Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son: Selected Lectures (58)

Original text: 佛言大王。耳闻恶声。则生忧恼。如人梦中。亲爱别离。悲号啼哭。生大苦恼。于意云何。是人觉已。忆梦中事。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。梦中亲爱。毕竟无有。何况复有。别离事耶。当知是人。徒自疲劳。都无有实。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, when some people hear unpleasant sounds, sorrow, grief, and distress arise in their minds, just like someone who in a dream sees a beloved family member parting from them in life and death, and weeps and wails bitterly, feeling great anguish within. What do you think of this? After this person wakes up, he keeps recalling the events of the dream—are the events in the dream truly existent? King Śuddhodana replied: They are not truly existent.

The Buddha said: Great King, this person takes what he saw in his dream as truly existent—is he a person of wisdom? King Śuddhodana replied: That person has no wisdom, World-Honored One. Why is it said this way? Because the loved ones in the dream ultimately do not exist; if there were also the event of parting from loved ones, that would be even less real. Therefore, it is said that this person exhausts his mental effort over people and events that are not truly existent, toiling his mind in vain, with no benefit whatsoever.