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General Buddhism => General Buddhism => Topic started by: Positive Change on June 08, 2011, 12:00:16 PM
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I normally do not remember my dreams. Often I remember I had a dream but it is often vague at best. Not vivid and even the actual subject matter is cloudy... However of late, I have had some vivid dreams. Actual accounts I cannot reveal as I have been told that when one dreams it is bridge to the sub-conscience and should the dream be 'revealed' that bridge is severed and it will not come to fruition.
On the other hand I have also been told that should one dream of death, it is actually a good thing... in that the person you dream about dying will actually live a long life... It all seems very contradictory to me. Each culture, each religion has their own interpretations. I often wonder what dreams are and what does it all mean?
Can someone bridge this subject and share with me their thoughts please...
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I normally do not remember my dreams. Often I remember I had a dream but it is often vague at best. Not vivid and even the actual subject matter is cloudy... However of late, I have had some vivid dreams. Actual accounts I cannot reveal as I have been told that when one dreams it is bridge to the sub-conscience and should the dream be 'revealed' that bridge is severed and it will not come to fruition.
On the other hand I have also been told that should one dream of death, it is actually a good thing... in that the person you dream about dying will actually live a long life... It all seems very contradictory to me. Each culture, each religion has their own interpretations. I often wonder what dreams are and what does it all mean?
Can someone bridge this subject and share with me their thoughts please...
Positive Change,
I agree with you that very often we do not remember our dreams and the events seem unclear and cloudy, even the moment we woke up the next morning.
But I want to share with you that there was one time on the completion of my retreat, I did my dedication, and that night I dreamt of my lama, the series of events were so clear that it was like me watching a movie.I could remember every single details vividly. I was very sand and devastated in the dream as I dreamt that my lama passed away, I don't want to reveal the details, but only years later I have the chance to speak with my lama did he tell me that it was actually a very good and auspicious sign for my retreat. He told me that the sadness and devastation that I had experienced in the dream is a purification of the emotional pain that I might have to experience later, if not purified, it could be ripen in a larger scale.
Also I have heard from my dharma friends who shared with me that they had dreamt of their lama passing away, and it is usually taken as an auspicious sign to dream of one's lama passing away.........I know it is odd for us ordinary folks to even think in this way.......
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Triesa
But I want to share with you that there was one time on the completion of my retreat, I did my dedication, and that night I dreamt of my lama, the series of events were so clear that it was like me watching a movie.I could remember every single details vividly. I was very sand and devastated in the dream as I dreamt that my lama passed away, I don't want to reveal the details, but only years later I have the chance to speak with my lama did he tell me that it was actually a very good and auspicious sign for my retreat. He told me that the sadness and devastation that I had experienced in the dream is a purification of the emotional pain that I might have to experience later, if not purified, it could be ripen in a larger scale.
Also I have heard from my dharma friends who shared with me that they had dreamt of their lama passing away, and it is usually taken as an auspicious sign to dream of one's lama passing away.........I know it is odd for us ordinary folks to even think in this way.......
How very interesting... I never thought of it that way. It does make some sense though I cannot quite grasp it completely. I recall (even now after a week or so) how upset and sad I was in my dream and that there were many negative elements in it. It was very unnerving to say the least especially when one is told from young that should a dream occur it is like an indication of what may happen (it actually sounds ridiculous typing it out as it makes one seem clairvoyant, should that be true... of which I am most certainly NOT... ;D
So I shall take my dream on a positive stance then... as the dream has been haunting me (more like a nightmare really but not in the scary sense) and has effected my sleep pattern. I am struggling to sleep at night and when I do fall asleep, it seems like I have only slept for an hour which is quite often true and I am a zombie at work the next day. Perhaps what you have shared with me will release the anxiety I have had for the past week. Thank you.
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I think there are dreams that are prophetic and there are dreams which do reveal something deeper about ourselves. But there are also dreams which are just dreams. The mind is, after all, an endless maze - compounded by what we store over lifetimes even though we may not be able to retrieve these memories at will.
Sometime in 2005, I remember going through a period of vivid dreams and had very bad sleep. I did ask my Lama about them. And this is what my Lama advised me -
Whether our dreams are of any importance or not, depends on whether we become better from it or not. Sometimes, people can become so engrossed with their dreams and they forget to live in their real world. They begin to think that their dream world is real or more important. Soon, they begin to believe in their dreams more than their reality.
Dreams only occur when we sleep. But our waking hours are longer. So, what we choose to do while we are awake is more important. How we are after the dream.
So, may be our purification can come in dreams. Some dreams could create the opportunities for us to really practice more Dharma even if we are walking around like zombies. The real question is, can we still be Dharmic and remain compassionate even in our zombie state and still do our best without getting grumpy or moody due to the lack of sleep? Can we continue to do our best to benefit others even in our worst state?
May be it is our very attachment to sleep itself that we are experiencing such dreams that prohibit us from getting a good night's rest. May be.
So, if we really want to find out, search deeper within yourself.
To further illustrate a point, there was period of time in my life where by a certain dream would recur or a similar theme in a dream would occur for weeks. And I thought it was too strange. One day, I did reflect upon the details of the dreams and looked deeper. Then I realised it all highlighted one huge attachment I was holding onto at that time. After I recognised and dealt with that issue within myself, that dream did not occur again. At least, not so far. :)
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Positive Change,
I agree with you that very often we do not remember our dreams and the events seem unclear and cloudy, even the moment we woke up the next morning.
But I want to share with you that there was one time on the completion of my retreat, I did my dedication, and that night I dreamt of my lama, the series of events were so clear that it was like me watching a movie.I could remember every single details vividly. I was very sand and devastated in the dream as I dreamt that my lama passed away, I don't want to reveal the details, but only years later I have the chance to speak with my lama did he tell me that it was actually a very good and auspicious sign for my retreat. He told me that the sadness and devastation that I had experienced in the dream is a purification of the emotional pain that I might have to experience later, if not purified, it could be ripen in a larger scale.
Also I have heard from my dharma friends who shared with me that they had dreamt of their lama passing away, and it is usually taken as an auspicious sign to dream of one's lama passing away.........I know it is odd for us ordinary folks to even think in this way.......
I have also heard that dreaming of our Lama passing away is auspicious as I was told that it means he will live long. I found it odd when I first heard about it but then if it is something good, I wouldn't mind. I don't know whether it applies to ordinary beings. I remember dreaming of my parents passing away when I was very young and the dream was very vivid and clear. I remember waking up crying and crying as if the event was real and it really happened. Looking back that could be at least 30 years ago and today my parents are still alive and well. Just wondering if we dream of someone ordinary dying an auspicious sign or it's just a mere coincindence the person that we dreamt dying actually live long. Maybe someone can enlighten me.
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When I first joined dharma, I had some funny dreams and I was worried about it. So I consulted my Dharma brother about it. He did explain to me what it was all about and I was much relieved. I just wanted to know whether it was good or bad. I feel dreams carry a message with them and it is important to know just in case something needs to be done. But it is not something we should dwell on, just like everything else. For example, a problem, we shouldn't dwell on the problem itself but we should understand them and look for solutions to solve the problem.
But I know it is hard to do so. I often have the habit of dwelling in my dreams/problems/achievements. I am trying hard now not to do that so I can have continuos and more consistent positive outcomes. I am hoping to start now so it becomes easier with time.
