Last night, I came across a footnote in the book “Tibet’s Great Yogi Milarepa,” a book by W.Y. Evans-Wentz. The footnote talked about the six doctrines and explained that there is a system of yoga where the yogi is taught to enter the dream state at will in order to explore scientifically its characteristics as compared with the waking state and then to return to the waking state without breaking the stream of normal consciousness. Thus, the illusory nature of both states is realized. The practice also enables its master to die and be reborn without loss of memory, death being the entry into the dream state and birth the awakening.
What is this, and how does one do it?
Here’s what I learned:
Dream Yoga as a System
In Tibetan Buddhism, dream yoga is a sophisticated practice that’s considered a form of meditation. It’s more than just a technique for lucid dreaming (being aware that one is dreaming). The practice aims to understand the nature of reality by exploring the dream state and the waking state.
Exploring Dream and Waking States
The practitioner learns to enter the dream state consciously, maintaining awareness during the dream, much like lucid dreaming. This allows for an exploration of the dream world with the same level of consciousness as in the waking state. The idea is to understand that both states are illusory, which means they are not fundamentally different in nature.
Continuity of Consciousness
An important aspect of this practice is maintaining a continuous stream of consciousness. This means the practitioner remains self-aware during the transition from waking to dreaming and back without losing awareness. This continuous awareness is considered crucial for deeper spiritual insights.
Realizing the Illusory Nature of States
The ultimate goal of this practice is to realize the illusory nature of all states of being, whether dreaming or waking. This realization is part of the broader Buddhist concept of understanding the nature of reality and the mind.
Mastering Death and Rebirth
In a more advanced context, this practice is believed to enable its master to navigate death and rebirth consciously. This is related to the Tibetan Buddhist belief in the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara) and the possibility of achieving enlightenment or liberation from this cycle.
Dr. Stephen LaBerge’s Research and Writings
I then connected the dots to Dr. Stephen LaBerge’s research and writings. Dr. Stephen LaBerge is a significant figure in the study of lucid dreaming, and his research connects to the concepts discussed in Tibetan dream yoga (although there are some differences in approach and context).
Dr. LaBerge’s work primarily focuses on the scientific study and application of lucid dreaming. Here are a few key points about his contributions:
Scientific Validation
Dr. LaBerge is renowned for scientifically validating the phenomenon of lucid dreaming in the 1970s and 1980s. He developed techniques to enable lucid dreamers to signal to researchers when they were consciously aware of their dreams, thus providing objective evidence of lucid dreaming.
Techniques for Inducing Lucid Dreams
He developed methods to help individuals achieve lucidity in their dreams. One well-known technique is the MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) technique, which involves intention-setting and mnemonic cues to become conscious during dreaming.
Exploring the Potential of Lucid Dreaming
LaBerge’s research explores the potential benefits of lucid dreaming, such as its applications for personal growth, problem-solving, overcoming nightmares, creative inspiration, and understanding the nature of consciousness.
Techniques Per Tibetan Buddhism for Achieving the Dream Yoga State
So then, what are the techniques per Tibetan Buddhism for achieving this state?
Preliminary Practices
Before engaging in dream yoga, practitioners often undertake preliminary practices (ngondro), which include meditation, visualization, and chanting. These practices help to stabilize the mind and prepare it for more advanced techniques.
Motivation and Intention Setting
Practitioners cultivate the aspiration to achieve awareness in the dream state not just for personal benefit but for the welfare of all beings. This aligns with the broader Mahayana Buddhist goal of achieving enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.
Mindfulness and Awareness
This includes being mindful during the day, which sets the foundation for being mindful in dreams. The idea is that heightened daytime awareness will naturally extend into the dream state.
Dream Recall
Improving dream recall is a necessary step. This involves keeping a dream journal and reflecting on dreams upon waking. The ability to remember dreams clearly is seen as a stepping stone to becoming conscious within them.
Recognizing the Dream State
Practitioners learn to recognize dream signs – unusual or impossible occurrences that signal they are dreaming. This recognition helps trigger lucidity.
Specific Tibetan Techniques
There are specific techniques taught within the Tibetan tradition for dream yoga, such as visualizations at certain points during the sleep cycle, particularly at the heart center. These practices are often closely guarded and transmitted directly from teacher to student.
