Meditation and Lucid Dreaming

signing in

Hey everyone,

I've just learned that classes are to start sometime this week (possibly as early as monday):cheeky:

I'd like to ask what time zone everyone is in and when people will be available for live chat.

A "Lucid Dream Meditation" thread will be added into the "Courses" section shortly. Please check in the next few days for more updates.

Thanks for your patience!!!

I'm in GMT -8, and I'm available pretty much every day after school (4-10pm my time, 3-10pm on Tuesday/Thursday) and all day on weekends, as long as I don't have to get up too early.

Is there any sort of application other than just posting in this thread? Is everyone automatically accepted, or would that make for too big of a class?

Signing in....unless admissions have already closed. Idea of Lucid Meditation sounds intriguing.

I'm on Australian Eastern Standard time- though plenty of free time so it may just work out.

I was wondering whether class would get too crowded as well- maybe there's going to be 'Course 1 A-M' and 'Course 2 N-Z'. Both with the same information but just so monitoring the classes may just be easier on the professors half....anyway, I'm rambling now.

Timezone here is central european (GMT+1). For the next one or two weeks I can more or less deal with any time, later I dont know because I might have a job then :)
I wouldn't worry too much about too many people joining, because I assume that some people will just drop the whole thing sooner or later anyway for several reasons (not enough time, just forgetting about the whole thing, motivational drop etc.).
If the class were to be split (which I don't assume because waving on oceans probably needs a little sleep too and maybe even has a life besides giving courses on DV ;) ), then it would probably better to split by timezone rather than by name.
That being said, depending on how this whole thing will be managed/structured, it will be certainly a good idea to keep the content somewhere where people in the course can access it later, because almost everyone might probably miss one or two (live) lessons for different reasons and it would be nice if everyone would still be up to date.

I just want to add that I am really looking forward to this and cant wait for it to begin :):):)
Thanks waving for doing this!

GMT 0 anytimes good

I'm on GMT -6 US Central time.

I'm also GMT+1

But i have no real obligations so anytime is good for me, i'll make it work ;)

i'm in!

GMT-5
I'm pretty busy this time of year but I usually get home around 4:30 - 5:00 and I typically have some time then.

US Eastern -4 for me. I can usually get on sometime after 4:00 PM.

Oh, forgot to mention, Friday I'm good after 5:00, Saturday and Sunday I'm open anytime more or less.

I'm at GMT exact, anytime after 4pm is good

i've never meditated before but from what i've heard it's very benificial to dreaming in general i cant imagine what it would do in an LD so with that you can.....
Count me in!

not sure i undesrstand the whole time zone thing but i think im in this:

GMT -5 US eastern time zone

i dont understand the live chat but i'm available any time from 5 to 9 pm on weekdays and from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on weekends

I am PST (GMT -7, it's daylight savings time) and am a highschool student so any time from 4:00PM to 11:00PM is pretty good for me (on weekdays at least, earlier in the day is fine on weekends).

I am GMT -10 (Hawaii) so this will be interesting.... perhaps our first live chat can be on the weekend, hopefully no one will have to be up at midnight or anything like that to join the first chat. I am available early in the morning (6 to about 8) and most afternoons and evenings (5pm-12am) as I usually go to sleep kinda late and wake up fairly early. I was thinking that the class as a whole should stay together ideally. I was thinking that 1) we should hold one live session on the weekends at a time where everyone can participate and 2) possibly have a day in the week where we can hold two shorter check-in/Q&A session, one in the morning and evening....that way people have an option to pick which one works for them.

That sounds ok with everyone?

That sounds good. You being on Hawaii time is actually great timing for me, but many of the others might have some problems. Hopefully we can find something good that works for everyone.

