To put it bluntly, we live a lie. Thus even when we attempt to be truthful, our truthfulness is circumstantial rather than radical, because we fail to know our own true nature. Truthfulness in words, actions, and thoughts is the moral foundation upon which Yoga practitioners must build their temple of spiritual discipline and conscious living. Truthfulness has many aspects. As the great Hindu scriptures remind us, so long as we are prone to deception, self-deception, dishonesty, pretense, hypocrisy, and posturing, our spiritual efforts cannot bear positive fruit.
Lies are like quicksand, sucking into oblivion even our best endeavors.
Lies, as everyone knows, draw us into complexities that can make our life very difficult. Simplicity keeps us on the straight and narrow path of truth. The masters of Yoga always are themselves, regardless who is in front of them. Of course, in doing so they must always also pay proper attention to the virtue of nonharming. In our complex society, the challenge is to cultivate naturalness while living and cooperating smoothly with others.