Meditation in the Dream
Once lucidity is achieved, practitioners may engage in meditation or specific spiritual practices within the dream. This is seen as a powerful opportunity for spiritual growth, as the dream state is considered a more pliable and less distracted environment than the waking state.
Integration with Daily Life and Practice
The insights and experiences from dream yoga are integrated with daily life and practice. The realization that all experiences, whether in a dream or awake, are equally illusory is a profound insight in Tibetan Buddhism, leading to a deeper understanding of the nature of reality.
Imagining a Lotus
I find that imagining an orange or white lotus before I fall asleep and observing as my mind goes to different places and the images, thoughts, and scenes that arise is helpful. But I’ve found that I’m often not truly in a deep sleep, or at least it doesn’t feel that way, and then when I truly go into deep, deep REM sleep is when I’ll have dreams and be able to recall them in the morning, but I’m rarely conscious for them.
Per ChatGPT, this experience is quite common among those exploring dream yoga or lucid dreaming techniques. The process of using visualization (like imagining a lotus) before bed is a method to cultivate mindfulness and awareness as you transition from wakefulness to sleep. The following quotes are what else ChatGPT had to say on the subject:
Pre-Sleep Visualization
“Your practice of visualizing a lotus and observing the mind’s wanderings is a form of meditation that can be helpful in setting the stage for lucid dreaming. This practice helps in maintaining a degree of awareness as you fall asleep.”
Transition to Sleep and Light Sleep
“The period when you feel you’re not in deep sleep likely corresponds to the initial stages of sleep, which include the light sleep phases. During these phases, it’s common to have a heightened awareness of your thoughts and mental images, and it can feel like you’re not sleeping deeply.”
Deep Sleep and REM Sleep
“Deep sleep (or slow-wave sleep) is a stage of sleep where consciousness and dream activities are generally at their lowest. Following this, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep occurs, which is the phase most associated with vivid dreaming. It’s during REM sleep that most lucid dreaming typically takes place.”
Dream Recall and Consciousness in Dreams
“Recalling dreams upon waking is a good sign that you are achieving REM sleep. However, becoming conscious during these dreams (lucid dreaming) is a separate skill. It’s quite common to have vivid dreams during REM sleep without being lucid in them.”
Enhancing the Ability to Become Conscious During Dreams
To enhance the ability to become conscious during dreams, I have learned these practices:
Reality Checks
Practice reality checks throughout the day. This could be something like looking at your hands and asking yourself if you’re dreaming. The goal is to make this a habit that carries over into your dreams.
Daytime Mindfulness
Increasing mindfulness during the day can help maintain awareness during sleep. This involves being fully present and aware in your daily activities.
Dream Journaling
Keep a dream journal. Writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up can improve your dream recall and increase your chances of becoming lucid in future dreams.
Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) Method
This involves waking up after about 4-6 hours of sleep, staying awake briefly, and then going back to sleep with the intention of entering a lucid dream. This method exploits the increased propensity for REM sleep in the later part of the night.
Meditation and Visualization
Continue your pre-sleep meditation and visualization practices, as they are beneficial for developing the necessary awareness for lucid dreaming.
Where Did the Different Yogic Texts, Mysteries, and Initiations Come From?
As I read about these different yogic texts, mysteries, and initiations, I wondered, “Where did all of this come from?” I became curious about the earliest editions and their history, as well as things like the Vedic texts and the knowledge of the supreme Brahma.
The history of yoga and its associated texts, mysteries, and initiations is deeply rooted in ancient Indian philosophy and spirituality, stretching back thousands of years. The development of yoga is intertwined with several key texts and traditions, primarily within Hinduism but also influenced by Buddhism and Jainism.
Here’s a brief overview of what I learned while researching:
Vedic Period
The earliest references to practices that resemble yoga appear in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, composed around 1500-500 BCE. These texts don’t describe yoga as we know it today but include rituals and ceremonies aimed at uniting the material world with the spiritual.
