“To see Universal Virtue in a dream,” a metaphor that appears often in this chapter, has two meanings. First, it means that though when one is awake he can try consciously to keep the Great-vehicle in mind, when asleep he cannot control his mind (the subconscious mind). Even if he wants to have a certain dream or determines not to talk in his sleep, it is impossible for him to control his mind and actions while asleep. However, if a person truly deepens his faith, he can see the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue preach the Law to him even in his dreams. This bodhisattva will appear before him in a dream and will encourage him, saying, “You will be able to attain the mental stage of a bodhisattva,” and will give him careful advice, saying, “You have forgotten this word or have misunderstood this verse.”

Secondly, “to see Universal Virtue in a dream” suggests the following meaning: a person who has truly deepened his faith can frequently realize the truth of the teaching by intuition. This phrase indicates the mental state of having obtained a revelation from the Buddha or of having attained enlightenment by oneself. However, the revelation that a person obtains from the Buddha by intuition is just like a dream; it is not materialized. When he examines his revelation thoroughly and is confident that it is certainly the truth when judged from every angle, it will be beneficial to him and will be a teaching worthy of transmitting to others.