The dreamstate is an illusionary reality. In a way, the whole of life is a great big dream. This is a dream, a dream world -there is no reality to it all.
Within the dreamstate everybody is holding false beliefs and false perceptions, and the false personality that’s based on them.
"This so called "waking" reality is only a dream, a "day dream", somewhat longer, more stable, consistent, and "logical" in structural patterns, and more consensually verifiable -it is more a "mutual dream" than the night dream, which is less commonly shared as a “mutual dream” by other dreamers—but it is a dream, nevertheless."
- Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981) -
“The apparent world is caused by our imagination, in its ignorance. It is not real. It is like a passing dream. Creation is but agitation in consciousness; the world exists in the mind! It seems to exist because of imperfect vision, imperfect understanding. It is really not more than a long dream…”
- Sankara (c.700) -
Usually considered the most brilliant sage in all Vedanta tradition.
“There is no difference between dream and the waking state, except that the dream is short and the waking state long.
Both are the result of the mind. Because the waking state is long, we imagine that it is our real state.”
- Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) -
"This reality is only relatively real. At night, while you dream, everything is very real, but when you wake up it turns out to be unreal, and the waking stage seems to be real. But both are dreams—one a night dream and the other a day dream.
During both dreams you are present and you experience both. So you, the "I am awareness" remains; the rest is a mixture of true and false….”
- Babaji -
To awaken is to become progressively less asleep
To realize that you are dreaming is all that is needed. To awaken is really nothing more than the process of waking up from the dream. To inquire and seeing what’s really true and become progressively less asleep.
“Treating everything as a dream liberates.”
As long as you give reality to dreams, you are their slave. See all as a dream and stay out of it.... all you need is to realize that you are dreaming. When you have seen the dream as a dream, you have done all that needs to be done.
-Nisargadatta -
Do we need to change the dream to wake up?
“Don’t try to change the dream. Be aware of the dream. Become more interested in the awareness of the dream than in the dream itself. “
- Adyashanti -
How seriously do you take other people in the dreamstate?
Just imagine, if you woke up inside a dream, how would you see other people in the dream? How seriously would you take things? Of what real importance is any given situation in a dream? Is there any need to rescue each other from sleeping and dreaming?
So most people you see are sort of not really present, sleepwalking through their roles. They are fully in character and don’t know any other way. I don’t see it as my role to save or rescue anybody any more that regular people feel the need to rescue each other from sleeping and dreaming.
The "detached observer" quality
The more you realize the dreamstate nature of reality, the more you start to develop a sense of detached observer quality. That means constantly perceiving life as a movie, as a day-dream, as a stage drama, as a dreamstate. Cultivating a sense of amused detachment from your own character and the dream, perceiving life from a free and expansive perspective, without being lost in likes and dislikes, attachments and aversions.
Don't take your role too seriously...
"You’re in the dream but not of the dream.”
Being an impartial witness means taking a step back from yourself, so you’re not just living your life, but also observing it impartially in real time. You are not fully in character. You are also part of the audience. You are aware that you’re acting on a stage and you’re somewhat disinterestedly, monitoring your performance.
It means you know that you’re playing a character in a staged production, but you don’t confuse your role with the detached observer or the stage with reality. You are playing a character role but all importance is illusory.
You can even look at reality as if it were something that happened at another time, last week or last year. This helps you create a distance from the event and stop feeling it in a personal way.
"The wise man who sees the world as an illusion, does not act as if it is real.
Therefore he does not suffer."
- The Buddha -
Everyone is in their own dreamstate
“Every single thing in my life, in your life, is a holographic play. And it seems that we are all in the same play but we are all in our own timelines, all in our own worlds and universes. All playing different roles in each others play. And we all think we are all in the same movie.”
- Matt Khan -
From now on, no matter the cost,
I'll be the master of the dream world I find myself in.
I'm the prisoner of a dream, and nothing here is what it looks like.
If we could see without the distorted influence of the ego,
everything would appear as it is, perfect.
- William Blake -
The Lucid dreamer of life...
“When one realizes life to be a dream appearance, one becomes equanimous about the content of one's life, and one's focus of attention opens up to include not only the play of forms—this body-mind and all “other” body- minds—but also to intuitively include the formless matrix, context, or ground for this play: namely, the pure, absolute Being-Awareness, the witness in its formless no-thingness, which mysteriously, playfully gives rise to the play of forms. Thus, in the awakened state, “One witnesses the dream while the dreamless (awareness) goes on”.
- Adi Da -
You are sleep and you can wake up
This is your show. It’s your universe. There’s no one else here, just you, and nothing is being withheld from you. You are completely on your own. Everything is available for direct knowing. No one else has anything you need. No one else can lead you, pull you, push you or carry you. No one else is necessary to your success. It cannot be simpler -you are asleep and you can wake up. If you understand that, you’ll understand that it’s the best news you could possible receive.
- Jed McKenna -
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
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