The Two Roots of Drowsiness
Besides restlessness, another common obstacle is drowsiness (stīna)—nodding off while reciting the Buddha's name.
Drowsiness generally stems from two causes: a lack of physical energy and a lack of mental energy. Both constitute genuine obstacles to practice.
First: Lack of Physical Energy
Physical weakness, fatigue, illness, or simply aging can all give rise to drowsiness during recitation. This situation is relatively straightforward to manage: with adequate rest and physical nourishment, it can gradually be improved.
Second: A Lack of Mental Energy
This is the deeper and far more insidious issue—indeed, it is where the grave obstruction lies.
A lack of mental energy does not mean that no energy is being exerted, but rather that one's mental energy is misdirected. Where has it gone? It is being poured into worldly affairs. For instance, after long hours of intense work, a full day of relentless busyness, or sustained mental tension and physical exhaustion, sitting down to recite the Buddha's name will naturally cause one to grow drowsy or even fall asleep within just a few recitations.
On the surface, it might seem as though Buddha-recitation itself induces drowsiness—or even acts as a "sleep aid," as the joke goes. In reality, however, it is because your mental energy has already been drained and spent elsewhere. Upon sitting on the cushion, exhaustion has already set in, and drowsiness follows naturally.
What demands even greater vigilance is this: when this condition recurs repeatedly, it gradually solidifies into a "habitual pattern." Eventually, even when you are neither physically nor mentally exhausted and have few affairs to handle, you will still sink into drowsiness the moment you begin reciting. It has become an ingrained habit—an obstacle to practice.
Overcoming such an obstruction requires the long-term work of accumulating merit and purifying obstacles: engaging in generosity (dāna), making offerings, circumambulating the Buddha statue, performing prostrations, or practicing sustained, unflagging Buddha-recitation until the barrier is gradually dissolved.
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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