The Hidden Dangers of Drowsiness and Spiritual Attachment

The Veils of Drowsiness and the Clarity of the Mind

Teachings from Practitioner Xia Lianju:

The five roots of the hell realms are difficult to sever, yet you must strive to cut them off and remain free from defilement. When you fall into a state of drowsiness, you lose all awareness. Upon waking, you may feel exhausted or entangled by the presence of other beings. Whether this is a manifestation of your own karma or a loss of focus on the Buddha, you must be alert and hold firmly to the Buddha-name.

Do not cling to what you know or what you believe to be true. Once an event has passed, let it go; do not let it linger. If there is nothing, then there is nothing; if there is something, then there is something. Distinguish right from wrong clearly without confusion. Keep your heart constantly pure and clear. Do not overthink, so that your mind remains light. Do not worry excessively, so that your heart remains at peace. Do not calculate the future; simply follow the laws of karma and cause and effect. Do not dwell on the past. See through and let go, and walk your path with ease. Whether dealing with people, affairs, or wealth, be upright and bright, and you will naturally awaken. Live only in the present moment; do not let your mind jump around.

The Testimony of the Sleep Spirit

Sentient beings often find it difficult to master their own minds during sleep. If you can summon the courage to break through this state, you will find that the initial confusion of drowsiness can be overcome. Drowsiness has many causes: sometimes it is physical exhaustion, sometimes it is interference controlling your mind, and sometimes it is simply the force of habit. Today, I have the rare and magnificent opportunity to be interviewed here. I have long admired the reputation of this Buddha-land. Thanks to the grace of this place, many spirits have obtained deliverance. However, I see that the problem of drowsiness among the fourfold assembly of disciples has not improved. I am known as the Sleep Spirit, and I have come to see if I can offer any assistance.

Venerable Shi Faxi: Namo Amituofo. Thank you. May I ask your name? Which heaven or dimension do you belong to?

Ma Zhaotou: I do not belong to any specific heaven. People simply call me the Sleep Spirit; my name is Ma Zhaotou. It is truly not worth sacrificing your vow of rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss because of drowsiness. It is not worth it. You must undergo rigorous training; drowsiness is not a matter of great significance.

The Unseen Threads of Spiritual Attachment

Venerable Shi Faxi: Could you please explain how you became the Sleep Spirit? If possible, please help the fourfold assembly of disciples overcome their drowsiness. Thank you, Namo Amituofo.

Ma Zhaotou: Namo Amituofo. Why is everyone always so drowsy? Some are deeply affected, others only mildly. There is a reason for this, and it must be resolved. It is not merely a matter of sleep. From the perspective of the Dharma realm, this is a terrifying matter. In the morning walking meditation that Practitioner Su emphasizes, many disciples are drowsy, and some are deeply so. Let me explain: drowsiness is not true sleep. It is a state where your spirit is in turmoil and unstable. When you are awake, spiritual attachment is already common; it is even more so when you are drowsy. When you are in this state, should you follow the urge to lie down and sleep? No. First, perform prostrations to the Buddha to remove external influences. If you truly cannot resolve it, a short rest is appropriate, as the physical body cannot endure excessive fatigue. However, as Practitioner Su says, do not rest for too long.

Have you ever noticed that when you are drowsy, if you do something to refresh yourself or change your activity, you instantly wake up? This shows the importance of choosing the right Dharma. You must extract yourself from the space of drowsiness. When you are drowsy, your space is different from others. If you do not wake up and extract yourself, your body is no longer under your control; you become a helpless lamb. Everyone has experienced this space of drowsiness. What is in this space? It contains the greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, and doubt that you cannot break, as well as your attachment to wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. Who among the fourfold assembly has not entered this space? Practitioner Su has compassionately retrieved the spirits of those who could not return. If you are outside, how could you be called back so easily? The space is boundless; where would one even begin to look? Your favorite things—men, women, food, wealth—will appear to capture you. When you are drowsy, you see these tempting images, and when you are deeply fascinated, you cannot judge or resist, and thus you cannot awaken. You often lose hours of time. Breaking through is not easy, but you must do it. Following the habit of drowsiness is a personality trait; if you do not change it, you cannot reach Awakening.

A Cautionary Tale from the Past

Before I became the Sleep Spirit, I died while in a state of drowsiness. I was lost, my body was not under my control, and looking back, I see that a group of sentient beings forcibly dragged me out of my body. My body was controlled, and I eventually died in an old well. It was miserable. I was about thirty-nine years old. I was a wealthy young master who loved fine wine. I was always drunk. I had no hobbies and no close friends. I lived a very tiring life. Alcohol allowed me to forget everything for a moment. After my parents died when I was twenty-five, I began to drink. My body became sluggish, and my personality became strange. People said my temperament had changed, but I did not care. I lived freely, but now I know these were all spiritual attachments. It is terrifying! My miserable life was the result of the karma from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying in past lives. Because I was heavy with sin and drank excessively, I was never sober while alive, let alone after death.

After death, I fell into the ghost realm. Because I had practised in past lives and had a high status in this life, I retained some spiritual characteristics. I still wanted to sleep. Even in the ghost realm, I was accustomed to drowsiness. Actually, without a body, I did not need to be this way, but the habit—the thoughts of my own mind—created this reality. I remained intoxicated in the familiar scent of alcohol. My magnetic field of drowsiness was very strong; any human who came near me would feel drowsy. That is why people call me the Sleep Spirit. But my personality killed me, and even after death, it continued to harm me. Fortunately, I still had a small chance to be saved here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. It is truly not simple. My space was originally nearby; the ghost realm is everywhere. I am Australian, and I died nearby. My soul's space overlaps with this area, specifically in your office. Everyone who enters that room falls asleep or becomes drowsy. That room accumulates low-vibration energy. Although I am leaving now, I advise you: these spaces are everywhere, and your spaces are currently wide open.

