The manifest reality as we know it, is a result of mental stories that are unfolding all the time. There are many parallel storylines and plots happening, some in sequence, others in parallel. The common thread is of course "me" or "I".
There is a difference between knowing that the story is a story and I am playing many parts in it and being a character in the story. One is from the position of freedom, the other is from the position of bondage. The stories constitute "life". Knowing that there are only stories, and yet playing the part is "living". Being part of the stories is "dying".