Question
I am a psychologist in dealing with patients with psychosomatic diseases. The research tells us that those who have difficulties in the access to the imaginary field and, for instance, the recalling of dreams, is one of the conditions to the emergence of that kind of symptoms and illnesses (allergies, auto-imunitary disfunctions, cancer, ..) But zen says we must not give importance to remembering dreams.
Can you explain the zen view on that subject?
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
You understand that the master gives an explanation or a comment in a given situation and to a precise person.<br />The person who took the habit of telling his dreams to the master as something very interesting, the old lady who does psychotherapy, a personal development course, etc., etc., and also some zen, and who would like in addition that the master explains to her the stupid dream she had the night before and that she’d written down, as usual, on her personal diary… then the master, irritated, answers that analysing one’s dreams is like sniffing one’s own farts under the skirt. And 40 years later, we find this sentence again, engraved in marbel, and someone who wants to hear that in zen it is forbidden to remember your own dreams.
Kosen