Can You Handle Not Sleeping?

不睡觉受得了吗？

Q: I have meditated well today. My back and legs do not really ache and time has passed so quickly. It seems that in an instant, the sit has ended.

A: What is so good about that? You are simply sleeping there and not knowing anything!

Q: If we meditate every day without sleeping, how can we handle it?

A: “Meditation” can also be “sleeping.” Lots of people sit for long periods and never lie down to sleep at all; they can sleep while sitting. There are advantages to this. If you are not cultivating, it may be good to sleep. If you are cultivating, then meditate. It is good to sleep in a sitting posture. At
most, you will have a bad dream; you will not have other false thoughts.

Q: When I sit for too long, my legs ache so badly that they shake. Isn’t this too much?

A: Is climbing a mountain difficult? When I say climbing, I do not mean riding in a vehicle to the peak of the mountain. I mean walking step by step from the foot of the mountain to the peak. Such a journey is long and hard. Isn’t it difficult to climb a mountain? To participate in a Chan Session requires even more energy! Especially when you are not used to sitting in meditation for so long, and not used to running around, such hardship and tough conditions are unavoidable.

问：我今天坐的很好，腿也没痛，腰也没酸，觉得一瞬间就开静了。

答：那有什么好？你在那儿睡着了，当然什么也不知道嘛！

问：每天静坐，没有睡觉受得了吗？

答：静坐一样可以睡觉。有很多长坐不卧的，都是坐在那儿睡觉。各有各的好处，你不修行，睡觉也好；要修行，就静坐。坐着睡觉也好，顶多做个恶梦，也不会打其他的妄想。

问：坐太久，腿都痛得发抖，这是不是太辛苦了？

答：那爬山辛苦不辛苦呢？我说的爬山不是坐车到山顶上去，而是从山底下往上爬，爬到山顶；那个山是很陡很陡、很难上的，想要上去会不会费力？打禅七比那个还更费力，尤其你以前没有坐过那么久，没有跑那么多，辛苦是在所难免的。