The 24th of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

Gate Twenty Four
Read the following, place it in your heart and sleep on it. Then, tomorrow, live it until evening when you can leave a brief comment on what you may have received during the process.

Veracity is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not deceive gods and human beings.

By “Dharma Gate”, we mean a teaching or practice we can study to gain insights into the deepening our practice. It's a way to integrate our understanding of approaching reality.

Veracity :
Habitual observance of truth in speech or statement; truthfulness.

Sawaki roshi said. "Unless you see the 'human' from Buddha's point of view, you'll never understand the truth." *

Truth Telling**: The principle of veracity, or truth telling, requires that healthcare providers be honest in their interactions with patients. “Traditional ethics holds that it is simply wrong morally to lie to people, even if it is expedient to do so, even if a better outcome will come from a lie." According to this view, lying to people is morally wrong in that it shows lack of respect for them” Being honest with patients helps to build and maintain trusting relationships that are essential to the delivery of quality patient care. However, as with the other principles, telling the truth to a patient is not always viewed as the right thing to do. Although mainstream American culture holds honesty in high regard, other cultures do not. In fact, telling sick and dying people about their conditions, particularly in the case of terminal illness, can be seen as cruel and even harmful by certain ethnic and racial groups, The principle of truth telling is influenced, interpreted, and valued differently because of the backgrounds, education, and socioeconomic status of providers and patients.

*The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo, Uchiyama & Okumura; 66pg189
** Principles of Ethics; Amy M. Haddad, PhD, RN, pg7 ; Link here

Question: How does the above discourse on 'Truth Telling' conflict with the Buddhist concept of upāya, [expedient means} ?"

Most note worthy replies :
Right Speech and the corresponding precept of refraining from telling untruths are challenging enough for most of us, but I often find the more subtle aspects of being truthful to be even more difficult to navigate.

Most Detrimental

Are the lies

I tell to myself

合掌
stlah

[Nengyoku]

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Anchi]

[aprapti]

[Juki]

Juki
sat today and lah

[Nengyoku]

In sitting Zazen we place our trust in the idea that we are sitting as a buddha. A buddha does not see anything other than what is, far beyond divisive thoughts of what "could be" or "should be" or "might be".

Veracity is not limited to just not telling lies. Or rather, lying is telling anything other than what really is. Creating ideas of things other than how they are, and spreading them like fire.

Veracity is a gate of Dharma Illumination because a Buddha does not fan the fires of mistruth.

Gassho,
William
Sat

[Shokai]

Veracity is a gate of Dharma Illumination because a Buddha does not fan the fires of mistruth.

合掌
stlah

[Gregor]

I don't think there is a conflict. I cannot think of an situarion where being dishonest with a patient about their condition is in there best interest. In the Behavioral Health realm there may be some benefit in not overdiagnosing or heavily focusing on a diagnosis that the patient can become fixated on ( in certain cases) but that would not change the therapy or medication that is needed being offered.

Just like in any interactions we want to be honest but we don't want clobber someone with a difficult truth we need to meet them where they are and share it in a moment where they can be receptive and safe.

Gassho,

Greg
ST


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