THE FOUR FOUNDATIONAL PRACTICES
Changing the Karmic Traces
Throughout the day, continuously remain in the awareness that all experience is a dream. Encounter all things as objects in a dream, all events as events in a dream, all people as people in a dream. Envision your own body as a transparent illusory body. Imagine you are in a lucid dream during the entire day. Do not allow these reminders to be merely empty repetition. Each time you tell yourself, “This is a dream,” actually become more lucid. Involve your body and your senses in becoming more present.
Removing Grasping and Aversion
Encounter all things that create desire and attachment as the illusory, empty, luminous phenomena of a dream. Recognize your reactions to phenomena as a dream; all emotions, judgements, and preferences are being dreamt up. You can be certain that you are doing this correctly if immediately upon remembering that your reaction is a dream, desire and attachment lessen.
Strengthening Intention
Before going to sleep, review the day and reflect on how the practice has been. Let memories of the day arise and recognize them as memories of dream. Develop a strong intention to be aware in the coming night’s dreams. Put your whole heart into this intention and pray strongly for success.
Cultivating Memory and Joyful Effort
Begin the day with the strong intention to maintain the practice. Review the night, developing happiness if you remembered or were lucid in your dreams. Recommit yourself to the practice, with the intention to become lucid if you were not, and to further develop lucidity if you were. At any time during the day or evening it is good to pray for success in practice. Generate as strong an intention as possible. This is the key to the practice.
PREPARATORY PRACTICES BEFORE SLEEP
Nine Purifications Breathing
Sitting in meditation posture before lying down to sleep, do the nine purification breaths.
Guru Yoga
Practice guru yoga. Generate strong devotion, then merge your mind with the pure awareness of the master, the ultimate master that is the primordial awareness, your true nature.
Protection
Lie down in the correct posture, men on the right side, women on the left side. Visualize dakinis surrounding you, protecting you. Use imagination to transform the room into a protected, sacred environment. Gentle your breathing and calm your mind, observing it until you are relaxed and present, not caught up in stories and fantasies. Create a strong intention to have vivid, clear dreams, to remember dreams, and to recognize the dream as a dream while you are in it.
THE MAIN PRACTICES
Bringing Awareness into the Central Channels
The practice of the first watch of the night. Focus on the throat center, on the pure, translucent, crystalline A that is tinged red from the color of the four red petals upon which it rests. Merge with the red light.
Increasing Clarity
Approximately two hours later, wake. In the same lion posture, practice the breathing seven times. Focus on the white tiglé in the brow chakra as you fall asleep. Allow the white light to dissolve everything, until you and the light are one.
Strengthening Presence
After approximately two more hours, again awaken. Lay back against a high pillow with your legs lightly and comfortably crossed. Focus on the black HUNG in the heart chakra. Breathe deeply, fully, and gently twenty-one times. Merge with the black HUNG and fall asleep.
Developing Fearlessness
Another two hours later, wake again. No particular posture or breathing is necessary. Focus on a black, luminous tiglé in the secret chakra, behind the genitals. Fall asleep while merged with the black light.
Upon each awakening try to be present and to be with the practice. In the morning, the final waking of the night, immediately be present. Review the night, generate intentions, and continue with the practice during the day.
In addition, it is helpful to make time to do the calm abiding (zhiné) practice during the day. This will help to make the mind quiet and focused and will benefit all other practices.
The most important point of both the preparation and the main practice is to maintain presence as consistently as possible throughout the day and the night. This is the essence of both dream and sleep yogas.