Dreams in Buddhist Thought and Practice: Introduction (Part 1)
By Quyen Ngo
Qngo888@yahoo.co.uk
Throughout history, dreams have always been an important part of human experience, particularly the spiritual aspect. The ancient Egyptians believed gods communicate to people through dreams; the Australians aborigines hold that the world was created by ancentral spirits in the ‘dreamtime’, whilst the Hindus believed the universe was created from viṣṇu’s dream. In Islam, the Prophet Mohammad received the first revelation of the Quran in a dream. Joseph’s prophetic dreams, including the baker’s dream were recorded in the Hebrew Bible records.
Kelly Bulkeley, after a number of years of studying the significance of dreams in different religions, concludes ‘Dreams are important religious phenomena in virtually all the world’s religious traditions … [studying dreams can] gains valuable insights into the religious concerns of humankind.
Dreams have long prompted philosophical questions about other realities. The Indian text, Brihadarmyaka– Upanishad (around 1,000 B.C.E.) describes sleep and dream as a meditation stage between the world and the other. The Chinese sage, Chuang-tzu (around 350 B.C.E.) raised a question of whether life itself is a dream.
Dreams were also used to diagnose and cure health problems. Dream incubation, a method by which one goes to sleep purposely to seek answers to health and personal problems was practiced amongst ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Greek, Hebrews, Indians, Japanese and Muslims. The nature American Indians have been using dreams in a variety of ways, including contacting the supernatural spirits, and predicting the future and as a kind of primitive psychology.
Thus, dreams have played a role in shaping the world’s cultures, people’s ways of life, and religions. This paper aims to examine the role of dreams in Buddhist thought and practice by exploring:
i. Dreams narratives in Buddhism to reveal the significance of dreams in Buddhist sacred biographies, the cultural influence on dreams, Karmas and spiritual development.
ii. Sleep and dream as metaphor for ignorance and delusion, as an intimation for enlightenment. What can dreams tell us about the nature of consciousness and reality?
iii. Buddhist practices used during sleep and dreaming – Dream yoga: History, development and practice.
To be continued ….
About the author:
Scott Quyen Ngo is a professional optometrist. He has gained a Master Degree in Buddhist Studies from Sunderland University, U.K. His M.A thesis examines the ‘Role of Dreams in Buddhist Thought and Practice’. He has also been invited to a T.V show in New Zealand to hold a dialogue on the role played by dreams in Buddhist thought and practice.
Quyen’s MA thesis will appear in the Deer Park column of buddhistdoor.com in a continuous series of articles commencing in the August issue of Deer Park and thereafter. Those readers, who are interested to know more, do not miss the opportunities of learning from the wisdom or insight of Quyen on a topic of discussion rarely presented by the Buddhist scholars or intelligentsia. Through the vision and insight of Quyen, readers may be able to discern the relationship between delusion and enlightenment expounded by Gotama Buddha and other esoteric religious masters, saints and savants. Quyen’s articles will shed light on the interesting Buddhist doctrinal points, such as the nature of consciousness, karmas, levels of spiritual attainment or self-realization, emancipation and others. |
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