Dreams of Clarity - A new workshop exploring the value of dreams in Buddhist practice
Led by Arthabandhu
£40/£30 conc
please bring veggie food for a shared lunch.
The common view of dreams is that they happen to us and we just passively receive them, swept along by a strange unfolding of jumbled events. What role then could karma play in our dreams? Is it possible to act with awareness in our dreams and make conscious choices? From the common way of understanding dreams it would seem not but this is not how dreams are seen in Buddhism…
“Now when the bardo of dreams is dawning upon me,
I will abandon the corpse-like sleep of careless ignorance…
I will not sleep like any animal
But unify completely sleep and practice.
- Tibetan Book of The Dead
In this dream workshop we shall explore ways to become more conscious dreamers and develop deepening awareness and the capacity to creatively respond within the dream state.
In order to experience our dreams in this way it is necessary first to become more receptive to dream experience, initially developing the ability to recollect dreams clearly and then deepen this so that we are deeply sensitive to them and then we will be able to bring qualities such as loving kindness, curiosity and mindfulness into them. With these qualities our dreams become clear, bright and a source of wisdom, inspiration and energy for our practice of the Dharma.
During the workshop we shall explore…
How to reconnect with and rekindle your dreams
Karma and Dreams
Dreams and as a context for exploring the nature of Consciousness
A practical method to review your dreams and cultivate creative dreaming
How to approach nightmares and unpleasant dreams
How to find pleasure, inspiration and energy in our dreams
The day will explore themes not previously covered in my workshops. It will be accessible whether or not you have attended a previous workshop.
About Arthabandhu
Arthabandhu is an ordained Buddhist and has long had a special interest in dreams and has explored them in relation to Buddhist practice ever since hearing his Buddhist teacher say: “If you want to really know yourself, pay attention to your dreams.”
He has explored Lucid Dreaming and Buddhist Dream Yoga, as well as studying other approaches to dreams including their application in Gestalt Psychotherapy. As part of his dream practice he has kept detailed dream diaries for the past 20 years, these have included many illustrations, which he has now made into a zine using these images and extracts from his diaries.