My belief – even this today’s program is like a dream. Yesterday was also a dream. Our life is complete dream. Do you understand what I mean?

Dream means that which is unreal (asatya, neti). Movie is no doubt a fiction, yet in the theatre you weep. Knowing very well that it is a drama you get involved with the drama. The nine forms of emotion come out from within you during the movie. You pay $5 for the movie, but it fills you with loads of good as well as bad energy. You are of mixed emotions. When the movie ends, you come to reality and then you understand that you had become one with the character of the movie.

Real life is also like a dream. Instead of focussing upon the dreams you see during sleep, you first think of this waking state which is nothing but a dream.

As per Vedanta there is a different definition of the dream state (Swapna) and deep sleep state (sushupta). I will not explain those details and confuse you further.

After waking up from sleep you forget your dream and become busy with your daily life routine. You say to yourself, ‘Ah, it was just a dream.’ In reality, even this waking state is a dream. When you understand that your waking state is also a dream, you will figure about your dreams that you see in sleep.

Think about this life. This dream. Think of yesterday’s incidents, of the past year’s incidents, of the incidents that are likely to take place in future. All of them are nothing but dreams.

Assume someone praised you profusely yesterday during Guru Purnima celebrations, you exclaim, ‘it was an unforgettable Guru Purnima. It was like a dream.’ Unknowingly you utter, ‘it is a dream’. Here, in order to describe an incident that actually took place in your life, you compared it to a ‘dream’. Why? Because you run out of words to explain that situation.

Hence do not place much significance to the dreams you see when you go to bed. It is unnecessary. I will give you a personal advice. If you have a good dream, enjoy. There are no fees and no ticket to be paid for it. In a theatre you have to pay $5. Here it is free.

But more importantly, learn to understand that this life is a dream. Think about it. If you ask me about this life being a dream, I will answer your question.

(Q&A Session Dallas 2009)