Illusions

Are illusions real?  Do they truly exist?

On the one hand they appear, but we know from inspection and analysis that they can be proven to be false and deceptive.  If we are unaware of what is going on we could be tricked into thinking that illusions are real.  This kind of deception could create all kinds of problems for us, believing something to be real when it isn't.  Many a con artist has profited from this sort of deception. 

Eventually though the deception wears thin and we see things as they truly are.  With that knowledge we are never deceived in that same manner again, never caught up in the cycle of ignorance. 

So the question remains, if illusions aren't real, how do they exist?   We experience them, they have a certain color, shape, sound and maybe even touch.  But we also know from analysis that they are only brought about by certain conditions and that if those conditions fall away the illusion vanishes, thus they are not truly real. 

So we could say that while illusions appear, they are not truly existing.  I think that is a rational and logical way to describe how they exist.  While they appear, they do not truly exist. 

What about mirages? Dreams?  How about the reflection of the moon in water? 

What about an echo or a rainbow in the sky?

You should look about your life and even your self, what appears but does not truly exist upon further analysis?

What examples can you think of?