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WALLACE
The practices of dream yoga are based upon a three-tiered theory of
consciousness. According to this view, the most coarse and superficial level of
consciousness is what we in the West call the psyche. The psyche comprises the
five physical senses along with conscious and unconscious mental phenomena
thoughts, feelings, sensations, and so forth. This is our ordi- nary, conditioned
mind. The psyche emanates from a deeper, intermediate level, the substrate
consciousness. This is described as a subtle mind stream containing latent habits,
tendencies, and attitudes tracing back to previous lifetimes. The deepest and
most fundamental layer, primordial consciousness encompassing both the
psyche and the substrate consciousnessis an ulti- mate level ofpure wisdom
where the inner (mind) and outer (phenomenal world) are nondual. The
realization of primordial consciousness is the gateway to full enlightenment.
Dream yoga seeks to gradually penetrate to primordial con- sciousness by way of
realizing that everything, oneself included, emerges from and is of the nature of
this primordial, enlight- ened ground. The specific practices of dream yoga
enable one to explore and deeply understand the nature and origin of the mental
phenomena of the psyche, to penetrate to its source the substrate
consciousness, or ground of the ordinary mind and finally to recognize and
dwell in primordial consciousness. Although it initiates this process during sleep
and dreams, dream yoga involves practices employed during the daytime and
aims to awaken our entire lifeday and nightfrom the sleep of samsara.

Dreamless sleep, as we saw in chapter 2, is normally a state that we enter
naturally and unconsciously and in which we remain with a very low level of
awareness, if any at all. (These natural dreamless states are denoted NREM 2, 3,
and 4 in the general- ized sleep pattern mentioned earlier.) It is, however, a state
we can explore and benefit from, if we take a keen interest in under- standing the
nature of consciousness and mental states. Lucid dreamless sleep brings us a
relatively pure experience of the sub- strate. Although the substrate is termed
vacuous, it is not com- pletely empty, not completely unconfigured. Since in the
sleep cycle dreams naturally develop out of dreamless sleep, entering this arena
consciously, or becoming lucid after having entered there, gives us the
opportunity to observe the embryonic devel- opment of a dream. In more
advanced practices, the development of stability in lucid dreamless sleep can be
a crucial factor in ones navigating the after-death bardo.1

One way to directly enter lucid dreamless sleep is to close ones eyes during the
activities of normal lucid dreaming. This brings one immediately to the vacuity of
the substrate. Another method, found in dream yoga, is to concentrate on a
visualized image at the heart chakra.

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Dream yoga seeks to go beyond the psyche, eventually to primor- dial
consciousness, which, when fully realized, is synonymous with the ultimate goal
of Buddhism itselfenlightenment.


Although the substrate consciousness is unique to the indi- vidual
distinguishing it from Jung s collective unconscious6 for Buddhism it is the
basis for subsequent incarnations. It could be said that it is not the individual
that reincarnates but succes- sive expressions of an individual continuum of a
substrate con- sciousness. This mental stream begins to become configured at
conception and is then modified by the thinking, emotions, be- havior, and
experiences of the individual being throughout ones life. Roughly speaking, these
behaviors are stored in the sub- strate consciousness as karmic imprints that
condition the life of the individual as well as future incarnations. Wholesome
behav- ior imprints positive karma leading to a more positive future and possible
evolution toward enlightenment. Nonvirtuous activi- ties imprint negative
karmaseeds that result in negative out- comes in the future. Therefore, the
substrate consciousness is similar to a computer memory chip, where previous
inputs con- stantly modify the present and condition the future operation of the
computer.


A thorough exploration of the substrate consciousness, together with the psyche
it subsumes, provides a launching pad for probing the deepest space of
awareness, primordial conscious- ness. Primordial consciousness transcends all
concepts, includ- ing those of subject and object, existence and nonexistence. It is
timeless and unborn into the relative universe we conceive of as existence. It
is the source of virtues such as compassion, creativity, and wisdom, which
emanate from it spontaneously. The full realization of primordial consciousness
is the achieve- ment of total freedom, enlightenmentthe final victory. This is
the ultimate aim of dream yoga and of all genuine Buddhist practice.



Dream yoga, when supported by the achievement of sha- matha, can also give
one access to supernatural powers such as clairaudience, clairvoyance, and
precognition. These are im- portant for those who teach the Buddhist Dharma. A
teacher with direct access to the thoughts of his students will be far more precise
in providing counsel appropriate to each. The di- rect contact with the substrate
consciousness afforded by the achievement of shamatha and dream yoga allows
one to access memories from previous lifetimes. It is also theoretically possi- ble
that the dream yogi may receive teachings from realized be- ings in dreams.
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There have been many examples of this recorded in the history of diverse
contemplative traditions, including Buddhism.
So, with the substrate consciousness as a platform, one may break through to
pristine awareness. Some appearances that arise in the dream may be mere
artifacts emerging from your substrate, but from the Dzogchen perspective you
may actually encounter a buddha, and you may receive teachings directly from
such a being. So for those whose practice is immersed in Vajrayana, there is the
possibility of traveling to buddhafields, encountering buddhas, and receiving
teachings.


