Sleep — the universal experience of restful time when the subconscious takes over and a time when the body and the mind go into a cleansing mode. The mind transforms into an efficient editor and sifts through the files of memories and experiences, discarding, storing or incubating the required experiences for future life moments. This process helps the human to quickly associate with the past lessons and adapt to whatever life brings in the future. In sleep this process can also lead to dreams. Oneirology or the study of dreams suggests that dreams can invoke sensations, emotions, ideas, images and positive or negative feelings. Dreams can stir the conscious mind’s imagination and one can spend hours trying to analyze the meaning of these lucid images and sensations. Dreams are usually out of the control of the conscious mind and thinking.
The subconscious mind’s activity in the dream state also activates the brain which is the store house of all our present and past experiences and life happenings. The brain holds not just memories and emotions of this life time but of all the lifetimes one has gone through (according to the Hindu philosophy). Thus in the dream state when the mind sifts through the present occurrences it can connect to or trigger the deepest emotions or memories of the past, or of the previous lifetimes. Leading to sensations, images, emotions, thoughts which may remain in the conscious mind upon waking up. Human has always been intrigued by the dreams and dream interpretation is an ancient practice. However, spirituality states that dreams are to be considered as a benevolence of divine as these memories surface to be released from the subconscious state, providing deliverance from that karma. Dreams also help to release the excessive baggage of the past that one’s mind holds.
Sleeping and dreaming is also part of one’s karmic cycle as one can get affected by the dreams. In the conscious state the mind starts its analysis and interpretations of the dreams leading to more karmic weaves. Gita teaches that one should not get affected and one should remain in “sum budhi” even keeled in all positive and negative life experiences. But most people on the path of spirituality do not interpret this correctly, instead they pick and choose a few people or incidences that they will remain unaffected by. When dreams or negative/positive thoughts occur and if one dwells on them then one merely strengthens ‘being affected.’ Instead one should be in gratitude that the Divine has been so gracious and has allowed these thoughts, images or emotions to flow out of our system just like the water flows freely when the barricades of a reservoir are removed.
Nothing is frivolous in nature and each person holds their truth. Our emotions and thoughts are our truth, and when negative or disturbing thoughts occur one needs to just accept them as one’s truth and not get affected by them or react to them. Remaining unaffected in all situations can lead to fewer health problems and diseases and one can leave this body with ease when on death bed. One needs to practice this constantly so that our inner being is filled with peace and tranquility. Just like a musical instrument is full of music and if the keys of the instrument are touched by a trained or an untrained person the musical notes give the same sound. One needs to practice being in a perpetual state of detachment, gratitude, joy of receiving the right messages and directions at the right time leading to inner peace and tranquility in life. Evolved souls come to show us the path and teach us that each one of us has the potential to understand and live our truth as lived and stated by Shri Krishna in the Gita.
In conversation with Meena Om ji, 14th February, 2022
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