The Mechanism of Precognitive Dreams

A prophetic dream occurs when the mental faculty (manas) informs the consciousness in advance about events that will happen in the future. This demonstrates that the mental faculty can perceive events that have not yet occurred and can extend into the future. Why is this so? Because the Tathagatagarbha, based on the seeds of karma, can perceive matters pertaining to the three realms—past, present, and future. The mental faculty, relying on the dharmas perceived by the Tathagatagarbha, generates its own perceptions. Since the Tathagatagarbha can perceive all dharmas, the mental faculty can likewise perceive all dharmas, though the essential nature of what each perceives differs. Because all dharmas are illusory, they appear miraculous; yet in truth, they are empty, and there is nothing truly marvelous about them.