Transcript → Q+A w/Andrew |#72|
Topics and Questions covered:
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How do you work with sloth and torpor in the practice of Open Awareness?
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After every single physical sensation I feel, I have an immediate mental image? What’s that about, and what to do with this?
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Our whole individual Life has been made up of a composite of our experiences. As I get older these experiences seem more and more dreamlike and thought like in nature. We know that thoughts are changing and impermanent and therefore not ultimately “Real” What are your thoughts on those life experiences that made us what we are as individuals? What happens to them when we die? I would like to think of them being stored in some collective sense ( rather than just disappearing) and perhaps being of some use to others also.
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I’m a student of Buddhism, under Lama Shenpen, so mostly following Mahamudra/Dzogchen traditions. I was wondering if you could share or know of any specific prayer that one could recite upon awakening during the night before going back to bed for lucidity. I do pray to Guru Rinpoche and Amitabha who I feel strong devotion to, but I do not have any specific prayer or chant that I could recite. I am finding it hard to stay awake for long upon awakening before drifting off again, so I think a specific text or prayer would be useful to keep the mind a tiny bit more vivid.
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I am a practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism, and have been practicing for over 40 years. I am (was) a student of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. I practiced dream yoga about 10 years ago with some success, but let it slide and recently felt called to revisit the practice. I re-read the book by Stephen LeBrege and am keeping a dream diary, doing prompts during the day, falling asleep with intention to become lucid, etc. I am noticing that I’m not becoming lucid in my dreams after a month or so of intending to do so, even though I’m following the protocols, etc. I am recording (regular) dreams that are chaotic and have a ridiculous, bizarre quality that make no sense at all. I am wondering what is up, why is this practice so difficult for me at this time? It’s making me wonder if I am crazy, or maybe I have some deep block to working with dream lucidity at this time. I practice meditation every day, so cannot understand why there is such a block to being lucid at night. Until I restarted this practice, I didn’t remember many dreams, but now that I am keeping a dream diary again, I am writing down cartoon-like dreams that make no sense. Might I be too disturbed by the chaos in my "outer world"experience at this time? (I live in California where there is a lot of tension and unease in the community around the so-called “pandemic”.) Can you provide any insight
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What book or books do you recommend for explaining the symbolism found in the Wheel of Life Thangka?
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In your book on Preparing to Die, you mention that as one dies it is best to pull out all the tubes and artificial stuff for a pure dying process. Question…how might one look at dying with others items that have been placed inside ones body during life as support systems such as pace makers, hip replacements, etc. So is the key to detach from our bodies? To start this detachment as we age? We all love our bodies and have a personal connection…I was a professional ballet dancer and my body was my instrument.