Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (166)

Why did the World-Honored One repeatedly speak of dreams?

The World-Honored One repeatedly spoke of dreams, using dreams to awaken His father to realize the truth quickly. This is because the Buddha's father, King Śuddhodana, had been a king for a long time, constantly indulging in the pleasures of the five desires and finding it hard to extricate himself. So the Buddha used dreams to advise His father to cultivate the path and seek liberation quickly, and not to remain immersed in the pleasures of the five desires. At the same time, this was also to awaken all the disciples, enabling us to recognize the illusory nature of all dharmas. When the manas truly acknowledges this illusory nature, one can realize the Path and attain the fruit of the Small Vehicle at the level of the srotāpanna or above, thereby embarking on the path of liberation.