Hey,

While everyone is waiting I would like to throw some links your way to check out:

http://videosift.com/video/Tibetan-M...ugh-Meditation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8652837.stm
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ji...f_insight.html
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k2hg216724k21411/
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/893971/3578622

Suggested Reading:
An Open Heart, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Be Here Now, by Baba Ram Dass
Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramhansa Yogananda
Bhagavad Gita, climax of the Hindu Bible
Tao te Ching, by Lao-Tsu
Dhammapada, ascribed to be written by the Buddha himself

For those of you who are serious, I suggest at least going to the bookstore and reading An Open Heart, it is by far the best introductory book on meditation with excellent description of the various types of meditation. All the books listed above are written/inspired by enlightened minds and are EXCELLENT.

Watching Jill Bolte Taylor's "My Stroke of Insight" will be one of your first assignments. I will ask for a short description of what the video talks about and your reaction to it. This is an example of someone accidentally discovering nirvana. The reason I will be asking you to watch this video (either now or once class starts) is to give an example of someone who achieved this state without formal practice. Hopefully this will 1) give you an example of the wondrous nature of the human mind and 2) encourage you in your practice. If someone can have the experience accidentally (and she is most definitely an extreme case) that gives president for everyone else also having the experience.

The state of mind she refers to is an experience I have also been blessed to encounter in my life, one that I hope to share with you.

When exactly does the course begin? How do i sign up for this?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hussain

When exactly does the course begin? How do i sign up for this?

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Well if you want to...you just did :D

Ok guys, here is the syllabus:

Spoiler for Lucid Dream Meditation Syllabus:

Lucid Dream Meditation Syllabus

Lucid Dream Meditation Syllabus

Introduction
Lucid Dream Meditation is a technique that integrates meditation with lucid dreaming. There are many advantages, from a meditative viewpoint, the sleep state offers a meditator. While asleep, the mind is fully disconnected with information streaming in from the body. This disconnection between mind and body is perfect to foster a meditative reflection. During long meditation sessions a similar disconnect can also occur, but this requires long hours of practice. By learning the basics of both meditation and lucid dreaming, while practicing both methods, the practitioner is allotted a fully relaxed body, a heightened awareness, and armed with a sharpened mind.

Format
The course will go four weeks. Over that time I plan to focus each week on one meditative technique with a schedule for daily meditations. Depending on the type of meditation, lengths will vary. I assume most students will be taking other DVA classes so Im sure you will all be saturated with information about recall, control, and various techniques.

Requirements
All that is required is a willing mind, and a pair of shoes.

Meditation Techniques
This course will focus on quickly learning the basics of meditation. Id say 80% of this technique is in the meditation prep and 20% in the dream- because once you do the work, the dream will take care of itself. Personally there are four meditations that I believe are the ones to work on, and they somewhat go in order:

1) Meditation to clear the mind.

This is where to begin. If you don't have experience with meditation I suggest checking out "Be Here Now" by Baba Ram Dass and "An Open Heart" by the Dalai Lama- both have insights into meditation and are both aimed at the beginner. (Id suggest reading them both)

In this section we will focus on clearing the mind. Meditations will include focusing on the breath, listening, basic stretching, and deep relaxation. Eventually this meditation will become the "warm-up" aspect of future meditations.

Just like keeping a Dream Journal, don't move on to the second phase until you have a strong base to work off of in the previous section.

2) Meditation to focus single-pointed concentration.

In this phase, one is exercising concentration and single-pointed focus. This would make sense- if you want to explore a different dimension of thought you can't be losing your focus on it. Placing all your concentration on a single object and holding that concentration is the goal here.

3) Meditation to explore abstractions/analytical meditation.

This meditation is difficult because, well, its abstract!! Im also combining two meditation techniques in this one- not so much that they are so similar, more that they both hold a similar importance- opening the mind.


4) Meditation on the nature of self/emptiness.

This is where its really at.

