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to this book, the Relaxation Response can be evoked by praying, meditating, or simple deep breathing exercises. Unfortunately unlike the fight or flight response, the relaxation response is not automatic and must be learned.

Thus the anxious, panicky, begrudging, obsessive, punishing, etc, types of thoughts can all cause stimulation which can cause you to lay awake at night. I have actually read articles which go as far as suggesting that all ideas and thoughts be abandoned when the head hits the pillow. According to some, when an idea or thought arises one ought to simply return his or her focus to a constant external stimulus like the sound of a fan or ones breath. This process of abandoning thought for direct experience is what many meditators try to achieve.

I once saw a picture in a Zen book with a huge beautiful oak tree. On one side of the oak tree sat a child who was reading a huge encyclopedia about the oak tree. On the other side of the oak tree there was a child who was standing in awe of the same tree . To me it was this latter child who was having the more Zen experience, for this child was experiencing the tree without interpreting its meaning(this child was experiencing the tree through his senses and not interpreting what he saw with any ideological constructs). Conversley the child who was reading the encyclopedia on the oak tree was foregoing the direct experience of the tree by being lost in thought.

I often think of my pen pal over in Europe who has the nasty habit of striking matches when he has nothing to do. It always annoyed me how it seemed as though he was being so thoughtless in doing so. But now I realize that achieving a thoughtless state of mind may actually have a use. I realize now that by striking matches in this way, my friend was able to evoke a sense of fascination in his life that didn't require any interpretation. He truly was fascinated with the entire, simple process of lighting the match., watching it flare up and blowing it out. My friends thoughtless exercise is the perfect example of someone who was able to abandon thought and embrace the direct experience of the situation.

Since sleep is something you experience, it may be handy to open ourselves to experiencing it rather than trying to chase it down with thoughts such as I need more sleep', I want more sleep', If I don't sleep I'll...'. This grasping, which we (especially if we are capitalists!) seem to do so well during our daily lives seems to back fire on us when

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