The most intriguing part of The Story of The Stone is the envisioned entrance to the mortal world. The monk and the Taoist approached a gateway to the mortal world with the inscription “The Land of Illusion” that implies our mortal world is not the reality we percieve it to be. Although this is not a new idea we are introduced to, I still find it quite captivating. The monk and Taoist somehow managed to escape the world of illusion, I assume this is because of the nature of the Bhuddist faith; that those who are very close to their religion won’t be subjected to the tortures of mortal life. What I can’t seem to decipher though is the other inscription on the archway; “Truth becomes fiction when the fiction’s true; real become not-real where the unreal’s real.” Why the use of different words for truth (truth/real) and deception (fiction/not-real/unreal)? Was it simply to keep the reader captivated by its mysticism? Or is there a seperate meaning for each of these phrases that is less obvious than what we take it as at face value?
If our world is made up entirely of illusions what is the purpose of continuing our existence? To seek the truth, to find enlightenment, could these goals really make it worthwhile to exist in a world full of falsehoods and deception? It seems quite humanitarian to want to seek out the truth behind all the falsehoods of humanity. Enlightenment for oneself can only benefit all those around you, since you will be able to remove the veil of deception from their eyes and help them on their own way to finding truth. The message I get from this story is one that still resonates today, and has resonated through most of the readings we have done in class so far. This is the message that one needs to take matters into their own hands because the ruling forces in our world are corrupt and decieving.
“Truth becomes fiction when the fiction’s true; real become not-real where the unreal’s real.” A line that puzzles me to no end. I think I’ve found a meaning for it though. Continuing with your idea, our world is governed by many corrupt people (as it has for all of time). These corrupt people misinform the general public, they bar them from becoming enlightened and feed them lies and deception. In this way, the fiction is true. What does this mean though? It means that whoever’s in power gets to dictate what’s truth and what isn’t. Thus, it’s up to the individual to embark on his own path of enlightenment, not just for his own good but for the good of his neighbor. Selfless thoughts such as those are what sparked the Enlightenment in the first place.
Reynaldo that quote reminds me of Orwell’s 1984.
I think the whole piece talks about living a life without letting the forces that define the world around us affect us. To step out of the circle of corruption that surrounds us. The illusions that shroud us are there for us to overcome and to step out of it. Just because there are higher powers that might ‘control’ our world, doesn’t mean they have the power to control our decisions. We all have free choice, and we can always choose to live outside the illusion.