Question asked by Jason
Recently I have been doing the medium length Setrap practice at night before bed. I did this on losar then went to bed. The dreams I had at around 4:30 am were a terrifying nightmare about a cursed victorian comfort doll trying to pull me in to it's coffin. The doll was being displayed in a deranged circus. I don't like dolls and I don't watch movies about dolls and up until I had the dream I did not even know what a victorian comfort doll was…. I actually heard about it in the dream it's self. I thought setrap practice would protect me from this issue. Is this a sign of purification, is it an obstacle that is being removed in a dream, is it a bad omen or a sign I did something bad? Please help. Should I continue with the practice?
Dear Jason,
Thanks for your question. It’s nothing to worry about. It could be due to any number of reasons from simply your subconscious processing things when you are sleeping, all the way to clearing of obstacles. The key is not to let it affect you too much. Remember it’s just a dream. Though it may have evoked quite an emotional response, it’s okay. Just try to accept that you had that experience and then move on. The key is not to dwell on it, because when you do, you will be caught up with thinking that maybe it was a sign, or maybe it was something else, etc.
One thing for sure is that of course you should continue your practice of Setrap. He is an enlightened being, so nothing bad will happen when you practice Setrap. It’s quite the opposite in fact, since he is a Dharma Protector, his function and practice will only help you in a beneficial way.
Continue with your practice and you shouldn’t have such terrifying nightmares again. If they do happen, they will be less intense and few and far between. You can even chant one mala (which is 108 times) of Setrap’s mantra just before sleeping for protection from nightmares and bad dreams. I hope this helps. Thank you.