Hello to all the truth seekers out there. As I always say that we are in this together. Have you ever had a moment where it is hard to differentiate between reality and dream? So what is life – A dream or reality. The great Taoist master Chuang Tzu once dreamt that he was a butterfly fluttering here and there. In his dream, he had no awareness of his individuality as a person. He was only a butterfly. Suddenly, he awoke and found himself lying there, a person once again. But then he thought to himself, “Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?”
Life is often referred as a dream by mystics (sufi). Well it is true, that when we fall asleep, we forget about our real life and start leading another life in our dream. When one dream ends, a new one starts and we forget about the old one. One day we all are going to wake up from our sleep and will realise that life was just a dream. Another story that I have recently read this great story about life being a dream and we are just some dreamers thinking everything around us is true. But is it really?
Here is another story that will give you another perspective,
There is a very ancient Chinese story: an emperor had only one son. That son was on his deathbed. The physicians had given up saying we cannot do anything to save him. He will not survive. There was no cure for the disease. It was a matter of just one or two days, he will die any moment. The father stayed awake all night sitting at his bedside. It was time to say good-bye. Tears were flowing from his eyes. Sitting and sitting, at about three in the morning the father began to doze. While he slept he saw a dream of a great empire that he was lord over. He had twelve sons – all handsome, young, talented, intelligent, great fighters, warriors! There was no one comparable in the whole world. He had a vast horde of wealth.
And he was a world ruler – his rule extending over the whole earth. He saw this dream when the son breathed his last. His wife screamed and started crying. He opened his eyes. He was completely shocked. He sat dumbfounded. Because just a moment before there was another kingdom, twelve sons, great wealth – it was all gone. And here this son has died! He remained completely lost.
His wife worried whether his mind was damaged, because he had had great affection for his son, and not a single tear was coming to his eyes. When the son was living he had cried over him, now the son has died, and the father is not crying? His wife shook him and said, ”Has something happened to you? Why don’t you cry?” He said, ” Who should I cry for? There were twelve, they died. There was a great empire; it has gone. Should I cry for them or should I cry for this one? I am thinking who I should cry for? Just as twelve are gone, thirteen are gone. ”Everything is finished,” he said. ”That was a dream, and this too is a dream.
When I was seeing that dream, I had completely forgotten his son. This kingdom… everything was forgotten. When that dream broke I remembered you. Tonight I will sleep and again I will forget you. So it comes and goes, now it is, now it is not: and now both dreams are gone. Now I have awakened from dreaming. Now I won’t be roaming about in dreams. It is enough, the time has come. The fruit has ripened, it is time for it to fall!”