Category: View and Meditation

You said that dreams with a descending movement were bad. What is bad about them?

Lama Ole’s answer:

It is a bad sign for development because, in the dream phase, the energy is in the central channel—the energy axis through the body—and mostly at the throat or heart levels. Energy sinking in the body is often experienced as tightness, whereas if the energy moves upwards, one becomes clear.

Such a feeling of narrowness is a sign of energy movements that sometimes arise. One then can reverse this by saying, “I am a great bodhisattva and am going down to help beings.” This thought reverses it and makes it completely great.

Are there specific dreaming techniques one can use?

Lama Ole’s answer:

We do have a meditation that enables us to use deep sleep. We also have meditations for the state of dreaming, but those are a bit dangerous because they work with the throat center, where a lot of very mixed energies lie. If one works with the throat center in the wrong way, one starts to talk harshly and snappishly.

But the deep-sleep meditation works with the heart center. Here, one cannot make mistakes because this energy center is well rounded and in the middle. It can bear a lot and is unshakable—really solid and strong. However, one should take refuge before doing this deep-sleep practice called the “clear light meditation.” In this practice, you learn to become more and more aware and able to take the feeling of dreaming into the day. This protects you very, very well!

I myself received the transmission for this meditation from the 16th Karmapa, but it stems from the 15th. With this practice you can learn to remain in the clear light during the night and to feel at home in it. You do the meditation before falling asleep. It is easy to hold the awareness before falling asleep and while lying down—one can learn both. But to stay clear in the moment consciousness goes from being awake to sleeping, that is the difficult point. But you also don’t necessarily need this.

In any case, if you are working with a machine the next day and you want to take all ten fingers home with you, then you must not do the clear light meditation too often. In Tibet, where people often had to walk long distances with a horse in front, there one could afford to do this. But for us today, maybe just once a week is good.

What is the meaning of dreams in Buddhism?

Lama Ole’s answer:

First of all, ordinary life is more important than dreams, because this normal waking state that we experience now is a collective dream. In contrast, whatever happens during the night is just individual dreams. We also wake up every morning within more or less the same dream, while at night the dreams change constantly. Our dreams at night are mostly related only to the mind, while the dream we are experiencing right now includes our body and speech.

On the other hand, we have special kinds of wisdom in dreams that we don’t have here, because we are more tied to experience and have more attachment during the waking state. One can also definitely deduce things from dreams.

To do this, we can divide the night into three phases. During the first third, the impressions of the day get put into different drawers in the store consciousness. In the second third, some people have nightmares; they feel pressure and difficulties in the middle of the night. I myself don’t know about this, but if it happens it can have two causes: disturbing energies from the outside or too-slow breathing that causes the body to develop fear of dying. The body then discharges a lot of adrenaline, and when our consciousness perceives this it reacts—“Hey, danger! Enemies!” But in fact it is only the body reanimating itself.

And then the third part of the night is useful. Shortly before waking up, one can dream of the immediate future. And right in the moment of waking, one can dream of the somewhat more distant future. This way, our store consciousness tries to bring a message through the clouds of ignorance and veils into the moment of awareness. This happens in dreams; the mind tries to show itself something. But it has big hindrances caused by expectations, fears, veils, tomorrow and yesterday, etc., which make what is displayed inaccurate.

But in general, you can say that dreams in color are more important than those without color. Dreams with upward movement are a good sign and those with descending movement are not so good, except when one decides out of great compassion to go down consciously and help the beings there. Mind is the boss; it can transform this.

For Buddhists the best dream, of course, is to see one’s lama or buddhas, to receive blessings, or to hear mantras. That’s absolutely great! It means that during the process of dying, the good impressions are so strong and deep that they will come up from the store consciousness and help us into a good rebirth.

In general, also for non-Buddhists or those who don’t work with their minds, the feeling one has while waking up is crucial. If, for example, you have killed people during the night and you wake up feeling wonderful, then this doesn’t mean that you have found your true sadistic nature, but rather that you have removed disturbances. And if you were helping elderly women cross the street all night but you wake up with mixed or bad feelings, then you surely had subconscious thoughts of being mentioned in their wills later.

