The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep: Practices for Awakening

“This book gives detailed instruction for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day. In the Tibetan tradition, the ability to dream lucidly is not an end in itself—rather it provides an additional context in which one can engage in advanced and effective practices to achieve liberation. Dream yoga is followed by sleep yoga, also known as the yoga of clear light. It is a more advanced practice similar to the most secret Tibetan practices. The goal is to remain awake during deep sleep when the gross conceptual mind and the operation of the senses cease. Most Westerners do not even consider this depth of awareness a possibility, yet it is well-known in Tibetan Buddhist and Bön spiritual traditions. The result of these practices is greater happiness and freedom in both our waking and dreaming states. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep imparts powerful methods for progressing along the path to liberation. A detailed guide to using our night-lives for awakening: thought-provoking, inspiring, and lucid.”

“This explication of the dream and sleep practices becomes a window on the entire teachings of Tibetan Tantra and Dzogchen. I enjoyed this book immensely. . . . Powerfully and beautifully presented.”

“The most illuminating book on this topic to appear to date.”

“This is an appealing book not only for Buddhist dream yoga practitioners but for anyone interested in the whole area of lucid dreaming or dream work. The Tibetan syllables and the places they are to be visualized within the body are clearly illustrated; the practical instructions are well-placed within a theoretical framework; and the entire work has the flavour of direct oral teaching from an expert.”

“Extremely clear and detailed.”

“Powerful methods for progressing along the path for liberation.”

“Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has secured his place as the preeminent voice in the world of dream yoga. I refer to his expertise more than any other author and have read this classic book—now wonderfully updated—countless times. He continues to inspire me with the clarity of his insight, the depth of his wisdom, and the warmth of his heart. If you only read one book on the nocturnal meditations, this is it.”

“A lucid dream is the perfect laboratory for exploring the nature of the mind, for everything in the dream is mind-made. In this book, which has become something of a modern-day classic, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche clearly explains how one can become lucid through the practice of dream yoga, mastering the art of emanation and transformation, and thoroughly fathoming the nature of dream reality. Applying these insights to waking life reveals the common ground between dreaming and waking appearances, and this holds the key to fathoming the dream-like nature of reality as a whole. I highly recommend this book to all those seeking to understand dreams and their relation to waking reality”