Yesterday = last night’s dream
Tomorrow = tonight’s dream
Today = a day-dream

‘Dream-like are sense-pleasures’ says the Buddha, the Awakened One. ‘Just as one would see in a dream charming parks, charming forest glades, charming landscapes and charming water-ponds, but on waking up, sees not a trace of them, even so dream-like are sense-pleasures.’ (Potaliya S. M. N. )

The Buddha has awakened from the Samsaric slumber with its manifold dreams of sense-pleasures. The image of the dream calls to our minds the illusory nature of sense pleasures. Life after life we go to sleep in this or that mother’s womb - in this or that plane of existence. Our fleshly eye opens at birth - but not the wisdom-eye. We dream at night and wake up by day. But our day-dream continues throughout our lives. We usually wake up on hearing an alarm. When death knocks at our door we are alarmed. That is our last chance to wake up. That is not the time to pack-up, but to let-go. ‘From all that is dear and agreeable, there is a separation, a deprivation, a change to otherwise-ness’ (M.P.S-D.N.) ‘All meetings end in partings’.

‘In a dream one meets another
But wakes up to see him gone
So it is with the one held dear
When he is dead and gone

- Jara S, Sn. V.807