Deep Sleep

Summary

This transcript explores the nature of deep sleep, not as a physical state but as a metaphor for pure awareness— a state beyond thinking, sensing, or perceiving. It discusses how all experience arises from awareness itself, with no external or internal source. The conversation emphasizes that the sense of separation and resistance in life is an illusion, and true happiness is found in recognizing that everything is one, indivisible awareness. This realization dissolves opposition, suffering, and the need for seeking, offering peace and fulfillment.

Takeaways

• 🛌 Deep sleep is not a state as conceived by the mind, but rather the absence of thinking, sensing, and perceiving, revealing pure awareness.
• 💭 Awareness is the substance that modulates into thoughts, sensations, and perceptions, but nothing truly arises or appears in awareness.
• 🌍 There is no inside or outside of awareness; everything occurs within awareness and is made out of awareness itself.
• 🎶 Awareness is compared to the air or breath modulating into music; it becomes thoughts, perceptions, and sensations without losing its pure nature.
• 🔄 The body is a conceptual layer that is superimposed upon awareness, becoming progressively more solid in the waking state due to added beliefs.
• 🧘‍♂️ The yoga practice mentioned is an experiential return to the self, stripping away layers of concepts to reveal the body's true nature as pure awareness.
• 🌟 The separate self is an illusion, formed when the 'I thought' arises, dividing seamless awareness into 'me' and 'everything else.'
• 🤝 Opposition and resistance occur when the separate self arises, leading to suffering, but in the absence of a separate self, there is no resistance.
• 😊 Happiness is the natural state of awareness, free from opposition or resistance; it is the seamless experience of all things equally.
• 🎭 The actor (self) cannot leave the screen (awareness); resistance and suffering are illusions because everything is part of the same awareness.

Q & A

What does the speaker mean by 'deep sleep' in this context?

The speaker uses 'deep sleep' to refer to a state of pure awareness, where there is an absence of thinking, sensing, and perceiving. It’s not the concept of sleep as understood by the waking mind, but rather an experience of pure knowingness before any thought or perception arises.

How does the waking mind conceive of deep sleep, according to the speaker?

The waking mind conceives of deep sleep as a state of the mind, associating it with inactivity or unconsciousness. However, the speaker argues that this is a conceptual misunderstanding. True deep sleep, in the context of awareness, is the absence of thoughts and perceptions but still retains a form of pure knowingness.

What does the speaker mean by 'nothing real appears or disappears'?

The speaker is suggesting that nothing truly comes into or out of existence in the realm of awareness. What we experience as thoughts, sensations, and perceptions are not separate entities that appear in awareness; they are simply modulations of the single substance of awareness itself.

How does the speaker describe the process of thinking, sensing, and perceiving?

The speaker describes thinking, sensing, and perceiving as modulations of the same awareness. These experiences are conceptualized by the mind as thoughts, sensations, and perceptions, but in reality, they are made of the same pure awareness, which is ever-present.

Why does the speaker say that 'there is no outside and therefore no inside' in awareness?

The speaker explains that awareness is not divided into inside and outside. There is no external world appearing in awareness from outside of it, nor is there an internal part separate from the external. All experiences happen within the seamless continuity of awareness itself.

What is the role of superimposed concepts in creating the illusion of a separate self?

The speaker argues that layers of concepts created by thinking give the illusion of a solid body and a separate self. These layers, like successive elements (air, water, wood), are superimposed on pure awareness, creating a false sense of separation between 'I' and the external world.

How does the speaker relate the yoga practice to this awareness of deep sleep?

In the yoga practice described, the participants gradually moved through stages of less solid body awareness until they realized that the body itself is made of pure knowingness. This exploration led to an experiential return to the state of deep sleep-like awareness while still awake.

What happens when the 'I thought' arises, according to the speaker?

When the 'I thought' arises, the seamlessness of awareness seems to split into two: a separate self ('I') and everything else ('the world'). This division creates the potential for opposition, resistance, and suffering, as the 'I' seeks to cling to or reject experiences.

How does the speaker define happiness in this context?

Happiness is defined as the natural condition of all experience when there is no opposition, resistance, or separation. It arises when the illusion of a separate self dissolves, leaving only the seamless substance of awareness, where everything is experienced equally without resistance.

Why does the speaker claim that there is no real ignorance or suffering?

The speaker claims that ignorance and suffering are illusions created by the mind. In the true state of awareness, there is no separation or resistance, and thus no real ignorance or suffering. Everything exists in a unified field of pure awareness, where opposition is impossible.

Outlines

00:00

🌙 Understanding Deep Sleep as Pure Awareness

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses 'deep sleep' not as a mental state but as pure awareness, free from sensing, thinking, and perceiving. The waking state mind conceptualizes deep sleep, but in reality, it is simply pure awareness without any external influence. Nothing arises or disappears in awareness because everything is part of it. The speaker emphasizes that the substance of all experience is awareness, which modulates itself into forms like thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. This modulation leads to the creation of the body and the world, but ultimately, nothing real appears or disappears. Everything is a manifestation of awareness, and our true self is this substance, always present, even in deep sleep.

