Not Breaking Precepts in Dreams Shows That the Manas Can Uphold the Precepts

Question: Someone says that the standard of success in keeping precepts is not violating the precepts even in dreams—being able to be master of oneself in dreams and absolutely not break the precepts. This is equivalent to the manas having already understood the principle and being able to do so without the mind consciousness suppressing it. Only then would one have some assurance in the antarā-bhava stage, and this requires quite strong meditative concentration (samādhi).

Answer: That is correct. Once the manas has accomplished its habituation to the precepts, it can be master of itself and automatically keep the precepts, not violating them day or night. It can be master over all kinds of behavior in dreams, and when encountering tests of circumstances, it can also keep and guard the precepts. Only when the mind of the manas has changed can this be achieved. Those who have not cultivated to this stage are still at the stage of keeping precepts with the mind consciousness. Keeping precepts with the mind consciousness means suppressing the manas, not letting the manas choose bodily, verbal, and mental actions that violate the precepts. Once the mind consciousness can no longer suppress the manas, the manas will choose precept-violating behavior, and the person breaks the precepts.

At the very beginning of cultivation, one can only make the mind consciousness keep the precepts as much as possible; this is called suppression, or it may be called pretending to keep the precepts. When the manas's mind cannot yet change and cannot yet be master of itself, one first pretends to keep the precepts, pretends to have cultivation, pretends to be a qualified Buddhist learner, pretends to be a decent monastic, and so on—first one pretends. After a long time, as one keeps pretending, the manas becomes accustomed to it and changes, and thereafter one no longer needs to deliberately pretend. If one cannot even pretend well, it shows that the manas's afflictions and habitual tendencies are too heavy, and the mind consciousness is also weak, unable to suppress the manas. If one does not even want to pretend, it is not only that the manas's afflictions are too heavy—the mind consciousness's afflictions are also heavy, so one simply follows along with the manas's afflictions; this is called letting things take their natural course. Those who advocate not concealing one's afflictions are exactly like this, because they cannot conceal them.