The Clarity of the Awakened Heart: Overcoming Drowsiness

The Stillness of the Mind

During the first session of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provided essential guidance on the state of drowsiness that often plagues practitioners. This teaching was recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on the nineteenth of June, 2021.

When you find yourself feeling drowsy, you naturally wish to wake up and seek clarity. However, you must understand that the more anxious your heart becomes, the more drowsy you will feel. Anxiety creates a barrier that clouds your mind further. Instead of struggling against the fog with agitation, it is far better to calm your heart and steady your mind. You should focus entirely on the Buddha-name, chanting every word and every sentence with complete sincerity. When you concentrate your heart and mouth solely upon the Buddha-name, you will find that the fog begins to lift, and your spirit will naturally return to a state of clarity. If you become careless, the spirit will drift into drowsiness again.

The Peril of the Wandering Spirit

If your heart harbours selfishness and fear of death, the more you shrink, the more your form will wither. It is better to be firm and courageous, and settle the heart into meditative concentration. If you enter into an illusory realm, let the wake-up board strike and rouse the dreamer! When drowsiness descends, who is truly in charge of your body? In these moments of mental absence, your spirit is left to be led by karmic creditors into realms of illusory pleasure.

If the spirit cannot return to the body, it becomes scattered elsewhere. If the main spirit is led away and fails to return, the body is left without a master. When the body is left empty, several grave consequences may follow: other spirits may enter and take control of your physical form, or the elements separate, leading to the end of this life. When you are drowsy, your eyes cannot see clearly, and your ears cannot hear fully; all is obscured. How, in such a state, can you hope to attain an awakened being state?

Reclaiming the Path to Awakening

Frequent drowsiness causes one to lose the precious opportunity to attain an awakened being state. It is a great pity to squander such rare Dharma affinity in this Buddha-land. You must be humble and recognise the importance of your practice. To overcome this, you should engage in the following:

• Repenting: Sincerely acknowledge your past mistakes and karmic burdens.
• Prostrations: Bow to the Buddha to humble the ego and clear the mind.
• Diligent Practice: Persist in your efforts to break through the obstacles of the mind.

By overcoming drowsiness, you can enter into a state of clear, awakened being. Do not fail the compassionate grace of Amitabha, who protects his children with endless love. Stay focused, stay awake, and continue your journey toward the Western Pure Land. Namo Amituofo.