The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Teaching on Dreams”

The Teaching on Dreams records the Buddha’s description of one hundred and eight signs that may appear to bodhisattvas in their dreams. These signs indicate not only that those individuals are bodhisattvas, but also the range of bhūmis on which those bodhisattvas potentially reside, what obstacles they face, and what means they can use to overcome them. Many descriptions of the individual signs also include variations on the main sign that further specify the bodhisattvas’ status. This sūtra offers a rare, detailed discourse on dream signs and their relation to the bodhisattva path, making it a uniquely important source on bodhisattva practice in Mahāyāna literature.