I never fear telling my dreams to people I trust. But if you have the believe that telling your dreams to others is taboo, then its best to keep it to yourself. I think our minds are the most powerful, if we truly believe in a certain thing, only then will it work or not work. Hence sometimes different religions or superstitions are contradicting to each other. Perhaps it is because different people are suited to different beliefs.
Again, only my opinion, I hope this was a positive input. ;D
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I dream every night without fail. However, there will be certain dreams I'd remember vividly at the moment I wake up. Thereafter, I'd forget. Then years later, I'd have deja vu of these dreams. This has been happening to me ever since I was a kid. The funny thing is my deja vu also happens when I visit certain foreign countries for the first time. It's feels like certain things in my life are destined to happen. How bizarre!
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I used to have lots of dream and most time I won’t remember after an hour waking up from it but there are some dreams that happens and the feeling is like it happen in real life. Once I dream of my grandmother having to meet with accident and also take her life.
During the time I know of a Lama and I email the question to ask him.There was no reply and I also did not continue asking anyway. But there was no reply and my grandmother is still around up till today.
I do belief having dreams is part of relaying a message but since I don’t know the meaning many times I have just let it pass or I just keep the scary feeling in me and then make prayers for those whom are in my dream because I’m not sure it will happen as dream or not. But at least one thing I can do is to pray to ask for protection if it is a bad dream.
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When i was about 16-22 years old, most of the time i dreamt and could remember about it when i was showering before go to school then i will share with my close friend at school of what i had dream the night before almost everyday. Most of my dream are more on travelling and adventure which is nonsense but in that age, i feel it very excited to share with friend.
Then 20 year ago, one night i dreamt that i went to attend my father funeral and i cried a lot in my dream until i woke up with face full with tears. i was very sad for few days as the dream was so real until i talked with my mother and she told me that the bad dream will turn good and my father still alive!!!
Now i seldom have a dream or might have it but i could not remember..
i feel that for normal people like us dream can be just a dream-no meaning behind but it happen because of our mind wondering about it and dream can be a 'sign'-some meaning behind that.
But for high lama Dream is a sign with have meaning behind, i learned that there is a sleep meditation which the high lama who practice these will sleep and have a dream then give an advice from his dream to student who come to consult about it.
Many years back my lama advised me to record some dream that i feel it special so that you refer it or reveal it in future.
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In essence, dreams are a representation of our mind. They reflect our thoughts, even though sometimes those thoughts are not apparent to ourselves. Thus i fully believe that if we dream about a lama, it must have some significance. Maybe our mind is linked to our lama? Maybe we are recovering past imprints? Ive had dreams before of dharmic things. Ive also had dreams of very samsaric things. It is impossible to predict what we are going to dream about. Maybe some dreams are a message, but then again there are dreams that have no meaning whatsoever. So are we supposed to try and decipher what the meaningless dreams have, or are we supposed to say that the meaningful dreams have no meaning. What i'm trying to say is that it is very difficult to say whether or not a dream has a meaning.
According to the people here their lama has told them that some dreams do have meaning. If a lama says this, then I fully believe. I'm not trying to say that dreams don't have meaning, but I am a but skeptical about all dreams. Then again I have been told that some advanced practitioners, or select individuals have had visions of the future in their dreams.
In the end, dreams are a representation of our mind. When we dream, we really feel we are experiencing that situation. So what separates it from real life? Could it be an alternate reality? Haha, I've gone a bit too far, but this is how I feel.
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So, may be our purification can come in dreams. Some dreams could create the opportunities for us to really practice more Dharma even if we are walking around like zombies. The real question is, can we still be Dharmic and remain compassionate even in our zombie state and still do our best without getting grumpy or moody due to the lack of sleep? Can we continue to do our best to benefit others even in our worst state?
I am completely fascinated by this, especially the proposition made by Helena that purification [of karma] can take place in a dream.
Do we in fact create karma in our dreams. Some dreams are extremely vivid and we "feel" and "think" in those dreams. Although in a dream state, do those thoughts that lead to certain actions in the dream, motivated by certain feelings and intentions, which end in a dream-state-result, create some karma? Of course there has to be both subjective and objective conditions and in a dream state, it is most likely that the objective condition is absent. But the presence of the subjective and objective conditions relate only to the weight of the karma being created.
Everything comes from the mind and that is so whether we are awake or dreaming. Even in dreams, we can have consciousness.
Can anyone provide some thoughts and input?
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I dream every night without fail. However, there will be certain dreams I'd remember vividly at the moment I wake up. Thereafter, I'd forget. Then years later, I'd have deja vu of these dreams. This has been happening to me ever since I was a kid. The funny thing is my deja vu also happens when I visit certain foreign countries for the first time. It's feels like certain things in my life are destined to happen. How bizarre!
You write here about deja vu. It has triggered my memory - a long time ago, I used to have deja vu experiences. Many times I would find myself in a situation/place and for a few seconds of my life, it was standstill as I tried to piece myself together to see what was happening? I asked myself "Hey! I have done this before exactly, or I have been to this place before and this is exactly where I stood and that's exactly what happened to me". I never found an answer for those experiences and come to think of it, it's been a very long while since I last had a deja vu experience.
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Through reading the various posts here, one might conclude that some of you do suggest that a dream or when one is in a dream state one actually still perpetuates karma good or bad, which makes the dream state and actual alternative reality! Very interesting... especially when we have no control over our dreams or what we dream of... or do we?
That would be interesting because some of us remember our dreams and some of us don't. What does that mean on a psychological level? Are we choosing to ignore or are we ignorant? I find this most interesting as there is so much going on in my mind/consciousness that makes me think inevitable that we are so much more than we perceive ourselves to be and we are only the sum of our own delusions.
Samsara is truly subtle yet pervasive! But having said that, I am thankful I am able to recognize in my insignificant perceptions how magnanimous enlightenment can be and more so than that... achievable if only we put in the effort!
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Dreams have been a mystery to us and have always fascinated mankind, Many people around the world are intriqued by their dreams and often tell you their dreams have to mean something.
Some people find their dreams to be unrealistic.A common dream is a person falling off a cliff.This dream has been shared by people around the world and doesn't mean you will literally fall off a hill but simply means there is a great potential for to fall into a mess of some sort.Your dreams have great meaning however,it may have hidden meaning behind them.
Does your dreams have any meaning?Do you believe in your dreams?
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Dreams have been a mystery to us and have always fascinated mankind, Many people around the world are intriqued by their dreams and often tell you their dreams have to mean something.
Some people find their dreams to be unrealistic.A common dream is a person falling off a cliff.This dream has been shared by people around the world and doesn't mean you will literally fall off a hill but simply means there is a great potential for to fall into a mess of some sort.Your dreams have great meaning however,it may have hidden meaning behind them.
Does your dreams have any meaning?Do you believe in your dreams?
I believe there is a reason for dreaming... if not why do we dream. What it means and if there is any significance at all for it is up to interpretation of course. One thing is for sure, like life, dreams are very varied and some if of importance, some not, some believable, some not... we are in samsara after all and it can be deceiving and downright confusing! :P
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I normally do not remember my dreams. Often I remember I had a dream but it is often vague at best. Not vivid and even the actual subject matter is cloudy... However of late, I have had some vivid dreams. Actual accounts I cannot reveal as I have been told that when one dreams it is bridge to the sub-conscience and should the dream be 'revealed' that bridge is severed and it will not come to fruition.