NORBU
The creative potential of dreams is unquestionably valued in traditional Tibetan
culture. Within Tibetan Buddhism there is a class of dreams labeled Milam Ter or
dream treasure. These treasures are teachings that are considered to be the
creations of enlightened beings. The teachings were purposefully hidden or
stored in order to benefit future generations. As a demonstration of their
wisdom the originators of these treasures often prophesied the name of their
discoverer and the time of discovery.
These dreams, which Norbu Rinpoche refers to as clarity dreams, seem to arise
out of intense mental concentration upon a particular problem or subject, as well
as through meditation and ritual. Startling, creative or transcendent outcomes
often emerge from these special dreams, some of which may be channeled.
Great teachers have reported that dreams cease completely when awareness
becomes absolute, to be replaced by luminous clarity of an indescribable nature.
Although there are many different conditions that may lead to dreaming, the
product of the conditions, our dreams, may in general be grouped into two main
categories: the more common types of dreams appearing from karmic traces3
and other types of dreams appearing from the clarity of mind.

People who are practicing Dharma try to relax. Through relaxing the body,
energy, and mind, the elements and energies become balanced and through this
secondary or instant cause different kinds of clarity dreams arise. This is
particularly true for the practitioner who is doing practices related to the
chakras4 and the channels5 which control the prana6 and energy.

They are the type of dreams that manifests through the clarity of ones state of
mind, or rigpa.7

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When someone says practice of the night we usually think of the practice of
lucid dreaming. There are many explanations of lucid dreaming. But in the
Dzogchen teaching, the practice of dream work, and development of lucidity, is
not fundamental. It is a secondary practice. In the case of dream practice,
secondary means that this practice can arise spontaneously or automatically
from doing the principal practice, which is called the practice of natural light.

This practice, the practice of the natural light, actually has to do with the state
prior to dream. For example, a person falls asleep; fall asleep means that all of his
senses vanish into him, and thus he is sleeping. From that point on there is a
passage, a period of transition, until dreams begin. That period may be long or it
may be short.
In the Dzogchen teaching, the last of these phases, the fifth light, is spoken of as
lhundrub,5 the state of self-perfectedness. In that moment you have a
reawakening of consciousness. It is possible for you to recognize that which has
been transmitted to you through direct introduction by the teacher. The
experience of that transmission is what we call the experience of wisdom.

This experience is analogous to that of wisdom. This knowledge is spoken of as
the son knowledge, in comparison to the mother knowledge or full
experience. When we practice, we try to develop this son knowledge. This
knowledge is the son of the mother. Some people succeed in practicing and fully
developing this knowledge, and thus realize themselves totally in this life. It is
said that such a person can realize the Body of Light.6 But even if you have not
realized yourself totally and yet have had experience of practice, then in the
moment after death, in this state of lhundrub when you encounter the mother
light, you will recognize the full presence of wisdom before you return into the
workings of mind. The analogy that is used is that of a son uniting with his
mother. The books speak of the meeting between the son light and the mother
light, but what is really meant is that what we had only an example of, we now
encounter in its fullness. This stateas we proceed through the lights to the
ultimate light, the Ihundrub, or light of self-perfectednessis the state in which
any and every practitioner of Tantrism realizes himself or herself. It is only after
that experience that the state of sipa bardo begins. Up to that point, we
experience the chonyid bardo, the bardo of the Dharmata. Why do we call it the
Dharmata? Because it represents our actual underlying state, or underlying
consciousness. If you have become knowledgeable of, or have awareness of, the
state of natural light, you will also have that awareness and presence in the
moment of dying. If you are capable of dying with presence and awareness, it
means you are knowledgeable about the manifestations of light. In this case you
will have no difficulty recognizing the mother light.


