Sleep:: A Psychological Necessity

Question::

What is the real cause of sleep? How is sleep-wake cycle related to “consciousness”?
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Why “consciousness” should oscillate between ‘sleep’ & ‘wakefulness’?
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Why should one understand about the “origin & purpose of consciousness” in order to understand sleep-wake cycle?
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Why & How does “consciousness” manifest, in the first place?
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How is “sleep state” related to a ‘state of God’?
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Why man seeks rest? How come sleep is a psychological necessity?
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Does “consciousness” gets annihilated in deep sleep?
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Why man/woman wants to sleep, in terms of consciousness? What sort of escape is sought through sleep, w.r.t consciousness?
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Can “sleep” be compared to “death”? What are the differences and similarities?
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How does the passage from “sleep” to “wakefulness” of the “aspirant on the spiritual path” different from that of the “ordinary man”, w.r.t consciousness?
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Why man/woman wakes up from sleep, daily? Why can’t one sleep, eternally? What makes him/her wake up from sleep?
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What sort of POSITIVE BENEFIT can “sleep” confer to the “mind” & the “individual soul”?

Answer:

TO ‘SLEEP’ IS TO SURRENDER TO ONE OF THE PRIMARY FORCES OF LIFE. “Sleep” is an inescapable need. There can be no substitute for it, although adjustment within certain degrees to its demands is possible, such as– choosing eleven o’clock instead of ten for retiring. Such “adjustments” can be made only within well-defined limits. There can be no tampering with the strict requirements for sleep over any considerable length of time.

FOR THE AVERAGE MAN, prolonged absentia from sleep inevitably results in ‘bodily disorder’ as well as ‘impairment’ or even ‘derangement of the mind’. The “mind” loses its normal alertness and deteriorates markedly in its ability to concentrate and work out abstruse problems. Further, it loses its ability to cope with the problems presented by everyday life.

“Sleep”, being one of the most significant phenomena in the existence of the individual, must be thoroughly understood if the “purpose of life” itself is to be fully comprehended.

Any attempt to give an explanation of sleep in purely psychological terms will be incomplete and misleading as well.

• Many people consider ‘sleep’ to be the inevitable result of the exhaustion of higher nerve centers of the brain.
• Some attribute the “cause of sleep” to the accumulation of “metabolic” and other “deterioration” products in the brain.
• Others regard ‘sleep’ as the product of the inhibition of higher brain centers by nerve impulses generated in specialized sleep centers.
• Still other authorities regard ‘sleep’ as the natural condition of the brain, and  they consider “consciousness” to be the result of activating the brain through “external stimuli”. Sleep, in their opinion, is therefore a relapse into the natural state of the brain, which occurs on withdrawal of these “external stimuli”.

The essence of all these “psychological explanations” is that- sleep is a by-product of the physical brain. THIS IS A RADICALLY WRONG CONCLUSION. A more profound interpretation is required to do justice to the “real status of consciousness” and its relation to “body” and “soul”.

Throughout evolution, ‘consciousness’ is developed in and through the mind, and expressed through the evolving medium of physical form, but ‘consciousness’ itself resides in the ‘soul’. The ‘body’ is only the medium through which ‘consciousness’ expresses itself.

Through the ages, a ‘single life impulse’ (individual soul) gradually becomes more conscious as it expresses itself through a myriad of ‘forms’. The ‘consciousness’ thus developed is the possession of the mind and it does not vanish with the disappearance of the physical vehicle.

The “physical form” also evolves as “consciousness” unfolds. Bodily forms emerge one after another in continuous and ascending order so that the total consciousness might develop progressively through a fitting progression of form-vehicles. “Consciousness” is not a coincidental product of physiological processes, but the very reason for the existence of all forms.

“Consciousness” is the standard by which the distinctions between the sleep and waking should be understood.

• In wakefulness, the ‘mind’ becomes conscious and expresses itself through the “body”.
• In sleep, the ‘mind’ relapses into a quiescent state of the ‘soul’ without outer expression.

Physiologically, the states of ‘sleeping’ and ‘waking’ may be described as the retarding and accelerating of the higher brain centers, but they are more significantly defined as the submerging and emerging of CONSCIOUSNESS.

In order to answer the basic question of– why consciousness should oscillate between the ‘quiescent state of sleep’ and the ‘active state of wakefulness’, one must attack the problem of the “primary origin” of consciousness.

