Peng Hsi-Su wrote nine volumes of The Record of Pure Land Saints, which is a collection of biographies about various Pure Land sages from all the past dynasties. It records the progress of how these practitioners journey from mortal life to sacred realm, emphasizes the descriptions of their rebirth, and demonstrates the life spirits of these voyagers of the Pure Land. In order to prove that the Pure Land does exist, that it is real, that by being mindful of the Buddha and cultivating pure religious practices, one shall be reborn in the western realm of the Buddha, The Record describes many mystical religious experiences of Pure Land practitioners so as to prove the genuineness and efficaciousness of their practices. Among all descriptions of these miraculous experiences, we can find that many of them are represented with the form of dreams. There are all together 120 such passages in The Record; hence, it can be said that the dream is an important scenario in the biography. Therefore, in this paper I shall focus on presentations of dreams in The Record of Pure Land Saints, classify them according to their contents, investigate how dreams are represented, and study the influence and significance of religious experiences for the Pure Land practitioners. There are various kinds of dreams in The Record of Pure Land Saints, such as embryo dreams, dreams where practitioners see the Buddha and sages, dreams with visions of the Pure Land, dreams where the Buddhagreets and welcomes the practitioners, dreams about journeys in the Pure Land, and journeys through the underworld. There are also dreams where those who are reborn in the Pure Land reveal themselves, predicting the time of their rebirth, and dreams with auspicious signs about the rebirth. The dreamers include the sages, their relatives, friends and even strangers; and there are even records of many people having the same dream. Most of the dreams in The Record are dreams with auspicious signs indicating or verifying that the deceased biographees have been so well-cultivated that they shall be reborn as sages in the Pure Land. Dreams in The Record may also be used to guide the practices of religious followers and strengthen their faith. Dreams are disclosures of authentic reality and manifestations of the great vows of the Buddha and Bodhisattva. The scenario in the dreams is extended to the waking life and verified with joint testimonies of the assembly. Dreams in The Record not only highlight the validity of the practitioners' sacred religious experiences, but also emphasize the necessity of profound faith and single-minded sincerity.
