Mastery Over Dreams and Death Through Breath
भूतिर्लीना क्रमाद्वक्त्रनासिकान्तः पदे पदे । भूयो विचार्य विशदं भैरवं रूपमिच्छति ॥
bhutirleena kramadvaktranasikantah pade pade | bhuyo vicharya vishadam bhairavam rupamicchati ||
VBT Verse 30
The Sutra
"With intangible breath in center of forehead, as this reaches the heart at the moment of sleep, have direction over dreams and over death itself."
Paul Reps translation, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
Understanding
A profound technique connecting breath, sleep, dreams, and death. As you fall asleep, bring awareness of the subtle breath from the forehead center down to the heart. This grants mastery over the dream state (lucid dreaming) and ultimately over the death process itself - because in the yogic understanding, sleep is a small death and death is a great sleep.
Original Sanskrit
भूतिर्लीना क्रमाद्वक्त्रनासिकान्तः पदे पदे । भूयो विचार्य विशदं भैरवं रूपमिच्छति ॥
bhutirleena kramadvaktranasikantah pade pade | bhuyo vicharya vishadam bhairavam rupamicchati ||
Vijnanabhairava Verse 30 (Technique 7 of 112)
How to Practice
Lie down in preparation for sleep. Relax completely.
Bring your awareness to the center of your forehead - the Ajna point.
Feel the subtle, intangible breath (not physical breath, but the prana) at this point.
As drowsiness approaches, slowly let this awareness descend from forehead to the heart center (Anahata).
The key moment is the transition between waking and sleep - maintain awareness through this threshold.
With practice, you will begin to enter dreams consciously - aware that you are dreaming.
This is an advanced practice. Begin with simply bringing attention to the forehead at bedtime, and let the descent happen naturally over weeks of practice.
Duration
10-15 minutes at bedtime
Best Time
Bedtime - specifically the transition into sleep
Related Techniques
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