Pretty much the title. Thanks.
The Nikayas say very little about dreams, what about the commentary, abhidhamma, and other CT texts?
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For starters.. from a suttanta point of view:
TPR epitaka edition
sukhaṃ supati, sukhaṃ paṭibujjhati, na pāpakaṃ supinaṃ passati, manussānaṃ piyo hoti, amanussānaṃ piyo hoti, devatā rakkhanti, nāssa aggi vā visaṃ vā satthaṃ vā kamati, tuvaṭaṃ cittaṃ samādhiyati, mukhavaṇṇo vippasīdati, asammūḷho kālaṃ karoti, uttari appaṭivijjhanto brahmalokūpago hoti.**
He sleeps happily, wakes happily, does not see bad dreams, is dear to humans, is dear to non-humans, deities protect him, fire, poison, or weapon does not affect him, his mind is quickly concentrated, his facial complexion becomes clear, he dies unconfused, and if he does not penetrate further, he goes to the Brahmā world.
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quotes from Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma
Guide to 8 (2) Life-continuum (bhavanga): The word bhavanga means factor (anga) of existence (bhava), that is, the indispensable condition of existence. Bhavanga is the function of consciousness by which the continuity of the individual is preserved through the duration of any single existence, from conception to death. After the paṭisandhicitta has arisen and fallen away, it is then followed by the bhavangacitta, which is a resultant consciousness of the same type as the paṭisandhicitta but which performs a different function, namely, the function of preserving the continuity of the individual existence. Bhavangacittas arise and pass away every moment during life whenever there is no active cognitiveprocess taking place. This type of consciousness is most evident during deep dreamless sleep, but it also occurs momentarily during waking life countless times between occasions of active cognition.
guide to 14 Result condition (14) is a condition where a conditioning state makes the conditioned states that arise together with it be as passive, effortless, and quiescent as itself. The conditioning states in this relation are the resultant cittas and cetasikas. The conditioned states are those same resultants with respect to each other and the conascent material phenomena. Since resultants are produced from the maturing of kamma, they are not active but passive and quiescent. Thus in the mind of a person in deep sleep, the resultant bhavanga consciousness arises and passes away in constant succession, yet during this time no efforts are made for action by body, speech, or mind, and there is not even distinct awareness of an object. Similarly, in the five-door cognitive process, theresultant cittas do not make an exertion to know their object. It is only in the javana phase that effort is made to clearly cognize the object, and again it is only in the javana phase that actions are performed.
Obviously they are very unimportant in attaining Nibbana. So very seldom mentioned but there are dreams mentioned by the bodhisatva somewhere. I was taught that arahants don’t dream.
Just found this though: The Five Great Dreams of the Bodhisatta [Part 2] The Five Great Dreams of the Bodhisatta [Part 2]
But if you have good actions and good states of mind in your life then you will have good dreams. I have had some amazing ones after relatives and friends have died. I have met my dead friends in my dreams and was good to see them and pleasant. Then in the dream I realise they are dead and i am dreaming.
But the strangest one in my life was the night after my father died and I half woke up and there was this bright light in my mind and my mind did a spontaneous meditation for about an hour or more. This light was the goodness of my father. I saw how that goodness in him had protected him through his life and then anyone i reflected on I could see that light of goodness in them too to varying extents. The effects went on for several days in fact. The summary of that one meditation I used in a talk at my fathers funeral. I got people to meditate on my father and his goodness that was in him. I teach this a lot to Christians and non Buddhists. I ask them what is the most beautiful thing in the whole world? To me it is the goodness that exists in beings that I see as a light more beautiful than the sun and without that light of goodness this world is very dark indeed. I suggest that maybe this is their God in each of us.
When I was a monk I used to be dreaming of surfing a wave and in the dream I remembered I was a monk and it was unallowable…. etc. When your subconscious in your dream still thinks your are a monk then you mind has definitely accepted it.
Now I am a layperson and sometimes I dream I am back in the monastery with my monk friends again. Then I realise I am no longer a monk and wake up.
Such the strange life of dreams but mostly I think they are indicative of stuff going deep in your mind but not really kamma or important to the path.
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Questioner: Which object is experienced while we are dreaming?
Sujin: Everyone, except an arahat, is sure to dream. When we wake
up, we say that in our dream we saw a relative who passed away. While we
were dreaming, did we see a concept or a paramattha dhamma? If we do not
consider this, we will not know the truth. It seems as if we can really see in our
dreams. However, if we ask someone what he sees in his dreams, he will answer
that he sees people, relatives and friends, that he sees different beings. Thus,
when we dream, we “see” concepts. At such moments, the eye-door process
cittas do not arise because we are asleep. However, cittas arising in the mind-
door process are thinking, they “see” beings and people. When we are dreaming
we think of concepts that are conceived on account of what we formerly saw,
heard or experienced through the other senses.Also, when we read about different subjects in the newspaper and see
pictures, we only think of concepts; we don’t know the characteristics of
paramattha dhammas (ultimate realities) that appear. We don’t know the
difference between concepts and paramattha dhammas. When we read or
perform our tasks in daily life, there is seeing of what appears through the eyes,
but we pay attention only to concepts and keep on thinking of them.
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Obviously they are very unimportant in attaining Nibbana. So very seldom mentioned but there are dreams mentioned by the bodhisatva somewhere. I was taught that arahants don’t dream.
Just found this though: The Five Great Dreams of the Bodhisatta [Part 2]
Just found that Mahāsupinasutta is in Anguttara Nikaya and is canonical
But if you have good actions and good states of mind in your life then you will have good dreams. I have had some amazing ones after relatives and friends have died. I have met my dead friends in my dreams and was good to see them and pleasant. Then in the dream I realise they are dead and i am dreaming.
But the strangest one in my life was the night after my father died and I half woke up and there was this bright light in my mind and my mind did a spontaneous meditation for about an hour or more. This light was the goodness of my father. I saw how that goodness in him had protected him through his life and then anyone i reflected on I could see that light of goodness in them too to varying extents. The effects went on for several days in fact. The summary of that one meditation I used in a talk at my fathers funeral. I got people to meditate on my father and his goodness that was in him. I teach this a lot to Christians and non Buddhists. I ask them what is the most beautiful thing in the whole world? To me it is the goodness that exists in beings that I see as a light more beautiful than the sun and without that light of goodness this world is very dark indeed. I suggest that maybe this is their God in each of us.
When I was a monk I used to be dreaming of surfing a wave and in the dream I remembered I was a monk and it was unallowable…. etc. When your subconscious in your dream still thinks your are a monk then you mind has definitely accepted it.
Now I am a layperson and sometimes I dream I am back in the monastery with my monk friends again. Then I realise I am no longer a monk and wake up.
Such the strange life of dreams but mostly I think they are indicative of stuff going deep in your mind but not really kamma or important to the path.