On the other hand I have also been told that should one dream of death, it is actually a good thing... in that the person you dream about dying will actually live a long life... It all seems very contradictory to me. Each culture, each religion has their own interpretations. I often wonder what dreams are and what does it all mean?
Can someone bridge this subject and share with me their thoughts please...
Very interesting... Strangely I find dreams as some sort of mystery. There are many times, that I could have sworn I dreamt of a situation that I later experience a similar situation when I'm awake, practically like Deja vu.
It is true that most dreams are vivid, and some the images is so strong that you can really feel whatever that is going on in there. Some dreams that I had 10 years ago, and even 20 years ago are still fresh in my mind, as they were very very clear and unforgettable.
What Triesa said about her dreams during her retreat makes a lot of sense. I didn't experience such a dream while I was doing my prostration retreat, but I dreamt of a snake present in the place where I do my prostrations... it was shocking! Perhaps that too is a form of purification, who knows... these things sometimes is beyond our ability to comprehend...
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I often remember my dreams but it depends on how long the memory lasts in my head. In some thoughts, dreams are an illusion from lives that breaks the dimensions of reality; past and future. As for the present, it's already known to be as a 'Deja vu'. It keeps people smiling when they're asleep and keeps them wondering for the rest of the day why can't their dreams come true. If what your saying is right, then I must have encountered my dreams in the past or I'm about to encounter it some time in the future, either way, it's set into reality one way or the other. Though I have never heard of death dreams that could set a totally opposite scenario of such as extending ones life. I wonder if nightmares applies to the same theory? I dream almost every night, doctor says it's unhealthy because our conscious minds are still awake and instead of storing and generating energy for the next day, part of it is being wasted on dreams. Some of my dreams seem to teleport to different places at once while remaining with the same topic, just a variety of background changes. I never knew why, but if dreams like these occur I doubt the dreams will come to fruition as it's too unrealistic to happen. Or will it?
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Dreams are indeed a strange thing.. It's like sometimes you dream of things so bizarre and vivid that you wake up thinking what's that all about, but you have no idea what your dream really means. Sometimes, it's like a bridge between your conscious and sub-conscious; reality and expectations.
I know many people who after a break-up, keep on dreaming about getting back together. So how can one interpret this? That they will actually get back together? Of course not, but I think it is because that they are so engrossed with the ideals of getting back together, and when it is not met in reality, dreams occur to "match that expectation", because it is never out of your mind.
On the other hand, there's the much higher explanation about dreams that I may not be able to fathom. Like what was said earlier, how it is a form of purification as you experience what you may have had to experience otherwise on a much greater impact. Or dreams can be signs from higher beings and the supernatural, ripening of imprints hence deja-vus, a preminition, or a blessing. I guess dreams can symbolize many things, like how mothers who give birth to great beings have dreams of elephants, dancing dakinis, monks chanting etc before they give birth. So, I guess it is afterall a complex subject to dwell into for the ordinary me would not be able to comprehend what dreams mean, how or why we dream. I'd rather focus on doing things that means much more when I'm awake.
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Like Ratanasutra, I used to have recurring dreams, though I never had dreams on travel or adventure. Most of the times, my dreams were on falling off stairs and losing my shoes.
Come to think of it, at least the part about falling off stairs have come through as I am a careless person and fall quite often. So are dreams an indication of events to come?
I have also heard that if you dream of a person passing away, it is a sign of good things to come for that person; though you must not let him know, otherwise the dream will come true and he will surely die! I guess this is more of a nightmare than a dream.
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Sometimes dreams could also be premonitions... warnings or signs of impending danger or growth even... Perhaps it is subjective or is it? I have heard that many attained masters do have such premonitions and it is often accurate and concise!
But for us mere mortals, perhaps it is an indication of what could be... something that is within our mindstreams that could manifest itself upon our achieving a state of realisation? Penny for your thoughts huh!
Whatever the case maybe, it certainly adds an interesting dimension to our already very varied lives. An altered state of mind! And if we can begin the fathom that, maybe then can we even begin to comprehend what really is out there... the different realms, parallel universes, dimentions, worlds, etc etc... we really are like the dust on a speck of sand in a vast desert of existence!
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This thread is going down a very mystical route...
To me dreaming is another vehicle that we lay people don't utilize. Dreams can be hugely significant as an opportunity to practice mindfulness and attentiveness while in extremely subtle states of mind, but what we dream as lay people are (to me) merely just dreams.
There are many high lamas who travel to different planes of existence when their body is resting (sleeping). Then there are those who perform sleeping meditations when their body is resting.
When our body rests, I do believe that we are just sleeping. Nothing extraordinary happens because we don't put an effort into learning anything extraordinary even when we're awake!
Some people's dreams can be interpreted with meaning, just as how some people are psychic, some have healing powers, and some have the third eye.
There's a difference between highly attained masters whose dreams are potential premonitions and our dreams. We look much too deep into ours!
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Dreams are our subconscious at work.
I've heard that even if we're unaware, we can collect positive or negative karmas in our dreams. So if this is the case, what's so different with us being in a dream state or being awake?
Now wouldn't that be scary?? Hence in a way we can consider our dream state to be a state of another level of our consciousness at work... this is why we hear people who do astral traveling and going to other realms and dimension in "control". Yes... it is very common in attained masters and in Tibetan Buddhism, there are many great masters who can do this... there are practices for this as well.
I guess having dreams is also another point or proof to me that there are other dimensions, other realms, other planes of existence and... well the mind is pretty vast, it actually is not attached to the body and can travel without the body and can manifest things and environment at the speed of thought. How many of us have had this experience when we dream and we think of something and that thing appear or the surrounding changes? Although we think our mind is attached to the body and we cling on to our body as though it is permanent, in reality it is NOT. If you think about it... there is definitely a continuation of the mind... hence there is reincarnation. Hence every action will have consequences.
I have also heard there is also a practice of Dream Tara, where by if you do her Yoga well... one can achieve great clairvoyance which can be used to help others!
So the question is... are we in a dream state now while we are awake and awake when we are in a dream? Which is the true reality? Food for thought!
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I'm not sure what dreams mean on a general perspective, but in Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes dreams can be either a warning or auspicious sign, depending on the type of dream.
Even in the Buddha's time, the Buddha's mother, Maya Devi had a lot of auspicious dreams. Even now many high lamas get auspicious dreams. Sometimes to find the incarnations of other great lamas.
There are even pujas and practices that some can do called the Dream Yoga, where they will receive divination answers not from the dice, but from their dreams.
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Sometimes i think most of the times, dreams are quite illogical, weird dreams and having events and relationship mixed up together which it quite impossible to be happening in real life. So i would feel it doesnt give much credit to any future signs or warning.
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I am not sure if you guys are aware that dreams are used in certain meditational practices like a window into the future. There are meditational practices that we can do to open up our dream-state psychic abilities. Apparently, there is a form of Tara that helps us to develop this ability. I am sure there are many other practices that helps us to develop this ability as well. I have heard of Lamas who upon given a divination, does a certain practice and takes a nap. Upon waking, the lama would be able to give very accurate answers to the question. I have also heard of lamas who are able to astral travel during the dream-state. There was a lama who was studying the great treatises and even when he slept, he left all the texts open around him. Apparently, when he slept, the lama continued his studies as well.
