Overcoming Drowsiness and Restlessness in Practice

The Obstacles to a Clear Mind

During the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we often encounter significant challenges in our practice. When you find yourself overcome by drowsiness or restlessness—whether you are performing prostrations, chanting Namo Amituofo, engaging in Chao Du, reciting the Sutras, or listening to the Dharma—you must not simply let these states persist. These are not merely physical sensations; they are signs that your mind has drifted into a space of confusion. When you experience these states, you must immediately intensify your efforts in the following ways:

• Prostrations: Increase your dedication to bowing to the Buddha to humble the ego.
• Repentance: Sincerely repent for your past actions to dissolve the heavy weight of your karma.
• Chanting: Focus your heart and mind entirely on chanting Namo Amituofo with absolute sincerity.

Do not allow yourself to be led astray by these states of drowsiness and restlessness. You must remember that the most vital task is to change your personality traits and habits.

The Direct Correlation Between Character and Clarity

The state of your mind is a direct reflection of your inner character. If you can change your personality traits by even a small fraction, you will find that your drowsiness and restlessness decrease by that same amount. If you change your habits by two parts, your obstacles will diminish by two parts. If you are able to transform your character completely, these distractions will vanish entirely. This is the path to true Awakening.

The Dangers of Emotional Attachment

Within the community of practitioners, it is essential to maintain a dignified and focused demeanour. You must never engage in frivolous play, idle laughter, or casual physical contact. When you treat these matters lightly, you create an opening for your karmic creditors and attached spirits to manifest. These beings, who are tied to you by past emotional debts, will seize the opportunity to cloud your mind, leading you into states of drowsiness and restlessness that will seem impossible to overcome. To find a way out, you must take decisive action:

• Stop the mind: Cease all wandering thoughts and emotional attachments.
• Stop the actions: Refrain from any behaviour that feeds your ego or selfishness.
• Stop the karma: Cease the creation of new negative karmic seeds.
• Stop the contact: Maintain proper boundaries and refrain from inappropriate physical touch or frivolous socialising.

Letting Go of the Illusory World

If you continue to cling to the desires of the world—such as romantic attachments, excessive longing for family members, or greed for wealth, food, and material possessions—your practice will remain stagnant. These attachments are obstacles to your heart, they stain your purity, and they ensure that your mind remains trapped in the cycle of rebirth. You must realise that these desires are merely illusions, products of your past karma and karmic conditions. They are the manifestations of your karmic creditors and attached spirits. When you recognise these as the signs of samsara, you will finally have the strength to let them go. By stopping your greed, your idle thoughts, and your negative actions, you will finally find the clarity you seek.

Transforming Anger into Peace

Finally, you must be vigilant against the rising of anger and resentment. If you allow a hateful heart or an angry expression to take hold, you will find that your practice becomes clouded once again. Drowsiness and restlessness will return, and you will find no improvement in your state of mind. You must know that the only way to overcome this is to stop the anger at its source. By ceasing the angry thoughts, the harsh words, and the vengeful intent, you will clear the path for your true nature to shine through. Only through this constant, diligent practice of self-correction can you truly leave suffering behind and find the happiness of the Western Pure Land.

Namo Amituofo