Copied from issue 490 of Vajra Bodhi Sea magazine.
A strange dream
Written by Di Zhen Jiang on December 20, 2009
Translated into English by Guo Shu
I had a strange dream on the evening of December 30, 2004. A young woman, around 35 to 40 years old, passed away when she was very young. I met her and I asked her where she was going. She said, "I am going to the world of Amitabha Buddha. Actually I couldn't let go of my mom; she likes the life on earth more." Then I saw a luxurious bed with roses spread all over it. She continued, "I had a second thought that I should not wait for her anymore; I should go there first." I followed the woman into an elevator, where there was a man. He didn't say a word. I thought he arrived there by reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha. An older woman then stepped into the elevator. I asked her how she came in. She said that some people had assisted her by reciting.
The four of us seemed to be ascending. The elevator stopped suddenly and the door opened into a hallway that was a little darker than the elevator. I doubtfully asked, "How could this place be the world of Amitabha Buddha?" The young lady said, "Yes. Take a look." Then I noticed that the jade pendant she was wearing was emitting green lights like emeralds. Her ordinary earrings automatically changed to dazzling multi-colors like cloisonne. I said, "Fine. It counts!"
We walked through a hallway and came to a room with six or seven children ranging from kindergarden to 2nd or 3rd grade. There children were quietly reading books that looked like sutras - as thick and as big as the Tripitaka volumes - and they appeared to be speed-reading. They kept turning page after page. I asked out of curiosity, "Where is the teacher?" Suddenly a male voice from the sky answered, "They are learning on their own!"
We continued to walk on and came to the next room. We saw long huge tables set with all kinds of food - Italian pastas, Chinese and French cuisines, etc. We sat on chairs that circulated around the table, so we could take all varieties of food without having to get up. I suddenly saw a Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup, so I asked, "Why is there meat?" The same male voice answered, "It's not real meat; it's transformed from your mind. Whatever you want to eat will pop up right in front of you. Once you have a thought about a desire, you will have it for your tasting." I thought that was great. I then took a piece of tofu and put it into mouth. It was crispy and aromatic, with the flavor of peanuts - crispy outside and soft inside with a special flavor that I had never tasted before. How satisfying!
We left that room and entered a space like an elevator, ready to continue ascending. While we were waiting, a strong force suddenly pulled me out and I fell back into the hallway. I panicked and asked, "Am I going the wrong way? Is it that I should go to hell instead of coming here?" The other three people eyed me with sympathy. At that time I heard a voice in the sky answer, "No! You have not come to the wrong place, but you can't stay here." I asked, "Why? Please let me stay here. I don't want to leave! This is such a wonderful place. May I stay here?" "No! You must go back. You need to let everyone know that there is a real world of Amitabha Buddha!" I knew that begging wouldn't work. I said, "Fine!" then stood up and left.
At first, I had a feeling of numbness in my brain as I gradually woke up. I couldn't feel my body. Then a tingling feeling came to my arms and finally to my legs, as cells inside my body revived one by one. I could clearly feel my body posture. Guess what it was like? Have you ever seen a deceased person lying in the coffin? It was in that proper sleeping position! My two hands were crossed over on my abdomen. It was not because I had discomfort or pressure from external forces that had awakened me. It was because I was attached to remaining in that peaceful feeling of tranquility. After a while, I took a look at the clock - it was five in the morning.
A Dharma Master asked me to write down this dream a few years ago. I have been procrastinating and did not do it. I was thinking that it was only a dream. How can a dream prove that the world of Amitabha Buddha exists? How does it exist? I've had some thoughts recently and I don't know whether they are right or wrong - please advice me. If the earth exists, then the world of Amitabha Buddha must exist. Both are manifested by your mind. The only difference is that one exists under one's confused and polluted false thoughts, while the other exists with the pure, true mind. The two are the same - they arise from emptiness. It is that beings on earth exist from attachment, grasping and existence. The difference is that the earth is born from karma which transforms the marks of living beings into six realms; the world of Amitabha Buddha exists from the vows of Amitabha Buddha, manifesting the marks of all superior wholesome people. If one could realize his nature of the Buddha, then it is one real Dharma Realm at that moment, the same as Amitabha of one's own nature.