The Stages of Practice Before Realizing Tathagatagarbha (25/7/11)

Shi Ruyuan: Master, you said that these past two nights, is it insomnia or the refinement of the mental faculty, or what exactly? I just couldn’t sleep. Whether lying down or sitting, the sound of the Buddha’s name kept resonating in my mind, and the teachings you instructed me to contemplate on the Dharma meaning also kept revolving in my thoughts. Last night, I simply couldn’t sleep. In the first half of the night, just after lying down around eleven o’clock in a drowsy state, a dazzling sun appeared in my mind and woke me up with its light. After waking, I felt hot and excited, my heart agitated all night long, unable to sleep. I felt parched and thirsty, drank water three or four times, but it didn’t quench my thirst. After a while, as I lay down again and was about to fall asleep, I faintly heard a gentle voice, like that of an elder, saying to me: “Hurry up and exert yourself.” Since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I sat up to contemplate the Dharma meaning, feeling as though there was an endless stream of Dharma meanings to observe in my mind.
Commentary: What is the reason for Shi Ruyuan’s inability to sleep? The cause is that when spiritual energy is full, one does not think of sleep. What exactly does “spirit” (shen) refer to? “Spirit” refers to a person’s mental state. If the energy within the body is sufficient, the mental state is good, the person is spirited, not dull or sleepy, and thus does not need excessive sleep to replenish energy. Why must those with insufficient spirit sleep? When the body’s energy is insufficient and consumption is relatively high, the spirit becomes insufficient, necessitating sleep to replenish energy. Why do sentient beings need sleep? Because in the human realm of the Saha world, the physical body is composed of the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) as substantial seeds, and it requires the qi and blood generated by nutrition from food to maintain the normal functioning of the physical body. Qi and blood are the source of energy; when qi and blood are sufficient, energy is sufficient, and a person is spirited and not dull.
Both meditative concentration (dhyana) and sleep can supplement and regulate qi and blood. Therefore, humans need sleep, and meditative concentration can replace sleep in supplementing qi and blood. Sleep can replenish energy; the energy the body needs is the qi and blood that nourish the internal organs, bones, muscles, skin, etc. Activities of body, speech, and mind within the five aggregates during the day consume a certain amount of qi and blood. At night during sleep, the qi and blood of the internal organs are automatically regulated. Once regulation is sufficient, one automatically wakes up. Therefore, the more one consumes during the day, the more replenishment is needed during sleep at night, and the longer the sleep time. Random thoughts and distractions also consume qi and blood. Meditative concentration regulates qi and blood because during dhyana, body and mind are still: firstly, it reduces the consumption of qi and blood; secondly, it can supplement the four great elements and regulate qi and blood. Thus, the deeper the dhyana, the more sufficient the qi and blood, and the less need for sleep. Therefore, those without dhyana sleep more, while those with dhyana can nurture their spirit and sleep less.
Shi Ruyuan, because she has attained the first dhyana, naturally has sufficient spirit and does not think of sleep, thus sleeping less. After entering the first dhyana, her sleep became even less than before when she was in the “access to dhyana” (anāgamya-samādhi) state. Every night, she only needs to sleep two or three hours, which is sufficient. But why couldn’t she sleep even one hour these past two days? Firstly, because her mind is pure and luminous—a bright sun shining upon her, urging her to practice meditation and realize the Dharma—she did not sleep but instead diligently contemplated the Dharma. Secondly, because she has Dharma protectors (Dharmapalas) urging her to diligently cultivate the path, deliberately preventing her from sleeping; whenever she lay down, they woke her up. This is the protective function of compassionate and responsible Dharma protectors. People living near her were also affected and were woken up several times at night.
Why are Shi Ruyuan’s Dharma protectors so responsible, while others do not feel the presence of Dharma protectors? As long as one upholds precepts, has the aspiration (vow), and wishes to diligently practice, everyone has the protection and guarding of Dharma protectors; ordinary people just do not perceive it. If one has exceptionally good spiritual capacity (root faculty) and practices courageously, the protective function of the Dharma protectors is very significant. The magnitude and perceptibility of the protective effect depend on the practitioner’s wholesome roots, meditative power (path power), vow strength, and level of cultivation.