Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (136)

Is the Smearing of Fragrance in a Dream Real?

Original text:大王。譬如有人。于睡梦中。以旃檀香。或多摩罗叶香。及余香等。而以涂身。于意云何。是人觉已。忆念梦中。所涂之香。是实有不。王曰不也。

佛言大王。是人所梦。执以为实。为智者不。王曰。不也世尊。何以故。梦中毕竟。无有诸香。何况复有。以涂身耶。当知是人。徒自疲劳。都无有实。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, suppose there is a person who, while sleeping and dreaming, smears his own body with sandalwood fragrance, tamāla-leaf fragrance, or other kinds of fragrance. What do you think of this? After this person awakens, he still recollects the fragrance he smeared on himself in the dream — is the act of smearing fragrance real? King Śuddhodana said: It is not real.

The Buddha said: Great King, if this person clings to his dream as being real, is he a wise person? King Śuddhodana said: He is not a wise person, World-Honored One. Why is this said? Because in the dream there is ultimately no fragrance at all, let alone the act of smearing fragrance on the body. This person has truly indulged in futile delusion, wearied his mind in vain, and there is nothing real in it at all.

The act of smearing fragrance in a dream is illusory, and the act of dreaming itself is also illusory. So, did this person actually dream? He indeed did dream. Although dreaming is a false appearance, the existence of this false appearance cannot be denied. We can only find a way to recognize that this is a dream, and then we will be awake; recognizing that all these dharmas are false appearances, and finding a way to prove that all these dharmas are illusory, that is awakening, and in the future one will be able to transcend birth and death.