Lojong #2

#2)Regard all dharmas as dreams.

(The word 'dharma' has a host of meanings in Buddhist and Hindu teachings. In this case, a good translation would be 'effects' or 'phenomena'.)

Jamgon Kongtrul explains...
"Actual phenomena - that is, the world and its inhabitants - are objects that we grasp at with our senses. These appearances are simply our mind's manifestations of confusion. In the end, they are not actually existent in any way whatsoever, but are like the appearances in a dream. By thinking along these lines, train yourself to have some feeling for looking at the world this way."

Pema Chodron tells us...
"Everything you experience in your life - pain, pleasure, heat, cold, or anything else - is like something in a dream. Although you might think things are very solid, they are like passing memory. You can experience this open, unfixated quality in sitting meditation; all that arises in your mind - hate, love, and all the rest - is not solid. Although the experience can get extremely vivid, it is just a product of your mind. Nothing solid is really happening."


If you missed the explanation of the lojong sayings and tonglen meditation, click here.