Dreaming Yourself Awake: Lucid Dreaming and Tibetan Dream Yoga for Insight and Transformation

194 Pages·2012·4.83 MB·English

by  B. Alan Wallace

Lucid Dreaming and Tibetan Dream Yoga
for Insight and Transformation
D r e a m i n g Y o u r s e l f
A W A K E

D R E A M I N G
YOURSELF
AWAKE
Lucid Dreaming and Tibetan
Dream Yoga for Insight and
Transformation
B. A la n W a lla c e
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
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Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.shambhala.com
© 2012 by B. Alan Wallace
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
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First Edition
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Library of Congress Cataloging -in -Publication Data
Wallace, B. Alan.
Dreaming yourself awake: lucid dreaming and Tibetan dream yoga
for insight and transformation / B. Alan Wallace; edited by Brian Hodel.
—First edition.
Pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-1-59030-957-5 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Lucid dreams. 2. Yoga—Tantric Buddhism. I. Hodel, Brian, editor. II. Title.
BF1099.L82W35 2012
154.6'3— dc23
2011046575
Contents
Introduction ix
part one : Lucid Dreaming
î. Meditative Quiescence: Laying the Groundwork
for Lucidity 1
2. The Theory of Lucid Dreaming 19
3. The Practice of Lucid Dreaming 35
4. Proficiency in Lucid Dreaming 53
part two : Dream Yoga
5. The Universe of Dream Yoga 67
6. The Daytime Practices of Dream Yoga 79
7. Nighttime Dream Yoga 95
part three : Bringing It All Together
8. Putting Your Dreams to Work 115
9. Individualized Practice and Infrequently
Asked Questions 123
to. Dreaming Yourself Awake : A Wider Perspective 135
Notes 151
Glossary 159
Selected Bibliography 165
Index 167

Dreaming Yourself Awake

Introduction
In all the great spiritual traditions where meditation plays an
important role, the watchword is “Awaken!” This call is echoed
in the Western science of psychology. The implication is that
throughout our lives weve been asleep—in essence, dreaming.
Of course if we sleepwalk through life we will invariably stub our
toes on unseen realities. Given life’s uncertainties, we need to be
as awake as possible to its opportunities and dangers. Dreaming
Yourself Awake is directed as much to our awakening from life-
as-a-dream as it is to our becoming lucidly aware as we dream at
night. Both situations, and our awakening within them, are inti­
mately connected. Such an awakening brings with it the clarity
and freedom that form the basis for genuine happiness.
How are spiritual awakening and lucid dreaming connected?
In both cases you are poignantly aware of the unfolding of your
experiences in the present moment. You are not carried away by
distractive thoughts and emotions. You can observe their ap­
pearance, continuity, transformation, and fading with perfect
clarity. Like a chess grand master, your mind is fully focused—
sure and unclouded. Such clarity is a gateway to inner freedom.
Awake to the potential of every situation, you become the mas­
ter of your destiny. Dream practice can heighten creativity, solve
problems, heal emotions, or provide scintillating inner theater—
the ultimate in entertainment. It can also be a valuable aid to
the attainment of spiritual awakening.
X INTRODUCTION
What is it like to be lucidly aware that you are dreaming? The
seventeenth-century English philosopher and physician Sir
Thomas Browne, who could witness and control his dreams like
a movie director, said, “In one dream I can compose a whole
Comedy, behold the action, apprehend the jests and laugh my
self awake. . . .” Another seventeenth-century Englishman,
Samuel Pepys, described the erotic potential of lucid dreaming:
“I had my Lady Castlemayne in my arms and was admitted to
use all the dalliance I desired with her, and then dreamt that this
could not be awake, but that it was only a dream.” The anthro-
pologist-shaman and best-selling author Carlos Casteneda was
instructed by his teacher to look at his hands while dreaming.
When he first accomplished this he found himself in a surreal
and forbidding landscape. Casteneda claimed he mastered the
“art of dreaming” to the point that he could visit other worlds.
Dreaming Yourself Awake integrates the two most effective
approaches to dream practice—lucid dreaming, as developed
and enhanced by the science of psychology, and the dream yoga
of Tibetan Buddhism. Together they will bring you to a life-
changing awakening.
Lucid D reaming
Lucid dreaming is simply being conscious that you are dream­
ing. Many people, especially in childhood, have had lucid
dreams and have described them. Often in lucid dreaming there
is a sense of exhilaration on discovering you are dreaming right
now—an excitement so intense that it may cause you to awaken.
If you are able to maintain both the dream and your awareness
of it, there comes a great sense of freedom. Knowing that the
dream images are insubstantial, you can walk through dreamed
walls or escape the law of gravity, flying over vivid, imagined
landscapes. With training you can shape the dream environ­
ment according to your wishes. Small things can be made large,
large objects shrunk at will. The only limit is your imagination.