The Nightmares
(Chapter 1. The 16 Frightening
Dreams)
Once upon a time, there was a king
called Brahmadatta who ruled Benares, in northern India. One night, he had 16
horrifying dreams. So frightening were his dreams that he broke out in cold
sweat and woke up the next day with his heart thumping loudly in his chest. The
16 nightmares had scared him to death. He was sure the dreams were ominous
signs that foretold something terrible was about to happen. In a panic, he called
for his official priests to seek their advice.
When the priests arrived at the
king’s royal bed chamber, they asked if he had slept well. He told them it had
been the worst night of his life, that he had been scared out of his wits by 16
dreams, and that he was desperate to find out their meanings. At this, the
priests’ eyes lit up. “Tell us your dreams, Your Majesty!” they asked. King Brahmadatta
related all 16 dreams to his priests, one at a time. The priests pounded their
foreheads when the king finished his account and exclaimed, “Oh what horrors! It
couldn’t be worse, Your Majesty. Such dreams can only suggest one thing — and that
is danger!”
“What is the danger, oh priests? You
must tell me the meaning at once!” the king said with a furrowed brow.
“It is certain, Your Majesty, that
the dreams show that one of these three disasters will take place — terrible
harm to your kingdom, to your life, or to your royal wealth.”
The king had feared as much. Terror
gripped his heart, and his body trembled with fear and panic. His palms turned cold
and sweaty. “Tell me, oh worthy royal priests, is there any way to avert this
disaster?” he asked.
“Indeed, it is very dangerous,” they
said. “If you do nothing, the end is certain, but we can prevent it. If we
couldn’t, then all our training and learning would have be in vain. Trust us,
my lord.”
“Just tell me what to do, my royal
priests. I will do anything! What can you do to save me, my kingdom and my
wealth?” shrieked the panic-stricken king.
“We must offer the greatest animal
sacrifice that has ever been seen,” the priests advised.
“We must kill, as sacrificial
offerings, four of every kind of animal that lives!”
Although King Brahmadatta was usually
a gentle, kind and merciful ruler, he was so shocked by the impending doom
foretold that he couldn’t think straight at all. Paralysed with fear, he placed
all his hope and faith in his priests, and therefore gave them permission to
carry out the massive slaughter. “Have no fear, Your Majesty, we will take care
of everything. We will prevent the approaching dangers!” assured his priests.
Deep down, the priests’ intentions were less than noble. They knew they would
be paid a handsome sum of money to perform the sacrifice. The meat from the
slaughtered animals would also be theirs to feast on.
“This is a great way for us to make a
pile for ourselves, as well as get the best foods and drinks!” they thought
merrily. The priests started to work on organising the biggest sacrifice that
Benares had ever seen. They dug a huge pit just outside town and put in it the
best four of each type of land animals, birds and fishes that they could find.
This sacrificial ceremony became known as the ‘Four-from-all’ sacrifice.
Meanwhile, the king’s senior royal
priest had a promising young student. He was gentle, compassionate and very
well-educated. “Oh master, you have taught me well the wise teachings of the
old. Can you show me which teaching says that the killing of one will save the
life of another?” queried the student as he wondered about the logic of
performing the sacrifice.
“What kind of question is that? Open
your eyes and be realistic, my boy. Can’t you see that this great sacrifice,
the “Four-from-all”, will make us all rich? You must be trying to help the king
hold onto his riches!” answered the priest.
“You have not answered my question,
master. If this sacrifice is what you want, do as you will but I will be your
student no more!” With these words, he departed and went to the royal garden to
consider what he would do next. It happened that in this story, the Bodhisattva
was born into a rich, upper-class family. For many generations, the men in that
family had been priests, just like the ones who were preparing the
“Four-from-all” sacrifice. But when the Bodhisattva grew up, he chose to live
the life of a humble forest monk in the Himalayas instead of a rich priest.
He concentrated his mind in
meditation and attained the most blissful inner tranquility and even miraculous
supernatural powers. This forest monk loved all kinds of animals. When he heard
about what was happening in Benares, he was filled with tenderness and
compassion for the poor beings. He decided to visit the city to teach the
ignorant people and release them from the chains of superstition. So, he used
his supernatural power to transport himself through the air to Benares. In an
instant, he was seated on a rock in the king’s garden. Due to his gentle
nature, his body glowed like a golden sunrise.
The idealistic young student saw and
recognised him as a great holy man. He bowed respectfully and sat on the
ground. “Young man, do you have a good and just king reigning here in Benares?”
asked the holy man.
