If we care to explore the story of our lives, we may realise that there are really three inseparable stories. The outer or material biography - i was born here, i did this, i went there, and this is what i believed i was doing. The inner or hidden biography - an immaterial realm sometimes believed to be full of myth, metaphor, and archetypes - but more a transpersonal experience. And the secret biography which, for the sake of argument, let us call the direct experience of infinite compassionate light.

Similarly, when we look beyond the interpretations and irrationalities of dreams, and into dreaming, we may see that dreams fall into three kinds: mundane dreams, dreams of clarity, and pure-light dreams. Mundane dreams arise as the karmic traces of the individual. Dreams of clarity arise as the karmic traces of the transpersonal. And pure-light dreams arise, for the sake of argument, as primal awareness without subject and object, or the clear light of pure reality.

Now if we look into the infinite vastness of the material universe, the further away we can see the further we appear to travel back in time, due to the velocity of light. Eventually, if we could really
travel back far enough, we would arrive at spaciousness without space in which things appear to arise.

Similarly, if we journey into the universe of the infinitely small, we arrive not at material things or sub-atomic pixels, but at dynamic quantum processes, or arguable the sub-atomic system known as the Hidden Variable. In some schools the Hidden Variable is regarded as unverifiable, whilst in others it is speculated that it pre-exists the universe of space-time as it is known to us, and is believed to be either information or consciousness. All we can say is that it is a dynamic process involving the awareness of an event - so, in my opinion, it is probably consciousness.

Now back to the earthly you and me. When we believe we are awake, things appear to happen, we have things to do, and thoughts arise. Yet if we care to look between these endlessly passing thoughts and things to do, we will eventually arrive at a vast and silent emptiness without identity. Unsurprisingly enough this has been many names - but it is essentially aware spaciousness in which things appear to arise. And when we sleep, what happens between the dreams? Shall we just call it deep sleep, non-REM sleep, or oblivion.

Sleep is said to be of three forms: the sleep of ignorance, the sleep of clarity, and clear light sleep. The sleep of ignorance is the great darkness of oblivion, which helps to maintain our sense of body and individualised consciousness. Sleep deprivation may alter our sense of personal identity. The sleep of dreams has already been mentioned. And clear-light sleep or the sleep of clarity's abiding in pure awareness without becoming distracted by dreams or darkness.

It should be emphasised that we inevitably experience only mundane dreams and the sleep of ignorance. But then, whoever said that things were easy.

It is said that when the mind rests freely without a point of reference, then there is nothing to meditate upon. Sometimes this is called the Essence of mind that has never existed. It is sometimes likened to the clarity of a mirror. It is also known as the first of the three inseparable conditions: Essence, Nature, and Energy. Which is of course, another story.