Deliberation and Investigative Contemplation in the Sleep-Dream State Is a Shortcut for Practice

Question: In the early hours before getting out of bed, one is in a dazed state—neither fully asleep nor fully awake. The manas is deeply deliberating, while the mind consciousness functions very weakly. This does not count as dreaming; is it being in samādhi?

Answer: In the state of being neither fully awake nor fully asleep, the manas can engage in deep deliberation (manana). It can investigate and deliberate throughout the entire night. Just before waking up in the morning, the mind consciousness arises and discovers that the manas has been deliberating. In this half-awake state, the mind consciousness is weak, so the manas is certainly abiding in samādhi, undisturbed by the six consciousnesses. When the manas deliberates and investigates in the middle of the night, without the interference of the six consciousnesses, it can also be said to be in samādhi. It is even possible that the moment one wakes up in the morning, the mind consciousness immediately knows the result of what the manas has been pondering and deliberating. Before falling asleep at night, set a question that needs to be thought through. If the manas pays close attention to it, then throughout the night the manas will keep thinking and deliberating until one wakes up. When the mind consciousness ceases, the manas continues to work without feeling tired. In this way, a great deal of practice time can be saved—direct and highly efficient, without needing the mind consciousness to repeatedly imprint upon the manas, thus avoiding a detour. The Consciousness-Only dharma is the most ultimate teaching.