“You are dreaming. While dreaming you can never doubt that the dream is a dream. While dreaming, the dream is true, real, as real as any reality -- even more real. Why do I say even more real? I say this because when you get up in the morning, you can remember your dream -- but when you go into sleep you cannot remember what has happened, what was happening when you were awake. This is a rare phenomenon.

“You cannot remember that you are a doctor in the day while you are awake, or an engineer, or a minister. You cannot remember in your dream the facts of the day, when you were awake. The whole reality, the so-called reality of the day is completely washed away by the dream -- it seems more powerful. But in the morning when you get up, when sleep has gone, you can remember your dream. It means the reality of your day is not strong enough to completely wash away the reality of the dream. In dream you forget your day completely, but in your day, in your waking state of mind, you can remember your dreams. Dreams appear to be more real -- that's why I say "even more real."

“In dream you can never doubt that whatsoever you are seeing is unreal or real; it IS real, it is felt to be authentically real. Why? Why does dream appear so real? -- and this is not your first experience. You have been dreaming for your whole life, and every day in the morning you have come to know that the dream was unreal. Yet, when you go to sleep tonight and dream, you will not remember your whole life's experience, that dreams are unreal. Again you will fall into the illusion, and you will feel the dreams as real. In the morning again you will repeat that "it was just a dream, nothing real." What is happening? So much experience of dreaming, still the dream remains real. Why? -- because really, anything becomes real if you are absent.

“Your absence gives reality to false things.
“In the dream you cannot remember yourself -- so whatsoever passes in front of your eyes becomes real because you are not. You are so unreal that anything can be felt as real. If you can remember yourself in the dream, the dream will drop; it will cease immediately.

“Gurdjieff used to give this technique to his disciples: to remember themselves continuously. In the day go on remembering "I am, I am." Do whatsoever you are doing but continuously make it a point to remember "I am" -- not verbally, feel it -- "I am." Eating, go on eating, and simultaneously feel "I am." Remember "I am." You are walking, go on walking; remember "I am." This Gurdjieff called "self-remembering." Buddha has called it "right remembering" -- SAMYAK SMRITI.
That Art Thou, Talk #49