Upanishads
Dating from around 800-500 BCE, the Upanishads further explore the ideas found in the Vedas. They introduce key concepts like Brahman (the ultimate reality) and Atman (the individual soul), laying the groundwork for the philosophical aspects of yoga.
Bhagavad Gita
Part of the epic Mahabharata, composed around 500 BCE to 200 CE, the Bhagavad Gita is a key text that discusses various paths of yoga, including Jnana (knowledge), Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action), and Dhyana (meditation).
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
This foundational text, composed around 200-400 CE, systematically presents the practice of Raja Yoga or the “eightfold path.” These sutras define yoga and its limbs, detailing the steps to attain what they describe as the ultimate goal of yoga – liberation or enlightenment.
Hatha Yoga Texts
Around the 11th century CE, texts on Hatha Yoga began to appear. These include the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita, and the Gheranda Samhita. They focus more on physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and energy centers (chakras).
Tantric Influence
Tantra, a spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, had a significant influence on yoga. It introduced new practices, rituals, and a worldview that saw the body as a means to spiritual enlightenment, not just something to be transcended.
Modern Yoga
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, yoga masters began to travel to the West, popularizing a more physical style of yoga that is most common in Western countries today. Key figures include Swami Vivekananda, Paramahansa Yogananda, and T. Krishnamacharya.
Schools and Practices
Today, yoga encompasses a wide range of practices and philosophies, from physically oriented styles like Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga to more meditative and philosophical approaches.
What Are the Rituals and Ceremonies from the Vedic Period? And What Came Before Them? What’s the Mahabharata? What Are the Asanas and Pranayama Techniques?
Next, I wondered what the rituals and ceremonies from the Vedic Period are. And what came before them? Where did these people get this info? Who are the authors? What’s the Mahabharata? And what is this liberation or enlightenment? What are the asanas and pranayama techniques?
Here’s what I have learned.
Vedic Rituals and Ceremonies
The Vedic period is characterized by the performance of intricate rituals and ceremonies, which were primarily concerned with the worship of deities and the natural elements through sacrifices and chants. These rituals included:
- Yajna (Sacrificial Rituals): Involving the offering of items such as ghee, grains, and herbs into a sacred fire while chanting Vedic mantras. These were conducted for various purposes like prosperity, health, and spiritual elevation.
- Soma Rituals: Involving the use of “Soma,” a sacred plant, the juice of which was consumed during specific rituals.
- Sandhya Vandanam: A daily ritual involving the recitation of Vedic mantras at dawn, noon, and dusk.
Pre-Vedic Origins
The origins of Vedic traditions are subject to scholarly debate. Some theories suggest an indigenous development, while others propose influences from earlier or contemporary cultures. However, definitive conclusions about pre-Vedic practices are limited due to the lack of written records from that era.
Authors of the Vedas
The Vedas are considered “apauruṣeya” in Hindu tradition, meaning they are not authored by humans but were seen, heard, or revealed to ancient sages (Rishis) during deep meditation. These texts were passed down orally before being written.
The Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). It narrates the history of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four “goals of life” and the Bhagavad Gita.
Liberation or Enlightenment
In the context of Indian spirituality, liberation (Moksha in Hinduism, Nirvana in Buddhism) refers to the release from the cycle of rebirth (samsara) and the dissolution of the ego or individual self into the universal or absolute reality. It’s a state of ultimate knowledge, peace, and bliss.
Asanas and Pranayama Techniques
In the context of yoga:
- Asanas: These are physical postures or poses. Originally, they were meant to prepare the body for prolonged meditation. In modern yoga, asanas aim to improve strength, flexibility, and balance and to promote physical and mental well-being.
- Pranayama: These are breathing techniques designed to control the life force or prana. Practices include regulating the breath’s rhythm, duration, and depth. Pranayama is said to help in calming the mind, improving focus, and facilitating a deeper state of meditation.
Was Soma a Psychedelic? Who Were the Rishis? What Happens After Liberation?
Next, I asked what Soma was. A psychedelic? What are the theories on the origins of Vedic traditions? Who were the Rishis? And after liberation, what? One dies? How is one to live liberated, or is that a sign of non-liberation by being alive? And transcend into the universal or absolute reality… and do what? Exist forever?
