Nightmares

black_tea
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Re: Nightmares

Post by black_tea »

When I started practicing more consistantly my dreams became more vivid, I remembered more of them upon awakening, and while they were not all bad, there was a higher number of bad ones than I typically have (and they weren't my typical anxiety dreams either). I've been in the process of moving and that has completely disrupted my usual routine, so I've been rather lax over the past couple of weeks about nembutsu. My dreams have also returned to normal. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get back into the swing of things again.
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Nosta
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Nosta »

Blacktea, these days my recitations are not so many (lots of work, I am also very tired) and I think my sleep is not so good. I realised that when i do more nembutsu, I may have better sleep, altought I may also have bad dreams as you.

I also think that doing somes "pauses" from practice can be good for me, because buddhism makes me think a lot about life and death, and sometimes that can be depressing.
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kirtu
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Re: Nightmares

Post by kirtu »

Nighthawk wrote: If you don't mind sharing, what was the purification mantra you were taught?
It was the mantra of Vajrasattva, the Buddha of Purification in Tibetan Buddhism. It has 100 syllables and can be complex. The short version is OM VAJRASATTVA HUNG.

Kirt
Kirt's Tibetan Translation Notes

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
Of my precious Buddha nature."
HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Rakz
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Rakz »

Nosta wrote:I really advise you to read the ebook from the link I gave on my last post, if nightmares, bad visions and bad signs are something regular on your practice.

You will understand that they are just the reflex of bad karma - probably from previous lives - and also that they are just samsaras. Ignore the bad omens that you may find on your practice. Focus on what you have to do: nembutsu. Sensations are just sensations, be it good or bad, and a vision wont be a threat.

But if the bad visions you have are not during your practice, but while dreaming, it seems that you need much more practice. Who knows, only within years your bad dreams may stop. There are many factors here: heavy/bad karma from previous lives will affect your dreams, but also your current personality, your brain structure itself, what you do during the day, what you eat before sleep, etc. Finding the solution is hard.

I have bad dreams many times too and since young I have lots of trouble sleeping. There are some things that may help. One of them is physical exercise. I dont have a lot of time to do it (as a teacher, I must prepare classes for the next day when at home (at evening/night) and be in the school during the day, so I dont have any time for exercises, but when I do it, I will feel a LOT better and sleep much more.

I am to much of a thinker guy in a "thinking" job (I mean, a lot of bureaucracy & lot of stress dealing with classes), so the exercise is very important to me. Try that, it may help you too.
I read the link you provided but the teacher describes one experiencing evil hell realms. I don't I've ever experienced such a thing in my nightmares. I believe my nightmares are more related to my bad thoughts, deeds, and memories in this present life.
Rakz
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Rakz »

black_tea wrote:When I started practicing more consistantly my dreams became more vivid, I remembered more of them upon awakening, and while they were not all bad, there was a higher number of bad ones than I typically have (and they weren't my typical anxiety dreams either). I've been in the process of moving and that has completely disrupted my usual routine, so I've been rather lax over the past couple of weeks about nembutsu. My dreams have also returned to normal. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get back into the swing of things again.
black_tea, when did you start your nembutsu practice?
black_tea
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Re: Nightmares

Post by black_tea »

Nighthawk wrote:black_tea, when did you start your nembutsu practice?
I really got more serious about it back in December -- started by silently reciting on the shuttle bus to and from work, and at other points in the day. Then in January began getting up early so that no matter what I would be sure to practice everyday. I think that's about the time I started having weird dreams including some icky nightmare type stuff.
Rakz
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Rakz »

black_tea wrote:
Nighthawk wrote:black_tea, when did you start your nembutsu practice?
I really got more serious about it back in December -- started by silently reciting on the shuttle bus to and from work, and at other points in the day. Then in January began getting up early so that no matter what I would be sure to practice everyday. I think that's about the time I started having weird dreams including some icky nightmare type stuff.
Keep it up and don't let up!
WuWei
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Re: Nightmares

Post by WuWei »

MattyNottwo wrote:I think the nembutsu could be clearing out all the garbage. I read an article recently that said Buddhism is "not for happiness." It said something like, if all your garbage isn't coming out, then it will never be removed and transformed. Just my opinion anyway. I was so happy when I started practicing and then recently it was like every neurotic thing from my life I could imagine was coming up, and I felt I was doing something wrong because so many spiritual people are so "happy go lucky." But, I think it is too easy that way. Anyway, I could be wrong.
Something I read last night in Heart of The Shin Buddhist Path seems somewhat relevant to this topic: "I am able to know the dark shadow of my karmic evil only when I am immersed in the light of the Buddha's wisdom. And, significantly, in the dark depths of my ego-self, I encounter the light of wisdom for the first time." Suggesting perhaps that we can't experience wisdom without first fully knowing our negative side?
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Seishin
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Seishin »

From a completely different point of view:...

