Honesty Summary

Read more about Honesty from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

What is Honesty?

Truthfulness means first truth-speaking and to keep the speech in harmony with the deepest truth of which one is conscious.

Straightforwardness means simply to be honest with oneself and with the Divine and not to be crooked in one's ways.

Relation of Honesty with Other Qualities

Honesty, straightforwardness, loyalty and sincerity are closely related it is extremely difficult for someone to be perfectly sincere without being loyal and honest.

Sincerity—what we call sincerity, that is to say, a perfect honesty and transparency: that there may be nowhere in the being anything which pretends, hides or wants to s itself off for what it is not.

There is no greater courage than to be always truthful.

Truth is the characteristic of an upright man, the stamp of his nature. Love of truth makes him face all fears. One speaks as he should, no matter what happens to him.

Honesty in Parts of the Being

Physical Being

Falsehood in the body is a falsehood in the CONSCIOUSNESS. The falsity of the consciousness has material consequences and that's what illness is! When you are open and in contact with the Divine, the Vibration gives you strength, energy; and if you are quiet enough, it fills you with great joy.

Vital Being

Vital honesty: not to allow our sensations and desires to falsify our judgement and determine our action.

Mental Being

Mental honesty: one does not try to deceive others or to deceive oneself.

Lack of Mental Honesty

When one begins to see that one has made a mistake, the first movement of the mind is to push it into the background and to put a cloak of a very fine little explanation, and as long as one is not obliged to show it, one hides it. That is “lack of mental honesty”. All these things are habitual, automatic, you are not even aware of them; When you discover this, you become aware that you are living constantly in “self-deception.”

Why is Honesty Necessary?

In reality, even for a purely egoistic reason, to do good, to be just, straight, honest is the best means to be quiet and peaceful, to reduce one's anxiety to a minimum.

Laying bare of each falsehood is in itself a victory. It may be an acknowledgment to oneself if it is absolutely honest and is no subtle regret apt to be forgotten the next moment and without the strength to make an unbreakable resolution not to repeat the mistake.

Role of Honesty in Sadhana

To serve God under a cover is easy, it insists on complete service, fearless service and honest service.

The opposition in certain parts of the being exists in every sadhak and can be very obstinate. Sincerity comes by having first the constant central aspiration or will, next, the honesty to see and avow the refusal in parts of the being, finally, the intention of seeing it through even there, however difficult it may be.

There must be self-restraint, entire truthfulness, a constant thought of the Divine in all one does. This is the way for the change of the lower vital. By constant self-dedication and self-discipline the Force will be brought down into the external being and the change made.

How to Develop Honesty?

Helpful Practices

One must cultivate control over speech, Control over one's speech is more important than complete silence. The best thing is to learn to say only what is useful in the most accurate and truthful way possible.

Process of Cultivating Honesty

In order to be mentally sincere, there must be an effort, there must be a discipline. It is acquired by a very constant and sustained effort. It sometimes takes years. Time must pass, one must have changed much within oneself, one’s vision of things must have become different, one must be in a different condition, in a different relation with circumstances, in order to see clearly completely how far one was deceiving oneself- and that moment one was convinced that one was sincere.

One must insist on a complete truthfulness in the whole being which will refuse to accept any denial of what the psychic discrimination sees or any affirmation or consent anywhere to what it disapproves.

In Children

One must set the children the right example. To be what one would like them to be. Giving them the example of equality of temper which makes children free from fear, for what makes children deceitful and untruthful, and even cunning, is the fear of being punished. If they feel secure, they will hide nothing and one will then be able to help them to be loyal and honest.

Content Curated by Arpita Joshi

Read more about Honesty from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.