In any case, the most important thing about dreams is to experience that which is dreaming, the dreamer itself. Try to know who is dreaming and what is being dreamt. And during the day, try to bring the feeling of dreaming into life. Then you are coated with Teflon—you are protected. You won’t get caught by disturbing emotions as much as usual.

Are there any methods against pain in Buddhism?

Lama Ole’s answer:

A vast topic! The best might be a general Buddhist method and, I’m sorry, it sounds very simple: detachment. That means to always understand that we have our body rather than that we are our body.

Pain is always related to the belief in the reality of experiences that appear in one’s mind. If one knows that this body impermanent and should be used as a tool, then this kind of thinking—“Oh, it’s happening to me. I am the target. I’m suffering!”—this vanishes. It rather becomes, “Yes, there is suffering, and bodies can feel pain,” and so on; it becomes less personal. We have to train this attitude while we are young and fresh. Likewise, we don’t learn meditation while dying; we learn it now.

Mantras like OM MANI PEME HUNG or KARMAPA CHENNO are always very good. There are also special mantras and certain breathing practices that can help. But the most important thing is to not take the pain too seriously and to focus on something else.

How can we deal with pain?

Lama Ole’s answer:

Everybody gets sick. Fifteen percent of humans have the chance to use pain relievers, and the rest suffer. One should definitely use the help one can get.

The process of dying, for example, is not influenced by painkillers. What happens while dying has nothing to do with chemistry. However, heavy use of painkillers does shorten life. We should simply think, “I am removing the pain”—then the karma is good. One shouldn’t think “I am shortening life,” because then the karma is bad. It’s easy—mind is boss.

I often work on something for a long time, and when I get close to finishing it, I stop because I realize it’s not the right thing for me. But I get frustrated by never being able to finish anything.

Lama Ole’s answer:

Nobody benefits if you are feeling bad. Thus you should think that your decision is ultimately for the benefit of all beings. But you also have to be sure that you don’t run away from anything.

The only sins we don’t forgive ourselves are those we haven’t committed. Never avoid something out of anxiety or the wish to escape life. We should work on ourselves and shouldn’t act out of weakness. For example, the family has been living on social welfare for years, and you get a chance to change the situation by passing some exam. If you then suddenly were to think that you’re incapable of it, that would be cowardly; that is character destroying. You simply have to get through it, even if it means falling flat on your face. It is like bungee jumping: if you have climbed up, then you also have to jump. Otherwise, you can’t look into the mirror later. There are situations where one simply has to do what is to be done.

But there are also other situations where we don’t change our opinion out of fear or weakness, but instead we simply realize that we have been on the wrong track and we do something else instead. That’s completely all right.

But the best approach is to finish one thing and then move on to the next. That is good style! And one takes the time needed for each task as a gift to oneself. This way one can always take previous experiences into the next situation and benefit from them.

How do we transform effort into joyful effort?

Lama Ole’s answer:

In the beginning, we work largely with the determination to experience the effort as joyful!

It was never necessary for me to apply that therapy to myself. I always thought: the greater, the faster, the more joyful, the better! But for those who don’t experience this, I can actually imagine that it helps to tell oneself, for example, “Wow! How exciting! I made this woman happy! Look at how she lies there and radiates!” or, “Wow! I took the curve in the road faster this time!” or, “I worked for fourteen hours but am still fresh enough to have a beer!”

We should constantly think in a “both-and” way, and in doing so we develop the attitude that everything is completely great and exciting. Thus we pull ourselves up from the swamp by our own hair and make ourselves rich through our own will and strength.

You simply change your view. If you are looking through black glasses, everything is hell; if you’re looking through rose-colored glasses, then it’s heaven. And if you have no glasses, then it is really about whatever has to be done next. And that is more beautiful and exciting than any heaven. But you can reach this state only from heaven, not from hell. So you have to start with good projections and experiences and continue from there.

Why do you keep saying that a solution-oriented approach is better than a problem-oriented one? In order to solve a problem, I first have to understand it.

