One night a young student stays at the house of a Sage. Lying in bed in the dark of night, he quietly listens to the shrieks of the house as the wind crashes against it. As he is lying in bed, he slowly opens his eyes. As his eyes open, fear is instilled in his mind and his heart starts to race. He thinks he sees a monster on the other side of the room. He thinks about calling out to the Sage but, paralysed with fear, he slowly moves under the covers leaving only his eyes uncovered.
“Master, Master,” he screams. The Sage comes into the room and turns on the light. As the Sage turns on the light, the darkness dissipates as the light engulfs the entire room. “What is it?” the Sage asks. “I thought I saw a monster over there,” he replies, then states, “But now that the light is on, it was only my jacket hanging from the top of the door.”
Calming the young student’s mind, the Sage goes on to explain, “When we use darkness to illuminate our understanding, we see things that are not really there. We misperceive things, claiming a jacket is a monster. We can’t see in darkness as darkness obscures sight. Only in light can things be seen as they truly are. Next time you are seeing something in darkness, become curious about what is actually there; question what you are seeing. Through this inquiry, the light shall fill your mind and you will perceive things as they truly are.”
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One Silent Mind 