I had dreamt that Amida Buddha was standing in the far end of our garden.

I could not see Him clearly, for a layer of mist seerned to separate us, but when I peered through the mist I saw that He was about six feet tall and that the lotus pedestal on which He stood was about four feet off the ground. He glowed with a golden light, and one of His hands was stretched out, while the other formed a magical sign.

He was invisible to everyone but me.

I had been greatly impressed but at the same time frightened and did not dare move near my blinds to get a clearer view of Him.

He had said, "I shall leave now, but later I shall return to fetch you." And it was only I who could hear His voice.

Thereafter it was on this dream alone that I set my hopes for salvation.

EDITOR'S NOTES

In late 1058, Lady Sarashina's husband died suddenly of illness. She was left alone. Her only consolation was this dream from three years earlier.

The Amida sect of Japanese Buddhism did not yet exist as such--Sarashina, in her dreams at least, is an early adopter. Amida Buddha offered mercy and acceptance for all, even those who neglected good deeds, prayer, or restraining desire. While Sarashina did visit temples and shrines, she calls herself a waffler who'd ignored recurring dreams calling her to join a religious community. But she's lost all those she loved, and feels she wasted her life; Amida's her last hope.

Source: As I Crossed the Bridge of Dreams by 'Lady Sarashina', 1971, p. 121 (translation by Ivan Morris of Sarashina Nikki by Takasue no Musume, c.1060)

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