interesting article on lucid dreaming, energy work, dream yoga, etc

[Sunya]

Recently there was some good discussion on OBE and astral travel, and Seth posted about very good free ebook at obe4u.com with good methods. I found a really good article by a Tibetan teacher which talks about dream yoga, the purpose, how the dream state is very effective for dealing with psychological problems and spiritual practice, the steps or stages of dream yoga, and the eventual goal.

 

I think everyone will find this not only interesting but fruitful, whether Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, or whatever.

 

http://www.spiritwatch.ca/abuddhis.htm A Buddhist Perspective on Lucid Dreaming

 

excerpt:

 

Within the Buddhist Tantric tradition there is great emphasis on using the dream state of being for developmental ends. There exists a special practice called "dream yoga," which in the West has been presented as one of the "Six Doctrines of Naropa." The dream yoga is a high meditation practice which is performed by the practitioner within the so-called lucid dream state.

 

However, working directly and consciously in the lucid dream state is not ac-cessible to very many people. As the dream yoga methods are very strong and direct methods for development, I have committed myself to developing ways of dealing with dreams, which on the one hand provide training towards actual dream yoga practice—the practicing within the lucid dream state—and on the other hand can fruitfully be used to confront and dissolve problematic psychological structures more effectively than by dealing with these in the ordinary waking state. Therefore, it is appropriate to talk about two different levels of purposes, a surface level of psychological observance, and a more subtle level of spiritual observance.

 

Psychologically-oriented practices are concerned mainly with changing our general psychological structures with the purpose of decreasing our everyday prob-lems in relation to self and others. In contrast, the spiritual observance level is a practice level mainly concerned with changing our existential existence, with the purpose of decreasing the distance between, and thus uniting, our rational and non-rational abilities, or our feminine and masculine energies, or our body and mind or substance and consciousness. By healing the gaps and finally uniting subject and object we break the dualistic determination and entrapment of our existence, thus entering into the nature of existence, the essential nature of the universe.

 

It should be noted that distinguishing these two practice levels is provisional. The two levels follow each other sequentially. One must solve one’s major problems on a psychological level before being able to successfully enter the more subtle spir-itual level where changing one’s existential structures in relation to reality occurs.

Edited December 18, 2010 by Sunya

[Alfred E]

Recently there was some good discussion on OBE and astral travel, and Seth posted about very good free ebook at obe4u.com with good methods. I found a really good article by a Tibetan teacher which talks about dream yoga, the purpose, how the dream state is very effective for dealing with psychological problems and spiritual practice, the steps or stages of dream yoga, and the eventual goal.

 

I think everyone will find this not only interesting but fruitful, whether Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, or whatever.

 

http://www.spiritwatch.ca/abuddhis.htm A Buddhist Perspective on Lucid Dreaming

 

excerpt:

Intresting but Way too much emphasis on 'Controll' and nothing about the link to reality as in 'Understanding' the cause and effect mechanisms.

[RiverSnake]

Its a bit difficult to read, but i learned a lot from this article. Thanks for posting it.

[Spectrum]

Stephs Staff Controls the LoGo?

High ground bridges low water

I miss that one kiss

Meet me where you said you wood

[Spectrum]

Stephs Staff Controls the LoGo?

High ground bridges low water

Meet me w here in yonder wood

[Seth Ananda]

Gold! Thanks Sunya

[Sunya]

The article is really just an overview and not meant to be used as a practice manual. he doesn't really go into specifics... A really good book I have that does is called The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Even if you regularly have lucid dreams, I think the book would be helpful since the book has methods for accessing rigpa while in the dream state and how to work with obstacles

[Sunya]

[Ten Thousand Methods]

I'm sure this is common knowledge for the heavy hitters here, but I really liked this passage from the article

 

Excellent contribution. Thanks for posting this.