Typing this entry on my palm pilot because apparently the power company decided to shut off the electricity to the apartment I am living in. For whatever reason they did that, I don't care. I am just happy that I get to type this on my PDA while waiting for my roommate to handle this problem. One thing I like about living in an apartment that includes the utilities is that no chance of this ever happening because I am not responsible for paying the bill and the power company won't shut off the electricity on me.

Anyway, let me move forth with my next journal entry on the search for the meaning of truth. I have scribbled some ideas while I do the 2 miles daily walk, from numerous blog I read on regular basis and books that I read. Today's entry will be focusing on a couple of ideas that were inspired from the book that I am currently reading, Monastery Without Walls (MWW).

The first idea is focusing on our own shortcomings or at least what we think are our shortcomings. According to the MWW, shortcomings are things like pride, arrogance, self-importance, aggression, fear, anger and so forth. As long as we have those shortcomings, we are far away from the quietness of the nothingness. Therefore from my earlier entries, that the Truth comes from nothingess which pretty much sums up that as long as we have shortcomings, we are no where near the Truth. So I have a choice here to accept this rationale as truth in my life or to reject it. I suppose it is a food for thought. I would like to share with you a lengthy quote from MWW.

Pride blinds us to believing 'I' is more important than 'we', attaches us to self instead of opening us to the silence. Pride and sacredness are opposites. This is why the sacred presence demands so much of us to know its reality. We are called to empty ourselves, to turn ourselves inside out if necessary until we are empty of everything but the pure desire for what is within the silence.

I would think that emptying ourselves out would require huge effort on our part in letting go of the past. For me, it will require me to let go of the resentments, the pain, the anger and unrealistic expectations for myself, and just let myself be empty. Maybe some day I will be able to achieve that. This process cannot be done overnight, it will require patience. Most of us who have been in a Christian background would know this famous scripture that is often time quoted, "patience is a virtue." I never really understand the importance of patience until I open myself up to the exploration of "What is Truth?"

Patience is very important in this busy world because Bruce Davis, the author of Monastery Without Walls, said it the best way possible.

The practice of patience in living, in having, in being relieved, in being waited upon, comforted and fed, in dying, brings us so much of the nature of silence itself. Patience teaches us to be less impulsive with our wishes and more open to the silence and a greater will for us. Patience watches as we wrestle with our emotions. Patience witnesses all our inner battles until we accept the peace in patience. We are invited to be patient in all things. Being patient in suffering lessens the pain and fear that it will last forever. Being patient in joy is not to be frantic that it may be ending but to really enjoy what is presented instead. Patience prepares us for the heart of quietude.

Coming to a closure to this entry, If patience prepares us for the heart of quietude, would that mean it is also preparing us for the Truth?