Commentary on the Sutra of the Anthology of Father and Son (105)

Dreams Can Test Whether We Have Cultivation

Some individuals with genuine cultivation, while dreaming, recognize that the dream is illusory. When karmic conditions manifest during the dream and they are on the verge of committing evil deeds, their minds immediately recognize that such actions must not be done. Their minds do not follow the shifting circumstances. For such people, the conscious mind is awakened, and the manas (root mind) has attained a certain level of enlightenment, enabling them to take control and refrain from evil deeds. Consequently, at the moment of death, they will likely retain similar mastery over their actions.

Those who commit evil deeds in their dreams lack sufficient strength in their mental cultivation. Therefore, dreams can test whether we have genuine cultivation, to what extent we have cultivated, whether the manas is being influenced, whether it possesses the necessary strength, and whether we have mastery over life and death.