Lama Ole’s answer:

If one identifies with what one is unable to do, then one ultimately becomes less and less capable and life becomes gray and boring. No one makes progress in the world this way.

But if one identifies with what one is able to do and jumps into the tasks, then there is always something to do—one creates a huge, lively world.

What is spiritual pride?

Lama Ole’s answer:

Spiritual pride arises if you don’t face up to things and you always start something new as soon as you get deep in one area and have to work with yourself. This way you don’t develop, but rather you always think you know better because you’ve already tried everything.

I’ll give an example. It was in Copenhagen, the only time I have ever been to a Theosophical Society. On the way to the lecture rooms, I couldn’t even see the wallpaper because there were books everywhere. Almost all of them were secret books, and I thought, “Whoever reads so many secret things in a mixed-up way will certainly get confused.” And, “Who is actually printing those books if they are so secret?”

I explained what Buddhism is: that we don’t want suppression and holy wars; that we don’t have a creator god who punishes and judges; that instead, karma—the law of cause and effect—is working in our lives; that Buddhism is not a religion of belief; that we don’t have any gods, and so on. Then, after the lecture, one lady said with joy and devotion, “Ah, again we see that everything is from God and that everything is the same.”

But when they got old and the time to die arrived, many Theosophists came to me. They were totally confused and had no clarity. Everything was mixed up with a bit of sugar coating to make it feel good. I was very happy that I could help some of them.

It is similar with Hindu groups—for example, with Bhagwan (a guru called Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or Osho). Also today in the New Age movement, people get fascinated by crystals and such things, which is totally heartwarming but doesn’t point to one’s own mind. None of these things point to mind itself. Various facts are mixed in a way that feels good, but there is no clarity. Thus one doesn’t hold anything in one’s hands at the moment of death. When people get sick and old and start looking for lasting values, they have nothing.

Only three feelings are real: fearlessness, joy, and love. They are real because their cause does not change—namely, that mind is space. And this space is radiantly clear and limitless. If you experience these feelings, if this grows inside you, then you are approaching the radiant power of your mind. All other feelings are conditioned, put together, and impermanent.

Are there special methods for different types of people?

Lama Ole’s answer:

There are methods on the general level and on the highest level. On the highest level, there are the methods of identification through the three types of tantras.

The desire type meditates on the mother tantras. Here, the building-up phase is short and the completion phase long. One doesn’t pay too much attention to all the details but just sits there and feels really great.

Angry people keep the completion phase short because it feels too personal. This type of person sets a high value on having everything fit in its place, and he would rather keep a bit of distance. And for the confused people, both phases are almost equally long. They can also use the many details in the meditation to help them stay focused.

Karmapa is the activity of all buddhas; therefore, in the meditation you yourselves will notice which situation you are in. If you are desire types, it is not so important what the crown means or what Karmapa knows or can do. The main thing is the good feeling during the melting phase. If you are an anger type, you’ll want to know what every detail means and the melting phase doesn’t need to be so close. If you are a confusion type, then the emphasis goes back and forth. Those are the three ways to work with the meditation.

What can I do when my thoughts start racing?

Lama Ole’s answer:

In general, thoughts are always there. A thought arises, and if one observes it one realizes that it just continues to flow like a stream, like waves that come and go. It is interesting when they are there; it is also good when they are not there.

You shouldn’t take thoughts too seriously. Thoughts, concepts, and ideas are useful if you have to learn something or apply your intelligence. Whenever you aren’t engaged in work that requires full concentration, you can disconnect the stream of thoughts from the immediate actions.

For example, while riding a bicycle one doesn’t think, “Now first I have to move one foot here and the other foot there, and at the same time I have to hold the handle bar and shift into the right gear,” and so on. Instead, one just sits on the bike, trusts the wisdom of the body, and rides it. If one does what lies in front of one’s nose and the thoughts continue in parallel, then the actions become more spontaneous, effortless, and useful.

Body, speech, and mind contain a great amount of spontaneous, intuitive wisdom and energy. You are a Buddha; you have everything in you; you are connected with everything.

