Questioner (Q): Acharya Ji, I want to discuss just about three words, whatever we are discussing and it’s not personal, it’s an open-ended discussion. Perception, divine, and karma. I will put it in a very simple way. So, we call it walking a path, I call it living a life now. If you are talking about a spiritual path, I think it’s a life only. You have chosen a life and now you are walking. So, in this path, I realize that our perception has to be improved to understand the divine that is surrounding us, and the divine is surrounding us if we look, just look around!
Acharya Prashant (AP): What’s the question?
Q: So, is this true what is I just said?
AP: No. There is nothing called ‘improvement of perception’. Perception by itself is the projection you inflict upon yourself. Have you, first of all, gathered…
Q: Okay, right! So...
AP: Wait, wait, wait! Don’t be in a rush to throw what you already have! Firstly, receive something new. This word ‘perception’ and ‘better perception’ and ‘higher perception’ is just too much in circulation and one has to watch out. There is a great difference between perception, and attention or realization. Perception everybody has. Each one perceives as one is! You see how you are; you get what you are! So, there is nothing in perception. In fact, the Buddhists, therefore, use the exact opposite. They say ‘aperception’. When they want to talk of seeing rightly, they say, ‘I aperceived’ not 'perceived' because perceiving is always false. Perception is always false because the perceiver is false. Full stop!