Dreams, whether nightmares or not, are the minds way of working out what's going on in your life. Nightmares tend to represent your fears (fear of loss, suffering, heart ache, phobias etc) so it might pay to look at your mindset during the whole day, even the week, rather than just the last thing you do before bedtime. I chant 108 nembutsu before bed and never had nightmares because of it.

It may also be worth noting, that just because we can't remember dreaming or having a nightmare, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It may be, because you are focusing your mind just before you go to sleep you are able to remember and be more aware of your dreams.

Gassho,
Seishin
Rakz
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Rakz »

Seishin wrote:From a completely different point of view:...

Dreams, whether nightmares or not, are the minds way of working out what's going on in your life. Nightmares tend to represent your fears (fear of loss, suffering, heart ache, phobias etc) so it might pay to look at your mindset during the whole day, even the week, rather than just the last thing you do before bedtime. I chant 108 nembutsu before bed and never had nightmares because of it.

It may also be worth noting, that just because we can't remember dreaming or having a nightmare, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It may be, because you are focusing your mind just before you go to sleep you are able to remember and be more aware of your dreams.

Gassho,
Seishin
Seems like a more logical explanation.
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Ayu
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Ayu »

I find reciting Chenrezig Mantra before sleep very helpful especially against nightmares.
Rakz
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Rakz »

PL4ever wrote:I have nightmares too. Yesterday there was a lot of blood in my dream. Last night I saw my dead grandmother and a child burning alive. This bothers me a lot. Maybe it is not a good idea to recite before sleep?
Problem might be just straight recitation. If you think kind , compassionate thoughts also before going to sleep then you wont have them. It all has to do with your state of mind. I myself am not really capable of thinking like that too often. It takes practice. If you cant then its just better to recite at an earlier time.
Admin_PC
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Admin_PC »

PL4ever wrote:I have nightmares too. Yesterday there was a lot of blood in my dream. Last night I saw my dead grandmother and a child burning alive. This bothers me a lot. Maybe it is not a good idea to recite before sleep?
I kinda like chanting the Amitabha Sutra when I recite the Buddha's Name. For starters, it refreshes Amitabha & the Pure Land in my memory, so the recitations aren't just focusing on a word. There are some interesting side benefits from the passages where they talk about all the Buddhas of the 6 directions encouraging you to uphold the sutra and proclaiming protection by all Buddhas. I get this vibe that there's a bunch of people cheering me on, I also seem to have fewer nightmares, and get bothered less by all the crazy noises in this older house I'm renting. Before I started chanting the sutra, I trained myself to recite the Buddha's Name whenever something freaks me out - asleep or awake, and that seemed to have helped too but the difference was noticeable once I started adding the sutra.
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Nosta
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Nosta »

Maybe learning Dream Yoga could help. I´ve tried, but my erratic and weak sleep doesnt allow me to become lucid on dreams. Nevertheless, lucid dreaming is a great way to deal with nighmares.
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TheSynergist
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Re: Nightmares

Post by TheSynergist »

I've had nightmares my entire life, but earlier this year they got *REALY* bad, and seemed to coincide with irritating bodily malaise during waking hours. I then got some weird sleep paralysis state where I had this weird intuitive feeling that I was burning bad karma off....but anyway I'm cutting back on alcohol and caffeine and I'm feeling better now. So I do agree with others that nightmares are a manifestation of bad karma and that starting some spiritual practice, whether its chanting or meditation, might hasten the process of burning it off.

I do think metta is a powerful force for improving sleep, because metta is the anecdote for fear. :heart:
Bakmoon
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Bakmoon »

TheSynergist wrote:I do think metta is a powerful force for improving sleep, because metta is the anecdote for fear. :heart:
Very true. There is a Sutta that lists the 11 benefits of Metta meditation, and the first three are "One sleeps easily, wakes easily, dreams no evil dreams." (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html)
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cj39
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Re: Nightmares

Post by cj39 »

Tenso wrote:I've noticed In the past few years I've been reciting the Nembutsu before going to bed, I experience a lot of nightmares and even sometimes wake up in sweat. The times I don't recite it before going to bed, 90% of the time my dreams are usually ok. Does this happen with anyone else too?
I have been shot so many times in the last year, it ain't even amusing anymore. I usually wake up chanting the nembutsu which I guess is good. Last night it was machine gun fire and I remember thinking even in my dream, "Again? Really?"
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Re: Nightmares

Post by Rakz »

cj39 wrote:
I have been shot so many times in the last year, it ain't even amusing anymore. I usually wake up chanting the nembutsu which I guess is good. Last night it was machine gun fire and I remember thinking even in my dream, "Again? Really?"
I don't want to preach but you need to move or change the way you live your life.
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cj39
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Re: Nightmares

Post by cj39 »

Tenso wrote:
cj39 wrote:
I have been shot so many times in the last year, it ain't even amusing anymore. I usually wake up chanting the nembutsu which I guess is good. Last night it was machine gun fire and I remember thinking even in my dream, "Again? Really?"
I don't want to preach but you need to move or change the way you live your life.
I just regard such dreams as karma working itself out. I have lifetimes of screwed up thinking stored in my noggin'.
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