13 / 13 · Effort
Sleeping sitting up — never lying down
Keeping to the postures of sitting, standing and walking, and not lying down to sleep.
- Author
- Dhutanga.org Editorial Team
- Review
- Doctrinal review pending
- Tradition
- Theravada, with comparative notes
- Published
- Last reviewed
- Pali name
- Nesajjikaṅga
- Group
- Effort
Meaning
Nesajja means “sitting”. The practitioner refuses the lying posture, relying on the other three postures throughout the night.
How it is practised
The practitioner rests in a sitting posture and uses walking and standing meditation to maintain energy.
Grades of strictness
The strict grade allows no back rest, cloth band or binding strap; the medium grade allows one of these; the mild grade allows such supports and cushions.
Benefits described in the tradition
- Overcoming indulgence in sleep and lethargy
- Continuous meditation
- Energetic effort
When the observance lapses
The observance lapses when the practitioner lies down.
Context today
In some forest communities this practice is undertaken for limited periods, such as a single night on observance days. Sleep deprivation is harmful; this observance must not be copied as a productivity or wellbeing technique.