Everything Under the Moon

i had such a bizarre dream last night. i don't like labels, but i tend to think of myself as a buddhist. i saw & sorta "met" HHDL (his holiness the dalai lama) this past summer during a teaching session he was doing. i read somewhere before that if you dream of HHDL or other monks/lamas, it means something. but i forget what. does anyone know? i'm trying to google but not having any luck.

anyway, i had other dreams that night, and the first involved visiting my dead grandmother's home. she was there (it was just her birthday the other day) and my mom, her exb/f, and i think my husband too was there. anyway, somehow i ended up back in this temple/worship place and i was told to be seated next to HHDL. i was wearing gloves for some reason (have no clue why). they were white, very thin, see-through cotton gloves. the kind i think women wear when their hands are dry and they want to put vasoline on them and go to sleep at night in order to keep the skin moist and supple-- u know?

then these 3 other lamas came up to me and introduced themselves and asked me my name. they were laughing a bit, b/c they already knew my name, but were just asking b/c they didn't want to frighten me i suppose.

then i had to do these these things called prostrations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostration_(Buddhism). anyway, all i remember is, since i was wearing gloves it made it much easier to glide down and back up again. LOL.

but anyway... does anyone have any insight into this? i know HHDL has been ill and in the news recently, so i perhaps we could assume it's just a case of my brain going haywire and regurgitating things i pick up during the day, but... i just find it so weird that i've been following him and buddhism for so long now, yet never had a dream like that before. the 3 mysterious monks/lamas were the real "surreal" part of the dream, though.

anyway, any insight is much appreciated.

thanks.

Hi Hanged Man,

Here's what I can offer (I always do my interpretations this way- first the definitions I pull from my online dictionary (which is here by the way: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/), then I offer my interpretation.) Hope it's of some help! :28:

Monk
To see a monk in your dream, signifies devotion, faith, and spiritual enlightenment.

To dream that you are a monk, symbolizes the introspective aspect of yourself. You need to emotionally withdraw yourself from a situation and regain some control, structure, and order.
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Temple
To see a temple in your dream, represents your spiritual thinking, meditation and growth. It is also symbolic of your physical body and the attention you give it.
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Gloves
To see or wear gloves in your dream, represents the way you handle things. You may be getting a handle on a situation or that you may be overly cautious. Alternatively, wearing gloves may mean that your creative abilities are still latent. You need to express your creative side.

To dream that you are taking off gloves, symbolizes respect.
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White
White represents purity, perfection, peace, innocence, dignity, cleanliness, awareness, and new beginnings. You may be experiencing a reawakening or have a fresh outlook on life. However, in Eastern cultures, white is associated with death and mourning.
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(Your Grandmother's) Home
To see your childhood home in particular, suggests your own desires for building a family. It also reflects aspects of yourself that were prominent or developed during the time you lived in that home. You may experience some feelings or unfinished expression of emotions that are now being triggered by a waking situation.
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Family
To see your own family in your dream, represents security, warmth and love. Consider also the significance of a particular family member or the relationship you have with them.
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...In a nutshell, I'd say that your dream speaks of your desire to explore and grow spiritually. I assume you were close to your grandmother as a child and the fact that you incorporated her home with the temple tells me that you most likely began your spiritual path as a young person, whether you were aware of it or not. Think back, perhaps, to some memories of yourself when you were younger -what spiritualism was present in that time you were most innocent?

...
Anything that intrigues you is something you should definitely explore- and if you feel a call to Buddhism, follow it-- there's obviously something there you are supposed to learn and experience. I don't have a lot of experience with Buddhists, but I do think it's a beautiful practice with a lot of exceptional ideals. (I studied it a bit in college). I'm often referred back to one of the simplest of Buddhist philosophies: (cliff notes version) "hurry up and wait" -it reminds me to slow down; take a breath; stop and smell the roses. ...A good philosophy for everyone.

~BB~

thank you so much for the insights, moonstone. i appreciate the time you took to write all of that out for me. and it all really does make a lot of sense, both the dictionary meanings and your interpretations.

as a child i was always fascinated with "occult" things and spirituality. i think when i was about 9 years old i bought (well, my mom bought for me) a numerology book and a book on my astrology sign, as well as a palmistry book. a couple years later i bought a tarot deck but never learned how to do it until i was much older.

but anyways, yes, i think my spiritual journey started very young. i've always been kinda a "head in the clouds" girl... rather be home thinking about the abstract than going out and doing things that involve the material world, if that makes sense?

i have all these books on buddhism and i keep meaning to read them, but have been so lax lately. perhaps i should try picking them up and delving into them once more.

also, do you have any other recommendations on a learning path i should take? i'm always trying to learn/improve my tarot readings, but i'm also looking for the next quest to learn. any suggestions? i'd really like to do more energy work, and a member on this site gave me some great exercises to practice with, but i never know the next step to take. it's so different than tarot cards b/c it's a lil' more concrete in terms of results. but with energy work i'm never sure how to gauge what i'm doing, or what else to practice.

thanks.

Hm, I'm not entirely familiar with energy work, but I do know what you mean. I'm of the belief that whatever is appealing to me and whatever I think I want to explore, I do. So open yourself up and follow your thoughts wherever they lead you. Personally, I'm very drawn to karmic exploration and animal connectivity, so those are the paths I most explore now. This board is a great place to find things that might be interesting though, there is such a wide variety here that something will cause some sparks. I can also totally relate to the concept of letting books sit- I'm actually in the process of doing that myself at the moment.

It sounds like both you and I are more the hands-on kind of people. Given that, to further your quest to learn the ways of Buddhism, I suggest you attend some services at a Buddhist temple, if you haven't yet. My mom was never a Buddhist per say, but she did attend several services at a temple, to which I accompanied her as a child. They're a very understanding group, even though one may not be familiar with all the particulars and routine during a service, you're still welcomed there. (Just might want to stick to the back few row though) :28:

Just listen to the universe and see what she has to say-- look around you more, listen more, touch things more often... something will connect with you and give you that direction you are seeking.

~BB~

thanks! i tried to "join" a group before and sent an email out, but never received a response. perhaps i need to try again now... maybe before it wasn't the right time i suppose.

Sure, give it another try, HangedMan. Also you can try to find some widgets perhaps, that give daily zen or Buddhist prayers... something like that-- that was what I did with Runes. Bought a book, ignored it, added a widget; learned the runes.

Don't discount physically going into the temple though- the ambiance has quite a bit to offer.

Happy hunting!

~BB~