The Path to Transformation and Liberation

Venerable Shi Faxi: Namo Amituofo. Thank you for your compassion. Is drowsiness primarily caused by one's personality? Are there other factors? How can we change this?

Ma Zhaotou: Fundamentally, it is because the personality has not been changed. It is too strong, too lazy, too ignorant, too scattered, or too greedy. In short, the personality has not been changed or has not been changed thoroughly. As for other factors, it is the karmic creditors who are unwilling to let go and seek revenge. When you are drowsy, your body is being retaliated against. If you do not want to be retaliated against, do not be drowsy. When you are drowsy or sleeping, the underworld is at work. If you knew the truth of what happens to your body, you would cry. It is truly at the mercy of others. To change, you must change your personality until it is perfect, until there are no handles for others to grasp. If the human world is satisfied, the ghost realm will naturally be satisfied. Are ghosts not people? Are people not ghosts? You must also establish a relationship with the ghost deities, at least to the point of mutual respect. If you are not looked down upon, you will not be teased. Do not distinguish between self and others, do not have high or low divisions, treat people with sincerity, do not see evil, do not produce evil thoughts, and be pure and good. It is not difficult. If you achieve this, staying away from drowsiness is not a problem.

Also, do not be stubborn. Do what you can, walk the path you can walk. Excessive effort can lead to the opposite effect. The physical body is not made of diamond; it will get tired. Rest appropriately to avoid scatteredness, but excessive rest also leads to scatteredness. Scatteredness is bad; it makes you vulnerable to interference. When you sleep too much, there are many layers of spiritual attachment. When you are too tired, your energy is low, your nerves are weak, and you are prone to random thoughts and depression. Sentient beings in the space can easily invade. Being human is too terrifying! Everyone, work hard. I must leave now. I want to go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, but I hesitated. If I do not reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss with 100% certainty, and I fall back into the human realm, it would be miserable. My personality has not been fully changed, so I must be careful. I will try to calm my mind and listen to the teachings. I must reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss! I will do some good deeds. The energy of drowsiness, the spirits, and the sentient beings in this space are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Let us listen to the sutras together. Namo Amituofo. Thank you.

The Sacred Mission of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre

Venerable Shi Faxi: Why is it that the disciples at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are particularly prone to drowsiness when reading sutras or prostrating? At other temples, even elderly people do not get drowsy. My family members at home are very energetic when reading sutras, but here, they often get drowsy. What is the truth behind this?

Ma Zhaotou: The message has already been transmitted to you: your space is open. This is a good thing! It is truly a good thing, but it is something that requires a real breakthrough. You may not know that the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is not easily obtained. It requires the accumulation of virtue and blessings and the power of great vows to resonate with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Moreover, the one resonating now is Namo Amituofo, who has never appeared in the world before. Your blessings are truly great! You must cherish them! Drowsiness here is different from the outside world. If it were the same, you would be practising the same way as everyone else. But do not be proud; you must repent. You must know why your fellow practitioners are not drowsy while you are. Here are the reasons:

• The space is open: There are no obstacles.
• True purification: With the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, your karmic obstacles manifest in advance. Layers of obstacles and filth are revealed. Everyone knows about the cycle of rebirth since time immemorial. This body is full of filth. Who can truly remove these one by one? Only the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can do this.
• Compassionate manifestation: The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are blessing you, showing compassion and teaching through their own bodies. This is to reassure the fourfold assembly. So many sentient beings want to seek retribution, but this is already a case of heavy karma being repaid with light suffering. Because this is the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, even the most hateful sentient beings must retreat. What kind of blessing is this? You should be grateful and repentant for suffering a little bit of pain.

You must persuade sentient beings not to be attached, not to be human again, and to hurry to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Do not just care about your own physical suffering. Know how much effort the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, ancestral masters, and the great Practitioner Su have made for the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and for Namo Amituofo to appear in the world. They have resolved so many karmic creditors and extended the lives of so many people. You must be grateful. If you are still unsatisfied, selfish, or fail to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, it would be a tragedy. The entire Dharma realm is watching this place. When you lose this layer of protection, have your karmic creditors left? Are they not waiting on the side? Practitioner Su often says, how dare you be selfish? You are very brave! Think about it. This is the path you chose. I have said too much, but there are many in the Dharma realm who feel the same way. You can interview them; everyone knows clearly. Only some of the practitioners are still lost, which is a pity. It is difficult to encounter this in millions of years. You must truly practise, find your true self, and save all beings. When drowsiness appears, it may be that karmic obstacles have manifested, or it may be a reminder that your personality or attachments have not been let go, or it may be a test of your compassion. Everything is to help you grow and achieve success. Practise well, and act well. Namo Amituofo.

Venerable Shi Faxi: Thank you for your compassionate sharing and help. I have benefited greatly. It is too terrifying that one cannot master one's own life. Even sleep has hidden mysteries. How can one be a human? I hope the establishment of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can tell everyone the truth about space. We must go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and not be human again. Who knows what will happen? Being at the mercy of others is too terrifying. We must chant the Buddha-name, chant Namo Amituofo. Chanting the Buddha-name does not mean death; the vast power of Namo Amituofo is infinite.

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Faxi.