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This is one kind of dream, a karmic dream of bhakshas. Bhakshas means traces of
something left. For example, if there is an empty bottle which once contained
perfume, you can still smell the trace of perfume. That is bhakshas. The other
type of dream is a dream of clarity. Why do we have dreams of clarity? Because
everybody since the beginning has infinite potentiality; that is a qualification of
the natural mind that we all possess. Sometimes, even if we are not doing a
particular practice, a dream of clarity will manifest because we have that nature.
If you are doing practice of the night and becoming more familiar with it, then
not only occasionally, but on a regular basis, you will become familiar What is a
dream of clarity? A dream of clarity manifests when there are secondary causes;
through the secondary causes it manifests as clarity. We can even obtain advice
and predictions for the future because there are secondary causes for future
events. A dream of clarity generally manifests in the early morning. Why? It is
because when we first fell asleep, we sleep very deeply. Slowly we consume this
heaviness and our sleep becomes lighter. As it becomes lighter, clarity can
manifest more easily. If your practice of continuous presence succeeds, then
karmic dreams diminish. This is because they are linked with tensions. The state
of contemplation or presence represents total relaxation. Consequently there
will be no manifestation of tension. In the place of karmic dreams, you can have
more dreams of clarity.

Within the tantric system, the specific dream yoga practice is oriented towards
preparing the practitioner for the bardo after the time of death.

3. Mother Light: In Dzogchen, one practices dream yoga or the practice of the
Clear Light at the moment of falling asleep and before the arising of the dream
state. The experience of Clear Light is known as the son experience. If, through
correct meditative practice or contemplation, the Clear Light has been clearly
recognized during life, then at death the practitioner once more recognizes and
integrates with the mother Clear Light. This is known as the joining of the son
and the mother. The mother Clear Light is the natural, innate luminosity as it
appears in its fullest expression in the after-death state.

PONLOP

Padmasambhava teaches three primary methods for working with the con-
fusion of the bardo of dream and bringing that experience onto the path of
enlightenment. They are the trainings in illusory body, dream yoga, and
luminosity yoga. These practices cultivate the recognition of minds true nature
through the recognition of the appearances of both daytime and nighttime as
being inseparable appearance-emptiness, and through the recognition of the
state of deep sleep as being luminous awareness.

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The third main method given by Padmasambhava for taking the bardo of dream
onto the path of enlightenment is the training in luminosity yoga, or the yoga of
deep sleep. The state of sleep occurs when the six conscious- nesses dissolve into
the all-basis consciousness. This means that they are no longer directed
outward; they are no longer moving toward or making contact with their objects.

The essence of deep sleep is, in fact, great luminosity, the true nature of mind. It
is utterly bright and utterly vivid. It is a dense clarity, and because its clarity is so
dense, it has a blind- ing effect on the confused mind. When we purify the
ignorance of deep sleep, when we transcend that delusion and further penetrate
the intense clarity, then we experience the clear, luminous nature of mind.

If we train successfully in the luminosity of deep sleep and become capable of
transcending our confusion during sleep and dreams, it is said that we will then
be able to apply this ability at the stage of death. If we can mix the luminosity of
deep sleep with the luminosity of death, we will then be able to arise in a pure
wisdom body that is free of confusion.

When we purify the confusion of deep sleep and rec- ognize minds empty,
luminous nature, we attain the state of dharmakaya. The dharmakaya is the
empty essence of mind, the fundamental nature of all phenomena. It is
nonconceptual awareness, and therefore beyond all speech, thought and
expression. It is the true experience of the naked state of alpha pure mind. The
sambhogakaya is the radiant, blissful energy of this fundament

The arising of the ground luminosity signals the first stage of the bardo of
dharmata. It is our first experience of the genuine luminosity of mind, its full
state of wisdom. Viewed from the perspective of our practice and our spiritual
journey, it is an extraordinary moment. It is the time when every aspect of the
all-basis consciousness, the alaya-vijnana, has dis- solved into the fundamental
state of wisdom, and we return to the origi- nal space of mindits starting point.
Since all aspects of our relative, conceptual mind have ceased, minds absolute
nature of mind is revealed. Because that absolute nature is buddha nature, or
tathagatagarbha, our experience in this moment is a vivid experience of
enlightened mind.


As described previously, mind-itself, the fundamental nature of our mindthe
state of suchness or dharmatais the source or root of both pure and impure
appearances. Because it is the ground of all appearances, it is also known as the
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alaya, which means all-basis, or basis of all. This all-basis mind has two
aspects: the pure all-basis and the impure all- basis. In its pure state, it is called
the alaya-jnana, the all-basis wisdom, which has the quality of luminosity, clarity
and complete wakefulness. This mind is without beginning or end; it is beyond
all time and it is the source or basis for all phenomena. It is synonymous with
buddha nature and the dharmakaya. In its impure state, it is called the alaya-
vijnana, the all-basis consciousness, the mind of duality, which is synonymous
with the confused perception of ordinary beings. It is the mindstream that
continues from moment to moment and is the holder of karmic seeds. In other
words, when the all-basis, or the alaya, is impure, it is called con- sciousness,
but when seen in its pure aspect, it is called wisdom.