Lucid Dream Techniques
Next time you are in a lucid dream begin to meditate. :cheeky:

Practicing Mindfulness
This course will give best results while cultivating awareness. Be mindful of your surroundings as much as possible. With the added focus on your dreaming, the meditation practice, and practicing mindfulness you will see your inner-world reshape itself in many ways. Meditation has always helped to clear up my dream focus and increase my recall. While practicing all these techniques simultaneously, any and all efforts you place towards making gains in this genre are amplified (imo). Any and all progress made will depend on the amount of effort put in. Those who practice moderately will have moderate gains. Those who practice with full conviction gain the prize. (Im only telling you as I was told)

Tentative Schedule
I hope to have at least two or three days a week where everyone will make an effort to meet for live chat. Once a week (Most likely on the weekend) I will plan a talk on a subject that will probably go about a half hour long, often ending in a group meditation (YES! We will be doing group meditation...I wonder, this could be the first online group meditation of its kind...crazy). I would hope to have one chat a week devoted to questions and keep it more of a check-in day (this is where i may break up the class into a morning and evening sessions to make it easier for everyone). Depending on how everything goes I might plan to have group meditation sessions during chat and that would be it for the day :D

Week One
Class one: Introduction and General Discussion. Assignment: Watch "My stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor on TED.com. Begin reading An Open Heart, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Highly suggested- if you don't want to buy it just go to the book store over a three day period and sit with your coffee or tea....just don't spill any on the pages :P
Class two: Introduction into meditation. First group meditation session.

Week Two
Class three: Meditation to Clear the Mind. Second group meditation. Assignment.
Class four: General Discussion Q/A Third group meditation.
Class five: Meditation to focus single-pointed concentration. Fourth group meditation. Assignment.

Week Three
Class six: Meditation to explore abstractions. Fifth group meditation. Assignment.
Class seven: Meditation to explore analytical thought. Sixth group meditation. Assignment.
Class eight: Group Meditation. Seventh group meditation.

Week Four
Class nine: Meditation on the nature of self/emptiness. Eighth group meditation.
Class ten: Group Meditation. Ninth group meditation.
Class eleven: Group Meditation. Tenth group meditation.

And here is my plan for our first live chat (date to be specified):

Spoiler for Class One:

Class One

This class will be introductory, everyone meet and greet. We will decide on when is a good time to conduct class in general and schedule the next class.

On the first day I will go over basic meditation, why one would be interested in doing it, and really hammer in: its like riding a bicycle: the only way to learn is to start trying and like all little kids, everyone one picks it up at a different pace.

The first assignment will be to check out the book: An Open Heart, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Also, I will ask students to watch the video "My Stroke of Insight" by PhD Jill Bolte Taylor:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ji...f_insight.html

This is an example of how someone with NO meditation background was able to achieve nirvana ACCIDENTALLY- I hope to showcase here that this state of mind is PRE-EXISTING AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL for everyone. Its not a state of mind we are trying to develop, because it is already fully formed. We are merely trying to quiet the mind to ALLOW IT TO SURFACE. We are using dreams as a way to readily access this mind.

Answer questions.

As far as I can tell, classes will open here at DVA shortly (Everyone keep an eye out for an announcement from louie about this). A "courses" section of DVA will show up (can you all see that yet??) and in it all the threads for the courses. I will use the pull down windows (spoilers I learned they are called *winks at Naiya*) to organize the classes. The spoiler for the second class will *hopefully* go in the Lucid Dream Meditation thread once this dream-ship goes airborne. Currently, I would like everyone to fasten your seat belts cause I think we may be on the runway :cheeky:

Thanks everyone!!

Looks good :)

My time zone is.... +2 GMT :S

Ready to roll!! Can't wait to start!!!

sign me in, too

Ok just so everyone knows....there has been an on-going talk about prerequisites for these courses. I am more than willing to take anyone on, but the way DVA is structured there are some requirements (I don't know if this is for certain) There may be a minimum 2 week membership requirement. If you believe you may be subject to that cut off, private message me if you are serious about the course- as we may have to pull some strings. I assure you, even if it is a problem we can figure out something :D