Law of Paradoxical Truth

      The Law of Paradoxical truth states that the opposite of a great truth, is also a great truth.  I am defining a  "great truth" as a fundamental belief we hold about an aspect of living such as the meaning of life, the correct ways to raise or educate or discipline a child, how to make and use money, the nature of love, how to have a happy life, beliefs about religion, and most importantly, the belief in our own story. (What kind of a person are we, what are our qualities and our faults, how have we succeeded and how have we failed, etc).

      Applying this Law to our great truths is a powerful tool to overcome false judgment and to learn to see the truth in all points of view.  Practice it by stating a great truth about something, like parenting, for example. What can you say for sure about what is the most important attribute of a parent?  Let's say your great truth is that parents should (set limits, or teach their children right from wrong, or send their kids to school, etc).

      The next step is to consider the truth in the opposite point of view.  So, in the above example, to see that parents should not (set limits, teach right from wrong, or send them to school). As we practice this with all of our great truths, we begin to see that our beliefs are just a point of view, just as true as all other points of view.  Think of a word that best describes you.  Can you also see the opposite?  If I think "I am smart", can I accept that I am also (at times) stupid? How about the opposites of honesty and dishonesty? Or gentle and cruel? When we don't acknowledge the truth of our inner opposites, we are stuck in a rigid story that needs continual judgment.  As we accept all opposites we flow with nature and live a life with nothing (and noone) to defend.