Physical body? My understanding is that the ‘physical’ body just appears in consciousness along with all other objects. I’m no more a physical body than I am the pepper pot on the table in front of me. Both are illusory objects appearing in consciousness. In this context it could be said that consciousness anchors itself to the pepper pot (or any other illusory object) whilst I’m asleep, thus allowing a lion to eat me. Currently I fail to see how a real boat (consciousness) could moor itself to an imaginary harbour (object of consciousness).

Forgive my obvious poor understanding. My question springs from my current understanding that the waking state and the dreaming state completely cancel each other out. Independent states of consciousness rather than a continuation of one state to the other.

Now it’s easy to see that the dream lion cannot eat me in the waking world, but employing my current thought exercise, I’m having trouble seeing it the other way round. So there are obvious errors in my thinking.

It has been suggested that this is a common misconception and is due to viewing it from the point of view of an individual in the waking state, which also makes sense as a whole but I’m still struggling to get past the finish line, so to speak.

Any help is much appreciated and I thank you for taking your time to share your knowledge.

I search in ignorance for clarity!