Dream of Naga

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Case study

Dream of Naga

Dear Luang Phaw whom I respect the most,

I have a younger sister. I was difficult to bring up since I was born, because I have a heart disease. When I was 8 years old, my parents were shot to death while riding on a motorcycle back from work. Since then, I was brought up by my maternal grandparents. When I was 14 years old, I went for a heart surgery and recovered completely. After graduation, I had a boyfriend, but he was killed in an accident. Later, I got married and after 7 years, my husband was sick and then passed away. Subsequently, I remarried and my husband is flirtatious. Now he has another woman, and I'm still with him.

I'd like to tell briefly about my history of coming to the temple. I came to Dhammakaya Temple occasionally to join those important meritorious ceremonies that my colleague invited me. I didn't have any affiliation or faith with the temple. I felt nothing and thought that I'm just my colleague's follower. I have not yet installed DMC satellite TV at home so I have never heard about any Naga story that Luang Phaw talked about before .

One night, I dreamt of a Naga talking about the history and story of Naga fireballs. I told my colleague about it and they were astonished that it was similar to Luang Phaw mentioned in Dream in Dream Kindergarten, although I have never watched any story about Naga before. Here is the story from my dream.

Normally, when I was asleep, I felt like a mermaid living , diving and swimming happily in a large body of fresh water which is greenish and clear. The trees and plants around were very ancient and I couldn't tell what they were, they didn't exist in our present world. I dreamt of this place very often. It's always the same place where I could swim and breathe in the water in my dreams. I've never seen this place in my life.

About a month ago (September), my younger sister who was my Kalyanamitta invited me to see the Naga fireballs, but I declined as I was not interested and didn't believe it. Later on, One night while I was asleep, I felt like my eyes were open and I was in the water. I was breathing in the water but the water didn't get into my nose. I liked it. I looked in front and saw plenty of Naga, some were close and some were far from me. There were big and small Naga. Their bodies were green with a red crest. Some had crest with high flame ; some had short crest but big body. Some had high crest, but small body. Some had small crest but big body with hard scales that were green and shiny like the mirror. It was really beautiful. (I didn't touch them with my hands, but with my feeling.)

Below their head, there were necklets neatly clung to their necks closely fitted as if they couldn't be taken off. At the centre front of the necklet was a huge red gemstone like ruby. Some were yellow gemstones, but the small Naga did not have any, and their scales were not as shiny and hard as the big Naga. I heard some cheering from the small Naga, laughing and having great fun like children (It’s like the small Naga went out and got together in a meritorious ceremony, it was similar to the olden days where the children got together at the meritorious ceremony in the temple.). But the big Naga were very calm.

I saw the Naga and the fireballs. The inside of fireballs were pure white in color and the outermost rim were pink like the lotus petal with white ray around it. There were plenty of fireballs floating in the water and slowly drifting upwards. I looked up at them and thus saw the land which is the bottom of the riverbed above me. I was in the water underneath the land. The water was greenish which meant the water was very deep; but it was clear and not turbid. Hence, I knew that the Naga shot fireballs inside the water underneath the land. The fireballs drifted through the water towards the land and then into the air. The fireballs in the air were not as beautiful as when they were in the water.

I looked around and felt that the water was very deep. While I was watching the Naga shooting fireballs, I noticed that they didn't push or shoot the fireballs forcefully; they were very calm and mindful. They just opened their mouths and the fireballs were spontaneously shot out of their mouths. There were many Naga and plenty of fireballs with different sizes and beauty. The fireballs from those calm Naga were very big and beautiful. The small Naga rarely shot any fireballs, if they did; their fireballs were usually tiny and appeared only occasionally. The small Naga seemed to indulge in enjoying the ceremony and gathering. However, the moment when they were calm and mindful, fireballs were shot out from their mouths.

As I was watching the fireball, a Naga told me a story all the time. I turned towards him and saw a huge golden Naga with shiny and hard scales. He was the biggest Naga that I had seen. While he was telling a story, I saw both his Naga and human body in front. (This was similar to the picture in the Naga book, published in October, but he looked older than the picture.) He had a topknot tied with a green band. His shirt was gold color and tight fitting as if it couldn't be taken off. He also wore a sash with a red ruby at the center as his ornaments. He was big and I felt that he was both a Naga and a human in one living being. He had a golden body with a red crest and was very tall, indeed a huge Naga.

I felt that I was smaller than him but I was bigger than the other Naga shooting the fireballs. I also felt that the Mekong River was very small, although it is usually very huge to me when I’m not in dream. I was in a lying position talking to the Naga. The Naga that talked to me seemed to be the most powerful and senior (like a leader) over there. He was big, beautiful and shinier than any other Naga. He didn't look very old like old man with beard. if we compared with human age; he would be around 30s years old and looked elegant and smart.

