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Originally Posted by Unseeking Seeker
True, Uma. Being aware in dreams …
How about the deep sleep state? That’s a blank but scriptures say we should be awake there too ~ Turiya. Something like illuminating the dark void.
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Thank you for asking Unseeking Seeker. This is what I've learned:
The restfulness and peace from the deep sleep state we can approximate through yoga nidra or wu chi - that also plays into meditation and daily life as we try to live from a centeredness. The deep sleep state during dreamtime is when the mind becomes completely quiet and we slip into unconsciousness and wake up feeling really rested and recharged - so that's important for health and wellbeing. It is said in hatha yoga that shravasana (the corpse pose) is the most difficult one - because mind is so active (ego mind - all the vrittis of all the chakras).
My Guruji has said to be fully awake/conscious whilst meditating but as relaxed as when you sink into a hot bath for a deep soak. The wu chi practice really helps train the mind for this. Just being able to stand and move beyond the body's complaining requires a deep centeredness. We're trying to act from a space of being, a void space that is pure consciousness - doing from nondoing.
He also said that we enter this state of complete surrender when we actually fall asleep. We let go everything and just allow the process to carry us. He said that he had to work very hard to attain that "being carried" as a permanent thing!
Turyia (turyia titta) comes after the spiritual journey is complete, not to the seeker. Turyia is described as the state of the Pure Seer, totally awake in all states (waking, dreaming, deep sleep). The deep sleep one is then experienced as bliss - the "ananda" of Satchitananda. Perhaps we can have glimpses of that but not hold on to it completely and permanently until meditation becomes our normal way of being.
I really can't describe what I haven't yet attained, so this is my idea about it based on my experiences and my interpretation of the teachings. There is no experiencer in deep sleep. It is like the consciousness of rocks. Turyia is as close as we can get to it but even that is a stretch for a lifetime and comes with much wu chi type of practice and burning of karma etc.
Hope this helps.