TENZIN
Focusing on the tigle or syllable, whether by grasping or by letting it appear, is
only a first step. The real intent is to become unified with the object. Let us take,
for example, the letter A. A is the symbol of the unborn, unchanging, natural state
of mind; rather than focusing on it as an object, it is best to merge with the
pervasive essence it represents. Actually this happens every night, because
falling asleep is "falling" into pure rigpa, but when one is identified with the
gross conceptual mind which ceases functioning in deep sleep the experience
is of unconsciousness rather than rigpa. Rigpa can be discovered in sleep
because it is already there.

CLEAR LIGHT SLEEP The third kind of sleep, which is realized through sleep
yoga, is clear light sleep. It is also called the sleep of clarity. It occurs when the
body is sleeping but the practitioner is neither lost in darkness nor in dreams,
but instead abides in pure awareness.
Cilj yoge dubokog spavanja je ulazak u stanje Alaya-vijnane sa namjerom
iskustva prirodnog stanja uma tj. Blistavog uma. Kako bi to ostvarili nuno je da
u stanju dubokog spavanja koje odgovara NREM 2 i 3 fazi postanemo lucidni i
tako iskusimo predsanjalako stanje uma. Jedna od moguih tehnika je da u
trenutku lucidnog sna koji se tie povrinskih sedam slojeva svijesti zaklopimo
oi kako bi "zaronili" u najdublji i temeljni sloj. Druga tehnika sastoji se u
vjebanju ulaska u san koncentrirajui se na srani predio grudi u kojem se
obino vizualizira slovo A unutar simbola poznatog kao thigle, koje oznaava
"neroeno, prirodno stanje uma", Rigpa. Potpuno ostvarenje tog prirodnog
stanja je zapravo prosvjetljenje koje je jednako sa "ostvarenjem potencijala
"Tathagathagarbha- Buda prirode. To je prirodno stanje uma poznato i kao
Dharmata (Takovost) ili Alaya-jnana (za razliku od "neiste" Alaya-Vijnana). Ono
je usavrena nedualna mudrost Prajna iliti Gnoza-Jnana.
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Jedna od prednosti ovakvog lucidnog dubokog spavanja jest transformacija
Karme na samom korijenu ali i kontakt sa razliitim izvorima duhovnog znanja
tzv. Milam ter "Sanjalako blago". Takvi snovi izlaze iz kategorije snova
uvjetovanih karmom i predstavljaju "snove jasnoe" koji su u svom konanom
obliku u potpunosti osloboeni sanjanja sadravajui samo istu svijest. Stoga na
zapadu popularna tehnika lucidnog sanjanja u Vajrayani nije od presudnog
znaaja ve je lucidnost spavanja bez sna glavni fokus tzv. "prakse prirodnog
svjetla".
Ve smo spomenuli kako je proces umiranja i spavanja vrlo slian. U fazi
dubokog spavanja ili tokom smrti u potpunoj nesvjesti (chokyi bardo), pojavljuje
se fenomen pet svjetala gdje zadnje, peto svjetlo predstavlja lhundrub-"samo-
usavreno stanje". Iskustvo lhundruba upravo je cilj prakse dubokog spavanja i
to iskustvo se smatra iskustvom Prajne-mudrosti. Kada se iskustvo petog svjetla
doivljava tokom ivota kao npr. u stanju lucidnog dubokog spavanja ono se
simbolino naziva "svijetlo sina" ili "znanje sina". Za razliku od ovog fenomena
"svijetlo majke" ili "znanje majke" odnosi se na isto svjetlo tokom umiranja.
Kada tokom umiranja umirui prepozna, zahvaljujui praksi za vrijeme ivota,
"svijetlo majke" dogaa se tzv. "spajanje sina i majke". Ovaj spoj rezultira u
svojevrsnom uskrsnuu svijesti umrlog u "istom tijelu mudrosti" (jnana-
dharmakaya). "isto tijelo mudrosti" u budistikom kontekstu predstavlja
"sveznajuu svijest koja prebiva u kontinuiranoj nedualnoj meditativnoj
ravnotei na prazninu".
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Slian koncept pojavljuje se unutar tantrikog
Kamirskog aivaizma koji je tekao usporedo sa tantrikim budizmom. U
najvanijem spisu ove kole, iva sutrama nalazimo objanjenje: "ista Mudrost
je manifestacija vrhunske ne-dualnosti. Njeno tijelo je njena forma. Stoga, isto
Tijelo Mudrosti obuhvaa veliku cjelovitost svih zvukova ija sutina je konano
sadrana u najvioj ne-dualnoj Svijesti."
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1
"Highest yoga tantra", Daniel Cozort, str. 23
2
II, 3 (prijevod Paul Muller-Ortega)