Manas in Dreams

When there are no dreams during sleep, only the seventh consciousness and the eighth consciousness exist, without the first six consciousnesses. Realizing the eighth consciousness in this state allows one to transcend the prison barrier and attain the capability to liberate oneself from the cycle of life and death. During dreaming and sleepwalking, the sixth consciousness is present. To comprehend the state of sleepwalking, one must first attain enlightenment of the mind and possess profound wisdom in the Vijñapti-mātratā (Consciousness-Only) doctrine. Only when the dharmas (phenomena) of the manas-indriya (mind faculty) can be realized, and the functioning of the manas can be observed, can one gradually unravel the nature of sleepwalking.

Sleepwalking and dreaming are directly related to the manas-indriya. When walking in a dream, the manas-indriya controls the consciousness by governing the hindbrain, thereby controlling the entire body. Thus, during sleepwalking, the limbs and body can move. In childhood, one often dreams of searching for a toilet, resulting in bed-wetting—this is all due to the function of the manas-indriya. The manas cognizes the body's internal state, recognizes the need to urinate, and the urge prompts it to seek a toilet for relief, thus generating a dream for the consciousness to resolve. If no dream occurs, it directly relieves itself in bed.

Before awakening, the manas cognizes the dharmas (objects of mind), albeit unclearly. Then the consciousness cognizes them again, gradually bringing clarity, and we wake up. The consciousness in dreams is isolated consciousness, while the consciousness upon awakening is sense-accompanied consciousness. Since they cognize different realms, the awakened consciousness may not necessarily be aware of the dream state. Sleepwalking belongs to this category.