..续本文上一页ing of an illusive life would only bring immense pain and suffering.

　　5. How to maintain the practice of everything as a dream

　　Actually, in this life, the most fundamental questions are about life and death. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are faced by each one of us. How do we overcome them

　　 It is a question that we must consider.

　　In Buddhism, there are many ways to overcome birth, aging, sickness, and death. For example, the practice of life as dreams. These cannot remain merely verbal, but need to be given a certain amount of time daily to be solidly practiced. Otherwise, life is so short, once it passes; there are no more opportunities.

　　Only with the realization that all are like dreams and illusions can one then let go of strong attachment to all phenomena. This is an extremely sublime Middle Way teaching. In another word, in the ultimate reality, all phenomena are empty, cannot be attained, far removed from all thoughts, discriminative thinking, language, and this is the ultimate realm of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is as described in the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Avatamsaka Sutra. And in famous quotes, all phenomena are like dreams and illusions, although they manifest, they do not truly exist. This realization is the highest realization in the Prajna Middle Way.

　　But would it be too passive to visualize that all are like dreams and illusions

　　 No. Just like when we are dreaming, to eliminate the fears in dreams, we need to rely on remedies in the dreams. Of course, those who have not actually practiced would not completely understand this. Thus, these ideas need to be practiced in daily life. If one can steadfastly maintain a practice, eventually one would have certain comprehensions. Then, whether you are walking, sitting, or sleeping at night, you would abide in a state where all are dream-like. Even though everything manifests, you would not abandon yourself in it. Then on this basis, you continue to observe its nature, as described in the Heart Sutra, ultimately reaching indescribable shores, and attaining the deepest states of realization.

　　This state actually is not a legend. Many people now, especially those in academia, can give a thorough discourse on Buddhism, but have never practiced. They do not practice it themselves, and also stop others from practicing. This is not advisable. Anything we learn, if we cannot use it after studying it, would be like making clothes but never wearing them. To just hang them on the clothing rack is not useful for anyone.

　　Of course, it is not as easy as simply wishing to use it. When you study geometry, physics, chemistry, without spending a certain amount of time, you definitely cannot use them in a flexible way. Similarly, the idea that life is like a dream, without spending effort to practice it, one cannot grasp its mysteries. It is only after having deeply explored it and practiced it, can one then not overly crave, nor passively escape situations in life and work. Instead, one would find the middle way and know how to master its degrees of moderations.

　　Many people now do not know how to master moderation. They blindly chase after fashion, doing their hair like how celebrities do theirs. If Steve Jobs has a goatee, they also need to have a goatee. This is called being carried away by the tide, without the ability to stop. These people have no idea how to face life, whether to base life on the material or on the inner world

　　 In reality, to each person, the ability of the inner world to let be with conditions, to let go, and be peaceful, is far more important than external appearances and wealth. You may be given a piece of designer clothing that on the surface is very expensive, but in reality it is just such. Also, it cannot be worn everywhere. If it i…

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