The difference of modern lucid dreamers

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of lucid dreaming within a broader framework of other states of higher awareness, popularized mostly (but not only) within Hindu-Buddhist tradition.  The author assumes that lucid dreaming may have more in common with Gurdjieff’s remembering oneself and mindfulness than with the normal waking state. Based on the survey of modern western lucid dreamers and previous researchers done in this field the author comes to the conclusion that we can talk about an autonomous face of a modern lucid dreamer who is not much connected with Hindu and Buddhist concepts. Lucid dreaming, as practiced by modern lucid dreamers in the West, does not seem to have a goal of transcending one’s ego and achieving non-dual awareness, but it does have that general goal for some practitioners of Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.   Many modern secular lucid dreamers in the West and other regions of the globalized world which have close cultural ties with the West do not practice any Hindu or Buddhist practices of witnessing and non-attachment in lucid dreams, and often see lucid dreaming as a fun activity for personal enjoyment and creativity.