05:07

💧 Layers of Imposed Beliefs on Awareness

This paragraph delves into how beliefs and concepts are superimposed on pure awareness. The speaker explains how the body is first described as something subtle, like air, then water, and later wood, symbolizing the layers of belief that thought imposes on awareness. However, these layers are illusory because thought itself is made of awareness. The speaker highlights that there is no real veiling of our true nature, and once this is realized, opposition and resistance dissolve. The illusion of a separate self, which gives rise to suffering, is removed when we recognize that everything is part of the same seamless awareness. This realization brings happiness, the natural state of experience when there is no resistance or opposition.

Keywords

💡Deep Sleep

In the video, 'deep sleep' is not used in the conventional sense of being a state of unconscious rest but as a metaphor for the complete absence of thinking, sensing, and perceiving. It refers to the pure knowing or awareness that exists before the mind and perceptions arise. The speaker emphasizes that deep sleep is a state of awareness itself, untouched by concepts of the waking mind.

💡Awareness

Awareness is central to the video’s theme. It is described as the ever-present, pure state of knowing that exists beyond thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. Awareness is not something that 'arises' or 'appears,' but is the foundational substance of all experience. Everything experienced—thinking, sensing, perceiving—is a modulation of this awareness.

💡Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving

These are described as processes that emerge from the pure state of awareness. The speaker suggests that these activities do not 'arise' from outside of awareness but are modulations of it. Thinking, sensing, and perceiving are often misconceived as separate experiences happening within awareness, when in fact, they are not separate from awareness at all.

💡Knowingness

Knowingness refers to the innate and fundamental quality of awareness. It is the pure, conscious presence that exists prior to the formation of thoughts or perceptions. The speaker relates knowingness to the essence of our being, a state that is always 'awake,' even when thought and perception are absent.

💡Superimposed Concepts

These are layers of thought that are said to obscure the direct experience of awareness. According to the speaker, thoughts create the illusion of solidity (such as the feeling of having a solid body), and successive layers of these conceptualizations make reality appear fragmented or divided. The practice described in the video aims to strip away these superimpositions to reveal the underlying awareness.

💡Seamless Substance

The 'seamless substance' is a metaphor for the undivided nature of awareness. The speaker uses this term to describe the idea that all of experience, including thoughts and sensations, arises from one unified field of awareness. In this seamless state, there is no division or separation between subject and object, self and world.

💡I Thought

The 'I thought' refers to the initial concept of a separate self that emerges in awareness. This thought divides the unified experience of awareness into a subject (the 'I') and an object (the rest of the world). This division is seen as the root of all opposition, resistance, and suffering. The speaker suggests that the 'I thought' is an illusion superimposed upon awareness.

💡Happiness

In the video, happiness is defined as the natural condition of experience when there is no resistance or opposition. When the 'I thought' dissolves and there is no separation between the self and the world, there is nothing to resist or seek. This state of non-resistance is equated with happiness, which is described as the inherent quality of awareness.

💡Resistance

Resistance is the opposition that arises when the 'I thought' divides awareness into a self and other. This opposition leads to suffering, as the self either tries to reject or cling to aspects of experience. The speaker highlights that in the absence of this separate self, resistance does not exist, leading to a state of peace or happiness.

💡Illusion of Ignorance

The 'illusion of ignorance' refers to the false belief in separation and resistance, which creates the sense of suffering. The speaker notes that in some spiritual traditions, such as in India, ignorance is seen as an illusion because awareness has never truly been veiled or obstructed. The illusion of ignorance arises only through the superimposition of concepts onto the seamless awareness.

Highlights

Deep sleep, as discussed, is not a mental state but the absence of thinking, sensing, and perceiving.

The waking state mind often conceives deep sleep as a state, but here it's explained as pure knowingness before thoughts and perceptions arise.

Nothing truly arises or disappears in awareness; it is the sole substance of experience, modulating into thoughts, sensations, and perceptions.

Awareness doesn't have an inside or outside. There are no objects appearing in awareness; everything is already present as awareness.

The mind imposes layers of conceptual beliefs onto awareness, but these are not real—only pure knowingness exists.

There is no separate self that experiences opposition or resistance in pure awareness, leading to a natural state of happiness.

The process of exploring body awareness reveals that the body is made of pure knowingness, becoming less solid at each stage.

The metaphor of air, water, and wood represents the layers of superimposed concepts that the mind adds to pure awareness.

Happiness is the absence of opposition or resistance. It's the natural condition when there's no separate self to resist or oppose anything.

The 'I-thought' creates the illusion of a separate self, dividing the seamlessness of awareness into 'me' and 'everything else.'

The experience of happiness is the natural state of awareness, where no resistance or opposition can occur.

In pure awareness, there is no real suffering because there is no real opposition or ignorance—only the illusion of these concepts.

Resistance and seeking are products of the mind's creation of a separate self, leading to suffering.

