Monday, April 05, 2010

Upaya Dharma Podcasts - Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga (B Alan Wallace)

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B Alan Wallace was at Upaya Zen Center recently and gave a series of talks on Dream Yoga. He began with an hour or so on the physics of consciousness. While I was listening to the first podcast, I kept finding myself shaking my head in disagreement and disbelief.

Wallace knows Tibetan Buddhism inside and out, and he has a passing understanding of physics. However, my sense is that he is cherry-picking ideas from physics in his books and lectures (see my review of Hidden Dimensions: The Unification of Physics and Consciousness over at Wildmind Buddhist Meditation) to support the beliefs of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.

His basic premise is that consciousness is necessary the for the existence of matter and the universe. I reject this belief as far too anthropocentric to be valid.

Anyway, here is the first talk and the 13 parts on Dream Yoga.

The Conscious Universe: Where Buddhism and Physics Converge

March 10th, 2010

Speaker: B. Alan Wallace, Phd.

Physicists have long assumed that the universe is fundamentally composed of matter and energy and that life and consciousness are accidental byproducts of configurations of matter. But a growing number of distinguished physicists are now suggesting that consciousness may play a much more fundamental role in nature than scientists previously believed. In this lecture Alan Wallace will review some of the most provocative theories presented by such leading physicists as John Wheeler, Stephen Hawking, and Andre Linde that challenge many of the materialist assumptions based on outdated 19th-century physics. And he will discuss how these theories may relate to Buddhist theories and practices, including those of the Theravada, Mahayana, and Great Perfection traditions of Buddhism.

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 1 of 13

March 19th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Alan Wallace begins by giving an overview of the 3 day retreat which will strike a balance between dharma talks, guided meditation and discussion. He then teaches 3 types of Shamatha, which are mindfulness of breathing, settling the mind in its natural state, and objectless meditation. He focuses specifically on mindfulness of breathing which he calls the “infirmary” which will create a strong foundation for Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga.

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 2 of 13

March 20th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Alan guides participants in 2 meditation sessions which focus on relaxing the body and creating stability. He then explains that in order for one to sustain lucidity, one must develop stability of the mind. It is from that stable place that one can fully explore the richness of the mind.

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 3 of 13

March 21st, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Continued from part 2.
Alan guides participants in 2 meditation sessions which focus on relaxing the body and creating stability. He then explains that in order for one to sustain lucidity, one must develop stability of the mind. It is from that stable place that one can fully explore the richness of the mind.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 4 of 13

March 23rd, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Alan begins the afternoon session by leading the practitioners through 3 practices of mindfulness of breathing meditation and relates how different breathing practices can be applied in our daily lives. Alan then explains how lucid dreams can be induced and gives several techniques for participants to try that evening before going to sleep.

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 5 of 13

March 24th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Continued from part 4.
Alan begins the afternoon session by leading the practitioners through 3 practices of mindfulness of breathing meditation and relates how different breathing practices can be applied in our daily lives. Alan then explains how lucid dreams can be induced and gives several techniques for participants to try that evening before going to sleep.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 6 of 13

March 25th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Alan opens the floor for discussion and answers such questions as: is lucidity always better than non-lucidity?, what are his thoughts on premonition and does fasting create more intense, vivid dreams?

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 7 of 13

March 26th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Following two guided meditations, Alan explores the four foundations of mindfulness as narrated by the Buddha in the Pali Canon. He specifically talks about the way in which mindfulness relates to the practice of daytime dream yoga. Alan continues with an exploration of the connection between the three concepts of delusion, dream yoga, and suffering. He ends with a discussion of the applications of dream yoga in everyday life.

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 8 of 13

March 27th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Continued from part 7.
Following two guided meditations, Alan explores the four foundations of mindfulness as narrated by the Buddha in the Pali Canon. He specifically talks about the way in which mindfulness relates to the practice of daytime dream yoga. Alan continues with an exploration of the connection between the three concepts of delusion, dream yoga, and suffering. He ends with a discussion of the applications of dream yoga in everyday life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 9 of 13

March 28th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

In this presentation Alan begins by speaking about the positive effects of Shamatha. He then explains dream signs and their relevance in everyday life. He ends with a discussion of the mutual interdependence of reality and a short question and answer session.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 10 of 13

March 30th, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Continued from part 9.
In this presentation Alan begins by speaking about the positive effects of Shamatha. He then explains dream signs and their relevance in everyday life. He ends with a discussion of the mutual interdependence of reality and a short question and answer session.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 11 of 13

March 31st, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

In this question and answer session Alan explores a variety of topics. A few of the questions he answers in this segment are: What is the connection between the brain and the mind as it pertains to aging? What is the relationship between substrate consciousness and emptiness? Can you discuss the practice of Shamatha without an object of concentration?

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Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 12 of 13

April 1st, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Alan leads 2 guided meditation session that focus on the Shamatha practices of awareness of awareness. He points out the importance of settling the mind in its natural state first, where then it will be open to receive pointing out instructions. Alan then delves deeper into Dream Yoga and explains how both the waking and dreaming thoughts come from our substrate consciousness.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga part 13 of 13

April 2nd, 2010

Speaker: B. Allan Wallace

Continued from part 12.
Alan leads 2 guided meditation session that focus on the Shamatha practices of awareness of awareness. He points out the importance of settling the mind in its natural state first, where then it will be open to receive pointing out instructions. Alan then delves deeper into Dream Yoga and explains how both the waking and dreaming thoughts come from our substrate consciousness.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Awesome, thanks! i have downloaded all of the audio files, and will listen to them soon... thanks for this