Why are things described as dream-like?

Why are things described as dream-like?

The word ‘dream’ offers a compelling description of relative phenomena. These phenomena often do not align with ultimate reality, which is why they are fittingly described as dream-like. This description is effective because such phenomena, like dreams, lack solid substance. Dreams are not truly real.

A dream occurs within the framework of the Three Times and always arises from causes and conditions. Still, it is challenging to fully understand the precise nature of the connection between them.

Fundamentally, ‘dream’ is a label intimately tied to the mind or consciousness, representing an appearance of the mind.  Our minds function on many levels, from coarse to subtle. When we look back on our past, everything we’ve done seems to fade away like a dream, leaving behind only impressions, like deposits in a kind of cosmic bank. The mind, acting as both the dreamer and the storehouse of karmic seeds, holds onto these imprints. When we act virtuously through our body, speech or mind, these actions create positive, dream-like imprints on our consciousness. On the other hand, when we act from negative states of mind, like greed, ill will, wrong views or jealousy, we create negative imprints. These, too, will eventually ripen into their own dream-like, illusory outcomes.

Even our body is dream-like. Just as a dream is a dream, our physical form and all phenomena share this same dream-like quality. This is because they are indefinite, undefined, unestablished and constantly changing, making their true nature unknowable.

Because of the power of both positive and negative imprints, we inevitably experience different kinds of feelings, sometimes happiness, at other times suffering. While these feelings are dream-like, our experience of them remains vivid and real. This dream-like nature is an illustration of relative truth; it shows how things can appear in many forms even though they don’t truly exist on their own.

The mind, within its dream-like nature, includes both positive and negative aspects across past, present and future. After the body dies, the subtle mind continues its journey through ‘realms beyond’. Still, this mind isn’t completely free. It is influenced by the imprints it carries, which are constantly being triggered, worn out and newly formed. 

Dreams, by their nature, are fleeting and without substance. Because of this, we should not dwell upon them too much. When we loosen our rigid grasping, we can begin to see the waking state, the activities of coarse and subtle minds at the time of death, down to the very subtlest of minds, as dream-like. 

Although everything is like a dream, our actions in the relative world still function. They still produce effects. So, if someone concludes that because everything is dream-like, nothing exists or causality doesn’t matter, they are denying an obvious and experienced truth. We naturally want happiness and try to avoid suffering. When the causes of suffering arise, we feel unhappy. These feelings of happiness or suffering are valid experiences. We clearly recognize them, no matter what we believe.

Karma, causality and the continuum of past and future lives are directly shaped by our habitual tendencies to pursue happiness and avoid suffering. The very manner of this creation is dream-like, like any other phenomenon lacking solid, independent, true existence. So, we should not rigidly attach to anything. Understanding this point is extremely important.

If we have to attach to something, let it be to Bodhicitta and the perfect view of Emptiness! These truly are the most excellent, limitless and invaluable treasures. Loving-kindness and an understanding of emptiness are the mind’s most unique and profound qualities. They lead to unmatched ability, boundless love and an all-knowing awareness that sees the complete nature of reality in its glorious entirety. Their very vastness makes them beyond measure in value. In contrast, all other seemingly precious things, no matter their perceived worth, are ultimately illusory and dream-like. No matter the short-term benefits they bring, they are changeable and unreliable. This deep instability is exactly why the metaphor of a dream is so fitting and enduring.