The popular explanation means that all dharma born by karma is like a dream, like a shadow in a bubble, like a mist, unpredictable and changeable. At the same time, it changes as fast as lightning.
We should look at everything in this world like this all the time, and don't cling to it and be bound by it, which frees us from our original body. Extended information
This verse is originally from the Diamond Sutra, whose full name is the King Kong Prajna Paramita Sutra. The earliest translator is Kumarajiva, a monk of Yao Qin. There are several versions of Diamond Sutra, but Kumarajiva's version is the most popular. The Diamond Sutra, advocated by Zen Buddhism, is a famous classic of Zen Buddhism. Later, due to the appropriate length of the sutra, more than 5, words of scripture were easy to recite, and more importantly, the merits of reciting the sutra were remarkable. After the Tang Dynasty, famous monks and great virtues praised the sutra. Resources
Baidu Encyclopedia of Everything.