The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep: Practices for Awakening

by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Mark Dahlby (Editor)

Overview

Deepen your awareness through the Tibetan practice of sleep and dream yoga—both presented here in this “thought-provoking, inspiring, and lucid” guide (Stephen LaBerge, PhD, author of Lucid Dreaming)
 
It is said that the practice of dream yoga deepens our awareness during all our experience: the dreams of the night; the dream-like experience of the day; and the bardo experiences after death. Indeed, the practice of dream yoga is a powerful tool of awakening, used for hundreds of years by the great masters of the Tibetan traditions. 

Unlike in the Western psychological approach to dreams, the ultimate goal of Tibetan dream yoga is the recognition of the nature of mind or enlightenment itself. "If we cannot carry our practice into sleep," Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche states, "if we lose ourselves every night, what chance do we have to be aware when death comes? Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611809510
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	397,446
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet and received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

Table of Contents

Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama xiii

Editor's Preface to the Second Edition xv

Preface to the First Edition xvii

Acknowledgments xxiii

Introduction 1

Receiving the Teachings 3

Part 1 The Nature of Dream

1 Dream and Reality 9

2 How Experience Is Shaped 11

Ignorance 11

Actions and Results: Karma and Karmic Traces 12

Obscurations of Consciousness 14

Positive and Negative Karma 15

Negative Karma 15

Positive Karma 16

Liberating Emotions 17

Karmic Traces and Dream 18

The Six Realms of Cyclic Existence 20

Hell Realm 23

Hungry Ghost Realm 24

Animal Realm 24

Human Realm 25

Demigod Realm 26

God Realm 26

Why "Negative" Emotion? 27

3 The Energy Body 29

Channels and Prana 29

Channels (Tsa) 31

Contradictions 32

Prana (Lung) 33

Karmic Prana 34

Wisdom Prana 34

Balancing the Prana 35

Prana and Mind 35

Chakras 37

Blind Horse, Lame Rider 38

4 Summary: How Dreams Arise 41

5 Images from the Mother Tantra 43

Teaching Metaphors 45

Part 2 Kinds and Uses of Dreams

6 Three Kinds of Dreams 49

Samsaric Dreams 49

Dreams of Clarity 50

Clear Light Dreams 51

7 Uses of Dreams 53

Experience in Dream 53

Guidance and Guidelines 54

Divination 56

Teachings in Dreams 59

8 The Discovery of Chöd Practice 61

9 Two Levels of Practice 67

Part 3 The Practice of Dream Yoga

10 Vision, Action, Dream, Death 73

11 Calm Abiding: Zhiné 77

Forceful Zhiné 79

Natural Zhiné 80

Ultimate Zhiné 80

Obstacles 81

Agitation 81

Drowsiness 81

Laxity 82

Daily Practice 82

12 The Four Foundational Practices 85

One: Changing the Karmic Traces 85

Two: Removing Grasping and Aversion 88

Three: Strengthening Intention 89

Four: Cultivating Memory and Joyful Effort 91

Consistency 92

13 Preparation for the Night 95

Nine Purifications Breathing 96

Nine Breaths Instructions 98

First Three Breaths: Clearing the White Channel of the Poison of Anger 98

Second Three Breaths: Clearing the Red Channel of the Poison of Attachment 99

Third Three Breaths: Clearing the Blue Channel of the Poison of Ignorance 99

Resting 100

Guru Yoga 100

The Practice 103

Protection 104

14 The Main Practice 107

Bringing Awareness into the Central Channel 109

Informal Practice 111

Increasing Clarity 111

Informal Practice 114

Strengthening Presence 114

Informal Practice 116

Developing Fearlessness 117

Informal Practice 117

Integrating the Practice 118

More on the Elements of the Practice 120

Sequence 120

Position 121

Focusing the Mind 122

15 Lucidity 127

Developing Flexibility 129

16 The Obstacles 135

Delusion and Losing Yourself 135

Laxity 136

Self-Distraction 137

Forgetting 137

Four Obstacles according to Shardza Rinpoche 138

Too Much Seriousness 139

17 Controlling and Respecting Dreams 141

18 Simple Practices 143

The Waking Mind 144

Preparing for Night 145

Make the Practice Simple 146

A Simple Lifetime Practice 147

