Who is the dreamer, Chou or the butterfly?

[theist 1]

Long ago, Chuang Chou dreamed that he was a butterfly. He was elated as a butterfly — well pleased with himself, his aims satisfied. He knew nothing of Chou. But shortly he awoke and found himself to be Chou. He did not know whether as Chou he dreamed he was a butterfly, or whether as a butterfly he dreamed he was Chou.

 

 

So the question is who is the real dreamer, Chou or the butterfly? The answer is neither. We experience this everyday in a way. We, the atma/self, dream that we are such and such human being, and when that dream of a human sleeps he dreams that he is something else, perhaps a butterfly.

 

Neither is real. We are only dreaming we are someone who dreams either way, as the butterfly or the man it doesn't matter.

 

Rare is the one among us who is awake to himself. But at least we are starting to know we are sleeping and dreaming; I think that may be a sign that we are on the verge of waking up.

 

Hare Krsna

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[Guest guest]

What is so good in waking up?

[Pankaja_Dasa 1]

 

 

When Krishna clicks His fingers you will awake.

[theist 1]

 

What is so good in waking up?

 

 

That we have to consider against what we experience here in this dream state. No one wants to but we all must face this thing called death. And before then disease and other sufferings will afflict us.

 

If we honestly analyize this dreaming state we never come to the desired point of happiness. It is always just ahead of us or around the corner, "we are almost there..." But we never find it.

 

So another good question is what is so good about staying asleep?

 

Even though we can't really imagine waking life while still asleep as we are, some awakened souls take on dream bodies like ours while remaining awake themselves and can teach us something of the awakened state of reality. They say that we are really eternal, filled with knowledge and ever blissful by constitution. They advise us to awaken to our true reality and trade in death, ignorance and suffering for eternity, knowledge and bliss. They even try very hard to attract us to that side.

 

We must weigh their words against our present experiences and see if they make enough sense for us to trust their teachings enough to move in that direction.

 

What do we have to lose? Presently we only suffer. If there is a chance they are correct then it behooves us to listen to these transcendental lucid dreamers.

[theist 1]

Yes Krsna the master hypnotist.

 

"At the completion of this mantra you will awaken from your present somnambulistic trance. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare"

[krsna 3]

Bhagavad-gita 7.4 Class

 

Vrndavana, August 10, 1974

 

Vidyapati sings,

tatala saikate vari-bindu-sama,

suta-mita-ramani-samaje.

We have created this society,

friendship and love in this material world

for becoming happy.

 

Everyone wants to be happy,

because that is his natural inclination. Anandamayo 'bhyasat.

As Krsna is happy always...

You will see.

Krsna is enjoying His life with Srimati Radharani

and the gopis or the cowherds boys

or His father, mother.

That is spiritual, everything.

Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih.

That is ananda-cinmaya.

 

A similar imitation here in this material world.

The same thing, suta-mita-ramani-samaje.

But it is false.

Just like you see water in the desert.

You'll see there is vast mass of water in the desert,

and the animal falsely go to drink the water and dies.

 

Similarly, in this material world,

this suta-mita-ramani-samaje,

what we are trying to become happy,

that is like will-o'-the wisp, false thing.

Real life is in the society of Krsna.