Soma in Vedic Rituals
“Soma” is one of the most mysterious elements in Vedic rituals. It’s often described as a sacred plant or herb whose juice was used in rituals. There’s speculation that it might have had psychoactive properties, leading some to suggest it could be a psychedelic. However, the exact identity of the Soma plant is still a matter of debate among scholars, with various botanical candidates proposed but no consensus reached.
Origins of Vedic Traditions Theories
The origins of Vedic traditions are also a subject of scholarly debate. Key theories include:
- Indigenous Development: Suggests that the Vedic tradition developed indigenously in the Indian subcontinent.
- Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory: Proposes that Indo-European peoples (referred to as Aryans) migrated to India and brought the Vedic tradition with them. This theory has been subject to considerable debate and revision in recent years.
- Cultural Synthesis: Suggests a blend of indigenous cultures with influences from other civilizations, resulting in the Vedic traditions.
Who Were the Rishis?
In Vedic tradition, Rishis are revered as sages or seers who, through intense meditation and spiritual practices, realized the eternal truths and composed the Vedas. They are considered to be “seers” of the mantras, meaning they did not create them but revealed them. Famous Rishis include Vasistha, Vishwamitra, and Agastya.
After Liberation (Moksha)
The concept of life after liberation (Moksha or Nirvana) varies:
- In Hinduism: Moksha implies the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara) and unification with Brahman (the ultimate reality). It’s a state of complete freedom, peace, and understanding.
- In Buddhism: Nirvana is the cessation of suffering and liberation from samsara. It’s often described as a state beyond concepts and duality.
Living in a Liberated State
In many traditions, it’s possible to live in a state of liberation while still alive. This is often referred to as “Jivanmukti” in Hinduism. A Jivanmukta, or a liberated soul, continues to live in the physical body but is free from the illusions and attachments of the world.
Transcendence into Universal or Absolute Reality
The concept of what happens when one transcends into the universal or absolute reality is deeply philosophical:
- Existence Post-Transcendence: In some interpretations, this transcendent state is beyond existence as we understand it. It’s not about existing forever in a conventional sense but about realizing a state of being that is beyond time and space.
- Becoming One with the Ultimate Reality: This often implies a state of union with the ultimate truth or reality beyond individual consciousness and identity.
These topics are profound and have been interpreted in many ways within different schools of thought. The interpretations are often metaphorical or allegorical and are meant to point toward experiences that are beyond ordinary human comprehension.
Was Soma Used in Rome? What’s the Earliest Known Use of Psychedelics We Know of?
Next, I asked ChatGPT, “Why do I feel like I’ve heard of Soma in other cultures like Roman? What’s the earliest known use of psychedelics we know of? Given that you’re not human, how would you explain these interpretations that appear beyond human comprehension? Why is it incomprehensible? Is that aspect built into our reality?”
Here is the response:
Theories about Soma
Regarding Soma, there are several theories about its identity, but none are conclusive:
- Ephedra: Some scholars suggest it might be Ephedra, known for its stimulating effects.
- Amanita Muscaria: Another theory proposes the psychedelic mushroom Amanita muscaria, though this is debated.
- Other Plant Candidates: Various other plants, like Syrian Rue or Cannabis, have been suggested, each with its own set of supporting arguments.
You might have heard of “soma” in Roman culture due to the Indo-European language and cultural connections. Similar substances or concepts, like the “haoma” in Persian culture or the “ambrosia” of the Greeks (often compared to the Roman “nectar”), are found in other Indo-European traditions.
Earliest Known Use of Psychedelics
The earliest known use of psychedelic substances is hard to determine definitively. Archaeological evidence, like cave paintings, suggests that psychedelic substances might have been used in ritualistic contexts by ancient cultures. For instance:
- Psychedelic Mushrooms: The use of psychedelic mushrooms dates back to at least 9000 years ago, as suggested by rock art in Algeria.
- Ayahuasca: Traces of ayahuasca have been found in a cave in Bolivia, dated to 1000 years ago, but the actual usage could be much older.
Going Further Down the Rabbit Hole
If you’ve stuck around for all of this, then you’re as far down the rabbit hole as I am. Thank you for reading. You can find more of my writings like this one on my blog.