9. It is inventive imagination of men, that is ever busy even in the hours of sleep and dreaming; and presents to us with many creations that were never created, and many unrealities appearing as real ones.
10. The universe appears as an extensive substantiality, implanted in the bosom of endless vacuity; but this huge body, with all its mountains and cities, is in reality no other than the original vacuum.
11. The howling of the sea, and clattering of clouds on mountains, though they are so very tremendous to the waking; are yet unheard by the sound sleeper by his side. (So the pomp of the world, is unseen by the blind).
12. As a widow dreams her bringing forth a son in her sleep, and as a man thinks to be ever living, by forgetfulness of his past death, and being reborn again; so are men unmindful of their real state.
13. The real is taken for the unreal and unreal for the real; as the sleeping man forgets his bed room, and thinks himself else where; so every thing turns to be otherwise, as the day turns to night and the night changes to day.
14. The unreal soon succeeds the real, as night—the want of light succeeds the light of the day; and the impossible also becomes possible, as when a living person sees his death, or thinks himself as dead in his sleep.
15. The impossible becomes possible, as the supposition of the world in the empty void; and the darkness appears as light, as the night time seems to be daylight to the sleeping and dreaming man at night.
16. The daylight becomes the darkness of night, to one who sleeps and dreams in the daytime (as it is to owls and bats and so to cats and rats); the solid ground seems to be hollow, to one who dreams of his being cast into a pit.
17. As the world appears to be a nullity in our sleep at night, and so it is reality even in our waking state, and there is no doubt of it. (It is doubtful that the world exists, but no doubt in its inexistence).
18. As the two suns (of yesterday and today), are the one and same with one another, and as two men are of the same kind; so it is doubtless that the waking and sleeping states are alike to another.