The following passage is an exerpt from:
Lucid Living, by Timothy Freke

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When we are asleep and dreaming, things are not what they seem. We are so engrossed in our imagination we don't realize we are dreaming. We believe we know what is going on, but really we don't. I want to suggest that life is like a dream. And that right now we are so engrossed in the life-dream we don't realize we are dreaming. We believe we know what is going on, but really we don't.

Most of us are so completely certain of our everyday understanding of life that this seems ridiculous. But are we right to be so certain? I don't think so. I want to suggest that all we actually know for sure is what we are experiencing right now. And if we really pay attention to our experience of this moment we will discover that life is like a dream.

Join me in another philosophical experiment and let's think it through together...

To most people the idea that life is like a dream is ludicrous. I'm a philosopher not an evangelist, so I am all in favor of giving new ideas a skeptical reception.

But I am also in favor of adopting the same skeptical attitude towards our familiar ideas.

Are you open to the possibility that your present understanding of life could be mistaken?

Is there actually anything about which you can be absolutely certain?

Can you be certain of the common sense understanding of reality taken for granted by most people in our culture?

I don't think so.

History shows that today's sensible certainties soon become tomorrow's silly superstitions. We look back at many of the beliefs of our ancestors and find them crazy and amusing. Isn't it possible that our descendants will look back at our present cultural assumptions and find them equally crazy and amusing?

Can you be certain of your own personal convictions?

I don't think so.

Haven't you often felt completely sure about something, only to later decide that you were wrong. Isn't it possible you will discover your present beliefs are also wrong?

Are you with me?

You can doubt all the beliefs that you have taken on trust from other people, because you don't know them to be true for yourself.

Do you agree?

You can doubt all beliefs that are based on your memories of the past, because memory is fallible.

That's a full-on thought, but it's right isn't it?

Is there anything about which you can be absolutely certain?

Yes.

You are experiencing something right now.

That's indisputably true isn't it?

Your experience of this moment is not a belief that can be questioned. It is a self-evident certainty.

Your experience of this moment is all you can be absolutely sure of.

So the only way to really understand life is to examine your own immediate experience of living.

Isn't that an empowering realization!

If you want to know what is going on you can't rely on me or anyone else to tell you.

You must find out for yourself by paying attention to what you are experiencing right now.

And - I want to suggest - if you become more conscious of this present moment you will discover that life is like a dream.