Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty experienced a historic nocturnal vision of a glowing, golden flying deity, which his ministers interpreted as the Buddha. Prompted entirely by this vivid subconscious encounter, the emperor dispatched a delegation to India, which returned with Buddhist texts and images on white horses, establishing the White Horse Temple. This marks the official introduction of Buddhism into China, fundamentally altering the philosophical, religious, and psychological fabric of East Asia.

The influx of Buddhist thought introduced concepts of cosmic illusion (Maya) and deep meditation states to Chinese poets. This radically altered the landscape of Chinese poetry, leading to the dreamlike, transcendent verses of Tang Dynasty masters like Wang Wei and Li Bai, who routinely blurred the boundary between reality and the dream world.