Dreams Dreaming Dreams

  I came across the following quote in Master Sheng Yen's Chan and enlightenment which I found quite interesting. It reads:

When sentient beings- especially Chan practitioners-practice Buddhadharma after hearing it, it is easy for them to be aware that they are dreaming amidst samsara. Once they know they know they are in an endless dream of samsara, they are already on the threshold of leaving behind the dream. Why? Because when they gain the power of Chan concentration, it is easy for them to reflect that in the past, their minds have been deluded, scattered, muddled, and vague, like dreaming an illusory dream. (p.106)

I found that when I read this paragraph and reflected on it, my mind has become more calm and peaceful. It is as though I were in a dense thicket of trees, and later was able to see the forest as a whole. It reminds me that no matter what the situation is, it's just a reflection of one's mind-state, and there is nothing to be afraid of in the environment as long as I can know that the experience is shaped by the mind. An example of this is to be aware that even if one's job is very stressful and one can be laid off in the future for different reasons, that it's only my taking the job to be something that is supposed to be permanent and feed 'my' permanent body, that vexations arise from this possibility. Does knowing that this latter is not the case mean that I won't be stressed on the job? Not necessarily, because one is still human and has human bodily needs. However, if I am able to reflect on things from the perspective of Buddhadharma or the true mind, these things don't have a permanent existence, and so therefore I can create a space of peace around what I am doing and what's happening around me.
   In my previous blog entries, I explored this idea of how to gauge whether a spiritual teaching is at one's level, and I have to say again--sometimes one has to be really honest with themselves! When taken to an extreme, the idea that we are in an endless dream might lead some to conclude that there is no point even interacting with the dream, since it's "only a dream". But this is a kind of nihilism which wasn't intended in Buddhist teachings, something I have sometimes heard of referred to as "dark emptiness". I think that what the teachings refer to is using the concept of the dream to enlighten one's experiences and appreciation of daily life. If I know that this job and this body are not permanent, self-existing entities, then I can take a much more relaxed and trusting approach toward them, because I am no longer relying on these concepts to define who I am as a person. I can then be more free to respond in different ways that are somewhat more artful and spontaneous, as well as less fear-driven. I sense that Buddha is not denying causality, but he is suggesting that we look at causality not just from the perspective of cause/effect but also from the awareness that it entails a constant state of change, like the succession of thoughts which define a dream experience.
 Again, however, I have a long way to go before I can fully embody this idea in my life, and I am only putting it out there because it is inspiring for me to reflect on my life in this way.

Sheng Yen (2014). Chan and Enlightenment. Elmhurst, NY: Dharma Drum Publications.