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I think that dream interpretation is something for those who have fully mastered their minds as one must fully master themselves while awake before attempting to interpret our subconsciousness. So, I have not made understanding my dreams something noteworthy.
However, I can share my understanding on the topic. Firstly, dreams are the bridge between you and your deep consciousness, your mind. Dreams tend to be what our mind wishes for or loathes. However, due to some minds being capable of clairvoyance, people tend to associate dreams with the future.
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Throughout my life I have always been fascinated by the varying gradations of consciousness as we absorb inwards and the things that happen there. Due to these experiences I sought out instructions such as Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_LaBerge. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_LaBerge.) Further instruction and practical experiments were prevalent throughout my exploration of the occult including consciously training the astral double. It was upon reading Clear Light of Bliss (by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso) that I was really taken by the subject. I believe his definition of sleep is a mental factor that functions to gather the sense awarenesses inwards and to balance the elements of the body. In Clear Light of Bliss he goes into great detail about the different types of sleep, of the process of falling asleep, dreaming, and waking and how it relates to dying, intermediate state, and rebirth, and into dream yoga itself. I'll leave it to you to explore the details. Lama Tsongkhapa's works on the 6 Yogas of Naropa go into very interesting detail about dream yogas we can train in. An essential point of dream yoga is to gain conscious awareness in the dream state and to recognize the dream for what it is whether through the conscious determination to become conscious, or through energy yogas and concentration.
Interpreting dreams is important to an extent, but more important is the ability to gain complete conscious control of the entire process of falling asleep, dreaming, and waking, and transform this process through deity yoga. There is also an approach to using the sleeping state mentioned in the special instructions on Mahamudra Tantra of the Uncommon Ganden Oral Lineage, whereby the practitioner first becomes familiar with the nature of mind while awake, and subsequently through the control that is developed they are able to begin retaining conscious awareness of the subtler process.
There are blessings, spirit attacks, and many trainings to be done during sleep, and since we spend so much time sleeping, it is important to utilize this part of our lives to continue training more deeply. it isn't just the Lamas that do this, we need to do it now why we have the opportunity.
I'd like to share some suggestions about dream interpretation but I'm out of time. Fun stuff!
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I was told that we all dream but some of us just don't remember our dreams. I'm one such person. I used to dream a lot when I was a child up to my teenage years (a long time ago!). I don't recall anything anymore now, if I really do dream.
Any thoughts on this, anyone?
PS: Daydreams don't count, those work very well!
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The inability to remember dreams is mainly do to lack of mindfulness. If we just fall asleep with no attention or technique, make no effort to accomplish conscious awareness in dream (lucid dreaming), and make no effort to apply dream recall methods on waking, we will miss out not just on remembering dreams but on all the benefits that come from making the whole sleep process a part of our training.
The basic idea is to make a consistent determination before going to sleep that you will become conscious in dream, apply dream yoga, and remember your dreams on waking. This attention to the process alone will heighten your awareness and ability for remembering your dreams.
Keeping a dream journal helps on the same principle - attention to the process. On waking at any point during dream cycle, we can relax and consider whatever details we recall. By doing this we gradually learn to crawl deeper into recall of more detail. This delicate navigation is similar to how we can go further and further back into childhood memory.
The most important quality of the ability to recall dreams is that it enhances our ability to retain conscious awareness during the cycle of sleep, dream and waking because we are then able do apply dream yogas, and ultimately our ability to transform this cycle into the 3 bodies of a Buddha as explained in the 9 mixings of completion stage. Further reading can be found in Clear Light of Bliss and Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming.
Good luck
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I am not sure if you guys are aware that dreams are used in certain meditational practices like a window into the future. There are meditational practices that we can do to open up our dream-state psychic abilities. Apparently, there is a form of Tara that helps us to develop this ability. I am sure there are many other practices that helps us to develop this ability as well. I have heard of Lamas who upon given a divination, does a certain practice and takes a nap. Upon waking, the lama would be able to give very accurate answers to the question. I have also heard of lamas who are able to astral travel during the dream-state. There was a lama who was studying the great treatises and even when he slept, he left all the texts open around him. Apparently, when he slept, the lama continued his studies as well.
Here is an interesting article I found that is the supposed 16 Predictions of the Buddha from dreams:
16 Predictions of the Buddha
Back in the lifetime of the Buddha there was a king named Pasenadi of Kosala region who had faith in Buddha. One morning short before he woke up, he had dreamed of 16 omens that frightened him. He was worried - not knowing whether the good or bad things he had seen are going to happen or not. He went to Jetavana Vihara Monastery to ask the Buddha about the meaning of those 16 dreams. Buddha explained the meaning of those 16 dreams as follows.
Dream No. 1
King Pasenadis’ first dream: - he saw 4 stout oxen came running from all 4 directions. Furious with anger and grudges they looked like they wanted to fight until death. But when they got close to each other they just retreated without crashing at all.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Inauspicious) In the distant future, there will be natural disasters happening everywhere. Rain will not fall in time. There will be very large clouds coming from 4 directions and it seems that there will be heavy rain. Once all 4 clouds have gotten close to one another, they will retreat without a drop of rain falling to the ground. The results will be draught. Humans and animals will be famished and die in large quantity. Survivors will become immoral and finally the 4 superpower countries in the world will declare war, they verbally fight with each other and try to destabilize the opponents but all of this will not bring any results or changes. This type of calamity will occur in the future and can be seen and heard not too long from now.
Dream No. 2
King Pasenadis’ second dream: - he saw all kinds of trees, not big enough to be able to bear flowers or fruits but they were full of fruits and flowers to the extent that the branches and limbs nearly could not support them.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Trees) In the distant future, daughters that are too young to have husbands, desire to be married and start a family in their young age. Some have indulged prior to their marriage without shame. Once they are pregnant they will find a way to abort their fetuses (similar to the adolescent in today's society). With those unwholesome actions they commit great sins which will have their results in their future. Some adolescents will be under the care of their parents, some have parents that can’t take care of them. Neglected, they become vagabonds practicing petty crimes like theft and later even robbery. Some become beggars, drifters with no parents, families or a chance for education, no home or domicile, sleep wherever they happened to be when it’s getting dark. Some may stay on a bridge waiting to rob someone to support themselves. Those that are attractive become prostitutes. Some grow up to be hooligans extorting protection money from new comers. Some just sleep on the roadside.
Some will entice those kids that have problems with their parents or come from broken families, to become their followers by offering help at first but once the kids can’t perform their tasks they will leave them without food in misery. Some of the kids' limbs will be amputated or their fingers and toes will be cut off so that they become handicapped and turned into beggars. When it's time to beg they will be taken by vehicles to various locations but the boss will be well dressed sitting around monitoring the activities. When it's time, the vehicle will pick them up. This type of calamity will occur in the distant future. Those that live in that epoch will see many of such activities everywhere, day or night without shame and it will not be too long before it can be heard and seen.
Dream No. 3
King Pasenadis’ third dream: - he saw a herd of cows and bulls drinking milk from their offspring.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Bovine) in the distant future, parents will depend on the labor of their children. Food and other goods, including money, will be provided by their children. In that era, parents will have to specially please their children. They will have to be biased if there are several children and their financial status is not equal. Parents must flatter and praise their children; they must talk politely to them in order to get them to share their money. If parents do not talk nice to the children, they will not get any of the shares from them and may get sent to old people’s facilities (Nursing homes). The children might curse at them or chase them out of the house to live alone. Perhaps they will buy life insurance on their parents and get rich after their death (they might have a nicer funeral). This type of calamity will occur in the distant future, it will not be long to hear and see it happen.
