For the last fifty-five years
I have not lain down to sleep.
Twenty-five years have passed
since I eradicated drowsiness.”Pañcapaññāsavassāni,
yato nesajjiko ahaṁ;
Pañcavīsativassāni,
yato middhaṁ samūhataṁ.
Anuruddhattheragāthā
The Buddha slept for 90 minutes. If you learn about sleep cycles, that makes sense because a sleep cycle is 90 minutes long.
The human body cycles through 2 phases of sleep, (1) rapid eye movement (REM) and (2) nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which is further divided into 3 stages—N1 to N3. Each phase and stage of sleep includes variations in muscle tone, brain wave patterns, and eye movements. The body cycles through all stages approximately 4 to 6 times each night, averaging 90 minutes for each cycle
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Oh,
That makes sense and is interesting.
Thank you for sharing this, Venerable Sir.
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I think Venerable Anuruddha is saying he has not assumed the lying-down posture for 55 years and that he eradicated the hindrance of sloth & torpor 25 years ago—he’s not saying he hasn’t slept for all that time.
Every body has to sleep. It’s possible that the minds of highly accomplished practitioners can stay awake, even when the body is asleep.
That makes sense. Thank you for the explanation.
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