2.36 When one is firmly established in speaking truth, the fruits of action become subservient to him.

2.37 All jewels approach him who is confirmed in honesty.

Once there was a old man meditating in the forest. A man came running up to him on a path and asked him where he could hide. The old man, being a Yogi has sworn to himself that he would never tell an untruth. He told the man to climb up a nearby tree to hide. Not too long after, a group of men came galloping up on thier horses and asked "Did you see a man come through here? He is a criminal and we are looking for him." The Yogi, refusing to tell a lie, silently pointed to the tree where the criminal was hiding. To make a long story short, the man grabbed the criminal and made McNuggets out of him.

So what was the correct thing to do in this situation? We can see the nuance of truth and how it can effect the people around us. The Yogi could have just told the group of men that the criminal had went a different way down the path. He could have also said that he did not see the man come through. Adherence to absolute truth can be as dangerous as a lie.

What do we do? It seems like we mush do our best to judge each situation differently. The family that hid Anne Frank was obviously lying about the Jews in their house. A yogi is wise with their words. Gossip should be avoided when possible so that we do not spread untruths about others. Besides, we can't seem to mind our own business.

The greatest lies we can ever tell are the lies we tell ourselves. When we lie to ourselves about our true nature, rationalizations and ignorance it muddies the water of our consciousness. Facing our inner truth something we all have to do at some point. If not in this life, than in the next.