lucid dreaming and meditation / dream yoga

pommesetoranges

I meditate while falling asleep and I often dream about meditating (meditate in a dream?) and today I thought how would it be to combine lucid dreaming with meditation practice. I used to experiment with lucid dreaming and had some interesting results few years ago (before I started to meditate daily) and I was just wondering is there anyone who actually do it and how it could affect the practice. I've read that dream yoga is an advanced tantric practice in Dzogchen and there is also Yoga Nidra. I'm just curious what happens to our consciousness when we are asleep, what do scriptures and masters say on this particular topic and most of all is there any way to practice mindfulness in this state the same way we do it during a day. I just have some basic understanding of different bardos but don't have a clue how to relate to this information.

P.S I'm not really sure where to put this thread.

federica

Moved to - Meditation.

maarten

I am sometimes aware in my dream that I am dreaming, but I never tried meditation at this point. In general, if I try to take over the dream and do what I want to do, it doesn't work. However, I noticed that I can be mindful in my dream, and I found this quite inspiring. In my dream, someone was getting angry at me. When I noticed that I was getting angry too I calmed myself down and responded in a friendly way. I am quite sure that this influenced my dream, because the rest of it was quite harmonious (usually when things go bad in a dream, they tend to get worse).

MorningView

For a very in-depth discussion of dream yoga and Buddhist views of lucid dreaming, I highly recommend the book "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" by Tenzin Rinpoche.

One of the overall keys of applying Buddhist practice to lucid dreaming is to not become deluded and attached to the "dream world" like we do in "real, waking life." Lucid dreams present many opportunities to experience higher states of awareness/consciousness but also lower states of pure sensation seeking. Another key is to use lucid dream practice to become more aware of the mercurial, impermanent nature of waking reality.

Deepankar

Dream on meditation is good, but just let it be. Not yearn for more. Explore diamond sutra on dreamy.

pommesetoranges

Thanks for the input everyone. Well, as I tend to be mindful throughout the day I was thinking about being mindful throughout the night too. Just an idea that came to my mind recently, nothing more. I'm wondering if other people have some experiences to share?

Zero

pommesetoranges said:

I'm wondering if other people have some experiences to share?

Yes - but they probably won't help as you profess you dont have a clue how to relate to the information.

You may benefit from a teacher as you explore esoterics.

Zayl

I love lucid dreaming. I can't make it happen, but when it does I am in utter and complete control. I have meditated, attempted to play with time manipulation (trying to experience more time within my dream than was passing in the waking world... doesn't work.) I have flown among the clouds, made love to celestial and exotic beings (har har) fielded my own armies, everything. The hardest thing to do is to dream of nothing. To suspend ones self within a featureless and silent void, left only with their own thoughts and ideas.

Lucid dreaming opens a lot of possibilities. When you maintain control, you find yourself in a malleable world that responds to your will, where the laws of physics do not exist. Such an experience can either be helpful, or harmful. At times I have awoken with new epiphanies, or after experiencing an ego death. Other times I haven woken up to a mighty god complex, and even an unwillingness to remain in the waking world, wanting to return to the world where I make all of the rules.

In short, Lucid dreaming can both help and hinder. Be mindful, practice your oaths, meditate if you will. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun of course, but don't let that dominate you.

MorningView

Interacting consciously with "dream beings" is often interesting. As weird as this may sound, a few lucid dreams I've had felt more real than "waking reality."