Before the beginning of all beginnings, the “infinite ocean of God” was completely self-forgetful. The utter and unrelieved oblivion of the self-forgetful, infinite ocean of God in the beyond-beyond state was broken in order that God should consciously know His own fullness of divinity.

It was for this sole purpose that “consciousness” proceeded to evolve.

‘Consciousness’ itself was latent in the ‘beyond-beyond state’ of God. Also latent in this same ‘beyond-beyond state’ of God, was the original whim (lahar) to become conscious. It was this ‘original whim’ which brought ‘latent consciousness’ into manifestation (form) for the first time.

Slowly and tediously “consciousness” approaches its apex in the “human form”, which is the goal of the evolutionary process, and thereby an “individual mind” gradually differentiates itself from the sea of oblivion. However, the “conscious individual” still does not comprehend the truth of the real self. On the contrary, there is produced in man, a FALSE SENSE of ‘limitation’ and ‘frustration’.  

The “full consciousness” that is laboriously produced in the evolutionary process and that takes the place of ‘utter forgetfulness’, remains “finite” because– it is replete with ‘countless impressions’ (sanskaras) of fulfilled and unfulfilled “desires” that have been acquired while inhabiting the many finite bodies.

Originally, it was the “lahar” that caused ‘consciousness’ to manifest.

In everyday life, it is the “impressions” (sanskaras) that cause ‘latent consciousness’ in the sleep-state to manifest itself as ‘active consciousness’ in the awake-state.

Although the ‘sea of oblivion’ has been swept back through the development of consciousness, yet it has been exchanged for a growing nightmare of ever-increasing futility. ‘Forgetfulness’ has been displaced by ‘remembrance’, but it is a remembrance charged with limitation, helplessness and binding desires.

The full but finite “human consciousness” struggles to find ‘self-expression’ and ‘self-gratification’, but even these efforts are subject to the ‘sanskaric compulsions.’ They prevent man from recapturing the original truth of his being and subject him to increasing ‘limitation’ and ‘helplessness’. He is like a spider caught in a web of his OWN MAKING.

As a means of respite, “consciousness” seeks the ‘oblivion of deep sleep’ where it again surrenders itself temporarily to the ‘sea of self-forgetfulness’– the original beyond-beyond state of “God”.

In sound sleep, ‘consciousness’ becomes latent for the time being until the burden of ‘unspent sanskaras’ forces it to manifest again in the ‘awake-state’.

In his desperate attempts– during wakefulness– to overcome his feeling of ‘helplessness’ and ‘boredom’, man may attempt to escape from himself through the exciting emotions of ‘lust’ or ‘anger’.

Although drowning oneself in ‘lust’ or ‘anger’ may seem to promise escape, the satisfaction achieved is only temporary. Inevitably a strong counter-sense of remorse or depression is induced that is worse than the original sense of ‘frustration’.

On the collective level, “wars” provide the exciting avenue of escape that subsequently reacts to numb the “spirit” of man with an overwhelming “sense of burden”.

Nature has striven to evolve ‘consciousness’ through long ages of painful struggle. It is a great tragedy that when ‘consciousness’ faces an acute need to free itself of entanglement, it should regress instead by resorting to the deadening of sensibility. This expedient is disastrous because it involves a conscious attempt to undo the achievements of natural evolution.

None of man’s waking attempts to overcome his feeling of intolerable weariness is wholly acceptable to the ‘soul’. All are dissatisfying in the long run. Hence man seeks ‘rest’ and ‘refreshment’ by withdrawing temporarily into the oblivion of ‘deep sleep’. This PSYCHOLOGICAL NECESSITY for sleep cannot be avoided. Just as the ‘physical body’ requires alternating periods of ‘activity’ and ‘rest’, so the ‘mind’ also needs such periods.

‘Sleep’ is the means by which the ‘mind’ withdraws temporarily from the pressure exerted by its age-old load of ‘impressions’ and ‘desires’. Through sleep, the ‘mind’ refreshes itself temporarily for further participation in the game of BECOMING SELF-CONSCIOUS.

If the ‘self’ were completely aware of its true God-nature during ‘waking consciousness’, it would find no need to withdraw into the ‘self-forgetfulness’ of sleep. Its spontaneous joy would be an eternal well-spring of divine refreshment.

