Ru Chun's Auspicious Dreams After Seeing the Path

On the evening of January 15, 2026, I dreamed that I was sitting in meditation, and many stone pillars came crashing down from the sky. Unable to resist, I raised my hand to block them, only to discover that they were all made of foam—light and weightless when they struck my hand. In the dream, I was a bhikṣu.

Assessment: Only after one has realized through personal experience that material form is empty, false, and unreal will such dreams arise. Dreams can reveal a person's inner thoughts; the dreams of ordinary people and the dreams of one who has seen the Path are utterly different.

On January 18, 2026, I dreamed that I arrived at a golden, resplendent place with many Buddha statues. One of the statues had a golden body and a dark blue-green hair bun; it left a deep impression on me. I dreamed of it twice.

On January 23, 2026, I felt that in my dream I was engaged in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on suffering, emptiness, and impermanence. Then my left nasal passage seemed to open, and I was exhaling a long, long breath, like the final release of air from a pressure cooker just before the lid is opened. It was very real, not like a dream at all.

Assessment: Continuing one's practice during sleep makes the flow of qi through the body's meridians more unobstructed, and at the same time continues to eliminate karmic obstructions. Before and after seeing the Path, there will be phenomena of karmic purification to varying degrees, whether awake or dreaming.

On January 22, 2026, some reflections on practice: 1. From the standpoint of ultimate truth, afflictions are empty; from the standpoint of conventional truth, they exist. All dharmas are empty in nature yet wondrously existent. At the beginning of practice, one has no defense against the turbid energy of afflictions and can only avoid the world as much as possible, practicing in seclusion for self-protection. 2. Once one has realized the emptiness of the Small Vehicle, one gains defensive power—walking in the world without being swayed by afflictive states, as if equipped with armor against poison and the power to withdraw from the world. While benefiting oneself, this also creates the conditions for benefiting others. 3. After realizing the emptiness of the Great Vehicle, one is not only unswayed by circumstances but also has the wisdom and ability to transform circumstances—turning around sentient beings' cognition and karma, helping them attain liberation, bringing blessings to the world and purifying its turbid energy. 4. The ultimate purpose of realizing emptiness is for the untainted wisdom to be functional and useful—just like rice: only after the husk of afflictions is stripped away, leaving the white grain, can it be eaten to fill the belly.

Understanding the principles is not easy; what is harder still are the details of one's daily bodily, verbal, and mental actions, in which the information of wisdom or affliction naturally manifests. For example, once I was guiding an elderly person, and as we passed the first floor, a worker had just mopped it. The floor was very wet and very clean. Without much thought, I lifted my foot and walked on. Later I noticed that the elderly person had not followed. When I turned around, I saw him earnestly wiping his shoe soles back and forth on the carpet, in order to avoid dirtying the floor. On the floor where I had walked, there remained two rows of black footprints, looking especially jarring, as if proclaiming my foolishness and arrogance. In that instant, I understood why that person was so virtuous and esteemed. Some people's goodness and wisdom seem innate—a single natural gesture of wiping one's shoes is enough to crush years of my effort. I felt deeply ashamed of the word "practice."