Thread: Higher States Of Consciousness Through Lucid Dreaming?

Originally Posted by Universal

My question in this thread is not whether these states can exist or whether they can exist in lucid dreams. I am only questioning whether lucid dreams can be used to create these experiences in waking life. I did describe what certain supposed lucid dreaming gurus have claimed, which is that the state they reached 100% defies description. I have not experienced that, and not all higher states of consciousness are like that, but I can see where it could be the case. It is not a concept that contradicts itself.
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I believe it can. Lucid dreaming has been practiced as Dream Yoga by dream yogis. Its goal is Enlightenment, which is linked to or are these higher states of consciousness.

If you haven't done so already, you might want to check out the 6 Yogas of Naropa. It is profound stuff.



I would be interested to hear more about your experience about seeing the ultimate nature of reality though, not having had that experience myself:

Quote from you:"I have experienced that higher state of consciousness as well as a vision of the ultimate significance of life, which I saw in a lucid dream. That is completely mental, but the mental experience is real. I have also had higher states of consciousness where I have seen life's ultimate insignificance. There is an expanded awareness, or appearance of awareness, accompanied by a hightened ability to feel emotions, that takes place in these states."

Originally Posted by DarkMind

I would be interested to hear more about your experience about seeing the ultimate nature of reality though, not having had that experience myself:
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Thanks for your interest. I dug up where I talked about two experiences in one of my first posts here. You can see in it how since then I have waffled back and forth about my stance on drugs. But whatever the case is and whatever level of good or bad psychedelic drugs have, this is what I experienced...

Originally Posted by DarkMind

I have discussed this here before... I experienced what seemed to be "enlightenment" or "Nirvana" for three hours at the Memphis Zoo in 1991. I had the "perception" that everything is one, everything is rooted in nothing, everything is astoundingly beautiful, everything is composed of consciousness, and that things are eternally okay (Turmoil is an illusion.). It seemed to be the clearest my mind has ever been. I still think it might have been an acid flashback. (Be careful... Acid can take you in completely the opposite direction. I don't recommend it.) I am also not too sure about reaching a permanent state of this, but that would be incredible. It's worth studying.
I saw another version of what some Buddhists consider "enlightenment" when I was on mushrooms on Pensacola Beach in 1999. (I don't recommend mushrooms either. For about an hour of this mushroom experience, I was terrified out of my mind and thinking I was trapped forever in a nightmare.) There is the Zen-Buddhist (or maybe just "Zen") tale of the pupil who tells his master that he has reached enlightenment, and the master replies, "There is nothing left for you to do at this moment but laugh." In other words, enlightenment involves realizing that everything is meaningless and therefore all action is absurd, which makes it hilarious to observe. On the beach, I was tripping very hard and watching two of my friends throw a frisbee back and forth. I saw what appeared to be the ultimate meaninglessness of everything, and that made the frisbee throwing look absolutely pointless and absurd, and I laughed hysterically about it. My brother was also tripping, and he had the same perception. We were both laughing with great amusement. I made the comment, "It's so meaningless." One of the guys in our group heard me say this. He was not tripping, and I hit a serious religious nerve of his when I made the comment. He started arguing with me and wouldn't drop it. I tried to chill him out, and it didn't work, so I ended up having a temper tantrum on him (It's not a good idea to taunt somebody while he is tripping. He might really wig out and lash out.). It was a major buzz killer, and I lost the perception I had. I haven't been back to it since then. One of my goals of lucid dreaming is to reach that state again. I think that can work.
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And here is a more detailed account of the zoo experience...

Originally Posted by DarkMind

As for the oneness principle, I was at the Memphis Zoo in 1991 right after being initiated as a transcendental meditator under the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The idea of the oneness of everything was heavy on my mind, and I at the time believed that I was on the path to Nirvana. I suddenly had an experience of "Nirvana" that lasted about three hours. I had a perception that all of the fish in an aquarium were the same consciousness in multiple forms. I saw the same thing in all of the other aquariums. I then had also the perception that the rocks and plants were the same being that was the fish, and that matter is infinitely complex, but principally composed of nothingness. I had come across that idea before, but this time, I "saw" it. Everything seemed extremely beautiful, and I saw things as though the one being that is everything is nothingness, but also on a level that is even higher than consciousness. It was not conscious, but "better" or "higher" than conscious. I walked around the zoo and had this perception almost until the time I left. It slowly faded away in the last hour. I really believed then and for a while after that that I had seen the secret of the universe. At this point, I think it might have been an acid flashback. Either way, I say that existence has no meaning, but it might be infinitely beautiful, better than conscious, and immortal in its core essence. [/b]

Originally Posted by Universal

Thanks for your interest. I dug up where I talked about two experiences in one of my first posts here. You can see in it how since then I have waffled back and forth about my stance on drugs. But whatever the case is and whatever level of good or bad psychedelic drugs have, this is what I experienced...
And here is a more detailed account of the zoo experience...
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Thanks for sharing man