Dream No. 4
King Pasenadis’ fourth dream: - he saw group of people harnessing calves to pull their wagons and beat them when they couldn’t do so.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Bovine) in the distant future, people will favor fresh graduates who lack experience, ability, omniscience and circumspection and still do not understand social customs, to govern a country, economy, society. They allow them to govern the affairs of the country which is a difficult task. Because of their inexperience they bring about mistakes, they can’t keep up with changes that occur rapidly, and they lack responsibility and create trade deficits which will ruin the country. People that elected them become dissatisfied with the way they govern the country. They will score them without trying to help them to solve the problems. Protests will occur periodically.
Those who have warm and supporting families will be able to cope with it. Those not having family will have to flee the country and some will commit suicide to escape from those problems. Some will have to separate from families and cause affliction to their wives and children. Such incidents have occurred countless times all over the world. Sometimes they will kill each other because they do not want to be chased away. Sometimes they work for the country but disobliged their superiors or their financial supporters in election time, so they will end up getting terminated.
Some that used to conduct business together in the past and became powerful but could not benefit their clansmen enough will get deposed from their positions. Those that are equally powerful will use the country's interest in bargaining and cause dilapidation to the country. Some will bring down their superiors to steal their power and hope the people will believe that their superiors are on their side to gain trust and power. Both groups weaken or even destroy the country for their own benefits. This type of calamity will occur in the distant future. It won’t be long and you will hear and see it happen.
Dream No. 5
King Pasenadis’ fifth dream: - he saw a one headed horse with two mouths which can eat grass with both mouths but will not get full no matter how much it eats.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Equine) in the distant future. Judges will extort money from both sides of the parties as bribery for inquisition. Some cases will get postponed to acquire more money. They will request all kinds of fees for their own satisfaction without mercy or ethics. If they do not get what they want they will not take the complaint. They will shamelessly demand as much as they desire.
For small cases, they will demand according to the proportion and for big cases they will demand for the maximum and only then they will pronounce the case or overturn the case. They will annihilate law and justice. This type of activity will occur all over the world in every society. This type of calamity will occur in the distant future. It won’t be long and you will hear and see it happen.
Dream No. 6
King Pasenadis’ sixth dream: - he saw a group of rich people bringing extremely expensive golden trays for foxes to defecate and urinate on them.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Golden Tray) in the distant future there will be foolish people claiming to be knowledgeable and trustworthy. They are well known in society, mature but unreliable and they will propagate that they teach the Buddhas’ teaching. In reality they teach out of selfishness, desire and lust and try to distort the Buddhas’ teachings. They try to adapt the Buddhas’ teachings, and blend it with their doctrine and declare that my teachings are part of their doctrine which will make most people misunderstand and assume that my teachings can blend with their doctrine and believe that they are one and the same. But those doctrines can’t comprehend the value of my teachings in any way because their minds are not pure. This type of people will exist in the future after my death. There will be a great variety of doctrines that will claim to be religion.
People from families out of lower social status will raise their status with education and gain important position. People from higher social status will have to give their daughters to people from lower status because it's the era for lower people to gain power. This happens because those families from higher status live in negligence. Not too far in the future all will hear and see, there will be more turmoil in religions. Monks will deteriorate in discipline, not obeying their disciplinary rules. They do not practice like monks but like laymen and are only interested in rank and status. Their followers will try to bring them rank and titles. There will be great disturbance in religious circles and people will lose their faith and start to look for other refuges. They will turn to mediums, magic and fortune tellers because they can give them better advice than psychiatrists. There will be more of these things happen in near future; we will be able to witness this.
Dream No. 7
King Pasenadis’ seventh dream: - he saw a man weaving books into ropes on a bench and there were foxes waiting to bite and eat the rope when it's completed. Once the rope was completed the foxes ate it all up.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (A man weaving rope) in the distant future, people with immoral mind will obtain titles, working in high office and relying on the power of the king. They administrate the affairs of the country on the behalf of the king with foolishness, lack of intelligence and impolite speech, revealing intern secrets of the palace to the common people. People from different doctrines with bad intentions towards the king will hear this and lose respect for the king and the whole dynasty. This type of calamity will occur in the future, it will not be long and we will hear and see this. Those people with bad intentions toward the royalty will become destructive (like Wasakala Brahmin).
Dream No. 8
King Pasenadis’ eights dream: - he saw large earthen jars and small earthen jars in the same location. People will stand in queue to fill those large earthen jars with water until they overflow but no one care to fill those small earthen jars.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Earthen Jar) in the distant future people will make donations selectively. Senior monks with higher rank will get attention and people will give too much offerings with expensive goods and food, whereas novices sitting beside those senior monks will not be presented with any offerings at all. The people will have to work much harder to pay their tax to the country without thinking of saving some for themselves. They will seek accommodations which satisfy their desires for luxury and comfort without end. This type of calamity will occur in the future. It will not be too long for all to see and hear.
Dream No. 9
King Pasenadis’ ninth dream: - he saw a pond with clear water but the water in the middle of the pond was muddy and dirty. All animals went to the center of the pond to drink but they didn’t care about the clean and cool water at the ponds bank, they just smelt it and passed by it.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Large pond) in the distant future people will be endlessly greedy, they can’t get enough possessions. Honest work will not be desirable because the small salary they receive for it is not satisfying to their greedy minds. They apply for jobs in politics and once voted they handle the states affairs and finances with corruption. They try to get as much as possible out of their job as long as they have it. They work with the motto “may the best man win”. This type of calamity will occur all over the world, in every country and every territory. It will multiply enormously and cause turmoil on every continent. Some will be more corrupt than others and then they will eventually expose each others' secrets and can’t get along anymore. Each party will have their own clique. Occasionally there will be revolutions and coup d' etat because of fights among the demons in suits.
Capitals will not be suitable living places because of an increase of dangers. The public will migrate to rural areas. This type of calamity will occur in the future. It will not be too long for all of us to hear and see.
Dream No. 10
King Pasenadis’ tenth dream: - he saw rice in a pot which was in different states of the cooking process. Cooked in one section and half cooked in another section and totally raw in yet another section.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Uncooked) in the distant future most people in the world will have differences in thoughts. One group believes that I am their refuge and truly respect me. They believe that my teachings are correct and when practiced to completion, it will lead them to completely overcome suffering. They believe in nibbana, heaven and hell and that there is such thing as good karma and bad karma. But they do not change, and when they die while still have passions and desires, they will be reborn.
Another group is not sure if nibbana still exists in this time because it is long time ago that the Buddha was alive on this earth.
They wonder if the Buddha's teaching is still originally. They wonder if monks that practice good self conduct will achieve nibbana. They are full of doubts and uncertainty and because of this they fail to do any good deeds or practice ethic principles. They wander without refuge, lack in morality and finally find no refuge in their old age because they did not do any good deeds to prepare for the future.
Another group will totally reject the concept of nibbana. They do not believe in life after death and therefore are bound to mistreat their parents, society, steal Buddha images and sell them and steal from the temples. When Buddhism comes to its declining state, people will misinterpret the Buddhas teachings and prefer immorality more and more. It will not be long for all of us to hear and see this.
