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The following questions are targeted to Vipassana. Nevertheless, contributions from other traditions are appreciated.

  • is there any stage where it is expected that meditators feel vibrations while sleeping ?

    -- If yes, then how should this be managed ?

    -- Moreover, how to handle this when vibrations are so intense that it is impossible to move during this experience ?

  • What if it is not clear if such experience is while dreaming or awake ? Sometimes it is not clear if such experience happened in a dream or in real life.

  • Moreover, is there any guideline on how to manage experiences that happen while sleeping ?

Answers with references are strongly appreciated.

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  • If you are not getting good sleep, please see a doctor. May you be healthy.
    – Thien
    Dec 19, 2014 at 14:51

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This sounds like sleep paralysis, which often involves the following:

  1. An inability to move
  2. Vibrations
  3. Imagery
  4. A sense of a (often malevolent) presence near you

This is a common state that has nothing to do with Buddhism. In fact, some hypothesize that stories of alien abductions or succubi are distorted reports of experiences in that state.

Perhaps meditation may increase the incidence of this? One reported way of entering sleep paralysis is to remain conscious while the body falls asleep, an ability aided by improved concentration which can come with meditative practice.

To bring this back to Buddhism, if you are in this state, then you could try to induce a lucid dream by visualization and use that to practice Dream Yoga. You can also use the experiences you gain as insight into your daily life. With so much of life said to be illusory or dreamlike, experiences in this border state can be very illuminating.

For non-Buddhist stuff, you can...

  1. Enter a lucid dream for fun.
  2. Will "yourself" out of your body.
  3. Focus all your might on moving your big toe to snap out of this state.

Of course if you suspect that there may be any medical issues involved with this, then see a doctor!

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Sabbo pajjalito loko, sabbo loko pakampito.

The entire universe is nothing but combustion and vibration.

At certain times you will experience vibration at different intensities, not necessary limited to when you are sleeping. You should look at it arise and pass away.

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