Life is like a dream. We live in a fleeting, transient world. Even if you are rich and enjoy life, you are like a person who dreams that he has found gold. Such a person rejoices at his discovery, not suspecting that he is seeing only a dream.
During sleep, you are not aware that what you see is unreal. You can only realize this when you wake up. This life is like a dream, and you live without suspecting that you are surrounded by illusions. You consider your treasures to be true. If you have a beautiful house, it never occurs to you that this is just a mirage, an illusory castle in the air. You are happy thinking that you are living in your own home.
One can also say about a duel with an opponent that it takes place in a dream. When you wake up, you realize that neither you nor your opponent is and never was. You continue to consider your self and the opponent's self as real, forgetting that reality is nothing more than a dream. Victory pleases you, and therefore you fight with the hope of winning. But it would be better if you weren't attached to the outcome of the fight.
How to become dispassionate, indifferent to victory and defeat? He who lives in fear of defeat allows himself to be slowly consumed by the fire of fear. How can he be called imperturbable? On the other hand, the one who won rejoices. But does he find something good in his jubilation at the same time? He can be likened to a person who laughs in emptiness.
When someone demonstrates their intelligence, others try to surpass them. But doesn't Chuang Tzu say that talent is a pretext for competition? When some are promoted to high positions, others also begin to seek promotion. However, water always tends to occupy a lower position. She never rushes against the current. Doesn't Lao Tzu use water as an example of morality?