Dream No. 11
King Pasenadis’ eleventh dream: - he saw a group of people exchanging cores of red sandal wood which is expensive to trade with just a pot of sour milk which is absolutely incomparable in value.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Core of red sandal wood) in the distant future, a group of people will trade my teachings for money. They will publish and sell them to make a living. They will try to make all kinds of business with my teachings to earn money which is incomparable to the value of the teachings. It won’t be long then philosophers will interpret that my teachings are the same as other religions' teachings. They will say that I teach everybody to be good (but my teachings teaches people to achieve nibbana, which is reached by standing above good and bad) and philosophers will not practice my teachings but they will try to interpret my teachings to appear to be enlightened ones. There will be lots of these philosophers in the future. These calamities will occur towards the end of the Buddhist era. It will not be long and all will certainly hear and witness this.
Dream No. 12
King Pasenadis’ twelfth dream: - he saw a dried up hollow bottle gourd sinking into the water which would normally float on the water. This truly baffled him.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Dried up hollow bottle gourd) in the distant future, good knowledgeable and wise individuals both monks and laymen who deserve praise and admiration in society will be hindered by groups of bullies repeatedly. Good laymen will not get the chance to work in the countries administration. Those that are knowledgeable, capable and honest will not be elected into the higher government positions and if they will be elected then there will be groups of dishonest people working for their own benefits trying to harass them. These dishonest people will regard the good people as evils and they will try to cover their own misconducts.
Good people will not get a chance in their society and monks will get the similar treatment. Good and well disciplined monks, highly educated, which strive for the achievement of nibbana or work to help the society will be considered as undesirable to them and get no respect from them. They may share their abundant necessities but without clear conscience or they may just offer very small amounts just to get by. Those monks will have a difficult life; people will not want to go into monk-hood for this reason. Eventually, good monks will fade away and disappear from society. This type of calamity will occur in the future and it will not be long before all will see and hear.
Dream No. 13
King Pasenadis’ thirteenth dream: - he saw a solid block of stone as big as a ship floating of the surface of water like an empty bark. Normally such stone would sink but that block of stone just floated on the surface of water.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Big solid stone) in the distant future, bad people will get praised and be admired in society. They will have rank and power; they will be popular and dignified. They will have many subordinates and followers. If they were laymen they will be well-liked and respected everywhere they go. The crowd will greet them and please them they are like a big mirror that reflexes the image of that country. Prosperity or decline of the community of such a country will be seen in this big mirror. The congress is this big mirror; it reflects the character of the elected members. The elected congressional members will have similar character to those that voted for them because they will pick the type of people that are similar to them. The trait will be the same for clerics or ascetics, whether the religion will prosper or decline will depend on all of the 4 congregations.
Without help, monks alone will not be eminent among the community. Monks can become famous because their followers advertise their goodness or sacredness and the miracles they have performed. Their followers advertise their knowledge and abilities, whether the monks like that or not. Disciples of some monks will determine the character of their own teachers and turn them into saints or so called “Established Saints”.
Disciples will make the public know how strictly their teachers follow the principles, beyond the actual truth. This is the floating solid stone that's so eminent; it’s a business hiding beneath the yellow robes of the monks. Some will arrange tours to visit temples just to get a cheap vacation and overcharge others in the group. Some of them will take a part of the donations. Religion can not depend on these people because they misuse it to make a living. Finally people will lose faith because they can see the unworthiness of monks in that era. People with wisdom, stability of mind, and the ability to reason will seek for “true” monks. In the time of decline of Buddhism this type of calamity will certainly occur. It will not be long for all to hear and see for themselves especially during the time of recession or war this will happen everywhere.
Dream No. 14
King Pasenadis’ fourteenth dream: - he saw a small toad chasing an enormous cobra for a meal. Once caught, the toad immediately devoured the snake.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (A small toad chasing enormous black cobra once caught she immediately devoured it as if it were a small insect) in the distant future, famous monks with great ability to give rhetoric speeches gain influence and power. They start to play an important role in society, are respected and trusted by people and gain admiration. That makes them become conceited, without conscience, and they do not know how to be humble.
They lack of wisdom and therefore lack of the ability to control their five senses and the mind. They get attached to beautiful sights, sounds, fragrances, flavors, tangible sensations and pleasant thoughts. This will be followed by passion for love and sex. They become possessed by sexual desire and therefore small toads (women) will see the opportunity to seductively lure with charming words that fascinate the cobras. And then the toad devours the cobra. In the distance future all will see and hear this for themselves.
Dream No. 15
King Pasenadis’ fifteenth dream: - he saw a crow surrounded by golden swans wherever the crow went, those golden swans will surround it as followers.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Golden swans served a crow) in the distant future, newly ordained monks and novices whose morals are not quite pure will surround, admire and pay respect to immoral monks as teachers. The crow is clever and devious in giving gifts in return for the respect of all little swans, small swans, and big swans. The swans will show how important the crow is by sending gifts every month. Every year they will gain more status and titles. They will not work for religion but they flatter the housemaster for status in return.
When the era of decline of Buddhism is coming, there will more immoral monks. Monks and novices who lack of education and guidance in monkshood will not understand the discipline and their duties. They will not conduct their daily prayer but just watch TV, those in the rural area will enter monkshood for the sake of tradition or they do it for money, some will do it on their parents' request and while being ordained they will bring entertainment to the temple which violate the rules and regulations of priesthood and bring unwholesome kamma for their parents and relatives. They do not perform monks’ duties and lack of discipline. They neither listen nor pay attention during dhamma teachings. They talk without respect and are even proud of their immoral behavior, without shame and not afraid of the results of their unwholesome deeds. This will happen in the distant future and all will hear and see.
Dream No. 16
King Pasenadis’ sixteenth dream: - he saw a herd of goats hunting tigers and enjoying eating the tiger’s meat.
Buddha made the prediction that: - (Tigers were afraid of being hunt by goats and disappeared) in the distant future, people will not be satisfied with a monarchy. They will turn against the monarchy and vote for democracy. In order to decrease the role and the power of the King they put him under the same administration and the same laws. When the King rejects the proposal, they will start a coupe d’etat to seize power in accordance with their desires. If any King resists, they will eradicate the monarchic regime of that country. In some countries the King consents to the people’s demand and surrenders his power. Then he will be highly respected, trusted, and praised as their moral supporter and a God like individual and be the center of people’s moral.
Once the King consents to the wishes of the people the voted democratic government will soon be misguided and believing that they rightfully deserve their status, they misuse their power to benefit themselves and their siblings. Eventually there will be other equally powerful groups which to try to take over and this will endlessly go on. This type of event will happen in the distant future and we all will hear and see it.
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Here is another article that is quite remarkable:
Buddhism and Dreams
The story of Gautama Buddha’s life (567- 487 BC) starts at preconception when his mother, Queen Maya, is said to have dreamt that a six-tusked elephant pierced her side with one of its tusks. This produced an immaculate conception. She understood the dream to mean the resulting child would become a monarch whose domain was the world. The Buddhist scriptures contain mention of five of the Buddha’s dreams, and also include dreams of his father, King Cudhodana, and his wife, Gopa.
