Today, someone mentioned that she sometimes feels she is on the brink of a breakthrough; yet no matter how hard she tries, it eludes her.Clinging to the idea of a breakthrough is itself an obstacle. In order to experience a breakthrough, this person must forget about it.You cannot awaken from the dream of life by making that your goal. When you begin to practice, it is good to have this idea because it increases motivation. However, if you hold onto an idea of "waking up, " it will become an obstruction to your practice.

Sometimes we are aware in our sleep that we are having a nightmare, and we are anxious to wake up. At other times we dream blissfully, and waking up is a rude and unwanted intrusion. The same is true in our lives. Many people who come to Buddhism do so because their lives are filled with suffering. People who live carefree, untroubled lives normally do not feel a need to meditate. But there is no one who is free from the suffering that stems from the three poisons of craving, anger and ignorance; our lives are filled with vexation and confusion. Many people would like to awaken from this dream of suffering. It is for this reason that we practice. When this student talks about making a breakthrough, she means awakening from her dream of life.

Seeing your self-nature is waking from the dream of vexation. When you dream, you perceive the world and phenomena through the six senses, but when you truly awaken, it seems as if the universe disappears. However, it is not the universe, but rather the self that disappears when you become enlightened. The attachments of craving, anger and ignorance vanish. When the three poisons are extinguished, so is vexation.

When we perform meaningless or bad actions, we are dreaming. When we practice diligently to become enlightened, we are also dreaming. Before enlightenment, anything we do, say or think, whether it be virtuous, neutral or evil, is a dream. We practice in order to hasten our awakening.