You are indeed missing a reference. It's based on an old koan (used in Zen to clear the mind of troubling thoughts and get ready for meditation.)
"The great Taoist master Chuang Tzu once dreamt that he was a butterfly
fluttering here and there. In the dream he had no awareness of his
individuality as a person. He was only a butterfly. Suddenly, he awoke and
found himself laying there, a person once again. But then he thought to
himself, "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now
a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"
Trippy.
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