“Yes,” said the student, “our king is
kind and good, but he is being misled by the royal priests. He had 16 dreams
which left him completely terrified. The priests took advantage of his fear
when he told them his nightmares. They convinced him to hold a huge sacrifice
and slaughter many animals. Oh holy one, please tell the king the true meanings
of his dreams. Free the many helpless beings from fear and death,” he pleaded.
“If he comes and asks me, I will tell
him,” said the holy man.
“I will bring him, sir,” replied the
young man. “Kindly wait here for a short while until I return.” Saying that,
the student went to the king and told him there was a marvellous holy man
seated in his royal garden who could interpret his dreams. Interested, the king
accompanied the student to the garden with a crowd following behind.
(Chapter 2. Roaring Bulls That Do Not
Fight)
King Brahmadatta knelt down before
the Bodhisattva before sitting next to him. “Your Reverence, can you tell me
the meanings of my 16 dreams?” he asked.
“Of course I can,” replied the forest
monk. “Tell me about them, beginning with the first eight.”
“The first eight dreams were: roaring
bulls that do not fight, midget trees bearing fruits, cows sucking milk from
calves, calves pulling carts with bulls trailing behind, a horse eating with
two mouths, a jackal urinating into a golden bowl, a she-jackal eating a
rope-maker’s rope, and one overflowing pot with all remaining ones empty.”
“Tell me more about your first
dream,” instructed the monk.
“Your Reverence, in my first dream I
saw four pure raven bulls that had travelled from the four directions to fight
in the palace courtyard. People from afar came to watch the bulls fight, but
instead of fighting, these bulls only roared at one other, before going back to
the places where they had come from.”
“Oh king,” answered the holy man,
“this dream foretells things that will not happen in your lifetime or in mine.
It tells of a far-off time when kings are unwholesome and stingy. The people,
likewise, behave in an unwholesome manner. Goodness will decrease while evil
increases. The seasons will be chaotic — with strong sun rays on winter days
and snow storms on summer days. The skies are dry, with scanty clouds and
little water. Harvests are small, too, and people will starve. Though dark
clouds from the four directions gather, they will depart without a single drop
of rain even after much thunder clapping and lightning flashing — just like the
roaring bulls that leave without fighting.
“But have no fear, there will be no
harm to the people of today. The priests say this dream requires sacrifice,
only because that is how they earn their money. Now tell me your second dream.”
“Your Reverence, in my second dream I
saw tiny midget plants that are no more than one foot tall — flowering and
bearing fruit.
“Oh king,” said the holy man, “the
soil will be poor for growing crops, and humans will have short lives. The young
will have strong desires, thus even very young girls will have babies — just
like the midget trees bearing fruit.
“But this will not happen until the
distant future when the world is in decline. What was your third dream, oh
king?”
“Your Reverence, I saw cows sucking
milk from their calves, calves that were born on the same day,” shuddered the
king when he described his dream.
“Be calm,” said the monk, “this too
will not happen in our lifetimes, but someday, people will no longer respect
their parents and parents-in-law. In fact, they will take over the savings of
their elderly parents and in-laws, and give everything to their own children.
Then, depending on their whims, they may or may not feed and clothe their elders,
so the elderly will be at the mercy of their own children — just like the cows sucking
milk from their one-day-old calves. “But clearly, it is not like that today, oh
king, so you have nothing to fear. Now tell me your fourth dream.”
Somewhat relieved, the king
continued, “Your Reverence, I saw big, strong, full-grown bulls tailing behind
bullock carts that were pulled by frail, awkward calves in my fourth dream.
Unable to pull the heavily-loaded carts, the calves stopped and stood still. Because
of that, caravans could no longer travel and goods could not be transported to
the market.”
“My king, this dream heralds a time,”
said the holy man, “when unwholesome, stingy kings no longer respect wise,
experienced judges. Instead they will appoint young foolish judges, granting
them the highest privileges. However, these young judges will not be able to
make difficult decisions. They will become judges in name only, doing no real
work — just like the calves that can’t pull the carts. Meanwhile, the older and
wiser ones will not offer any help, thinking that it is no longer their concern
— just like the bulls following behind.
“Again, you have nothing to fear, oh
king, for that will take place in the far-off future when all the nations will
be poorly run by the young and foolish. What was your fifth dream?”
“Your Reverence, my fifth dream was
very strange indeed. I saw a horse eating with two mouths, one on each side of
his head!” Again the king quivered as he spoke.