The actor on the screen (representing the self) cannot leave the screen (awareness); all experiences are ultimately expressions of awareness.

In Indian philosophy, ignorance is considered an illusion, as awareness contains no real resistance, opposition, or suffering.

Transcripts

I could you just talk about deep sleep a

little bit more you're using that

synonymously with presence awareness

that's just another yes what when I use

the term deep sleep in this context I'm

not referring to a state which is

conceived by the waking state mind and

it's using concept that that's which is

a concept I'm speaking of the actual

experience of ourselves before thinking

sensing and perceiving has arisen our

term sleep gives us the wrong

connotation yes yes the the the waking

state mind conceives of deep sleep as a

state of the mind I'm referring to it as

as

the complete absence of sensing thinking

and perceiving just the pure knowingness

which subsequently becomes so to speak

the substance of thinking sensing and

perceiving so it's not even true

sometimes we use the phrase thinking

arises or a thought arises or appears

nothing in fact arises or appears

because this would suggest that those

awareness and then something appeared in

awareness from outside of awareness but

nothing comes from outside there is no

outside and therefore no inside of

awareness there is just awareness and

this sole substance of experience is

modulated and becomes thinking sensing

and perceiving thinking then says

conceptualizes these as thoughts

sensations and perceptions then a mind

or body and the world and then thought

says that these arise in or

appear in awareness or space but but

that even that formulation makes a

concession to the belief that there are

objects which appear in awareness and

then disappear

nothing real appears nothing real

disappears that which is never ceases to

be that which is not never comes into

existence the substance of all

experience is already present it's the

only thing the only stuff that is

present and it is that stuff which is

our self that is then apparently

modulated in all the forms of experience

just like this transparent sigh and

breath is modulated in all the forms of

music

so in this yoga that we did this morning

as we went through these different

stages and we got to just the presence

that could also be saying said is deep

asleep

yes but we were awake but we're in deep

sleeping so exciting down and that but

that was yes so terms of difficulty

exploration we did this morning was like

an experiential return to ourself a

return because we were exploring the

body we were returning as it were from

the feeling of being a solid body we

were tracing our way back and seeing

that each state that the at each stage

the body was experienced as less and

less solid until we realized that it's

only made of the knowing of it only made

of pure no unless awake and what we call

and wake state of us really yes and that

this this knowing substance in is aware

it's it's wide awake it doesn't go to

sleep it doesn't turn off the body

didn't become that what we were actually

doing was relieving our experience of

successive layers of imposed concepts

superimposed concepts in fact we were

never a body that became more and more

and more subtle we are always only this

presence of awareness the body is always

only that but thinking an added layer

upon layer upon layer first of all

describes the thinking first of all

describes this completely empty

knowingness as having a very subtle

objectivity hence the image of air the

body be made out of air rather than out

of pure emptiness and then the air

becomes water and then the water becomes

wood these are the successive layers of

superimposed beliefs that thought alone

imagines and superimposes

on awareness of course that thought

itself is only made of awareness so this

whole the whole thing takes place in

awareness made out of awareness and

therefore there is no real veiling of

our true nature really exactly what

exactly that's it what a relief because

when we when we realize this we know

that there's nothing need be opposed in

life what is there in our experience in

order to oppose there need to be at

least two parts one part here that says

no to the other part over there I don't

like that but in this seamless substance

made out of this purely there are no

parts there is no separate self present

to oppose and therefore to seek so the

separate self is the first the separate

self is like a precipitation

precipitated out of this seamless

colorless substance that it's the first

object to arise and with the arising of

this primal object the I thought the

seamlessness of awareness the not to

Ness of awareness seems to be divided in

two parts me a separate eye a separate

ones and everything else and then the

everything

else is then further subdivided into a

multiplicity and diversity of objects

and from that moment from the moment

that the I thought arises opposition

resistance becomes possible I in this

little corner of experience does or

doesn't like the rest of the world

either wants to reject the rest or cling

on to the rest that is unhappiness that

movement is suffering but in the absence

of this manufactured self that that

there is no resistance there is no

opposition and therefore there is no

seeking what do we call that in life

when there is no opposition or

resistance it's just called happiness

that's what happiness is that the

natural condition of all experience it's

not an experience of a body or a mind it

is the substance of all experience it is

how experience experiences itself not

how a separate eye seems to experience

the rest but from the inside from

experiences point of view which is of

course the only real point of view

experience experiences everything

equally close it cannot resist there is

nothing inside itself with which it

could resist itself that is the

experience of happiness what a relief

exactly that and there's no at nothing

to resist and nowhere to go who would be

the one that was resisting and who would

be the one that was going somewhere

where does the actor on the on this on

the screen go it can never leave the

screen it can seem to resist it can seem

to go somewhere but it never truly

resists anything there is no real

resistance that is why in India they say

that they don't have a word for ignorant

it's the illusion of ignorance there is

no real ignorant there

real resistance and therefore there is

no real suffering

so during the