法苑珠林 32.63

32.63

As the Samantapāsādikā (Shanxian lü) states: There are four kinds of dreams: first, dreams caused by disharmony among the four elements; second, dreams of what was previously seen; third, dreams sent by devas; fourth, conceptual dreams. What is a dream caused by disharmony among the four elements? The answer is: when sleeping, dreaming that a mountain collapses, or that one flies through empty space, or that tigers, wolves, lions, or robbers pursue one—these are dreams caused by disharmony among the four elements, empty and unreal. What is a dream of what was previously seen? The answer is: seeing during the daytime something white or black, male or female, and then precisely dreaming of it at night—this is called a dream of what was previously seen; this too is unreal. What is a dream sent by devas? The answer is: if a good friend among devas appears a good dream to a person, causing them to attain the good; or if an evil friend appears a bad dream—this is real. What are conceptual dreams? The answer is: this person in a former life either had merits or had obstructive sins. If they have merit, a good dream appears; if they have sins, a bad dream appears. Just as when the Bodhisattva was first about to enter his mother's womb, he dreamed that a white elephant descended from the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and entered his right side—this is a conceptual dream. If one dreams of paying homage to the Buddha, chanting sūtras, keeping the precepts, practicing giving, and various merits, this too is a conceptual dream. Question: Are dreams wholesome, unwholesome, or indeterminate? Answer: They are also wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate. If one dreams of paying homage to the Buddha, hearing the Dharma, or explaining the Dharma, this is wholesome merit. If one dreams of killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct, this is an unwholesome dream. If one dreams of blue, yellow, red, white, and other colors, this is an indeterminate dream. Question: If that is so, should one receive karmic retribution? Answer: One does not receive karmic retribution. Why? Because the mental karma is weak and fragile, it does not induce retribution. Therefore the Vinaya states: 'Except when done in dreams, it is not an offense.' Moreover, Kātyāyana's treatise states: What is it to be associated with all sleep and torpor? Answer: Sometimes there is sleepiness not associated with torpor. As when one has not yet fallen asleep, the body is not pliant and the mind is not pliant; the body is heavy and the mind is heavy; the body is sluggish and the mind is sluggish; the body is confused and the mind is confused; the body is drowsy and the mind is drowsy; entangled by sleepiness—this is called sleepiness not associated with torpor. What is torpor not associated with sleepiness? Answer: Sleeping and dreaming with an undefiled mind—this is called torpor not associated with sleepiness. What is association with both sleepiness and torpor? Answer: Sleeping and dreaming with a defiled mind—this is called association with sleepiness and torpor. What is neither sleepiness nor torpor? Answer: That which is apart from the aforementioned states. Question: Should sleep be called wholesome, unwholesome, or indeterminate? Answer: Sleep is sometimes wholesome, sometimes unwholesome, or indeterminate. What is wholesome? Answer: Sleeping and dreaming with a wholesome mind. What is unwholesome? Answer: Sleeping and dreaming with an unwholesome mind. What is indeterminate? Answer: That which is apart from the aforementioned states. Just as in a dream giving, generating merit, keeping precepts, and observing the fast-day, like the merit generated when sleeping with a wholesome mind, should be called the redirection of remnant merit—this is called wholesome. Why should unmeritorious acts done while sleeping be called redirection? Answer: Just as in a dream killing, stealing, and the like, like the redirection of the remnant unmeritorious mind when sleeping with an unwholesome mind—this is called unwholesome. Why should meritorious or unmeritorious acts done while sleeping not be called redirection? Answer: As when sleeping with a mind that is neither meritorious nor unmeritorious, like the indeterminate; when sleeping with such a mind, the meritorious and non-meritorious acts done should not be called redirection—this is called indeterminate. Question: What kind of phenomenon is a dream called? Answer: It is the hindrance of ignorance among the five hindrances.