Lectures on the Sutra of the Father and Son Anthology (145)

Is the dream of having one's nose faculty severed real?

Original Text: Great King, it is like a person who, in a dream, has his nose faculty severed by a non-human being. What do you think? After this person awakens and recalls in his memory the severing of the nose faculty in the dream, is this real? The King said: No, it is not. The Buddha said: Great King, if this person clings to what he dreamed as real, is he wise? The King said: No, World-Honored One. Why is that? After all, there is no nose faculty in the dream. How much less can there be its severing? It should be known that this person merely exhausts himself to no purpose, with nothing real at all.

Explanation: Great King, it is like a person who, in a dream, dreams of having his nose faculty severed by a non-human being. What do you think? After this person awakens, he constantly recalls the event of his nose faculty being destroyed in the dream. Is this matter real? King Śuddhodana said: It is not real, World-Honored One.

The Buddha said: Great King, if this person clings to what he dreamed as real, is he a wise person? King Śuddhodana said: He is not a wise person, World-Honored One. Why is this so? Because after all, there is no such thing as a nose faculty in the dream, let alone the event of it being severed. It should be known that this person merely wearies his mind in vain, with no real matter at all.

Non-human beings do not belong to the human race and include beings such as asuras, yamara, garudas, ghosts, and spirits. They are not human, and many also serve as Dharma-protecting deities for us humans. They create both unwholesome karma and wholesome karma.