Most of us have dreams. Is there anyone here who has never dreamt in his sleep? (Someone raises his hand.) You never have? It’s because you’ve never slept! (Master laughs.) Or else, you must be an Arhat (liberated saint); I hear that Arhats don’t dream.
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsindian, Taipei,
August 30, 1987 (Originally in Chinese)
Sometimes, when we reach a certain level in spiritual practice, we’re more likely to run into obstacles. Just ignore them and persist in your spiritual development. The more obstacles we have, the more humble we should be and the more we should persist in spirituality. Sometimes, when you’re physically ill, you may wonder, “Shouldn’t I become healthier as I practice more?” Not necessarily! You might be healthy in the beginning. For instance, your illness is healed immediately upon seeing me, and then you think you should practice faster (Master laughs) because you’re greedy! Since your illness is healed within five minutes after seeing me, you think you’ll get even healthier by practicing more. Most people are more concerned about their bodies, wealth and safety. They think that by practicing more, they’ll become healthier and extremely strong, just like Xue Renguei (a formidable general in ancient China) or Hercules. With an effortless wave of his arm, ten men would fall down. (Laughter) This is what some people imagine they’ll become by following me in practicing the Quan Yin Method. They will, but they’ll also attain many higher levels and become very different!
Sometimes, when we reach a certain level in spiritual evolution, we may feel not very well physically. Why is that so? As I’ve mentioned before, it’s because the “power” is very strong, while the body is too weak to withstand it. When the vibrations of our bodies change too quickly, we may feel as if we’re sick. However, we’re not really sick; don’t worry. If our faith isn’t firm enough, we can easily drop out when we reach this level because we think, “It’s weird! Why do I have more illnesses after following Master?” It’s not true! It’s only because your vibrations have changed. Inside this human body there are already many toxins and toxic gases. When we’re angry with or hate someone, the toxic gases remain in the body.
I was talking about dreams just now. Why have I started talking about illnesses? It’s because there’re cases when illnesses are healed in dreams. One of our fellow initiates stopped coming after he was initiated. But when he was ill, Master’s spiritual manifestation form went to treat him. Later, when he was healed, he was so moved that he came to see me again. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to see him. He just vanished after the initiation because he didn’t have faith!
For most people, dreams are very important. If they don’t dream when they sleep, they may fall sick. What are dreams? Sometimes, when we have no way to express our opinions in the daytime, we can release or give vent to some of them in our dreams. Otherwise, we feel very tired and stressed. Or perhaps we hate someone or are angry with someone in the daytime, but we have no way to express it, or it’s inconvenient to speak out — sometimes because we don’t want to disrupt the harmony in the family or because we dare not speak out. For example, when we’re angry because our boss is in a higher position than we are, or our Master is at a higher level than we are, (Master laughs) we dare not voice it. Instead, we vent our anger in dreams.
People who practice martial arts usually have the means to burn off their poison so they don’t need to dream too much. However, for most people, dreaming is very important. Without dreams, we may fall ill because we haven’t dispelled the toxic gases in our bodies. Therefore, ill people can’t sleep well. And when they can’t sleep well, their illness gets even worse because excessive toxic gas and undesirable thoughts accumulate in their bodies. Even good thoughts, when accumulated in the body excessively, are too much.
When we dream, it means that our daytime struggles come to a halt and the toxic gases can be released, or our unsatisfied desires are realized. In dreams, we can imagine and enjoy a little, just to comfort our minds somewhat. For example, someone who loves money dearly would most probably see himself as a wealthy person in his dreams. At least, in his dreams, he can relax and enjoy the pleasure of being rich for an hour or half an hour. This is better for him because he won’t be as agonized in real life.
Sometimes, the state of one’s dreams can affect one for an entire day. For example, after a nightmare, don’t we wake up still feeling horrified? (Audience answers: Yes.) If we have too many nightmares, we feel frightened even after a day or two. Thus, dreams can affect us more or less the way real life does. Sometimes, if we have very bad dreams, we wake up very hot-tempered, and treat other people awfully. It’s also bad for the body and spirit of the one who dreams.
That’s why I teach you to meditate, focus your mind on the wisdom eye, think of good things and recite the Holy Names before going to sleep. In this way, at least we can minimize the influence of the negative atmosphere in our surroundings. In this world, even if our thinking isn’t bad, the atmosphere of the society and family can still affect us, and make us bad, stupid, nervous and less benevolent.
