dream yoga.txt
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Transcript of dream yoga.txt
from The Dalai Lamas on Tantra PDF
Dream Yoga
Dream Yoga, Which Dispels Mental Darkness
This will be explained under two headings: the reason why the
dream yoga follows the illusory body yoga and the actual dream yoga
instruction.
The Reason for the Order
The Vajra Verses states,
Whoever overpowers conceptual thought
Should dedicate himself intensely to dream yoga,
Which automatically purifies the darkness of confusion.
The excellence gained by the illusory body training
Then automatically arises, day and night.
This is the purpose for the order of these yogas. As said earlier, the
main force used in the dream yoga is the power of control over the
vital energies which operate during sleep. Moreover, in the tradition
of blending sleep with the tantric yogas, (the clear light that arises
when) going to sleep is linked to the Dharmakaya, the dream state to
the Sambhogakaya, and waking up to the Nirmanakaya. Therefore in
this context the sleep yoga becomes an auxiliary branch of the
illusory
body yoga.
treatise on the six yogas of niguma : 137
The Actual Dream Yoga Instruction
As said above, the main practice in the dream yoga is the control of
the vital energies. In particular, the principal instruction becomes
retaining the clear light of sleep. Thus it becomes necessary to say
something on the two subjects of dream yoga and clear light.
The manner of cultivating the power of intention in the dream
yoga is explained in the oral tradition of the gurus under six
headings:
(a) recognizing dreams, (b) purifying them, (c) increasing
dream objects, (d) emanating within the dream, (e) being aware of
the objects of perception, and (f) meditating on their thatness.
(a) The first of these begins by meditating on guru yoga and making
a prayer that one may be able to retain the dream and to practice
the spiritual path within the context of the dream.
The method of training in retaining dreams is twofold: during the
day practicing an appropriate mindfulness meditation and at night
applying the forceful method of the oral instruction.
The first of these involves regarding all objects perceived during
the daytime as things of a dream. One must think to oneself, �These
objects are but dream experiences and I must recognize this dream
as a dream.�
Practicing this mindfulness during the day will have the effect that
at night when a dream occurs one will automatically think, �This is
but a dream experience.� The stronger becomes the instinct of the
training cultivated during the day, the stronger will become one�s
ability to recognize the dream state when asleep.
Secondly, the forceful method of the oral tradition to be applied at
night is also twofold: the method that relies upon controlling the
white and red drops and the method of the nine unfailing points.
In the former of these one begins by visualizing oneself as the
tantric deity and, as in the practice of the inner fire explained
earlier,
envisions the energy channels. At the base of the central channel
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upon the navel chakra is the syllable AH and at the crown chakra the
syllable HAM. From the HAM comes a small white drop and from the
AH a red drop. Both are in the nature of light and are radiantly
bright.
They come to the heart and encircle it.
We then prepare to go to sleep, making a firm resolution that, �I
must recognize dreams as dreams.� We bring the drops (as one) to the
throat chakra and again make the above resolution, visualizing as we
go to sleep that the drops (as one) remain inside the central channel
at the throat chakra.
The second forceful method is that of the nine unfailing points.
The nine points are constituted of three categories: three are to do
with the times, which are predawn, dawn, and sunrise; three are to do
with postures, which are the vajra posture, squatting, and the lion
posture; and three deal with visualizations to be performed.
The first of these visualizations is as follows. Visualizing oneself
as
the tantric deity, at the center of the inner channel at one�s throat
chakra is a moon disc, and upon it stands one�s root guru in the form
of Heruka, dark red in color, sexually embracing a consort resembling
himself. He has one face and two arms. At his heart is a sun disc,
and upon this stands a blue syllable HUM. This syllable is in the
nature
of light and is the size of a mustard seed. Lights from the letter HUM
cause the guru as Heruka to become extremely radiant.
Lights then flood forth from the guru, illuminating myself as the
deity. Fix the mind on this image single-pointedly and make the
resolution
as before.
The second visualization begins by dissolving the world and its
inhabitants into oneself. One then dissolves into the guru at one�s
throat. The guru dissolves into the syllable HUM at his heart, and
this
dissolves into itself from the bottom upward and then into the
halfmoon
above it, and then into the tiny zig-zag of flame. This then
disappears
like a rainbow melting into space. As before, make the firm
resolution to recognize any dream as a dream.
treatise on the six yogas of niguma : 139
The third visualization is as mentioned in the following passage
from The Ocean of Wisdom:132
Generated at the throat of all beings
Is the syllable AM.
Inside the central channel at one�s throat is a tiny red lotus having
four petals. At its center stands a letter AM, red in color,
exceedingly
radiant and the size of a mustard seed.
