11/10/2011
For the past two nights, I’ve had strange and powerful lucid dreams. Most of the time when I sleep, I dream simple, silly dreams. Sometimes I see my meditation students in the dream plane, and we sit together or go on interesting journeys. Once in a while I get to see Rama, my beloved Teacher, in a dream and I always wake up incredibly happy and high. These past two mornings I’ve woken in a similar state of bliss, but I didn’t see Rama.
The night before last, I became conscious in a dream where I was in a windowless room with a small group of people. A person dressed all in black holding a gun was holding us hostage. The person – man or woman I could not tell – asked in a desperate voice what fun or amazing things we had done. This person was looking for a reason to live and let us live. No one spoke; all eyes looked to the floor. Breaking the silence, I said, “I’m a Buddhist monk, and that has been a fun and amazing adventure.” The others stared in disbelief. The gun-toting person covered in black clothing sat down next to me. We talked about Buddhism and the spiritual life for a long time. I woke feeling happy and peaceful.
Early this morning, after sunrise, I drifted back to sleep. I was walking down a long hallway that reminded me of a school. A man was walking in the opposite direction, towards me, but on the other side of the hallway. As we drew closer, we seemed to recognize each other. He moved over so our paths would cross. He asked if I was doing all right and if I needed anything. I recognized him as Adi Da, whom I had never met before. Wanting the interaction to continue, I held up my watch. I told him sometimes I get confused about time, and asked him if the watch read 11:30. Clearly I could see the time so he knew I was just asking him to continue the interaction. He nodded and we both laughed. Then he looked me in the eyes and said, “Ten more years.” We parted, he going his direction down the hallway, and me going mine. I woke once again in an extremely high and happy state.
There is a power in these dreams; I can feel it even now. The one with Adi Da seems the strangest to me. Having never met him I recognized his face only from the few pictures I’ve seen. I know his name only because some Rama students went to study with him after Rama died. I’ve enjoyed a few lines of his teachings from posts by Facebook friends, but I don’t know much about him. Years ago, I had purchased his book The Liberator and put it on my very full “want to read” bookshelf. Perhaps it’s time to read it. I suppose I’ll have to practice patience while I wait to find out what Adi Da meant by “ten more years.” In ten years, it will be 11-10-2021… I wonder if there’s anything significant predicted for that date.
What powerful dreams have you had recently?