The fundamental aim of Buddhism is to find liberation from the things that bind consciousness to illusory concepts of oneself. This goal, called Liberation or Nirvana is sometimes described as the blowing out of the sense of self or ones ego. This should not be thought of as a killing of oneself psychologically, but rather an untangling of our fundamental self from the many influences it is usually enmeshed in. Part of this is the illusory view we have of the world. Buddhism does not see the world itself as an illusion, but the emotions and concepts we hold which provoke our responses to the world are seen as the illusion. Therefore dreams are not thought of as being illusions, but depict the illusions of our everyday experience of life. The very nature of dreams are expressive of the complicated realm of fears, longings and mental concepts we are deeply enmeshed in. Nightmares especially show how deeply involved our waking self is with the internal world of passionate feelings and imagery.
Example: I am trapped in a bricked room with no way out and I shout for somebody to help me. Then either a big bird or a creature with long arms tries to catch me, and I scream. My flat mates used to help me, as I would wake the whole house with my screams. They describe my screams as blood curdling. When I awoke I would be extremely upset, heart pounding and sometimes crying. Twice I woke up sitting on the windowsill trying to open the window, and as I was three floors up you can imagine this was not a very pleasant experience. Another dream I have is that somebody is chasing me or attacking me, and I try to scream but nothing comes out of my mouth. I try and try to scream but nothing happens, when in fact I am actually screaming the house down. Karen S.
Example: I was walking around alone when I found myself in a graveyard which was half under water, like a paddy field. It was dusk and as I looked at the grave stones each one had engraved on it S. J. SMITH – my name – nothing else. The dark water moved slowly between the stones – lapping round them. I woke terrified and couldn’t stretch out my hand to turn the light on. Sarah S.
Example: Three men with clubs were chasing me but never actually caught me as I believe I woke in terror. I was determined to tell myself it was only a dream and the next night as they were chasing me I remembered it was only a dream and lost all fear – stopped running – turned to face them and said ‘This is only a dream, you can’t hurt me,’ and with that as they came closer they faded into nothing and I never saw them again. Mr. S. C.
The examples show the sense of reality existing for the dreamer at the time of the nightmare. In fact the terror is often only banished slowly by the dreamer realising that it was simply dream images, which are like a magic mirror reflecting the state or condition of our own inner world! The last example in a simplified way shows the liberation that arises by recognising the source of what we had taken to be reality. Buddhism is saying that much of the workings and influence of our inner world goes unrecognised, so we are an unconscious prisoner of our mind and emotions.
In Tibetan Buddhism the way to enlightenment or Nirvana is spoken of as being a path on which one penetrates the illusory nature of waking consciousness, dreams and dreamless sleep. To do this with waking consciousness one must arrive at a state of awakening from ones usual ‘dream’ of, or response to, everyday life. In other words a radical shift occurs in how one sees life. Usually one takes all ones emotions, ones thoughts and physical sensations so personally, and as a sort of reality. Yet no thought is ever the thing it is about. We think of the future sometimes for instance and might go through agonies of worry. But the thoughts are not the events that follow. And when the events themselves arrive, we can respond to them in countless different ways. Therefore to take thoughts and emotions as if they were real in a stable sense is an illusion. Recognising this not as a philosophical concept but as an experience is like waking up. See Dream Yoga.
Another form of awakening occurs within the experience of Liberation itself. It is the awakening from the experience of thought and the mental world. This also pertains to dreams in that within dreams we are totally immersed and identified with this internal mental life. The following example explains this.
Example: For some weeks I had been practising a meditation in which I slowed my breath. Then suddenly one day my thinking stopped. What this felt like is extremely difficult to describe because all of us have lived in this world of thoughts and emotions all our life. We are so immersed we don’t even recognise it – rather like the story of the fish who doesn’t know what you are talking about when you mention water. It only knows it has been in the water if it jumps or is lifted out one day. This is how it was for me. I had never known that ‘I’, ‘me’ could exist without thoughts. The freedom was wonderful, almost as if I had arrived at a different world or universe, and was looking back at what I had thought was the only way of life. To have this alternative gave me a new way of responding to life, because thoughts are so clumsy and can only deal with tiny pieces of experience. So our view of things is limited to what we can think with words. Beyond that are immense spreads of experience not limited to defining concepts. Mary P.
Dreams often express this theme of an awakening, especially in people using some forms of self inquiry. The following dream and description depicts this.
Example: Have just woke from another of my recent unusual dreams. In it I was first in a street being manhandled by a group of rowdy men. I did nothing to defend myself or fight back, and they pushed me onto the ground and poured spirits, alcohol, over me and into my mouth – saw this in the film The Elephant Man.
Then I awoke alone in a room. Or perhaps it is more correct to say I came to, because I felt as if I had been unconscious for some time. I didn’t know the room or where I was. I had the sense it was partly to do with business or a shop. The phone kept ringing and the calls were for me, and I wondered how people knew where I was because I didn’t know myself.
This dream may not seem much in itself, but in linking with some powerful feelings I am meeting in everyday life it becomes part of some inner process working in me. This is because I keep experiencing the feeling of having woken up. The only way to describe this is to say that I honestly thought I was Pete who has been born, grown up, had children. I took all his worries and pains, all the events of his life so seriously. I was totally involved in it all. But now I feel as if I am something that has always lived. It went to sleep and its dream was Pete. While it dreamt of being Pete it was utterly involved in the events of Pete’s – my – life as if they were real. But now I wake up to realise the importance given to them was unreal. This is almost exactly like waking from any deeply experienced dream. On waking the dream is not unreal in that it was an experience, but the attitude toward what happened is quite different. Pete W.
Various forms of meditation or practice are used to aid this process of waking up in life and in dreams, principal among them is Vipassanâ, which aims at constant self-awareness. This form of self witnessing gradually allows one to catch oneself in the act of getting lost in fantasy, in thoughts, in the ever shifting tides of emotion and sexual drive. It is not an act of denial, but an awareness that enables insight into behaviour to arise.
Example: I was in a prison cell with two other men. We ate, slept and defecated in the cell. I was standing at the bars of the cell, and had the impression of having been in the prison for years. I was shouting and cursing the people who had put me in the prison, full of hate and self pity. Suddenly I realised that my years of shouting had availed nothing. The only person who was upset by it was myself. I was the victim of my own anger and turmoil. I dropped the attitudes and was free of them. Years went by and one by one I dropped other habits of emotion and thought with which I had trapped and tortured myself. I realised I could be totally free within myself. One morning I woke and sat up on the mattress on the floor that was my bed. The last ghost of inner entrapment fell away. A fountain of joy opened in my body, pouring upwards through me. So intense was it I cried out. The cell mates called a warden. They stood looking at me as I experienced a radiance so strong I felt as if I must be shining. I was aware my joy poured into them, although they thought I was mad. Nothing would ever be the same again. Andy.
Such self-awareness enables one to slowly avoid getting caught in the waking ‘dream’ of long sojourns into such things as guilt, depression, and emotional pain arising from childhood patterns. This is because one becomes aware of just how such internal events arise or are triggered, and one can make a choice of whether one wishes to ‘re-play’ them again, rather like deciding whether to play a CD. Perseverance with the process cannot help but produce an entrance into areas of experience that had been deeply unconscious. Ones life history is brought to consciousness piece by piece. There is also the attempt to remain in the self-aware state even while dreaming. This is not an attempt to control or repress the action of dreaming, but to ‘see through’ it to the underlying processes creating the images.
