196(6)Dreams
"Bhikkhus,before his enlightenment,while he was just a bodhi-satta,not fully enlightened,five great dreams appeared to theTathagata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One.
What five?
(1)"Before his enlightenment,while he was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened,the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One [dreamt]that this mighty earth was his bed-stead;the Himalaya,king of mountains,was his pillow;his left hand rested on the eastern sea,his right hand on the western sea,and his two feet on the southern sea.
This was the first great dream that appeared to the Tathagata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One before his enlightenment,while he was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened.
(2)“Again,before his enlightenment...the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One [dreamt]that a kind of grass called tiriyā rose up from his navel and stood touching the sky.
[241]This was the second great dream that appearedto the Tathagata...while he was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened.
(3)"Again,before his enlightenment...the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One [dreamt]that white worms with black heads crawled from his feet up to his knees and covered them.
This was the third great dream that appeared to the Tathāgata...while he was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened.
(4)"Again,before his enlightenment...the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One [dreamt]that four birds of different colors came from the four quarters,fell at his feet,and turned all white.
This was the fourth great dream thatappeared to the Tathāgata...while he was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened.
(5)"Again,before his enlightenment...the Tathāgata,the
Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One[dreamt]that he climbed
up a huge mountain of dung without being soiled by it.
This was
the fifth great dream that appeared to the Tathāgata...while he
was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened.
(1)"Now,bhikkhus,when the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the
Perfectly Enlightened One—before his enlightenment,while
just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened—[dreamt]that this
mighty earth was his bedstead and the Himālaya,king of
mountains,his pillow;that his left hand rested on the eastern sea,his right hand on the western sea,and his two feet on
the southern sea,
[this was a foretoken]that he would awaken
to the unsurpassed,perfect enlightenment.
I have added"this was a foretoken"in compliance with Mp's use of the word pubbanimitta to characterize the significance of the dreams.Brahmali suggests:"[the dream]...represented his awakening to the unsurpassed,perfect enlightenment,"with a parallel construction for the corresponding sections below.
This first great
dream appeared to him [as a sign]that his awakening [was
imminent].
Tassa abhisambodhaya ayam pathamo mahasupino paturahosi.Brahmali suggests here:"This was the first great dream that was beneficial for his awakening,"again with a parallel construction for the corresponding sections below.The sentence as it stands is perplexing;yet Mp does not comment and there is no Chinese parallel.Ce and Be read tassā for tassa(the Ee reading).Tassā would have to represent samma sambodhi in the previous sentence,but the question would then arise what abhisambodhāyarelates to in SS2-4,where sammā sambodhi does not occur.I find the sentence is more intelligible if we read tassa(as in the following sections),taking it to mean"to him,"that is,to the future Buddha.We can then see the whole sentence as affirming that the dream was indicative of his imminent awakening.[242]
(2)"When the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One...[dreamt]that tiriyā grass rose up from his navel
and stood touching the sky,
[this was a foretoken]that he would
awaken to the noble eightfold path and would proclaim it well
among devas and humans.
This second great dream appeared
to him [as a sign]that his awakening [was imminent].
(3)"When the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One...[dreamt]that white worms with black heads
crawled from his feet up to his knees and covered them,
[this was a foretoken]that many white-robed householders
would go for life long refuge to the Tathagata.
This third great
dream appeared to him [as a sign]that his awakening [was
imminent].
(4)"When the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlight-
ened One...[dreamt]that four birds of different colors came
from the fourquarters,fell at his feet,and turned all white,
[this
was a foretoken]that members of the four classes--khattiyas;brahmins,vessas,and suddas—would go forth from the household life into homelessness in the Dhamma and discipline proclaimed by the Tathāgata and realize unsurpassed liberation.
This fourth great dream appeared to him [as a sign]that his awakening [was imminent].
(5)"When the Tathagata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One...[dreamt]that he climbed up a huge mountain of dung without being soiled by it,
[this was a foretoken]that he would receive robes,almsfood,dwellings,and medicines and provisions for the sick,and he would use them without being tied to them,infatuated with them,and blindly absorbed in them,seeing the danger and knowing the escape.
This fifth great dream appeared to him [as a sign]that his awakening[was imminent].
"These,bhikkhus,were the five great dreams that appeared to the Tathāgata,the Arahant,the Perfectly Enlightened One,before his enlightenment,while he was just a bodhisatta,not fully enlightened."[243]