“Oh king, this dream signifies a time
in the distant future when unwholesome, foolish kings appoint unwholesome,
greedy judges. These judges are not the least bit concerned about upholding
justice. Thus, they will accept bribes from both sides in the same case — just
like a horse eating greedily with two mouths.
“Now tell me your sixth dream.”
“Your Reverence, I dreamed of people
holding a golden plate worth a hundred thousand gold coins, and coaxing an old,
skinny jackal to urinate into it, and that’s just what it did!” said the king
making a face.
“Oh king, this too will take place in
a far-off time when kings are not descendents of the ruling families of the
countries that they rule. Wary of the experienced ministers from the native
noble class, these kings will replace them with lower-class ministers whom they
can control more easily. Meanwhile, the old nobles will depend on the new ruling
class. Therefore, they will offer their high-society daughters in marriage to
the new ministers — just like golden bowls being urinated into by the jackals.
“But this will not happen in your
time, oh king. What was your seventh dream?”
“Your Reverence, I saw a man making a
rope in my seventh dream. He allows the newly produced rope to pile up under
his chair. And, a hungry female jackal is eating the rope as it falls, without
the man knowing it.”
“A time will come in the far-off
future,” said the monk, “in which women will have greater cravings. They will
desire men, strong liquor, jewellery and all sorts of useless possessions. They
will also spend a lot of time window-shopping, and ignore even the most
important household activities. In addition, they pay more attention to their lovers
than to their husbands, and will waste all the money earned by their husbands —
just like the jackal devouring the rope that is produced by the rope-maker. “But
as you can see, oh king, these times are not upon us yet. Tell me about your
eighth dream.”
“Your Reverence,” continued the king,
“in my eighth dream, I saw one big pot filled to the brim with water, and many
small, empty pots surrounding it in front of the palace gate. Warriors,
priests, merchants and farmers were bringing water from all directions, but
were pouring it only into the big pot. As that pot was overflowing, all the
water was wasted while all the little pots remained empty!” shivered the king
in fear as he spoke.
“Have no fear, oh king,” said the
holy man. “This dream predicts a time far off in the future when the world is
in a declining state. The land is less fertile, so it will be harder to grow
crops. There will be no more millionaires as the richest people will have no more
than 100,000 pieces of gold! Even the kings of the future will be poor and
stingy. “The kings and the wealthy people of that time will also make all the
rest work for them only. The rich and powerful will force the poor to bring all
their products, grains, vegetables and fruits to their warehouses while the
barns of the hardworking poor people remain empty. The situation will be like
the big pot that is filled to the brim until it is overflowing, but all the
little ones are empty.
“So now you understand the meanings
of your first eight dreams. They have foretold: thunderclouds that don’t rain,
young girls having babies, the elderly at the mercy of their children, young
foolish judges getting no help from the wise, greedy judges taking bribes from
both sides, lower-class ministers with upper-class wives, wives squandering
away the earnings of their husbands, and the rich taking from the poor, leaving
them with nothing. “Oh king, you can be at peace now regarding these first
eight dreams. Clearly such times are not upon us, and these dangers are not to
be feared in the present day.”
(Chapter 3. The Frightening Sound of ‘Munch,
Munch, Munch’.)
“Indeed,” replied King Brahmadatta to
the humble forest monk, “you have set my mind at ease concerning my first eight
dreams, but my last eight dreams are even more frightening. I must do something
to prevent the doom that they predict.” The king shook uncontrollably with fear
and panic as he thought about them.
“Calm down,” said the holy man, “and
tell me these dreams, so I may relieve your distress.”
The king replied: “These were my last
eight dreams: a pond that’s muddy in the middle but clear at the shore, rice
that was being cooked unequally in a pot, fine sandalwood traded for rancid,
stale buttermilk, empty pumpkins sinking in water, solid rocks floating on
water, giant snakes eaten up by tiny she-frogs, royal golden swans waiting upon
a bad village crow, and the frightening sound of ‘munch, munch, munch’.” “Please
tell me the details of your ninth dream.”
“Your Reverence, I dreamed that I saw
a pond which was deep in the middle and shallow by the shore. It had five types
of lotuses in it, and there were all kinds of animals — both two-footed and
four-footed ones — drinking near the shore. Yet the water remained clear at the
shoreline, and became muddy only in the middle. How could this be? What does it
mean?”
