Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

attended to, just as a person knows to wear light
clothing in hot weather.
Besides varying the place of concentration according to
one's mental state. it is well to remember that to bend
the neck slightly forward will lead to a greater upward
flow of energy, thus counteracting sleepiness. Leaning
the spine (still straight) a little backwards reduces the
energy and may tame the restless mind. As to the eyes,
open them widely if drowsiness comes; for disturbance,
it is best to have them half-closed (See App. I, Part Two,
C, 4).
As these "terrible two," drowsiness and distraction, give
such great trouble, especially to the beginner, a few
words more on them may not be amiss.
Samatha is a little close to sleepiness; actually, just
before sleep overcomes the mind, good samatha can be
obtained, though few people know how to experience
this. Either they drop off to sleep or are disturbed by the
demon of distraction.
a. Causes of distraction
Distraction is the destroyer of samatha, and has five
origins:
i. The five senses themselves not abiding in their own
nature, as when the eye is allowed to roam here and
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