In the Buddhist literature the story of Milarepa tells how he meditated for eight years alone in a cave. Through these years of discipline he was able to remain lucid while asleep and dreaming. He says, ‘By night in my dreams I could traverse the summit of Mt. Meru to its base – and I saw everything clearly as I went. Likewise in my dreams I could multiply myself into hundreds of personalities, all endowed with the same powers as myself. Each of my multiplied forms could traverse space and go to some Buddha Heaven, listen to the teachings there, and then come back and teach the Dharma to many persons. I could also transform my physical body into a mass of blazing fire, or into an expanse of flowing or calm water. Seeing that I had obtained infinite phenomenal powers even though it be but in my dreams, I was filled with happiness and encouragement.’
The awakening and the penetration of consciousness into what were the dark places of our being, leads to the realisation that, in a way that is difficult to accept until we experience for ourselves, we are the Creator of our own inner life, and Co-creator in the external world. Our dreams are created unconsciously out of mental and emotional factors that are usually deeply buried. For instance a person may have had a traumatic experience in childhood which leads to their constantly being afraid of closeness in a relationship. But the memory of the original event, and the powerful emotions leading to decisions about behaviour, are no longer conscious enough to review. They therefore give rise to reactions and dreams which may be puzzling, but are usually explained away by the dreamer. The dreamer may say something like ‘I don’t like men – or women. I don’t like to be near them.’ If they were aware of the sources of their reaction they would rephrase it to say, ‘I had an experience in the past that was painful, and out of this I now avoid relationship. Beyond that pain though, I want to be close and in touch with others.’
Nevertheless, in the widest sense, one is creating ones own life and dreams, even though being unconscious of how and why. The penetration of consciousness into these realms of hidden behaviour enables the process of creativity to become more directed.
Of course this self-formation needs to be understood in connection with Buddhism’s aim of dissolving the rigid boundaries of the ego, and finding insight into the illusory nature of our self image. We therefore need to realise that self-formation means not only creating our own inner life and responses to the external world more capably, but also the ability to dissolve what we have created, to realise that the source of all form is the nothing that at the same time is everything.
Example: I felt a very real power working in my body, but could not define it. The result was that my breathing slowed down until it stopped – how long for I do not know. This produced an experience of personal thoughts and feelings slowing to a standstill also, leaving stillness. Accompanying this was the sense of myself being in an ocean. As I floated in the ocean I began to be lifted by a large wave. I expected to get to the top of the wave and plunge down again. At this point the breath was taken in and it stopped. So when I came to the top of the wave it was so immense I floated at its peak on and on forever.
In trying to describe this I have to use the image of a great mural painted on a cliff face. The mural has trees and grass, animals and humans. I am one of the humans and have stepped out of the mural to become three dimensional. Being three dimensional is everyday life. When I reach the top of the wave and the usual ebb and flow of breath and consciousness stops, I step back into the mural again. I fade into the background of life again and disappear. This is wonderful. I sense this is what happens when one dies. The personal sense of self recedes and there is a blissful merging with all things. I want to stay there forever. I want to go into this ocean of blissfulness. I feel that I could stay there for a hundred years, and if I then took a breath I would emerge from the mural again and take up my everyday life just as I left it, except that events will have moved on. I want to do this. P.D.
The dissolution is Nirvana. The ability to dissolve self in this way may not be possible until we can master or penetrate the processes that work toward our formation. The secrets of our creation are in the unconscious, the mysterious world of dreams. Thus the need to wake in sleep, or if not that, to wake up from the dream of our life. See: dream as spiritual guide; Life’s Little Secrets; What we need to remember about us.
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/buddhism-and-dreams/ (http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/buddhism-and-dreams/)
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The inability to remember dreams is mainly do to lack of mindfulness. If we just fall asleep with no attention or technique, make no effort to accomplish conscious awareness in dream (lucid dreaming), and make no effort to apply dream recall methods on waking, we will miss out not just on remembering dreams but on all the benefits that come from making the whole sleep process a part of our training.
The basic idea is to make a consistent determination before going to sleep that you will become conscious in dream, apply dream yoga, and remember your dreams on waking. This attention to the process alone will heighten your awareness and ability for remembering your dreams.
Keeping a dream journal helps on the same principle - attention to the process. On waking at any point during dream cycle, we can relax and consider whatever details we recall. By doing this we gradually learn to crawl deeper into recall of more detail. This delicate navigation is similar to how we can go further and further back into childhood memory.
The most important quality of the ability to recall dreams is that it enhances our ability to retain conscious awareness during the cycle of sleep, dream and waking because we are then able do apply dream yogas, and ultimately our ability to transform this cycle into the 3 bodies of a Buddha as explained in the 9 mixings of completion stage. Further reading can be found in Clear Light of Bliss and Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming.
Good luck
Thanks! I'll give it a try...
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I think the reason why we dream is it is because of our subtle mind at work. although our consciousness is 'resting' but our subtle conscious is still 'operating' as that i believe is our soul. the only reason why we dream could be that our mind travels when we are sleeping (?? correct me if i am wrong) and that is why sometimes we dream of the weirdest dreams and one thing that i still can't understand is that when one having dejavu. Does that mean our mind actually can fore tell something to us? So does that mean that if we perfect our meditation, we will be able to look into the future and even remember the past?
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Sometimes i dream, but recently not so much. I have had the same deja vu experience where something i dreamt has come true, but also I have had many dreams that can't be explained.
Talking to people about dreams you find that many people have similar dreams. Some people dream every night, some never. So it must definitely have some relation to either a part of your mind or soul.
Dreams are one of the most unique experiences, because you can feel, hear, see, all with your body being completely unconscious, therefore this proves that you have a soul of some sort.
I have found this website which i use http://www.dreammoods.com (http://www.dreammoods.com) which helps decipher what your dreams mean. Don't really know what to make of it, but it is quite interesting to read. I once had a dream that all my teeth fell out, and it showed that I was unsure about something; said something i shouldn't have, or was no confident about something happening in my life.
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According to the teachings, there are three levels of mind - gross, subtle, and very subtle. The gross level of mind has varying gradations and refers to the 5 senses and gross mental awareness. When we fall asleep our gross inner winds that support gross minds dissolve inwards becoming increasingly subtle. Dream is a subtle gradation of gross mental consciousness. The three minds of white appearance, red increase, and black near-attainment are the subtle minds, and when the winds that support this dissolve further we experience the very subtle mind of clear light. The very subtle wind and mind are our actual body and mind and are what travel from life to life. This is the closest thing to 'soul' that you have in Buddhism, however, it is important to understand that in Dharma there is ultimately no real self or soul at the center of our being. The 'I' imputed on the very subtle body and mind is the very subtle self, but it is merely imputed. You can study and meditate on the emptiness teachings to better understand what that means. We do not have a permanent unchanging self.
Dreams arise from the coarse energy winds flowing in the left and right channels of our psychic nervous system and the connectivity or interdependence of our mind and all other phenomena. Coarse winds, minds, and their appearances arise from the 3 subtle minds and their mounted winds, and these three arise from the very subtle wind and mind. We need to purify this uncontrolled process of dissolution and re-emergence that is the nature of our samsara, and that is the purpose of highest yoga tantra.
We have a unique opportunity to take control. The highest kindness is to have taught a method to take control of this. Seize this chance while you still can. Time's almost up!