The Relationship between Sensation and the Manas

Question: Why is it that when a dream is forcibly interrupted and one wakes up, one feels a headache, whereas when the dream finishes naturally and one wakes up on one's own, there is no headache?

Answer: Dreaming is done by the manas. When the manas has matters on its mind and is not tranquil, it must manifest them in dreams. If the dream is suddenly and forcibly interrupted, the manas's intentions remain unresolved, and it will feel distressed; when He feels distressed, He causes a headache. This is an example of the mind influencing the body. Whether the manas is pleased or displeased, it will engage in some form of activity, which will manifest in the body—for example, dancing with joy, beaming with smiles, trembling all over, hair bristling with rage, and so on. From these phenomena, it can be seen that the manas has feeling, and not merely neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) alone. When a dream is forcibly interrupted and one immediately wakes up, one also immediately feels a headache. This headache has nothing to do with the mind consciousness; the mind consciousness merely senses the headache. What prompts the headache is the manas—He was unable to finish what He wanted to do, is displeased and cannot bear it, and so must vent it. If in daily life one frequently recites mantras and engages in the recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), so that the mind is pure and free of concerns, one will no longer dream, and the quality of one's sleep will also improve.