Why Don't We Know We Are Dreaming While in a Dream

Who is it that knows the dream while dreaming? Who is it that knows the sense-objects while awake? Both within and outside of dreams, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses both have knowing; the knowing of all dharmas is primarily the knowing of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The five sense consciousnesses can only know the five sense-object realms in waking reality and cannot know dream realms, because in dreams there are no five sense-object realms. The knowing nature of the mind consciousness is greatly related to the physical body: when the physical body has obstructions, the knowing of the mind consciousness becomes weak or ceases. For a person who possesses the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, the physical body has no obstructions, and the knowing of the mind consciousness is clear and vast; whether asleep or not, they can know with great clarity, and no matter how many bottles of wine they drink, they will not become drunk—wine can no longer paralyze the central nervous system of the brain, and thus the mind consciousness is unaffected.

The knowing of the mind consciousness is also greatly related to the knowing of the manas. Generally speaking, the manas knows all dharmas; the question is only whether it can know them as they truly are. As for the portion that the manas can know as it truly is, how it can influence the mind consciousness so that the mind consciousness also knows, and promptly processes what is known, involves the communicative capacity between the two consciousnesses. This so-called communicative capacity is wisdom; how what the mind consciousness knows can effectively influence and guide the manas also involves communicative capacity, that is, how good the wisdom is. Wisdom is in turn closely related to meditative concentration (samādhi). Samādhi can make the mind quiet, peaceful, and steady, strengthen the capacity for contemplation, and make the power of wisdom great; thus the mutual influence between the two consciousnesses becomes great. Samādhi can also render the physical body unobstructed; with the physical body unobstructed, the mind consciousness has no hindrance, its knowing is keen and unimpeded, and it can effectively influence the manas. Conversely, the manas can also effectively influence the mind consciousness; the two communicate and complement each other, and knowing all dharmas becomes smooth and unimpeded, with little obstruction.

That waking and dreaming are alike is a wisdom realm cultivated through practice. Knowing that it is a dream and not being trapped by the dream-state is wisdom. This cultivation mainly refers to the practice of meditative concentration; samādhi is an indispensable link in practice. Only with samādhi can wisdom be developed, making the knowing of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses more truthful and more in accord with principle, knowing more truly, more subtly, and more vastly. And only by removing the hindrance of sleep can deep samādhi arise. For those with deeper samādhi, their thinking is clear when awake, and in dreams they are also without delusion, just as when awake, knowing realms without obstruction.

Ordinary people's knowing has obstructions—that is, in common parlance, they lack superknowledge. Those with superknowledge have unobstructed knowing, possessing knowledge of others' minds, the divine eye, and so on; this is the karmic retribution of the merit of samādhi and wisdom. Knowing the dream within a dream is the retribution attained by one whose mind has become pure through excellent meditative concentration. Ji Gong the monk possessed the four dhyānas and eight samādhis and had superknowledge; no matter how much wine he drank, his nervous system was not affected or anesthetized, and his mind consciousness was always clear, able to observe and know all realms as they truly are. When ordinary people fall asleep, the mind consciousness ceases, and the portion of the manas's function that relies on the mind consciousness to know realms no longer operates; therefore, when dreaming, the manas's discernment is weak and it does not know it is a dream, and the solitary mental consciousness in the dream also has very weak discernment and likewise does not know it is a dream. But for a person of cultivation, with strong power of samādhi, an unobstructed physical body, and clear sixth and seventh consciousnesses, discernment is strong; while dreaming, they know it is a dream and are not deluded.

Master Kuiji possessed the four dhyānas and eight samādhis and had superknowledge. When he slept at night he was extremely clear, clearer than ordinary people are when awake; his sixth and seventh consciousnesses were keen. After he had fallen asleep, when a louse lost a leg and cried out from the pain, Master Kuiji could hear it—this is the merit of the power of samādhi and the power of superknowledge. Being able to hear the cry of a louse while asleep—does this not show that he was not truly asleep? For ordinary people, sleep is a covering that can veil their minds from seeing and hearing, like dead people. But for one who has eliminated the covering of sleep, very little sleep suffices to nourish the physical body; their samādhi will reach the first dhyāna or above, their mind is clear, obstructions are slight, or there is no obstruction at all. During sleep, the mind consciousness is not necessarily completely cut off, yet sleep is also sufficient—this differs from ordinary people.

Especially for those with superknowledge, their sleep is like being awake, even clearer than ordinary people when awake. In ancient times, those with martial arts skills also slept lightly and had high alertness. This alertness can be said to belong to the mind consciousness, but the manas truly also has alertness; His alertness is even stronger in function than that of the mind consciousness. Therefore, apart from the manas, the functions of the mind consciousness cannot be fully explained. Sleep and torpor are of the same category, both belonging to hindrances and coverings that can veil the light of the conscious mind. Only after the hindrance and covering of sleep is eliminated will the samādhi of the first dhyāna appear. The deeper the torpor when sleeping, the poorer the meditative skill, or the absence of samādhi, with heavy coverings; the more deluded in dreams, the less samādhi; the more easily drunk on alcohol, the greater the obstruction of the physical body and the less samādhi. Those with deep meditative skill can regulate the physical body well, unaffected by environmental factors, without obstructing the functioning of the six consciousnesses. Therefore, the power of concentration is extremely important; even for those who do not study Buddhism or cultivate the path, if meditative concentration is well cultivated, the benefits are very great.