He told me the history of shooting fireballs with some still life pictures, something like slides show. He explained that initially the other groups of Naga did not blow fireballs like them and he was not the first, he just followed his ancestors.

Then, there was a picture of a man kneeling down and making offering one thing to worship the Lord Buddha for his virtue. This man respected the Lord Buddha because he helped him to overcome his suffering. Hence, he has had the greatest respect for the Lord Buddha since then. This man was probably the Naga's grandfather or father, and so the Naga believed in the Lord Buddha successively like his ancestor.

After that, there was a picture showing the date and time when the Naga gathered together to shoot fireballs. There was another picture of the Lord Buddha walking down from a very long stairway; there were people with topknot, they were not human beings but I didn't know who they were. There were also very beautiful lightings radiating from the people waiting at the stairway which were luminous with different colors. However, the glory of the Lord Buddha was the brightest, brighter than the sun, but it was cool. The Naga said that they shoot fireballs to pay homage to the Lord Buddha on that day, and it had been continued for a very long time until now. Every time they shoot fireballs, they would look and see whether the moon was full and bright like sandal fruit. Then he showed a picture of the moon.

The night when the moon was bright and vivid, they shot the fireballs. It is like our temple's meritorious ceremony, everybody would come to help and show their respect and faith to the Lord Buddha and also to make merit. Then he said that not every Naga would shoot fireballs, the other groups of Naga only observed precepts in their residences during this time. Then he showed the pictures of Naga observing the precepts in their residences. (They were in coiled-up position, not sprawling.) Each Naga stayed in their individual cavity which were set up in a row and had no water. After that, he said that his ancestors didn't live here, they migrated from somewhere else. At their hometown, nobody believed that they truly existed and were not interested to make merits.

Suddenly, I saw a picture of a city with Indian architecture. The river in front of the city was their hometown. They migrated to Mekong River in a split second and not by slithering along the river. The split of second in the Naga realm was a very long time in human realm. Here, they saw the lights of human making meritorious deeds and their belief in Naga, so they settled down here. The Naga mentioned that most of the people from the other side of the river had stronger faith in the Naga and Lord Buddha than the people of this side. I felt that the other side that he mentioned was Laos, although he didn't say it, and this side of the river was Thailand.

The Laotian had a strong belief in the Naga and fireball while majority of the Thai came for fun rather than their faith. He told me many other things. I remembered that he asked me how I was, but I wasn't really interested to listen and hence didn't answer him. Beside, I was annoyed that he kept talking. I roughly remembered that he told me about how his present life was, but I could not remember. He called himself “kha” (which means “I”. It was used in the ancient time), and called me “chao” (which means “you”, the word was used in the ancient time; compared to “thou”.), e.g. “How about Chao (you)? He'd like me to believe what he said.

I felt that the Naga was my very close senior relative because I was not scared and could retort him without being punished from him. Even though I looked bored and annoyed, he still continued to tell me the story with a smiling face, gentle and sonorous voice, as if we had not met for a long time. I felt warm like having a reunion with my family. It seemed that he was eager to let me convey the Naga fireball's story and history to the human beings, so they would believe that the Naga fireballs were due to their faith in the Lord Buddha, which would grow human’s faith in the Lord Buddha, and focus their minds together as well when the Naga shot fireballs.

In the past, people were just having great fun. He saw that the light of merit was mostly in Lao, but there was only sound of revelry in Thailand. The Thai didn't have any faith in what they were doing. He didn't want the people to think that the fireballs were just something amazing but to have a strong faith and believe in merit and should watch the fireballs calmly. This would improve their fireballs shooting, and the fireballs would be brighter than presently. Even though I was wondering why he told me the story since I didn't have the capability to make others believe his story, I was very happy that night. However, when I woke up in the morning, I forgot the dream until my younger sister mentioned about going to see the Naga fireballs which reminded my dream of the Naga in the whole night.

In the dream, it seemed that the Naga wanted me to convey to everyone what he told me was real. At that time, I wondered how I could convey and convince the people, but now I knew that by writing this story to Luang Phaw and broadcast in Dream in Dream Kindergarten will enable everyone to know. Giving me this mission, I didn't let the Naga down. I feel good and have no worry that I would see the vivid light of merit along the 2 banks of Mekong River and the chanting together with the Naga to extol the benevolence of the Lord Buddha.

Questions:

1. What retributions caused me to have valvular disease of the heart since I was born? Presently, am I completely recovered from this heart disease? What merit should I make to lighten the kamma?

2. What retributions caused my parents to be shot to death together? What retributions caused my younger sister and me to become orphans since we were very young?

3. Where did my parents go after they died initially? Where are they now? Are they doing well? Do they have any messages for me?

