Bridging the Gap Between Sleep and Wake

Hi all. I'm new here, and very glad to have found this forum. I have always had semi-lucid dreams, and I attempted, a couple of years ago, to develop my abilities in them after coming accross Stephen LaBerge's material. I had some success, but eventually fell out of practice and went back to having mostly "black" nights. Anyway, I'm just now starting up the practice again, and already last night I remembered a number of dreams quite distinctly.

What I am most interested in, however, is the dream-like nature of so-called "waking" life. Especially since I started developing lucid dreams a couple of years ago, I've really become concious of just how rediculous waking life is. It's almost as though dreams are a direct reflection of the dizzying nature of daily existence. Time passes quicker and quicker every day; people rarely remember what you've told them; if you write an email or a thread such as this, people don't usually read the whole thing and try to get an understanding of what's being said; everyone understands words in a little different light; disasters happen; all the time situations are being altered and things change; concerns are forgotten; yesterday's news is better left as non-existent; policies are there somewhere, but we just aren't quite sure why or who wrote them...

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Anyway, happy to have found the forum. Tally-ho.

Yeah once you think about it the absurdity is obvious. Most of us are lost, some are searching, and very few have found.

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Originally Posted by Slant

Hi all. I'm new here, and very glad to have found this forum. I have always had semi-lucid dreams, and I attempted, a couple of years ago, to develop my abilities in them after coming accross Stephen LaBerge's material. I had some success, but eventually fell out of practice and went back to having mostly "black" nights. Anyway, I'm just now starting up the practice again, and already last night I remembered a number of dreams quite distinctly.

What I am most interested in, however, is the dream-like nature of so-called "waking" life. Especially since I started developing lucid dreams a couple of years ago, I've really become concious of just how rediculous waking life is. It's almost as though dreams are a direct reflection of the dizzying nature of daily existence. Time passes quicker and quicker every day; people rarely remember what you've told them; if you write an email or a thread such as this, people don't usually read the whole thing and try to get an understanding of what's being said; everyone understands words in a little different light; disasters happen; all the time situations are being altered and things change; concerns are forgotten; yesterday's news is better left as non-existent; policies are there somewhere, but we just aren't quite sure why or who wrote them...

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Anyway, happy to have found the forum. Tally-ho.

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I consider life a cruel comedy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slant

What I am most interested in, however, is the dream-like nature of so-called "waking" life. Especially since I started developing lucid dreams a couple of years ago, I've really become concious of just how rediculous waking life is. It's almost as though dreams are a direct reflection of the dizzying nature of daily existence. Time passes quicker and quicker every day; people rarely remember what you've told them; if you write an email or a thread such as this, people don't usually read the whole thing and try to get an understanding of what's being said; everyone understands words in a little different light; disasters happen; all the time situations are being altered and things change; concerns are forgotten; yesterday's news is better left as non-existent; policies are there somewhere, but we just aren't quite sure why or who wrote them...

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Anyway, happy to have found the forum. Tally-ho.

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the dream-like nature of waking life is often brought up and analyzed in tibetan dream buddhism. I definitely agree with you that there are more similarities in the two than most see at face value. I do not consider myself a buddhist, but if you have questions about the nature of dreams and waking life, I recommend you read some tibetan dream yoga texts. Thousands of years of experiment and insight behind it. It's up to you, I know I can't just will you to following my advice :D

welcome to the forums btw

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Originally Posted by ParadigmShift

the dream-like nature of waking life is often brought up and analyzed in tibetan dream buddhism. I definitely agree with you that there are more similarities in the two than most see at face value. I do not consider myself a buddhist, but if you have questions about the nature of dreams and waking life, I recommend you read some tibetan dream yoga texts. Thousands of years of experiment and insight behind it. It's up to you, I know I can't just will you to following my advice :D

welcome to the forums btw

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I'm quite interested actually, but I wonder if you can give me a title or two to look for? I seem to remember LaBerge mentioning Tibetan Dream practices when I was reading his stuff, but I'm pretty sure I never pursued it. Then again, you know how memory works...it's like shrinking yourself down and trying to stand on your head while inside a blender on very low speed. Then all of the sudden you get poured into a smoothie and eaten!!!:banana:

I read the Tibetan Yoga of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. That one was quite good, interesting read, lots of practical tips and techniques combined with philosophy of dreams.

-Redrivertears-

The rediculous nature of Reality. Especially when you compair reality to the infinite number of Could-have-been-Realities in your imagination, this world is bizarre, rediculous and amazingly wack beyond words.

