Tibetan Dream Yoga - Calm Abiding "Zhinè"

An interesting way of unfolding the mysteries of the inner process is through dream yoga. A successful seeker in dream-work must be stable enough in presence to avoid being swept away by the winds of karmic emotions and lost in the dream. As the mind steadies, dreams become longer, less fragmented, and more easily remembered, and lucidity is developed..
Waking life is equally enhanced as we find that we are increasingly protected from being carried away by the habitual emotional reactions that draw us into distraction and unhappiness. Dream -work can instead develop the positive traits that lead to happiness and support the seeker in the spiritual journey.
All yogic and spiritual disciplines include some form of practice that develops concentration and quiets the mind. In the Tibetan tradition this practice is called calm abiding (zhine). We recognize three stages in the development of stability: forceful zhine, natural zhine, and ultimate zhine. Zhine begins with mental fixation on an object and, when concentration is strong enough, moves on to fixation without an object.