting awareness always becomes experienced wisdom. Some things work and some things don't...collecting knowledge from many sources and teachers might be frightening or overwhelming to others, but for me it is the foundation for the next steps. I am not free from frustration by any means, but being familiar with its rising and falling has become easier without the addition of pressure to be, to do, or to know something that doesn't seem to work or make sense in my life.
Additionally, the concepts of multiple truths has started to foster more objective listening and experiencing on my part. This is really hard, but in knowing that each perspective of reality can be different, but still valid (yet incomplete), I now have awareness of when observations veer into judgments and criticisms. There is a time for discernment, but in everyday existence I have realized that my own likes/dislikes form a colored lens that tints and skews what I see, hear, taste, etc. In Jain practice, reliance on aversions over objectivity not only does a disservice to the experiencer by adding extra layers to reality, but it is a seed of violence that can eventually bloom in thought, speech or action. Similarly, such judgments are very real means of violence in Nonviolent Communication as criticism forms a roadblock for empathetic communication and connection. I am coming to the awareness that such filtering of reality seriously stunts the sharing and experiencing of other viewpoints by labeling things are good/bad or right/wrong before applying discernment or proper evaluation. Therefore, objective communication both internally and externally is a personal goal as a means to expand my wisdom of existence.
I don't really have any type of statement to sum it all up, which is kind of the beauty of cultivating a path and the point of this post (hopefully?). I only have wisdom of my experienced reality, which includes spiritual beliefs, lifestyle choices and, as previously noted, a commitment to compassionate action/ahimsa. As a non-enlightened aspirant, I am just learning to grow and expand with this dynamic, personal experience of the infinite total truth. Though sometimes I feel that progress is moving at a snail's pace, awareness that this is my dharma and unique duty was a first major step to understanding how to develop the right view of reality.
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