---
title: "Spiritual Truth"
canonical: "https://spiritual-rationality.org"
pages: 8
---

# Spiritual Truth {#top}

*The complete “Spiritual Truth” chapter of https://spiritual-rationality.org, as one markdown file — its index page followed by every page beneath it, in reading order. The whole book in one file: https://spiritual-rationality.org/llms-full.txt*

## Notation {#notation}

Source notation, not standard markdown:

- `::gloss[…]` — definition of the heading above it. Invisible on the site;
  it is the hover card for links to that heading. Read as a definition.
- `::gloss[…]{#id}` — defines a term holding its own anchor. `#id` is the
  link target; the block below is what it annotates.
- `::nogloss` — heading deliberately has no definition.
- `:::note[…]` / `:::info[…]` — callouts (MyST/Docusaurus admonitions).

Footnotes are GFM. Heading anchors are GitHub-style slugs, written out as
`{#id}` in the combined files.

## Contents {#contents}

- [Spiritual Truth](#spiritual-truth)
  - [Metaphysics re Phenomenology and Spiritual Practice](#spiritual-truth-metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality)
  - [Lopsided Masters](#spiritual-truth-lopsided-masters)
  - [Schools, Teachers, and Transmission](#spiritual-truth-schools-teachers-transmission)
  - [Gnosis, Inference, Deference, & Confabulation](#spiritual-truth-gnosis-confabulation)
  - [Wrong Practice](#spiritual-truth-wrong-practice)
  - [Spiritual Truth](#spiritual-truth-truth)
  - [Rationality](#spiritual-truth-rationality)

---

# Spiritual Truth {#spiritual-truth}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth — also at `/md/spiritual-truth.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth--`.*

*In this chapter:*

- [🔨 Metaphysics re Phenomenology and Spiritual Practice](#spiritual-truth-metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality)
- [🔨 Lopsided Masters](#spiritual-truth-lopsided-masters)
- [🔨 Schools, Teachers, and Transmission](#spiritual-truth-schools-teachers-transmission)
- [🔨 Gnosis, Inference, Deference, & Confabulation](#spiritual-truth-gnosis-confabulation)
- [🔨 Wrong Practice](#spiritual-truth-wrong-practice)
- [🔨 Spiritual Truth](#spiritual-truth-truth)
- [🔨 Rationality](#spiritual-truth-rationality)

---

# Metaphysics re Phenomenology and Spiritual Practice {#spiritual-truth-metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality--`.*

## Practice instructions, fake models, and views {#spiritual-truth-metaphysics-phenomenology-spirituality--practice-instructions-fake-models-and-views}

::nogloss

---

# Lopsided Masters {#spiritual-truth-lopsided-masters}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/lopsided-masters — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/lopsided-masters.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-lopsided-masters--`.*



---

# Schools, Teachers, and Transmission {#spiritual-truth-schools-teachers-transmission}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/schools-teachers-transmission — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/schools-teachers-transmission.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-schools-teachers-transmission--`.*



---

# Gnosis, Inference, Deference, & Confabulation {#spiritual-truth-gnosis-confabulation}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/gnosis-confabulation — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/gnosis-confabulation.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-gnosis-confabulation--`.*



---

# Wrong Practice {#spiritual-truth-wrong-practice}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/wrong-practice — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/wrong-practice.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-wrong-practice--`.*

## Thou shalt not disfigure the soul {#spiritual-truth-wrong-practice--thou-shalt-not-disfigure-the-soul}

---

# Spiritual Truth {#spiritual-truth-truth}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/truth — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/truth.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-truth--`.*

> *Na hi verena verāni,*<br/>
> *sammantīdha kudācanaṁ;*<br/>
> *Averena ca sammanti,*<br/>
> *esa dhammo sanantano.*[^spiritual-truth-truth--dhp]

[^spiritual-truth-truth--dhp]: [DhP 5](https://suttacentral.net/dhp1-20/pli/ms?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin)

>*Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world.*<br/>
>*By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased.*<br/>
>*This is a law[^spiritual-truth-truth--dhamma] eternal.*[^spiritual-truth-truth--rakkhita]

[^spiritual-truth-truth--rakkhita]: [DhP 5](https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html), trans. Buddharakkhita 1996

[^spiritual-truth-truth--dhamma]: This is maybe neither here nor there but I just want to point out that *dhamma* (skt. *dharma*) is problematic even in the original. IIRC *dhamma* means variously a. law (inviolable property of the universe), b. teaching, c. phenomenon (subjective arising), and d. *thing* (!!). Anyway some translators choose "teaching" here. (Also several more, eg. *duty*, in some Hindu contexts.)

What would that mean? What does [true](/md/metaphysics/real.md#real-and-true) mean, in general, or in this context?

## Culture and spiritual truth {#spiritual-truth-truth--culture-and-spiritual-truth}

::nogloss

---

# Rationality {#spiritual-truth-rationality}

*Page: https://spiritual-rationality.org/book/spiritual-truth/rationality — also at `/md/spiritual-truth/rationality.md`. Anchors within this section are prefixed `spiritual-truth-rationality--`.*