Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night, heart racing, only to realize that the scary monster chasing you was just a shadow in a dream? There is such a profound relief in that moment of clarity. Tenzin Palmo’s words about waking up from the dream of samsara speak to that very same transition. To me, this quote suggests that much of our suffering comes from being caught in a repetitive cycle of habits, fears, and illusions. We often move through our days reacting to things that aren't truly our reality, trapped in a loop of chasing what is temporary and fearing what is inevitable.
In our everyday lives, this dream often looks like the endless cycle of 'if only.' If only I had a better job, if only I were thinner, if only people liked me more. We become so lost in these mental projections that we forget to actually inhabit the present moment. We are living in a script written by our past traumas and future anxieties, completely disconnected from the vibrant, breathing reality right in front of us. It is easy to mistake the noise of our busy minds for the actual truth of our existence.
I remember a time when I felt completely stuck in this loop. I was obsessing over a mistake I had made at work weeks prior, replaying the scene in my head like a broken movie reel. I was so caught up in the 'dream' of my own inadequacy that I missed the beautiful sunset happening right outside my window and the warmth of a friend's laughter in the next room. I was physically present, but mentally, I was wandering through a dark, distorted landscape of my own making. It wasn't until I paused, breathed, and acknowledged that these thoughts were just passing clouds, not the sky itself, that I felt a sense of waking up.
Breaking free from this cycle doesn't happen all at once with a sudden flash of light. It is a gentle, persistent process of noticing when we have drifted off. It is about catching ourselves in the middle of a spiral and choosing to return to the breath, to the senses, and to the truth of the now. It is a practice of reclaiming our awareness from the illusions that try to pull us away.
Today, I invite you to take a small moment to check in with yourself. Ask yourself: where am I dreaming right now? Is there a worry or a resentment that is pulling me away from the beauty of this very second? Just noticing the dream is the first step toward waking up.