I’m currently in Nepal and wondering if anyone in the community knows about monasteries or lamas & rinpoches to reach out to in regards to dream yoga training.
I remember that Andrew had spent some time in Nepal as part of his three year Buddhist meditation retreat. Charlie Morley has also shared his story with Lama Yeshe Rinpoche.
Andrew @aholecek might appreciate this. During a conversation at one of the local monasteries someone mentioned you as a great teacher. I’m paraphrasing: “Andrew Holocek is really great when it comes to dream yoga,” she said.
To share with the community, I’ve been visiting so far Tsoknyi Gechak Ling Nunnery and there is also Tergar Osel Ling Monastery. Both led by Tsonknyi Rinpoche and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, who have also written some great books on the topic of meditation:
The Joy of Living
Turning Confusion into Clarity
Love with the World
Joyful Wisdom
Why we meditate (with Daniel Goleman)
These books mention dreams although primarily focused on meditation.
Hi Link,
if you’re already associated with a particular tradition it would probably make sense to visit one of their monasteries in Nepal and ask.
Remember that Dream Yoga is considered traditionally as a higher teaching.
All the best
I agree with @KhyungMar’s observations. Dream Yoga as I’ve been learning is traditionally taught as part of the higher teachings such as The Six Yogas of Naropa and The Six Yogas of Nigumpa. Have you visited “The White Gompa” in Boudhananth? Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is there.
Great book list, will add them to my reading list.
Not sure I can help you with the information you are seeking. But if you presubmit a question to Andrew in the Q&A section, he will probably have some good tips. You can also presubmit that quetion in the book study group, or depending on your internet access and time zone, join those events and ask him live.
How long are you in Nepal for? Do you speak the native language?
@Link Just wondering how things are going in Nepal, did you manage to find a teacher yet? If not, don’t worry, karma connects if the conditions are right.
@KhyungMar I’ve met some teachers so far, visited some monasteries and met some good people along the way. I’ve also read many of their books and deepened my meditation and dream practice.
Notable teachers I’ve spoken with:
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Mingyur Rinpoche
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche
Phakchok Rinpoche
Tsultrim Tenzin Khenpo Rinpoche
Monasteries visited:
Tsoknyi Gechak Ling Nunnery
Tergar Osel Ling Monastery
Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery
Shechen Monastery
Triten Norbutse Monastery
Kapan Monastery
Benchen Monastery
There’s also old Tibetan meditation masters that I’ve learned about and started to learn from them, even if it is not directly related to dream yoga. A lot of the foundational and preliminary meditation practices are very important in order to enter the dream state from higher awareness.
I’ve learned more about Naropa’s Six Yogas and his teacher Tilarepa, and his teacher Lawapa. I also visited their caves in Kathmandu. And I also visited Padmasambhava / Guru Rinpoche’s cave in Pharping.
I’ve yet to meet my Master Yoda whom I can build a deeper relationship with and communicate more frequently in order to get more direct feedback and transmission.
Yoda: “My ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force flow around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, yes, even between the land and the ship.”
I suppose I will know when I find someone whom I can build a deeper relationship with and communicate more frequently in order to get more direct feedback and transmission. Many insights you cannot get from a teacher if you are not able to communicate with each other on a regular basis. A teacher needs to get to know you in order to be able to guide you. I suppose I was referring to someone who can provide feedback regularly.
Such a good line. I thought that maybe the Lucas stole the name Yoda from a Buddhist term.
Do you have any good stories sbout recieving transmissions from teachers in the past? Its a really cool phenomena, if you told me about it a few years ago, I would have thought you were crazy. Now I believe they are absolutely real, and this is one of the most important aspects of having a in person connection with a teacher.
Last year I went to a free meditation session offered by monks. At the end, the monk asked us if we had questions. I asked him how to have more lucid dreams and do dream yoga. (I had only had 1 LD that year, and that was the first LD in a couple years). The answer he gave sounded like he did not understand my question, or kind of blew it off (there was a bit of a language barrior).
To my surprise, in under 48 hours I had my second LD for the year, and the first time flying, which was something I had wanted to do for years! I have little doubt that the monk was responsible for helping precipitate that dream.
@_Barry If you are referring to Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin, I don’t know about his condition as I only spoke with him briefly at Triten Monastery. He did participate in the puja though and he seemed fine when I spoke with him.
That’s a great story and somewhat an example of what I was speaking of.
Another rinpoche I met recently is Khenchen Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche, who is the abbot of Triten Monastery, whom I had a great conversation with about dream yoga. He shared some great insights. I suppose what I was saying is that not necessarily the teacher will tell you something you do not know, but hearing it from a reliable source will create some type of signal and help you to realize what is important to focus on. At the end of the day it is about realization, not just merely an intellectual understanding. It is the same from the teachings that I had received from the other rinpoches. It was also something simple that I may have already known but it still had an effect hearing it from them directly in-person.
@Link Wonderful! Khenchen is such a great teacher - with sharp intellect and warm heart. Khenchen is visiting Europe on a regular basis where I have had several times the opportunity to attend teachings. I hope to visit Triten Norbutse some time in the future.
