When Cobb met the dying Saito , which level of dreams he was in? Definitely in a much deeper level, since Cobb looked still young. How Cobb found the path will be very intriguing. Based on the theory, it seems at each level, there needs to be a wake up person. The movie itself is a full blown of Matrix, we are definitely in a dream, but the question is which level of dreams we are in? It is not new, Zhuangzi dreams butterfly in ancient time. "Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi . Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi . But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi . Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)"