When man seeks freedom from the ennui of the waking-state by losing ‘consciousness’ in the sleep-state, no slightest destruction of ‘consciousness’ occurs.

‘Deep sleep’ is an inward withdrawal of consciousness into a condition of temporary oblivion.

In this state, the ‘mind’ is completely quiescent. It does not experience the helplessness of finite self-consciousness nor is it aware of the true self as the illimitable truth. Both ‘the finite illusory world’ and ‘the real infinite state’ are forgotten, as ‘consciousness’ sinks into the sea of oblivion.

In deep-sleep, ‘consciousness’ exists merely as a latent possibility which must again be aroused to ‘activity’.

Sleep stands in the same relationship to consciousness, as death does to life. Death is not the annihilation of life, but its transference to another state of ‘being’.  In the same way, ‘sleep’ is not the annihilation of ‘consciousness’, but its withdrawal into a state of abeyance. Whether latent as ‘unconsciousness’ or manifested as ‘consciousness’– “consciousness” is always there.

The matter may be summarized as follows::

• After going to ‘sleep’, when man ordinarily enters the ordinary ‘dream-state’: 
  • he has no consciousness of the body;
  • the ‘link’ with the ‘physical body’ remains intact;
  • ‘pain’ and ‘pleasure’ are experienced for a short period;
  • the man wakes up in the SAME ‘PHYSICAL BODY’.
• After physical death, man also enters a dream-state, and ::
  • he has no consciousness of the body;
  • the link with that particularly ‘physical body’ is snapped for good;
  • because the link with the ‘gross’ no longer exists, he experiences pain or pleasure (the states of ‘hell’ or ‘heaven’) far more intensely, whether for    long or short period;
  • he wakes up in the gross in another ‘physical body’.

     a)	 'unconsciousness'
                 to
     b)  'subconsciousness' and finally
           to
     c)  'full consciousness'.

When a man almost loses consciousness, as in high fever, he is 'subconscious' as in the 'dream-state'. But, if he is rendered unconscious through 'drugs' such as chloroform, he is unconscious as in the sound-sleep-state. “Unconsciousness” always involves temporary return to the original, beyond-beyond state of God regardless of the “cause”– whether it be sound sleep, drugs or a physical accident.

‘Mind’ seeks the abeyance of its consciousness in deep sleep, but it cannot continue indefinitely to accept this self-refutation. This ‘negative achievement’ is not an adequate substitute for the final purpose for which ‘consciousness’ came into existence, i.e., for the ‘soul’ to become fully conscious of itself as the ‘infinite truth’.

Though man attempts through ‘sleep’ to escape the burden that ‘consciousness’ imposes upon him, he is involuntarily drawn back to his ‘waking-state’ by the “impressions” gathered in the achieving of the very ‘consciousness’ from which he sought escape.

The ‘old bonds of desires’ both FULFILLED and UNFULFILLED bind him to the ‘world of illusion’ and propel him again into the maelstrom of “finite life”.

Although it is only temporary, ‘sleep’ does give PSYCHOLOGICAL REINVIGORATION to the ‘mind’. If there were not some kind of restoration of psychic vitality during sleep, there would be no particular benefit to this oblivion.
    In spite of the apparent respite, ‘consciousness’ would remain exactly as it had been at the time of its withdrawal into sleep and no special gain would be achieved. It would be merely a fruitless interval in a long chain of automatic response to environment.

“Sleep” does confer POSITIVE BENEFIT.

Due to the fact that the separate “I- consciousness” is in complete abeyance during “deep sleep”– the individual soul is in actual union with the “infinite Self”.

When the ‘sleep’ is dreamless, the ‘individual soul’ is resting in the undisturbed tranquility of the most-original beyond-beyond state of God.

But inasmuch as ‘sleep’ is a submergence of consciousness into oblivion, it does not bestow upon the ‘soul’ the conscious realization of the truth that the “soul” will eventually experience, when ‘consciousness’ is freed of all ‘impressions’, good as well as bad.

Even this UNCONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH ‘INFINITY’– the abode of all ‘bliss’ and ‘power’– gives to the ‘mind’ a new tone and vigor. When ‘consciousness’ returns to waking functioning, it manifests a ‘renewed faith’ that at some time in some manner– a “final solution” to life’s complexities will be found.

–    Meher Baba

Source ::
Listen Humanity, Pg:: 116- 122
© AMBPPCT, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India/Bharat