You might have the inkling, or intuition, that the waking state or that time is dreamlike. What sense can we make of this inkling or intuition?

Let what is truly real be whatever it is that satisfies two criteria. One, it is permanent. Two, the appearance is identical with the essence.

When you feel that a waking state arising is dreamlike, isn’t that because it’s not only ephemeral but also because what it seems to be isn’t what it really is? Doesn’t this suggest that the waking state is unreal?

Or when you sense that time is dreamlike, aren’t you really feeling into not just the transience of any objective experience (any thought, feeling, sensation or perception) but also into the “spookiness” or “weirdness” with respect to the appearance/essence mismatch? Don’t you sense, right here, that time is unreal?

The unreality of the waking state and the unreality of time are both pointers to whatever is permanent and essential. What is THAT? Who is the one asking the question?