Thoughts are very good if you can switch them on and off as you like. Then you think what you want and turn them off again when you have thought enough—you are spontaneous and effortless. The best teachers for this are the surfers on the coasts of California, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand. They lie on their boards in the water. For a long time there are no waves. Then a wave appears that would bring them only halfway to the shore, and another comes that would break the board. Then finally, the right wave appears and the happy surfer gets up and rides in. He doesn’t hate one wave and isn’t attached to another, but instead he simply does what’s possible. And when we live in this way, the abilities and powers inside us come to the fore. I also learn a lot in this way about patience.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to turn off the thoughts when they become too many. But there is a good method which Milarepa also used centuries ago. He spoke the syllable “PEI.” In the very moment one says PEI aloud or inwardly, the thoughts diffuse and are gone.

Another way to free yourself from thoughts is to imagine the lama on top of your head. The lama appears as if made of water, and you let this water flow into yourself. This way you become the lama himself, who in our case is always the Karmapa. Imagine that you yourself are Karmapa and try to hold this perception and feeling as well as possible.

If important thoughts come up that distract you from what you have to concentrate on, then you can write them down. Since we Westerners react strongly to written things, it is very helpful to use notes to keep from being distracted from what is important in the moment.

I often daydream for a long time. When I notice that I’m doing it, I try to focus on my work but it is hard for me to get really clear in my head. What does this mean?

Lama Ole’s answer:

For you it is certainly good to do a lot of practical work—to stay on the ground and not be pulled away. You found the right methods through your intuitive wisdom.

Forcing oneself to do something very precisely, here and now, is probably the best antidote against floating away, especially if one is very dreamy. Okay, if one has just fallen in love then dreaming is all right. But for general life, dreaming is not so meaningful. Instead it’s better to pull yourself together a bit and do what’s in front of your nose. One day you will break the old habit, and then any daydreams will be inspiration, fascination—everything will be interesting.

This is a case where one shouldn’t use any mantras, because with mantras one also lifts off. That’s why mantras are good against disturbing emotions.

Once when I helped someone who was injured, I experienced being completely focused and did exactly the right things without thinking. Is this some kind of higher awareness?

Lama Ole’s answer:

I would say that the state in which one is aware on multiple levels at the same time is the highest state of awareness. If you do exactly what is needed in a situation in a beyond-personal way—without thinking about time, about what you should feel or whether you should be afraid—then you will see that all your powers and abilities will come to the surface.

You’ll manage to do things you didn’t know you could do. Those who don’t work with their mind always want to hold on to something or push away something else. But in the moment of authentic action, one does what’s in front of one’s nose. And afterwards, when reflecting on the experience, one sees it was done with joy and power. But in the moment, the action itself was important.

Disturbing emotions are the only thing to be wary of during a spontaneous, effortless act; there must be no anger and no aversion. If there really is no disturbing feeling, then one will do what benefits others and what is right. There is no doubt about that.

On the one hand, we should do what’s in front of our nose. On the other hand, isn’t it important to think long term?

Lama Ole’s answer:

As a Buddhist, you have a much better chance than most to choose what benefits beings in the long run. This is because you decide without fear and attachment, out of a state of freedom and with a broad view.

Most humans behave like American industries: they have just invested money in the factory but they want to take it out again right away. The smarter ones act like German or Japanese industries: they invest; the investment grows and stabilizes, and in the end they get a lot out of it.

With the Buddhist overview, you can see both what feels good to do before summer and what will be good later when you are sixty and still want to do a lot for others. Right now it is very important for you to observe your mind as well as you can in all states, extremes, and experiences, and to learn from everything that happens. It is important to do this now while you are free to go through it all. Later, when the body demands more, you should have the most pleasant possible conditions in which to work. It is not about becoming bourgeois but about always being as useful as possible.

Every time you have gone through something and learned from it, then others who have to learn the exact same thing will come to you! And when you realize this, you’ll want to learn and do even twice as much, because this way you can benefit beings better.