Tag Archives: Sleep

Deep Sleep Awareness

Q: I do not seem to be aware at all in deep sleep. If awareness never goes then where does my awareness go in deep sleep?

A: When you say, “my” awareness you are referring to the reflected/personal awareness. A stone may have no reflected/personal awareness at all but stone is within the impersonal/pure awareness which never goes. Stone is an expression of pure awareness. When we say awareness never goes, we refer to the pure awareness, not the reflected one. Incidentally, even “your” awareness does exist in dormant form in deep sleep. Had it not been the case then nobody would get up from the deep sleep after hearing a loud noise or nobody would get up from deep sleep due to mosquito bite. Also, consider the following verse:

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[Panchadasi, Chapter 11, Verse 39]

Implied Meaning: If there is no comfort in deep sleep then why great effort is made to set up soft bedding and other conveniences?