Fix the mind on it and recollect the dream resolution as before. Here
it is very important to prevent the mind from wandering and to set a
strong resolve not to become lost in sleep and, whenever a dream
arises,
to recognize whatever arises in the mind as a dream. Should you wake
up in the middle of the dream, do not open your eyes. Rather, draw up
the lower energies and recollect the dream, trying to keep the dream
going again. This helps in the practice of recognizing the dream state
and strengthens the power of increasing the intensity of dreaming.
From the point in training when one can bring the energies into
the central channel by means of stimulating the mystic fire as
explained earlier, when we meditate on the above three visualization
processes for retaining dreams the power of holding the dream state
by means of controlling the vital energies gains a special strength.
In
addition, in reliance upon the visualizations one gains a special
ability
to recognize and retain the clear light of sleep.
(b) Secondly follows the process of purifying dreams. Here there
are four techniques to be mastered.
The first of these is called �purifying the mind by means of the
body.� One sits at the peak of a large cliff. In the sky before you
visualize
that you as Heruka and Consort are in the air over the cliff, an
arrow�s length in height. You (as Heruka) then look over the cliff,
and
a great fear of heights wells up within you. Think to yourself, �This
is
140 : the second dalai lama
a dream,� and set the resolve as before to recognize any dream as a
dream. The Heruka and Consort are then visualized as falling over
the cliff into nothingness.
The second technique is called �purifying the body by means of the
mind.� Visualize that every pore of your body contains a blue letter
HUM. The letters have the head inside the pores and are half submerged
and half protruding. These radiate forth blue lights, which
fill one�s body and cause it to become empty and pure.
The third method is called �purification by means of Nairatmika,
the Egoless One,� consort of Hevajra. In the space before you
visualize
the dakini Nairatmika, the Egoless One. She is blue in color and
holds a curved knife and skull-cup. One recites the mantra OM AH
SVAHA, causing blue lights to radiate forth from her body.
They enter one�s own body via one�s sexual organ, and then the
Egoless One herself enters one�s body via the same passage. She melts
into light, and one�s body becomes filled with a bluish radiance. It
then melts into light like a rainbow disappearing into the sky. All
becomes pristine emptiness.
The fourth technique is called �purification by resolution.� When
we recognize that we are dreaming we should think, �My ordinary
body is asleep in bed and this thing appearing to me now is but a
dream body. All the things now appearing in my field of perception
are but the manifestations of a dream.�
Thinking in this way, determine to project yourself to a Pure Land
such as Tushita or Sukhavati, where one can see the faces of the
buddhas
and bodhisattvas and can hear their sacred teachings; or else
determine to take birth consciously in the impure world in order to
work for the benefit of the living beings.
(c) To increase the dream objects, take the body that appears in the
dream and manifest it as two. Then manifest the two as four, and so
forth until eventually you have hundreds and thousands of bodies.
treatise on the six yogas of niguma : 141
(d) To eliminate death, emanate in the form of Yamantaka. To
overcome the effects of serpent spirits, emanate as Garuda. To subdue
the kingly spirits, emanate as Hayagriva. Practice these and other
such emanations. In brief, emanate as whatever tantric deity is
appropriate
to the need.
One can also emanate as the various coarse and subtle elements,
changing from earth to water, water to fire, fire to air, and so
forth, as
described earlier.
(e) If in this way one can gain proficiency in the dream yoga, one
will achieve the ability to understand the phenomenal world that
appears to us, such as the ways of the sentient beings of the pure and
impure worlds, the death and transmigration of living beings, and so
forth. However, it would seem that this practice and this ability are
applicable only in the context of a particular level of the training.
(f) When you recognize the dream state, meditate on yourself as
Heruka with Consort. Send lights forth from the syllable HUM at
your heart, causing the world to melt into the mandala palace and the
beings of the world to dissolve into the visualized deities of the
mandala.
These then dissolve into Heruka and Consort, the Consort dissolves
into Heruka, he into the HUM at his heart, and the HUM into
itself from the bottom upward and eventually into the zig-zag of
flame above. The flame then dissolves into unapprehendable
nothingness.
Hold the mind here on the view of emptiness.
There are four hindrances to the practice of dream yoga. The first
is to not recognize a dream as a dream. The second is to wake up from
the dream when the yoga is applied. The third is to be disturbed in
the
dream by confusing factors such as lust caused by the drop moving to
the lower chakras. Finally, the fourth is to not experience any
dreams.
The remedy to the first problem is to set a firm resolution before
going to sleep to recognize any dream that arises. The remedy to the
142 : the second dalai lama
second is not to open one�s eyes, even if one awakens, but instead to
think over and recapture the dream that was occurring. The remedy
to the third hindrance is to bring the mystic drop back up to the
throat chakra. Finally, the remedy to the fourth problem is to set a
firm determination to dream many dreams and to recognize them
when they occur. Such are the teachings of the lineage gurus.
This completes my elucidation of the dream yoga.