For someone with a ravenous hunger, even a sandwich with stale bread and old cheese will seem to be the most delicious food. Thus, we must realize that in this world, the cause of pleasure lies not in the nature of the sense-objects, but only in the intensity of desire for it.
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If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
-Dogen
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If you become drowsy during meditation, try keeping your eyes open if you are meditating with closed eyes. If your eyes are already open and you still are fighting drowsiness, feel free to take a ten minute nap. This brief refresher can re-energize you and carry you through your meditation session. Perhaps you can practice one of the thirteen dhutanga practices, one of which is the austerity of not sleeping stretched out. Usually the bhikkhu sleeps propped against a wall or even in the meditation posture. Make sure you are sitting back in a chair or against a wall so you do not fall over while you are resting!
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