Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son, Lecture Notes (194)

The Parable of Drinking Wine

Original text:复次大王。譬如有人。于睡梦中。自见其身。饮酒惛醉。不识善法。及诸恶行。功德过失。都不觉知。是人觉已。念梦中事。为实尔不。王言不也。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Here is another dream, Great King. Suppose there is a person who, in a dream while sleeping, sees himself becoming dead drunk after drinking wine, neither distinguishing wholesome dharmas nor distinguishing unwholesome dharmas, unaware of what merit or fault his actions carry. After this person wakes up, he keeps recollecting the events of the dream in his mind—are the events of the dream real? King Śuddhodana said: They are not real.

Original text:佛言大王。于意云何。是人所梦。执为真实。是智者不。王言。不也世尊。何以故。梦中毕竟。无饮酒者。况惛醉耶。当知是人。徒自疲劳。都无有实。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, what do you think? If this person clings to his dream as real and truly existent, is he a wise person? King Śuddhodana said: This person is not wise, World-Honored One. Why is that? Because in the dream there is ultimately no one drinking wine, let alone the matter of being drunk. One should know that this person's constant recollection is nothing but needless fatigue of his own mind—there is nothing real in it at all.