Short story: Our perception is often our reality, but seldom the truth

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The Taoist head monk, Daosha Zhangfen, was talking to the other monks about perception. Here is the recorded dialogue, as recorded by his scribe. "What we percept as large in our own life, might really be only minor, or small, without that added perception." "Perception creates uncertainty, when uncertainty is not seen from certainty." "Following your path, but without perception, takes you further along it, much more quickly, than when you're making perceptions about it, along your way." "Perception, and perceiving something, is a function of the mind, and so it creates a standpoint of opinion in you, which you must then move away from to see the realer truth of God, never just perceived in parts, but only ever, felt as a whole, in your heart of love." "Oneness of heart brings oneness of love." "Identifying with your perceptions captures you in them." "Now," he said to them, "What is your perception of my words?" One bright student raised his hands quickly, and replied. "I perceived nothing, but I felt everything." The old monk smiled, and answered him like this: '"There is no truth. There is only perception."' "So, said the French writer, Gustave Flaubert, (1821 to 1880)." "Of course, he had it back to front. Truth sits outside of all perception of itself. Perception cannot know truth. Perception is never truth." Somebody else said that, "Love is only a perception." "But, he had it back to front too." "Love has nothing to do with perception either. Love is never real in your mind's perception of it, love is only real in your heart's knowing feeling about it." "So, your answer was a good one, my lad. Well done!" And with that, the old master went to his room, to have a rest on his own. At least, that was the perception that he gave to his students, but really, he was meditating softly in his heart. He trusted his meditation to God's love, not to any of his perceptions of it, and of how it was going for himself. His student, went to meditate too, sat on a wooden bench, facing a beautiful mountain. He thought that such a surrounding would help him in his meditation too. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, that was a mere perception too. Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com A beautiful scenery can subtly alter our perception if we try to perceive it from our mind alone. Drink in its love, and your heart will be opened then to see it more truly too.