Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (152)

Are delicious foods seen in a dream really existent?

Original text:大王。譬若有人。于睡梦中。为彼饥渴。之所逼切。遇诸美馔。随意而食。于意云何。是人觉已。忆念美馔。为实有不。王曰不也。佛言大王。是人所梦。执以为实。是智者不。王曰。不也世尊。何以故。梦中毕竟。无彼美膳。况得食耶。当知是人。徒自疲劳。都无有实。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, suppose there is a person who, in a dream, is tormented by hunger and thirst, and comes upon delicious foods, which he then eats to his heart's content. What do you think? After this person awakens, he keeps recalling the delicious foods from his dream—are these things really existent? King Śuddhodana said: They are not really existent.

The Buddha said: Great King, if this person clings to his dream as being really existent, is he a wise person? King Śuddhodana said: He is not a wise person, World-Honored One. Why is that? Because in the dream there is ultimately no such delicious food at all, let alone any actual enjoyment of eating. One should know that this person merely labors his mind in vain and gains nothing at all.