[Buddha-l] Re: Deep sleep

[Benito Carral]

On Sunday, November 6, 2005, Rahula wrote:

   Thank you very much for the references.

> 1. Sleeping, Dreaming an Dying (Dalai Lama etc)

   I  have this book and have read it some years ago. I
don't  remember  that it contains a clear discussion of
the  deep  sleep  state,  but  maybe  my  memory is not
working well here.

> 2. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

   I have this book and I'm going to quote the relevant
passages because maybe someone could be interested:

       The   normal   process   of   sleep   occurs  as
       consciousness  withdraws from the senses and the
       mind  loses  itself in distraction, thinning out
       in mental images and thoughts until it dissolves
       in  darkness.  Unconsciousness  then lasts until
       dreams arise. [...]

          Sleep  is  dark because we lose consciousness
       in  it.  It  seems  to  be  empty  of experience
       because  we  identify with the gross mind, which
       ceases to function during sleep. [...]

          Although  we define sleep as unconsciousness,
       the  darkness  and experiental blankness are not
       the essence of sleep. For pure awareness that is
       our  basis there is no sleep. When not afflicted
       with  obscurations,  dreams,  or  thoughts,  the
       moving  mind  dissolves into the nature of mind;
       then,   rather  than  the  sleep  of  ignorance,
       clarity, peacefulness, and bliss arise.

                 Tenzin Wangyal Rimpoche, 1998, p. 143.

   This view is in harmony with what Ven. Jing-hui told
me  in  a  personal  meeting  in  2002  at  the abbot's
quarters of Bailin-si (Hebei, China). I wonder if there
are more textual references of this state.

   It  is  also  interesting to contrast this view with
the  one  expressed by Ramesh S. Balsekar (Advaita):

       In  deep sleep the sentient being himself is not
       there.  So  the  Consciousness in deep sleep not
       aware  of itself, is the original state. Then in
       the  waking state, the first moment of awakening
       is  Consciousness  becoming aware of itself. And
       if   there   are  other  sentient  beings,  then
       inter-human  relationships  arise.  But if there
       are no other sentient beings, then there is only
       Consciousness  observing  the manifestation, and
       there  is  no  sense of '"me." There is merely a
       sense of awareness of the manifestation. No "me"
       and no "other" exist.

                     Consciousness Speaks, 1992, p. 77.

   Best wishes,

   Beni