640. Andrew Holecek

Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and teaches internationally on meditation, dream yoga, and the art of dying. He is the author of six books, and many articles, including scientific papers on lucid dreaming. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a concert pianist, with degrees in music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery.  He is the co-founder of Global Dental Relief, which serves impoverished children in six developing countries; the founder of the online platform Night Club, which supports the nocturnal meditations, and the founder of the Preparing to Die Institute, a nine-month spiritual and practical training program to help with the end of life.

Books:

Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep
Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming
Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition
The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy

Website: andrewholecek.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded March 27, 2022

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction of Andrew Holecek
00:04:45 - The Three-Year Meditation Retreat
00:09:08 - The Difficulties of Retreat and Detox Process
00:13:18 - The Tricky Topic of Crazy Wisdom Lineage
00:17:36 - The Ethics of Enlightenment
00:22:14 - The Importance of Morality and Ethics in Meditation
00:26:43 - The Delicate Dance of Balancing Relative and Absolute Vectors
00:30:51 - Digging deep with multiple tools
00:35:04 - Finding Opportunities in Obstacles
00:39:16 - Finding Teachings in Life's Challenges
00:43:47 - The Relativity of Reality and the Burden of Compassion
00:48:11 - Working with Complexity and Reductionism in Life
00:52:13 - The Irreducible Principles of Life
00:56:28 - The Utter Immediacy of Enlightenment
01:00:57 - Balancing Both/And Perspective
01:05:01 - Skillful Means for Different Levels of Identity
01:09:26 - Maintaining Lucidity in Sleep and Dreaming
01:13:36 - Lucid dreaming and its transformative power
01:18:08 - Lucidity and the Power of Light
01:22:45 - The Stages of Dream Yoga
01:27:21 - The Fruition of States: Turiya and Beyond
01:31:52 - The Addiction to Transcendent States
01:35:48 - The Integration of Science and Spirituality
01:40:06 - The Balance of Spiritual Experiences
01:45:00 - The Importance of Taking it Slow and Seeking Support
01:49:17 - The Golden Chain of Spirituality
01:53:34 - The Ripple Effect of Thoughts on Reality
01:57:58 - The Presence of Kundun, the Dalai Lama's name in Tibetan
02:02:30 - The Difference Between a Lucid Dream and the Waking State
02:06:29 - Similarities between Advaita Vedanta and Mahamudra & Dzogchen
02:10:40 - Guest Suggestions and Closing the Topic