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sleep/dream/wake and the kayas

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:04 pm
by djlewis
Alex Berzin discusses an analogy between the three kayas and death/bardo/rebirth (standard so far) AND with the three states of sleep/dream/wake (sounds right, but not taught nearly as often -- can't find much by googling.)

Can anybody point me to scriptures, commentaries or expositions on that last part of the analogy, involving sleep/dream/wake

Thanks. --David

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Here's the quote and url...

Downward Analogies

Samsaric existence entails the uncontrollably recurring experience of death, bardo (the in-between state), and rebirth. We can describe the process by which the three happen as changes of subtlety of mental activity.

...

The Gelug tradition focuses on purifying our future deaths, the ensuing bardos, and our next rebirths. For Gelug, purifying, here, means to eliminate our samsaric existence such that it never recurs – in other words, to achieve a true stopping (true cessation) of it.

A similar process of change in subtlety occurs when we fall asleep.
  • With deep sleep, we reach an extremely subtle level of mental activity.
    When dreaming, the level of mental activity is slightly grosser, producing subtle appearances.
    When we awaken, our mental activity returns to the gross sensory level.
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/ar ... ra_08.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: sleep/dream/wake and the kayas

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:00 am
by djlewis
Yes, I realize there is dream yoga and the Six Yogas of Naropa. But what I am looking for is specific links between Sambhogakaya and the ordinary dreaming state.

Re: sleep/dream/wake and the kayas

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:29 pm
by Tom
djlewis wrote:Yes, I realize there is dream yoga and the Six Yogas of Naropa. But what I am looking for is specific links between Sambhogakaya and the ordinary dreaming state.
Have you received teachings of the Nine Mixings from a lama? Here the explanation of the links between sambhogakaya and dreaming are explained. You will find references to the relationship in the Guhyasamaja tantra and commentaries.