Mo-Tzu (the founder of Mohism, who emphasized universal love and peace in ancient China) called society a terrible dyeing vat. Even Saints will be contaminated if they come here! Shakyamuni Buddha was originally the Hu-ming Bodhisattva descending from the Tusita Heaven (a Buddhist Heaven of full knowledge and satisfaction, where no greed or worldly desires exist). He was very intelligent and could walk at the time of birth. He learned anything immediately, better than all His teachers. However, He was still ignorant; only when He was almost thirty years old, when He went outside and observed the suffering of sentient beings, did He awaken and turn to spiritual pursuits. He was originally a Bodhisattva and had practiced spirituality life after life, having gained more merits than He could ever use. That was why He was able to deliver so many sentient beings. Nevertheless, He was still contaminated upon arrival in this world. Lao Tzu, Confucius and Zhuang Tzu (great philosophers of ancient China) were all contaminated. They only woke up after a certain period of time, and then began to practice spiritually. Therefore, they weren’t saints from birth.
After we attain the great enlightenment, we clearly discern that the world is just like a dream. At that moment, it’s like we’ve awakened from the dream. The dreams we have every day are merely small dreams while this world is a big dream, which is more difficult to wake up from. When someone is having a nightmare and screaming out loud, he needs another person to reassure him: “Hey! Wake up! It’s all right!” Similarly, in this big dream, we also need an enlightened Master to remind us, but whoever doesn’t want to be reminded and wants to carry on sleeping we just leave alone. These people are seriously ill and they’re also dreaming. Since we can’t wake them up, we just let them go on sleeping. It’s as though they’re anaesthetized and can’t wake up. However, they’ll get well by themselves after some time. Thus, those who want to pursue spirituality may come. If they don’t want to, we cannot force them.
I’ve often told you that we Quan Yin practitioners can go to superior dimensions to learn in our dreams. Because in the daytime you’re so busy and the resistance of your mind is so strong that I sometimes find it hard to teach you. Therefore, I teach you in your dreams. There’re people who can go to the Fifth Realm in their dreams, but this is very rare. Most people only go to dimensions within the Three Realms when they dream. Those who can go to the Fifth Realm in dreams are extraordinary people. In fact, such “dreams” aren’t really dreams because we can remember and be aware of everything after we wake up.
In India, there was a person who, before practicing the Quan Yin Method, dreamt of the Lord of the Fifth Realm, Who told him everything. When he woke up from his dream, he set out to search for a Master and practice the Quan Yin Method. So, it’s also very important to have dreams. If you don’t get enough sleep, there can be trouble because your life will be unbalanced. However, some people practice in a very tough way and don’t want to sleep. You don’t have to force yourself too much. Should you feel tense mentally, then you have to take it slowly. If you feel that you’re still fine, then it’s all right to miss your sleep.
But we shouldn’t always wait for the Master to teach us when we go to sleep every day. In the daytime, we should also educate ourselves and realize that this world is only a dream, and then use our minds properly to expand our imagination and develop our creativity. We should use our imagination for the better and richer aspects, imagine that we should have reached the Fifth Realm, and then we’ll really make it one day!
Hell, too, is nothing but a dream created by our own thinking. Sometimes, our ambiance and actions are just like bricks and concrete that turn into a wall when they’re mixed. What we build with our undesirable thoughts and actions is hell. Though intangible and formless, it’s reality to sentient beings in hell. Hell is a place of great suffering. I guarantee that it exists. The prison of this world is also a kind of hell. So if hell exists even in this world, how could it not exist in the intangible dimension?
When we’re frustrated, we feel that this world isn’t beautiful at all, the food isn’t delicious, and our husband or wife suddenly looks very ugly. It’s because when we’re frustrated or in sorrow, the world is no good for us. Even if we were living in a palace, it would be like living in prison. So, our mood can affect the external environment. We practice spiritually in order to train the mind and let it think increasingly of the good aspects. In this way, the aura of our surroundings becomes increasingly purified. By purifying ourselves, we purify the planet. If everyone were happy, wouldn’t the whole world become happy too? Therefore, spiritual practice is beneficial!
Through spiritual edification, one day we’ll wake up and realize that this illusory world is nothing but a big dream. Otherwise, we’ll never wake up, but just go from one dream to another and remain in dreams forever. It’s like dreaming at night; sometimes we might go from one dream to another or from one place to another. For example, we might first dream of being threatened, of someone trying to kill or beat us, and later our money is snatched by people. After that, we dream of marrying a beautiful woman, and later we’re arrested and sent to jail. In this way, we move on from dream to dream.
Similarly, if we don’t wake up in this world, we’ll continue our dream in other worlds, like the Asura world. There, our dream goes on for a hundred years, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred or a thousand years. After that, we might go to hell and dream for a couple of centuries or five millennia. Next, we’ll come back to continue our dream as earthworms, cows or birds, and can never get away. When we dream at night, we don’t know that we’re dreaming. Sometimes, even if we’re aware, we can’t wake up. Likewise, when we’re birds, we don’t know that we’re in a bird’s dream because our vibrations have changed. Although our souls are forever the same, forever perfect and pure, we’re engulfed and can’t move.
