Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Failure to tell the truth to ourselves, is one of the most interesting forms of lying.

Moreover, this aspect of the fourth precept has everything to do with how to work with any of the precepts. Think about the puzzling notion of self deception. How could we deceive ourselves? Here we might say, there is a failure to face the truth. We look the other way out of shame or guilt or desire to be and to be seen as something we are not. Fully facing, getting to know, and actually welcoming the various kinds of liar that we are gives us a taste of not excluding anything, a taste of no inside, no outside.

The more we can do this, with no outcome, or gaining idea in mind, the more truth-speaking, and selflessness can naturally arise.

Non-lying spontaneously arises when we are willing to hang out with, be conscious of, explore, and compassionately allow everything we are in regard to not telling the truth.’ (Opening To Oneness)