"A Dream Within A Dream"

A few days back , I read a beautiful story about Chuang Tzu, a great mystic of China. The story made me dived into deep thoughts . I just want to share the story with all of you :

One morning, sitting in his bed, Chuang Tzu looked very sad. His disciples had never seen him so sad. What had happened? Was he sick?
 
They gathered around and asked him, “Master, what is the matter?” He said, “The matter is really difficult, I cannot solve it; perhaps you may be of some help. In the night I dreamed that I had become a butterfly, and I was moving from one flower to another flower.”
 
The disciples said, “This is nothing to be sad about. In dreams we all do strange things; and this is not a bad thing  to be a colorful, beautiful butterfly. Why are you so worried?”
 
He said, “You have not heard the whole thing. The problem is, now I am awake and I am wondering whether Chuang Tzu dreamed that he is a butterfly, or now the butterfly has gone to sleep and is dreaming she is Chuang Tzu.”
 
Both are possible,,,,,  IF CHUANG TZU CAN DREAM THAT HE IS A BUTTERFLY ; WHY CAN'T A BUTTERFLY DREAM THAT SHE IS CHAUNG TZU. ???
 
The butterfly is a dream, Chuang Tzu is a dream ... then what is real?

# How do we know when we’re dreaming, and when we’re awake?
## How do we know if what we’re perceiving is “real” or a mere “illusion” ?

Perhaps the story is interpreted as a metaphor for "Spiritual Awakening".

~Mohit Handa

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