An elderly monk once told the following parable:
Once
upon a time, three brave and courageous people who lived
far from the ocean wanted to know what the ocean is. They asked knowledgeable old men how to get there, and immediately set off. They walked for a long time and finally reached the ocean.
“It turns out that the ocean looks like a big field!” exclaimed the first of the brave pioneers.
“But it seems to me that the ocean resembles an endless forest!” said the second traveler enthusiastically.
“But in my opinion, the ocean is a huge desert!” - the third traveler expressed his opinion.
A
fisherman passed by and said to them: “You shouldn't argue among
yourselves, looking at the ocean from the shore, but rather dive
headlong into the water, and what you see there will be the ocean!”
The travelers did just that - they followed the advice of the fisherman. Soon they emerged from the water and caught their breath. “Well, what does the ocean look like now?” the fisherman asked with a smile.
The ocean explorers looked at each other and said, "We don't know what the ocean is, but it's very salty!"
With this the elderly monk concluded: "Never let your mind confuse you - know God by experience."