A question!

[Wave87]

Alright so first I found two more dream signs, Most of my dreams have water in them and have atleast one scene at my house. But heres the real question. How do you improve your reasoning because I had a few dreams last night I'lll list them. A guy was showing us a tour of his house and we went upstairs and it was an empty room but I thought to myself in the dream "I have a better idea for this room, an indoor garden. Then the room turned into an indoor garden but i though nothing of it! Also I was sent to my room for fighting with my sister and i was listening to my ipod on my bed and it began to dissapear in front of me in my hand and I thought to myself oh it's just an eye trick and I began to have a dream within a dream. Then when i woke up from that dream in a dream a women was on my bed and she was trying to teach me about lucid dreams! So if you have any tips for improving your realization I will be very thankfull!

[futureghost]

I always advise at least very basic Zen training. such a large part of becoming adept with dream-states is concentration and focus. You can not have "too much".

[Wave87]

What is Zen?

[futureghost]

ask again.

[Wave87]

Um, I don't know what you're saying, but I looked it up and I'm not into Buddhism so I'll just keep dream journaling.

[futureghost]

You don't really need to be Buddhist to practice Zazen. Zazen is just Zen meditation (sitting learning to breath and focus). I responded the way I did because Zen is traditionally taught through short stories or poems called "Koans" which often do not make sense from any perspective of interpretation but the correct mindset, in this way reading them helps the people who are studying Zen to practice. the Question "What is Zen?" is THE classic question, the answer will betray whether or not the one answering has any grasp of Zen. The response "Ask again" if answered with the question "what is Zen?" would have been met with the same response as many times as necessary because the dance between question and response demonstrates the process of practice and it resembles breathing also. Unfortunately explaining this is not very Zen unless i go on to tell you that none of it's true and then am I lying or telling the truth? maybe neither? Good luck with your dream journaling

[saltyseedog]

Be focused in waking life. You will be focused in dreams and you will be lucid. Not obsessively focused, just aware of what you're feeling, what you are doing, whats happening Now. Be accepting of your thoughts. Its ok if you are unfocused sometimes, just being accepting of what you are right now. And if its hard to deal with that just be silly.

[Wave87]

Futureghost, do you know where I could find out more about Zen?

[futureghost]

The absolute BEST way is to volunteer at a monastery and study WITH the monks (there are Zen Monasteries EVERYWHERE, just Google) However if this is too intense for you, I would recommend picking up a book on Zen training (there are many books on the subject in fact by the Title "Zen Training") and study it, which is what you would need to do in order to be allowed to stay at a monastery anyway. Probably for you the best bet would be to study a bit and then visit a monastery and request some help, or direction. They usually have classes. You really don;t need to be Buddhist BTW, but it would be a REALLY good idea to at least know what their beliefs are so that you can treat them with respect. Other stuff is really a no briner like : If you are offered food Eat it and smile and don't complain. Or, don't talk to much...They are monks. Also, they pretty much build and take care of their monasteries themselves, the food they eat, they generally grew it themselves Making it EXTRA important to be appreciative. If you don't agree with something that they believe just stay quiet, it's not a democracy it's a monastery. I think that stuff is common sense though. they have Visiting days and you need to make sure you come on one of those the first time. if you DO go...it's an immensely fascinating experience...you won't regret it or forget it I promise that.