4. What retributions caused me to always have loving relationship problems? What should I do so that my present marriage will be smooth?

5. I often dreamt of diving in that body of water, was it my imagination or real? If it was real, where is that place?

6. I saw the Naga in that all night's dream, was it real? If it was, why did I dream of him? What relationship did I have with the Naga so he came to tell me about the story?

7. Should I go and see the Naga fireballs? If I go there, do I have any chances to see the Naga with my naked eyes?

8. When would I have the chance to live in the place that I dreamt, and how could I get there? I felt connected and will be happy to live there. Why did I feel bonded with the Naga like he was my close senior relative?

9. What karmic retributions caused me to see the Buddha image easily although I don't meditate often?

10. Why did I dream of Khun Yay although I don't know her? Why did I dream of Luang Phaw although I never thought of you? Was it real that I dreamt of Khun Yay and Luang Phaw or was it my imagination? If it was real, why did I have those dreams?

Luang Phaw's Dream

I closed my eyes, dreamed and woke up with these answers.
When you tell anybody the story like a tale, it will make anyone know more about retribution (Law of Kamma)

1. You have valvular disease of the heart since you were born because of the remnants of retribution from your past life that you were born in the agricultural society, you overworked the slaves and animals.

To rectify it, you need to spread loving kindness, release fish and animals, as well as make every merit, including donation, observing precepts, and meditate to attain Dhammakaya. Once you attain Dhammakaya, maintain and do not lose it. This way, your mind will become pure and happy and your kamma will be relieved.

2. Your parents were shot to death together because of their past kamma. They were spouse as in this life. They were the bankers in gambling games and they ordered their subordinates to kill their gambling debtors who didn't pay up

You and your younger sister became orphans because you both have the remnants of similar retribution. However, those actions were performed separately. You killed animals that had little babies. The babies were sold and the mother was killed for food. Therefore, you always have to be separated from your loved ones.

3. When your parents died initially, they were hanging around you and your sister as they were worried. When you both were grown up, they got over their worries and have just reborn as humans. They were born in different places in the middle class families.

4. You also have the remnants of adultery kamma when you were a man; that caused you to have a flirtatious husband. For your marriage to be smooth,

(1) firstly you must know that you have a flirtatious husband because of the remnants of retribution from your own actions.

(2) Secondly, you must be patient and perform the duty of a wife at your best. You should remain calm and do not yell out. You must watch your speech when discussing something, smile and be joyful. Do not worry about it too much.

We are born to pursue perfection, so you should fully focus in pursuing perfection, so your merit mind would hold the Triple Gems as your refuge. This will help to reduce your suffering or even overcome your suffering completely.

5. You often dreamt of diving in the body of water because of your past memory being a Nagi (female Naga) before you were born as a human in this life.

The body of water was a big swamp which was not very far from Mekong River. It was in Thailand, but presently, the swamp has silted up and almost no trace of that. You were a Nagi from the underwater city underneath this swamp.

6. The night that you dreamt of the Naga was real. The Naga and you were cousins when you were a Nagi, and you both played together since young.

When he realized that you were a human, he came to your dream to invite you back to visit them because when you were a Nagi, you'd like to be born as a human to pursue perfection, but after your birth, you have not done whatever you intend to. Therefore, your Naga cousin had come to your dream to warn and remind you.

And he also wanted you to tell the story of Naga fireballs to me so that people in the world would know that it's real.

7. You should go and see the Naga fireballs because your cousin Naga will be happy to see you there, and since you were part of them, you will probably see the Naga with your naked eyes.

8. You should not go and live in the underwater city because when you were a Nagi, you were disappointed with your Naga husband.

He was flirtatious and had many Nagi wives.

And you were only his servant and only take care of him; therefore, you were sick of that kind of life.

And that gave you an intention to pursue perfection fully and wholeheartedly if you become a human.

Now that you have become a human, you should focus in pursuing perfection wholeheartedly and return to the special zone in Tusita (The 4th level of heaven). Don't revert to the Naga realm.

9. You could see the Buddha image easily although you didn't meditate regularly because in your past life, you have pursued perfection with our community.

You could meditate well because you had been an Upasika (female disciple), but later, you fell in love and left to have a family.

And you felt embarrassed to return to the community. That caused you to stray away from the community in that life which was the last Buddhist interval.

You were in the cycle of reincarnation as many different forms and beings until you became a Nagi and finally a human in this life.

We got to meet again because of the merit you had accrued with us. However, you did with no consistency due to being separated from the community for a very long time. So there was a slacking of merit.

10. Nevertheless, The merit of being an Upasika (female disciple), observed the precepts and pursued perfection with our community caused you to see Khun Yay although you didn't know her in this life. And it also caused you to see me in your dream although you had never thought of me.