Comment:
As one had progressed deeper into Dharma practices there would be a period of sleepiness when one constantly feels sleepy. This is because one's body and mind had long been subjected to entanglements in worldly life and had become tired, tense and stiffened, and therefore were in urgent need of rest and restoration. After one had progressed deep into Dharma practices one's body and mind gradually became relaxed and unwound. At such a juncture one's instinctive ability to rest and restore needs extensive states of sound sleep to do the repair work. When this reason is not understood such sleepiness would be wrongly taken as signs of laziness or indolence. Sleeps of this kind are very light and easy, and definitely not the kind that is full of inescapable nightmares. During this period a practitioner should act according to the natural needs of body and mind, and sleep as much and as often as one feels like. No need to care about how it looks to others or raise doubts in one's own mind.
Written in Chinese on April 19, 2004
Translated on April 20, 2004
El Cerrito, California