For example, we have hands and feet that we can move, but when we’re tied up, we can’t walk though we have feet, and we can’t work though we have hands. Or suppose someone puts us in a box and then throws it in the river. Although we know how to swim, we can’t swim in there. Although we’re aware of the dangerous situation, we can’t save ourselves. Sometimes, we might not even know. Perhaps we’re knocked unconscious, and then we aren’t able to save ourselves. In such case it would be useless even if we finally came to realize it because we'd only find ourselves at the bottom of the sea or river. Most probably we’d have just two more minutes to live.
In the same way, if we don’t take care of our souls now and set them free, in the future, our souls will continue to be confined and just move from one box to another or from one bag to another. No matter where we’re thrown, we’re unable to resist, and this is transmigration. Thus, we practice spirituality to train ourselves so that we know in advance how to react at the moment of death, and how to save ourselves when we’re tied up; instead of not knowing what to do when the time comes.
It’s not only at night, but also in the daytime that we have dreams, which is called “daydreaming,” like someone dreams that he’s very important, very strong in his faith, practices very well, and is a very moral person. In the end, however, he turns out to be nobody, and fails in spiritual progress. Thus he’s merely cheating himself and cheating the Master. Hence, don’t dream too much. It’s good enough to practice diligently and truthfully, be repentant and humble, believe in the Master and respect the Master. For these people, regardless of the situation, I will definitely take them up. Even if I have to go to hell for them, it’s worthwhile because these people are simply too good! They deserve it! Even if I have to sacrifice myself and give all my merits to them, it’s also fine. Since ancient times, such people have been worthy of receiving the Master’s blessing.
When you move an enlightened Master, He or She can give you the Three Realms or the whole world, or let you become a king, a great spiritual practitioner, or an enlightened Master or Saint. As long as the Master is willing to give out of love, you'll have all the blessings. Even if you're a criminal destined to go to hell, or a murderer, you'll still be delivered to the level of the Arhats. Do you remember the story of how Shakyamuni Buddha delivered a murderer? The man had killed ninety-nine people, and wanted to kill the Buddha as well, but the Buddha still delivered him to the level of a liberated saint. It's because a great Master possesses inexhaustible merits. As long as He or She is willing and you're also willing to be delivered, you can be elevated to any level. Therefore, it's very useful for you to do something that touches the Master's heart!
Refrain from harbouring trivial and selfish desires because we become what we imagine. This is very important! Our imagination is rich and powerful. The higher our level of spiritual attainment, the more our imaginings will be realized. Therefore, we ought to be cautious. We should have good expectations so that we can benefit ourselves as well as other sentient beings instead of hurting ourselves and others. Therefore, you’re aware that as your spirituality progresses, you seem to experience more satisfactory situations. Is that not so? (Audience answers: Yes.) Whenever you need something, it immediately appears as though it has come from Heaven. That’s because when we have a rich imagination, and the power gets stronger, we’re able to draw down something from Heaven for us to use.
The higher we rise in spiritual practice, the more easily we become contented. However, we still need to teach ourselves and train our thinking to aim for good things whenever we want something. We should want to be liberated, reach the Fifth Realm and seek to become wise and powerful. Only these aspirations are valuable. Don’t desire anything else because they’ll come naturally. The Master will take care of the material aspects, but you must be contented. You shouldn’t think that it’s not enough when I’ve given you two bowls of rice, and complain in your heart, “Why not give me three bowls?” This is not the way. Enough is enough. The same goes for eating; I’ve advised you not to eat too much. Eighty percent full is enough. If you eat too much, you’ll become very full and tired, which is not good for your spiritual development. You’ll even have problems with thinking. On the other hand, if you eat too little, you’ll be tired and your body will feel unwell. You might have difficulty walking or climbing hills. Thus, in whatever you do, just be normal and ordinary — not too much, and not too little.
If we haven’t yet reached a certain level in spiritual cultivation, we’d better be cautious. Before doing anything, first consider and ask yourself, “Do I have a good intention in doing this? Is this an important matter? Should I do it or not? Is it useful to do this? Does it correspond to the Truth?” Every day before doing anything, always question yourself in this way, and you won’t make mistakes. This is the same as what I’ve said: “In doing anything, always think that you’re doing it for Master.” What’s the meaning of “doing for Master”? It means you should consider, “If it were Master doing this, would She do it in this way? Would She react in this way? Would Master be happy with the way that I’m doing this?” This is the meaning of “doing for Master,” which also means offering all your actions, speech and thoughts to the Master.
This is not to say that you should let me eat your flesh, control your thinking and speak for you. That’s not the way! You should still think independently, move your body by yourself and answer with your own mouth. However, you should do good things with your body, think of benevolence with your mind, and speak beneficence with your mouth. Even when you scold, you should scold for a beneficial reason instead of scolding people out of anger or to make them feel bad. The important points that you should remember are: Refrain from daydreaming; if you have to dream, dream good dreams, dream about the Fifth Realm, think in the way beings in the Fifth Realm would think, act in the way beings in the Fifth Realm would act. Only then can you say that you’re having “good dreams.”
