Truth. In order to get to the Truth, we have to begin with Truth. And truthfulness to ourselves is very difficult. But in order to get to the Second Noble Truth, or even to the First Noble Truth, we have to be truthful, and not just impose our wish on the world of what we would like it to be. Truthfully, look around us and observe what the world and what Samsara really is. Can we be truthful about that? Can we see both sides? Can we see black and white, night and day, praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, fame and obscurity? Or do we only wish to only see one side? Being truthful is having the courage to see both sides. So, it begins with Truth, and that's Right View.
In order to walk the "Noble Eightfold Path" we have to develop truthfulness, a very important Parami, an extremely important Parami. To get the Second Noble Truth, we have to be truthful to ourselves: "Where does my Dukkha really come from?" Because most people, due to past conditioned wrong views, are not admitting responsibility for creating their Dukkha but instead seek to justify themselves or put the responsibility for their happiness or Dukkha onto others. Fortunately for most of you, you've had some practice and know that that doesn't work. It just brings more Dukkha. So truthfulness to ourselves allows us to understand the Second Noble Truth, the true cause of Dukkha. Then we can finally try to put in the right causes for the results we prefer, peace and happiness, and protect ourselves from creating more causes of future Dukkha.
And we need to have truthfulness all along the way, because we're not a fixed personality, even though we may think we are. We're changing all the time. Sometimes we're wise, and sometimes we're not. We think, "Oh, I've got it now, great!" However it is not possible to freeze ourselves in that wise moment, because the hindrances will come and go until we're enlightened. So we need to be aware and truthfully see their presence, the influence they have on us and through compassion to ourselves, let them go. So we need to be truthful to ourselves along the way, and this allows us to understand the changing nature of who and what we are.
To be truthful in asking ourselves, "Am I on the path in this moment?" It's not enough to just decide to be on the "Noble Eightfold Path" at the beginning of the practice. And we're not always on the "Noble Eightfold Path" just because we understand it intellectually. This practice is very much a moment-to-moment being on or wandering off the "Noble Eightfold Path".
When we have Right View and Right Intention we're stepping on to the "Noble Eightfold Path". When we're lost in wrong understanding and wrong intention we're off the "Noble Eightfold Path". So, can we be truthful and realize that we're off, we're gone! Through Compassion to ourselves we bring ourselves back to the "Noble Eightfold Path", by transforming Wrong View into Right View, and Wrong Intention into Right Intention. Truthfulness. It begins with truthfulness and ends with the Truth.
That brings up another thing, a lot of people misunderstand the "Noble Eightfold Path". They believe it's a linear thing, "We start here, we get some Right Understanding, and then we just go along". The "Noble Eightfold Path" is more a spiral which starts with intellectual Right Understanding, to begin the "Noble Eightfold Path", it deepens into experiential understanding, and so it goes around and upwards as our compassionate understanding deepens until we realize the Ultimate Truth. It begins with Wisdom, and ends with Wisdom. Begins with truth and ends with the Truth.