Re: Another Step One question - EOM and lucid dreams

["David Yeh" <ldreamr@...>]

--- In BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com, "Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@n...> 
wrote:
> No, Bardon didn't suggest any dreamwork in his books. Dreamwork is
> mostly about the exploration of one's own psyche from *within the 
dream
> state*. With the Bardon work, the psyche is explored, confronted 
and
> transformed through experiences and practices done while in the 
*awake*
> state. This is a much more direct and reliable context for the
> transformation of the psyche than working within a dream state. The
> direct approach also has the side-effect, if you will, of 
enlivening the
> dream state and *naturally* transforming into a "lucid" state of 
*self*
> possession and *self* will. At that point, lucid dreaming can be a 
very
> good tool for increasing your understanding of the dynamic processes
> within your own psyche.

Thanks Rawn.

I have had a bit of experience with lucid dreams but after a while of 
trying to have them, I realized that I was getting bored. I didn't 
know where else to go with it -- I mean I could manipulate my 
environment at will, but other than recreation and gratification, I 
couldn't find a reason to do it. It was just too much work to be 
worth it. But from looking at various spiritual approaches to 
different states of consciousness, it's become more plain to me that 
there is a point, it's just part of a larger context of growth and 
learning than just using the dream as a Holodeck. so what you said 
makes sense.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has an interesting book called The Tibetan 
Yogas of Dream of Sleep, in which he outlines Tibetan usage of sleep 
and dream states to achieve a state of "clear light," which I suppose 
is deep emptiness of self. Very interesting to notice the 
convergence of the perspectives.

Which leads me to a few other questions on emptiness. I think I am 
finally experiencing scanty moments of "true" emptiness. It feels 
like whenever I experience it, I grab at it and try to hold it and so 
it slips away. So instead I just have to keep "dodging" thoughts and 
focus on being open and allowing the emptiness to permeate me. Does 
that sound about right?

Also, Rawn, you mentioned that in step one Bardon only expects the 
student to have achieved a silencing of surface thoughts, not a 
complete emptiness of mind. At one point does is Bardon's minimal 
requirement for having achieved vacancy of mind fulfilled: At the 
point where my thoughts stop being verbal and begin to be more 
feeling-ideas, or at the point where they are entirely gone? How do 
you differentiate between awareness of inner experience in general 
(thoughts, ideas, feelings, images, etc.) and awareness of thought (a 
la Thought Control) if they are all connected and related?

And is it normal to feel fear when opening up to this emptiness? It 
feels like I am resisting the letting go of my ego-boundaries.


Thanks so much,

David