19 Integration 151

20 Outlined Synopsis of the Dream Yoga Practices 153

Zhiné 153

The Four Foundational Practices 153

Changing the Karmic Traces 153

Removing Grasping and Aversion 154

Strengthening Intention 154

Cultivating Memory and Joyful Effort 155

Preparation for Night 155

Nine Purifications Breathing 155

Guru Yoga 155

Protection 156

The Main Practices 156

Bringing Awareness into the Central Channel 156

Increasing Clarity 157

Strengthening Presence 157

Developing Fearlessness 158

Part 4 Sleep

21 Sleep and Falling Asleep 163

22 Three Kinds of Sleep 165

Sleep of Ignorance 165

Samsaric Sleep 165

Clear Light Sleep 166

23 Sleep Practice and Dream Practice 169

Part 5 The Practice of Sleep Yoga

24 The Dakini Seljé Dö Drelma 175

25 Preliminary Practice 179

26 Sleep Practice 181

Entering Sleep 182

27 Tiglé 187

28 Progress 189

29 Obstacles 191

30 Supportive Practices 195

Master 195

Dakini 195

Behavior 196

Prayer 196

Dissolving 197

Expanding and Contracting 197

31 Integration 199

Integration of Clear light with the Three Poisons 199

Integration with the Cycles of Time 202

External Unification 202

Internal Unification 205

Secret Unification 206

The Three Unifications: Conclusion 208

32 Continuity 209

Part 6 Elaborations

33 Context 213

34 Mind and Rigpa 215

Moving Mind 215

Rigpa 216

Base Rigpa and Path Rigpa 217

35 The Base: Kunzhi 219

Mind and Matter 220

36 Knowing 221

37 Recognizing Clarity and Emptiness 223

Discrimination 224

38 Self 225

Final Words 227

Glossary 231

Tibetan Works Consulted 237

About the Author 239

Editorial Reviews

This book gives detailed instruction for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day. In the Tibetan tradition, the ability to dream lucidly is not an end in itself—rather it provides an additional context in which one can engage in advanced and effective practices to achieve liberation. Dream yoga is followed by sleep yoga, also known as the yoga of clear light. It is a more advanced practice similar to the most secret Tibetan practices. The goal is to remain awake during deep sleep when the gross conceptual mind and the operation of the senses cease. Most Westerners do not even consider this depth of awareness a possibility, yet it is well-known in Tibetan Buddhist and Bön spiritual traditions. The result of these practices is greater happiness and freedom in both our waking and dreaming states. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep imparts powerful methods for progressing along the path to liberation. A detailed guide to using our night-lives for awakening: thought-provoking, inspiring, and lucid.”—Stephen LaBerge, PhD, author of Lucid Dreaming

“This explication of the dream and sleep practices becomes a window on the entire teachings of Tibetan Tantra and Dzogchen. I enjoyed this book immensely. . . . Powerfully and beautifully presented.”—Martin Lowenthal, co-author of Opening the Heart of Compassion

“The most illuminating book on this topic to appear to date.”—J. Marvin Spiegelman, PhD

“This is an appealing book not only for Buddhist dream yoga practitioners but for anyone interested in the whole area of lucid dreaming or dream work. The Tibetan syllables and the places they are to be visualized within the body are clearly illustrated; the practical instructions are well-placed within a theoretical framework; and the entire work has the flavour of direct oral teaching from an expert.”—The Tibet Journal

“Extremely clear and detailed.”—Shambhala Sun

“Powerful methods for progressing along the path for liberation.”—The Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies

“Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has secured his place as the preeminent voice in the world of dream yoga. I refer to his expertise more than any other author and have read this classic book—now wonderfully updated—countless times. He continues to inspire me with the clarity of his insight, the depth of his wisdom, and the warmth of his heart. If you only read one book on the nocturnal meditations, this is it.”—Andrew Holecek, author of Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming

From the Publisher