弘揚淨土：呂碧城（1883-1943）女居士學佛歷程的夢境書寫=Promoting the Pure Land: Dream Writing of Lü, Bi-cheng (1883-1943), the Female Buddhist in the Course of Learning Buddhism
Lü, Bi-cheng (1883-1943), the famous litterateur, educationalist, and the female Buddhist, devoted herself to Buddhism in the beginning of the Republic of China. This article aims to discuss the Nine Dreams of Buddhism, dreams, religious practice and the associated meanings between dreams and consciousness when Lü, Bi-cheng was in the course of learning Buddhism. Zhuangzi said that life is but a dream. The Diamond Sutra also said that all things contrived are like dreams, illusion, bubbles, and shadow. The dreams were unreal, and the dreamland corresponded to the real life of the dreamer and his body, spirit and soul. We could find the crossing boundaries between fantasy and reality about the signs and guidance, confirming which was brought by the dreamland and corresponded to the great efforts of studying Buddhism for fifteen years. In other words, the dreamland made Lü, Bi-cheng more assured for her pursuing religious practice of Buddhism and entirely convinced that the Sukhavati was the reward place she would ultimately reach and was also her residence in mind after she was committed to promoting the Pure Land in this life. Therefore, she advanced simultaneously in her understanding and religious practice owing to the symbolic meaning of her dreams and she would finally get the Buddhist enlightenment.