The Sky, The grass and plants, Cars, Houses, Offices, Trains and traintracks, electicitry wiring high overhead, airplanes, the moon, stars, cats and dogs, birds and insects, Wind and temperature, The ocean, Octopusses, Sharks, Jaguars, Psychedelic mushrooms and ayahuasca, cultures, tribes, nations, weapons, warfare, MacDonnalds, Governments and taxes, Kings and palaces, farmers, prisoners, cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, temples, prayer, Television, Satelites, Cellphones, Mountains, Snow, Ice, Glaciers, rainforrests, Volcanos, Metropolis'es, Metros, Suitcases, Glasses, Keys & doors, Castles, Platopus'es, Crocodiles & alligators, Bacteria, Iron, Diamond, Mines, Coal, Nuclear Reactors, Nuclear bombs, Helicopters, Flowers, Trees, Hills, Planes, Canyons, Rivers, Waterfalls, Rabbitholes, Cigars, Monacles, Rain, Hailstones, Frost, Desserts, Polar caps, Tornados, Tsunamis, earthquakes, graveyards, monuments, cash, Airfields, Hotels, Fishermen, Sailing ships, Pirates, Colonialism, Genocide, Music, Tattoos, piercings, shoes, binoculairs, bullets, knives, hats, churches, gardens, shrines....

Jezus, who makes up all of this? It's rediculous. Beautyfull for sure, but plain out loud rediculous. My dreams often make more sense than "reality"

I love this thread. :D

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Originally Posted by SKA

The rediculous nature of Reality. Especially when you compair reality to the infinite number of Could-have-been-Realities in your imagination, this world is bizarre, rediculous and amazingly wack beyond words.

The Sky, The grass and plants, Cars, Houses, Offices, Trains and traintracks, electicitry wiring high overhead, airplanes, the moon, stars, cats and dogs, birds and insects, Wind and temperature, The ocean, Octopusses, Sharks, Jaguars, Psychedelic mushrooms and ayahuasca, cultures, tribes, nations, weapons, warfare, MacDonnalds, Governments and taxes, Kings and palaces, farmers, prisoners, cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, temples, prayer, Television, Satelites, Cellphones, Mountains, Snow, Ice, Glaciers, rainforrests, Volcanos, Metropolis'es, Metros, Suitcases, Glasses, Keys & doors, Castles, Platopus'es, Crocodiles & alligators, Bacteria, Iron, Diamond, Mines, Coal, Nuclear Reactors, Nuclear bombs, Helicopters, Flowers, Trees, Hills, Planes, Canyons, Rivers, Waterfalls, Rabbitholes, Cigars, Monacles, Rain, Hailstones, Frost, Desserts, Polar caps, Tornados, Tsunamis, earthquakes, graveyards, monuments, cash, Airfields, Hotels, Fishermen, Sailing ships, Pirates, Colonialism, Genocide, Music, Tattoos, piercings, shoes, binoculairs, bullets, knives, hats, churches, gardens, shrines....

Jezus, who makes up all of this? It's rediculous. Beautyfull for sure, but plain out loud rediculous. My dreams often make more sense than "reality"

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Hi Ska,

Yes, it's really quite absurd when you think about it. I remember when I first smoked pot many years ago (have since stopped), I just sat there and laughed my ass off at the total absurdity of everything. It really became annoying to the people around me, but hey...if they saw things the way I did they'd probably have done the same!

What really gets me is the pathetic little systems that we come up with to occupy our time. 98% of the world (myself included) spends every working day engaged in utter mindless nonsense, all (ultimately) for the sake of avoiding the subject of death -- the big "D" -- we'll do anything to keep from thinking about it!!! And then, as if that weren't enough, we sometimes get so presumptuous as to think that we're somehow morally superior to those we percieve aren't doing anything, when perhaps they are really engaged in a deep inner dialogue, and perhaps they have reached areas of the psyche that we can't even conceive of. Who's to say, right?

I'd sensed it previously, but hadn't thought of it in exactly these terms before I wrote this thread, but it makes complete sense to me now: the more you become conscious of how dreams operate, the more you naturally notice how waking life is similar to it. The ephemeral and changing nature of the "real" world, especially, bears a striking resemblance to Dream Land. The way that your attention gets thrown this way and that!...ahh...what a life. Who are they that can see through the clutter and maintain a still mind? Very, very hard task.

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Originally Posted by Slant

the more you become conscious of how dreams operate, the more you naturally notice how waking life is similar to it.

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This makes so much sense to me. At times when I would otherwise be depressed, I now look around and just wonder at how ridiculous everything is. Including whatever it is that's keeping me down. Then I just grin.

I didn't realize this is because I've gotten into lucid dreaming. Thank you for that insight. :)

Yes... I think that noticing the interconnections of everything definitely makes me see the absurdity and comedy of existence... but then I feel that the thought of the Tragedy of existence intensifies everything as well and brings me down to earth a little more.

But going along with the post title: can anyone think of of ways to bridge waking reality with the dream... aside from controlling your mind better and doing reality checks?