When you first think about it, the concept of sleep seems counterintuitive to Zen. As students of this philosophy of mindfulness, we value living consciously. Sleep is, quite literally, living unconsciously. We're always alive when we're sleeping, but we're not always self-aware. We're actually very rarely self-aware (the exception being lucid dreams).
Dreaming takes the mindlessness out of sleep. In fact, it involves the mind on a very real and practical level. Psychologists and neuroscientists have argued about the purpose of dreaming for a long time, but we can all agree on one thing: it's pretty damn intriguing. I also happen to find Zen very intriguing. I think we can all work on forming a creative fusion between the two.
Let's see... Zen and dreaming...
Zen values these core concepts (among others):
-Direct experience over intellectualization
-Solitary contemplation over blind conformity
-Personal development over self-destruction
Dreaming is experiential; this can be debated, but a dream is an experience, even if it is fictional.
It's also solitary; no two people have ever had an identical dream. Oftentimes, the isolation of the dream life is so strong that we have trouble describing our dreams to friends or family. It made perfect sense in a haze at 3am, but when you try to explain it verbally people think you're crazy or high or something.
Lastly, examining our dreams provides us with mental insight. Similar to meditation, dreaming allows your subconscious to look at itself in a mirror. You can choose to react to what you see, or you can sit back and observe it neutrally. Aim to do the latter.
For me at least, dreams are like watching films of myself. Some are action-packed, some are absurdly funny, and some are horrifying. There's always insight to be found in a dream, and I encourage you to keep a dream journal and plunge into the depths of your mind. The more experience you have interacting with it, the better you'll know yourself and your perceived world.
