Q. Did you ever wake up in the middle of a dream and realise that you are not just dreaming but watching the dream at the same time? Who is the watcher and who is the dreamer?

A. When you see, or watch the earth, you are the earth as well. You are never separated from the earth when you see and hear the earth. A dreamer is a watcher because watching is also dreaming. This is why no one but you can watch your dream when you dream. If a dreamer were not identical with a watcher, others could watch your dreams.

What matters here is that your thinking ‘you are not just dreaming but watching the dream at the same time’ is also a dream. You should know that not only the dream you have during your sleep but also your life itself is no other than a dream. For example, when we see a certain thing with others in the same place at the same time, each of us has different perspectives about it from each other. Each of us doesn’t know what views each of the others has unless they tell us their views about it. It’s because each of us dreams differently. This is why the Buddha said that our lives are dreams. To realise who the dreamer is, is to attain enlightenment.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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