Have you ever noticed how a jury works?
They spend days on end listening. They then weigh the evidence, and produce a simple verdict.
Juries don’t say, “Guilty, but we think the evidence is kind of shoddy.”
Juries don’t say, “Guilty. Here’s why we think so…”
Juries don’t say, “We’re really not sure if he’s guilty or not.”
Byron Katie’s invitation for questions 1 and 2 (“Is that true?”, “Can you absolutely know it’s true?”) is to answer with just a yes or no.
Not “Yes, but…” or “Yes, because…” or “I don’t know.”
This forces the mind into a deliberation, just like a jury is forced into a deliberation. And this deliberation happens behind closed doors. The power of the answer would be diluted if everyone could hear the jury’s deliberation.
Likewise, the power of your answer is strongest on the experiential level when you deliberate internally before speaking out a yes or no.
This same question can be used not just as opportunity to deliberate, but as an opportunity to drop the question into the depth of your mind and see what arises.
This is a very meditative way to answer the question that can transcend the rational movement of the mind. I think, in the end, this is the most powerful way to answer the question, “Is it true?”
This is true self-inquiry.
The Work can be done intellectually, but it remains somewhat superficial because it is based on the assumptions of the rational mind. When the questions are taken in deeply, sent off into the void as it were, with no clue what will come out, there is a chance for real opening.
The wisdom that sits beneath the rational mind is finally given a chance to speak. And we can be truly enlightened by the answers that surface. This is plumbing the depths and the answers can be quite surprising.
Experiment with this subtle way of asking and waiting. And if you meet a string of logic, know that that is also fine. I end up doing it both ways (and I honestly tend to do it more often the rational way, out of habit, or out of a desire to be in control), but either way I still let it settle before coming up with a simple yes or no.
Even if your answers come from deductive reasoning, which is totally fine, I suggest that you allow it to happen internally, and then just report a yes or no. When you do, you will notice what it feels like to stand with your decision.
You may notice that your feelings and bodily reactions become a sensitive lie detector test when you report a yes or no. The test is least likely to be fooled when given a simple yes or no.
The yes or no has to stand there naked with no support from any side. A very interesting test of truth, especially considering that truth can always be argued either way.
Juries do—even when a yes or no is all that the court would like to hear.
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