Life implication of LD

[hal42]

Hello everybody, I had a question i wanted to ask to everybody, especially expert dreamers. I am a natural LD and i grew up in a buddhist context. Now i'm studying psychology and i'm quite curios about the relationship with ourselves and reality. I've read several books about LD and of course had my experience. The thing is that LD shows us a direct way to experience the projective power of the brain, in other words how reality is intrinsically related to perception. This is of course a topic that in the latest times comes out really often in neuroscience and that is quite recognized in the scientific community. Now my question is, for you lucid dreaming actually helps feeling that there is no actual objective reality that we can experience? Especially for naturals that had to grew up with that and could compare their experience with non-lucid dreamers since they were kinda little. And in case, does this kind of experience help you to face the problems/questions of life? I don't know if i have been clear, in case i will try to explain myself better once i have some answers thanks! P.S I've seen that there are already some similar threads but they don't exactly mean what i wanted to mean

[Valis1]

I think that dream yoga and lucid dreaming in general are strong tools for developing the insight of emptiness. One sees, in lucid dreams, clearly and directly how it is the mind itself that constructs reality. Once emptiness is realised, the karma inducing factors of craving and aversion stop functioning. The confusion and emotional turmoil which attachment and aversion cause, based on the misunderstanding that phenomena are 'independently arising', is what keeps us trapped in Samsara, the insight of emptiness stops this cycle of strife and suffering. But to answer your question more directly, yes lucid dreaming helps one understand the illusory nature of all relative phenomena, which helps lessen the confusion which leads to unnecessary suffering in daily life. When one no longer sees things as "really real", their ability to produce negative emotions and reactions which lead to more suffering are greatly diminished, exactly how diminished is dependent on ones depth of understanding of emptiness.

[hal42]

The first part of the explanation you gave is a way of seeing it with a precise interpretation behind. That's the mechanism but what can somebody conclude without that background? what i was thinking is that emptiness is part of the experience of the mind and it can happen in everyday life without aknowledging that. As you said LD shows directly how the mind builds itself the reality. What i was really wondering is if most of the people that experience that come to apply it in everyday life (in a simple way like if dreams are so real, reality shouldn't be so different from a dream, why am i so sad for that stupid thing? why am i so attached?) without having any knowledge about this kind of concepts. Also like meditation in general has lots of clinical applications for mental disorders (depression anxiety ext.). Could it be the same for lucid dreams? Doing the same they did with mindfullness meditation and use it to improve the relative condition of people.

[Valis1]

I think you said it well, I do think this kind of 'Life is much like a dream' attitude will occur to most people who Lucid dream a good amount, I think this idea is almost inherent in the idea and experience of the lucid dream state. But of course a knowledge a Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, etc philosophy would increase the likelihood of this realisation, like you said as well. "Doing the same they did with mindfullness meditation and use it to improve the relative condition of people." This is a very interesting idea and I do think this is very possible, lucid dreaming increases mental flexibility and automatically gives one a new perspective on life in general, this I think can help people break out of negative, mechanical, and neurotic thinking and behaviour patterns. This seems similar to what I have read about LSD and psilocybin therapy. I would not be surprised if one day in the future lucid dream practice, and contemplation on the insights it is conducive to, become a accepted treatment modality in the therapeutic setting. I also think that being in the lucid dream state has another psychological benefit. Considering how limiting physical life is, one is continuously imprisoned by gravity and the slowness of the physical body, it is only in the lucid dream state where one inhabits a body which meets the minds hope and need for freedom and fluidity, which sadly normal life cannot deliver. I always experience the lucid dream state as a great relief and consolation for many hours of boredom and inadequacy. Ones day is much better when one can enjoy the memory of a better place and look forward to the next reprieve from physical existence.