' The dream self is a virtual reality '...

The dream self is like a conceptual overlay placed on reality. Thought interprets reality through concepts, most of which act to confirm the central “me” concept. “I” exist only in relation to the “other” thing, person, event, etc

. The dream self is a conditioned existence. In some computer games, participants wear stereoscopic goggles that produce images of a virtual reality. Similarly, in the dream of self, conditioning creates a virtual reality that says: “This is a chair” or “My husband should listen more.” These are thought-based interpretations of reality based on memory. The dream self is essentially the past coming to meet the reality of now.

When the past (memory) meets the present, life feels dead. Thought gives the false impression that you can know life by labeling and judging it. But life is not conceptual. It is an actuality. The depth and miracle of life is veiled when life is lived only through the goggles of the dream self, the playing of one mental image after another.

Liberation is like taking the goggles off. It is seeing reality the way it is, including the thoughts that are arising. Life is not conceptual. When this is seen, what is left is a love of reality. This love is not dependent on thought. For example, your love for your husband has nothing to do with whether he does what you “think” he should do. This is unconditional love.


Kiloby, Scott. Reflections of the One Life: Daily Pointers to Enlightenment