Relate to the butterfly?

The great Taoist master Chuang Tzu once dreamt that he was a butterfly fluttering here and there. In the dream he had no awareness of his individuality as a person. He was only a butterfly.

Suddenly, he awoke and found himself laying there, a person once again.

But then he thought to himself, "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"

Comments

[soulMerlin]

"In the dream he had no awareness of his individuality as a person. He was only a butterfly."

So...was he a man (with awareness) dreaming of a butterfly (without awareness)

Or...was he a butterfly (with awareness) dreaming he was a man (without awareness)

Certainly whichever entity he was, embodied awareness, but that does not mean that the other entity was unaware

Only that he dreamed it

Awareness is found beyond form and composition, but only by those who are aware.
Unawareness cannot dream of being aware - at least within my three-dimensional conception.
Or am I a multi-dimensional being whose awareness has gone beyond the limitations of tangeable form, dreaming that I am (once more?) a man.

xhenry


x

[Megan "JoyGirl!" Bord]

I love this! It reminds me of my friend when he was a kid. He asked himself if his eyes were rabbit's eyes, and for awhile, wasn't sure he would know the difference. Part of him actually thought, "I am a rabbit." Later in life, fox would become his main totem.

How interesting is that?!

Oh to be a butterfly... What a lovely story!

[Kaushik | beyond-karma.com]

Ah, a beautiful parable. Being able to see through the concept we build of ourselves is the whole trick! Thanks.

[Jannie Funster]

I don't think I've ever dreamed I'm a butterfly.

Maybe we're always vacillating between men and butterflies without being aware of it -- my wise teacher tells me there is always so much more going on at any given moment than we are ever aware of.

[Liara Covert]

henry, soul-level understanding is infinite and multi-dimensional. This all-knowing part of you is aware of numerous realities. The conscious human mind has more limited perception. To disperse apparent fog, one can learn to recall the peceived past and then release and forget it. Man or butterfly may not be the question.

Meditation is a mental exercise that is sometimes described as contemplation or reflection. The therapeutic value emerges as the unaware enters awareness. A person gains insight into unconscious pain, he gains insight inot the reasons behind fears and defenses, and learns to let go. This beings the mind to the ultimate reality--emptiness, mindfulness and inner peace. One who meditates with mindfulness eventually arrives at a stage where love and beauty are experienced through everything. The relevation is that one is everything all at once. Any sense of past or future, vanish. All is now.

[Liara Covert]

Megan, some human beings sense they have different animal totems at different phases of their existence. Each one brings messages and guidance. Some people also sense they are in a state of constant transformation. To be conscious and focused on one form does not mean you are not simultaneously experiencing another form or formless state. As you grow more interconnected, you sense energy coalescing in ways that expand the mind.

[Liara Covert]

Kaushik, every energy being is both imprisoned and liberated. Free will is the ultimate gift. Possibilities begin and end in the mind. As unconditional love and deeper self- understanding emerge, you expand awareness of infinite patience and transformation. An energy being is reborn and renewed like a butterfly emerging from a coccoon. Every experience may be viewed as a passing lifetime. There is no end to cycles, connections, and what you can do to energize your mind, body and spirit. You do everything conceivable to align and just be and yet, choose to fragment perception in order to learn.

[Liara Covert]

Jannie, as you permit light and love to enrich your life, it takes many forms and also touches you in formless ways that defy words. You may ask whether some experiences are dreams or whether they are real. What matters is you grow willing to break down ingrained beliefs and mental limits that prevent you from feeling and expressing kindness. One's core values and conditions transform for the better when all choices arise from compassion. Fear and worry are greatly reduced and even dissolved. Harmony, balance and serenity manifest in your life based on how truly happy you are inside. Everyone is a perpetual butterfly in the process of new stages of transformation.

[Alexys Fairfield]

Hi Liara,

I think he was the butterfly And the man. He flew by night and by day until he 'thought' about flying, then he was unable to fly. Any time we put thought before the spirit of flight, we cannot fly. Thought weighs heavy on wings.

Great story.

[Loving Annie]

It's fascinating to see how our brains work as we change and grow !

[Liara Covert]

Alexys, some human beings are convinced they constantly experience a dream within a dream. In that sense, they never cease to dream. You can choose to consciously focus on one mental or physical state at a time or, realize soul energy assumes different forms and formless states even when you are not aware. A person can visualize how energy is constantly changing and part of you is connected to everything always. Awakening shows you.

[Miruh]

This is a great story. Perhaps there is a reality where the man is a butterfly and his dream is a bleed through of that existence into the one where he is a man?

Thanks for this thought provoking post.

[Lance Gargus]

I love it!The butterfly represent the resurrection of us all.
God bless,
Lance
www.lancessoulsearching.com

[Hilary]

Hi Liara .. butterflies have been a comonent part of my mother's last months, days .. we have them 'fluttering' around her room, cards, posters, calendar .. and Janice paractises Butterlfy Massage - I still have to do a post on the benefits .. , and I found a piece of fleece, which I was able to divide into two .. & fringed the edges .. so Mum had a half size blanket (light weight) with butterflies all over it .. and I sent the other one to the daughter of a friend who needs some assistance .. and she loves it apparently .. it's her cuddler - Amadi is 9.

So I don't know .. butterlfies seem to have one advantage - they do not live long, but they pass on to the new life with a recreated renewal .. their lives never end as such ..

A thought?! All the best - Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

(PS .. two recent ones .. on the painted lady butterfly and your black swans ..)

[Liara Covert]

Miruh, love how you raise the fascinating idea of a "bleed-through." I explore this concept in more detail as part of my Harness the Energy of Your Dreams e-book. It will be available by the end of August. Blessings!

[Liara Covert]

Lance, the resurrection is a timeless analogy. In gratitude for your meaningful contribution to this expanding dialogue. You are always welcome to just be present.

[Liara Covert]

Hilary, butterflies are often viewed as symbols of rebirth and transformation. They have also been seen as kindred spirits and messengers from spirit worlds. Symbols and entities you need show up in the most conscioulsy unexpected places and forms. Nonetheless, you receive messages soul attracts to progress to heal.

[Argentina]

Great story, thanks for sharing it with us :)
Congrats for the nice blog.

[Silvia Richardson]

I just saw your blog about the butterfly - lovely thoughts.
I love synchronicity - in my mediation a while ago i was transforming from a chrysalis into a beautiful butterfly meaning i'm ready to fly on my own and feel good about what i have achieved so far. Yes, life is transforming /transition again:) and it is a wonderful feeling. Thank you for your wonderful insight Liara.

[Bern]

The dreamer identified with being as light as a butterfly whose thoughts and energy fluttered from one point of view to the next just as the butterfly identified with the dreamer who could feel and pollinate flowers within one's environment. Each saw through the others eyes because their frequencies momentarily overlapped, as each perhaps felt the same sensations, but in different forms. The butterfly and master Chuang Tzu are one beyond space and time. He too polinates the world around him with his thoughts and actions and inactions. One didn't come before the other. We are all feeling within and interdimensional matrix that is linked to anything that can be imagined. All feelings exist all at once. I too am the butterfly. You are me. I am you. We are exploring infinity.