“Oh king,” said the forest monk, “in
the distant future, only unwholesome kings will be in power. They will rule
based on their will power, along with their anger and fear. They will not care
about morality, wholesomeness and justice. They are more interested in
increasing their wealth from all kinds of bribes than in the well-being of the
citizens. The rulers will no longer have patience, loving-kindness and
compassion towards the people whom they rule. Instead they will be rough and
cruel, squeezing every last penny from the people in taxes — just as the last
drop of sweet juice is squeezed from sugar cane.
“Unable to pay the exorbitant taxes
and bribes, the citizens will flee to the land near the borders. Eventually,
there will be fewer humans living in the corrupt central capitals, and the
borderlands will be heavily populated — just like the pond that is muddy in the
middle but clear at the shore.
“But obviously there is nothing for
you to fear, oh good and wholesome king. What was your 10th dream?” “Your
Reverence, I dreamed of rice that wasn’t cooked uniformly in a pot. Some parts were
overcooked, some parts were well-cooked, and some were still raw.” “Don’t worry
about this either,” replied the holy man. “Unlike today, this dream predicts a
time in which everyone is unwholesome! Kings, officials, ministers, priests, homemakers,
city and country folks, even holy men, gods, tree spirits and fairies are unwholesome
and wicked too!
“The weather will be chaotic. Winds
will change quickly, sometimes blowing too hard and sometimes not at all. These
winds will shake the heavenly homes of the sky gods. Likewise, it will rain
just right in some areas, but terrible droughts and floods will besiege other
places. The situation is very much like the unevenly cooked rice in your dream
— some parts were overcooked, some were well-cooked, and some still raw. “Now
tell me your 11th dream, oh king.”
“Your Reverence, I dreamed of the
finest sandalwood, the type that is worth 100,000 gold coins, being traded for
stale, rancid buttermilk. What is the meaning of this?” “This dream, too,
indicates a far-off time in the future, when the knowledge of Truth is disappearing.
There will be many greedy and shameless preachers who distort the Four Necessities
— food, clothing, shelter and medicine. They will turn these into luxuries, having
much more in excess than what they really need.
“They will teach the worthlessness of
luxuries and the unwholesomeness of greed, by preaching the Truth of
non-attachment. But in return for preaching, they will require money and
luxuries. The money and luxuries only fuel an increase in craving, rather than
show the way towards liberation from craving. They will preach the Truth only because
they can then obtain worthless things — just like priceless sandalwood that was
traded for spoiled buttermilk. “Now, let’s hear your 12th dream.”
“Your Reverence, in my 12th dream, I
saw empty pumpkins sinking to the bottom of the water.”
“Oh king, once again you have nothing
to fear for this dream portends a distant future in which the world will be in
chaos. Unwholesome kings will grant high-ranking positions to the lower-class
rather than the upper-class. The lower-class will quickly become rich and the
upper-class will become poor. In all departments and functions, the ignorant words
of the uneducated, lower-class officials will be greatly respected.
“Even among the religious people,
humble, wholesome monks will lose respect, while the unwholesome teachings of
shameless monks will be followed and adored — just like empty pumpkins sinking
to the depths of the water.
“What was your 13th dream about?”
“Your Reverence, I dreamed of solid
rocks floating on top of the water. This is so bizarre. What does it mean, wise
one?”
“In the future era, the world is in
complete chaos. The wise words of the well-educated nobles are ignored in all
departments and functions, due to their births alone.
“Likewise, among the religious
community, the words of Truth spoken by humble, wholesome monks are also
ignored — just like solid rocks that float on the surface of the water.
“Now, tell me about your 14th dream.”
“Your Reverence, it was horrendous. I
saw tiny female frogs chasing after huge, long black snakes. When the frogs
caught hold of the snakes, they cut them up, broke them into pieces like water
lily stumps, and then gobbled them up!”
“There is nothing for you to fear in
this dream either, oh king. This represents a time in the far-off future when
the world is in decline. People of that time are no longer as wholesome as
those of today. Their desires will have such strong hold over them that they
are enslaved by their cravings. Men will take orders from their youngest,
prettiest wives. Due to the uncontrolled desires of men, the servants, bulls,
buffaloes and all other household wealth will be managed by their youngest
wives.
“These wives will treat their
husbands like slaves, keeping them under their thumbs.
If the men ask about family affairs,
their wives will say, ‘There’s no need for you to ask. Everything in my home
belongs to me, not you!’ It will be like huge, long snakes being gobbled up by
tiny female frogs. “Now tell me about your 15th dream.”
