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

138 : the second dalai lama

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.