“Your Reverence, I saw a village
crow, one filled with the ‘Ten Bad Qualities’, being followed and served by
golden swans — swans that are usually seen as kings by other birds.”
“There is nothing for you to fear,
mighty king. This too indicates a distant time when all kings are weaklings.
They are not skilful nor competent at riding elephants or horses, or in
fighting battles. Afraid of being overthrown, these weak kings will be wary of
appointing worthy, well-educated nobles in powerful high-ranking positions. Instead,
they will be appointed as foot servants, bath attendants, barbers and so forth.
The nobles will thus become the lowest servants of the untrained new officials
— just like royal golden swans that served on a bad village crow. “Finally, we
have reached your 16th dream, oh king. Describe your last dream to me.”
“Your Reverence, this dream still
frightens me. Normally, leopards hunt goats as prey, but in my 16th dream, I
saw goats chasing after and eating leopards! The goats gave out a munching
sound that goes ‘munch, munch, munch!’ when eating the leopards. The other
animals ran and hid in the forest when they heard the awful sound and saw the
carnivorous goats approaching. The memory of this dream still chills me to my
very bones, oh holy one.”
“Dear king, do not worry. For even
this dream applies only to a far-off time when the world is ruled by
unwholesome kings. “The lower-class, who are unaccustomed to power, will become
closest to the kings.
They will gain power while the nobles
will lose theirs and become poor.
“The lower-class newcomers will also
confiscate all the lands, homes, possessions and inherited wealth from the
nobles. When the nobles protest in the courts of law, the newcomers will
threaten to have their hands and feet cut off. Thus, the nobles will run away
and hide in fear.
“Likewise, bad monks will rule the
day. They will hurt the good ones as much as they please. With no one to
support and defend them, the good and pure monks will leave the cities and
villages. They will live in the jungle in fear of the unwholesome monks, just
like the rest of the animals that heard the alarming munching sound and live in
fear of the meat-eating goats.
“Oh king, now you know the meanings
of all 16 dreams. The last eight have foretold: overtaxed people fleeing to the
borderlands, an unwholesome world with chaotic weather and rains, Truth being
taught by preachers greedy for money, ignorant and unwholesome words gaining
respect, wise words and Truth losing respect, husbands enslaved by desires for
their youngest wives, educated nobles in the service of untrained newcomers, and
lastly, the noble and good living in fear of the powerful and bad.”
(Chapter 4. Teaching)
King Brahmadatta bowed down on the
ground before the holy man and said, “Your wisdom has removed my fear and
panic. Your compassion has also kept me from committing terrible unwholesome
deeds to many helpless beings. Thank you so much. My gratitude to you is
endless, oh holy monk.”
“Your royal priests wanted to have a
sacrificial ceremony not because they understand the Truth or that they cared
for you and your well-being. Rather, it was proposed out of greed. They wanted
only to get rich, eat good food, and keep their jobs at your court. “Your 16
nightmares have indicated disasters in the distant future. What you do now will
have no effect on them. These events will unfold when the world is declining,
when the unreal is seen as real, when the unreasonable is treated as
reasonable, and when the non-existent seems to exist. It will be a time when
many will be unwholesome without shame, and few will be ashamed of their own
wrongdoings.
“Therefore, to prevent it from taking
place by performing a sacrificial ceremony now is impossible!” Still in a
seated position, the Bodhisattva rose into air miraculously and preached these words,
“Oh king, it was fear that gave your mind no peace and brought you close to killing
so many helpless ones. Real freedom from fear comes from a pure mind, and the
way to begin purifying your mind is to practise the five precepts. You will
benefit tremendously if you mindfully abide by these training guidelines of
conduct. They are to avoid:
destroying life, for this is not
compassion; taking what is not given, for this is not generosity; doing wrong
in sexual ways, for this is not loving-kindness; speaking falsely, for this is
not the Truth; losing your mind by consuming alcohol, for this will lead you to
break the first four precepts. “Oh king, from now on, do not join the priests
in killing animals for sacrifice.” In this way, the Bodhisattva taught the
Truth, freed many people from bondage to false beliefs, and released many
animals from fear and death. In an instant, he returned through the air to his
home in the Himalayas. King Brahmadatta practised the Five Precepts. He gave
alms and did many other good deeds. At the end of a long life, he died and was
reborn as he deserved.
The moral is ✏ Beware of the man whose
heart is gripped by panic and fear. What he can do out of fear is more
dangerous than what scared him in the first place.
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