Exploring the Paradox of Meditation Practice on Sleep and Wakefulness
If you want
A good night’s sleep
Stay away from meditation
A good meditation
Is like a homeless drunk
That won’t leave you alone
He wants to follow you home
Eat your food and drink your wine
Talking about nothing but himself
If you want
A good night’s sleep
Stay away from meditation
A good meditation
Is like a lonely old dog
Baying at the door
Until you let Him in
He jumps in your bed
And snores all night
If you want
To sleep soundly
Stay away from meditation
Enough said
Pass me another
Cup of that Wine
John Harper
When I wrote this poem, I wanted to capture the paradox of meditation practice—how it becomes an inseparable part of your life, so much so that it follows you everywhere, even into bed. Meditation practice can be addictive, but not in the sense of a bad habit you want to break. Instead, it’s an enthusiasm, a fascination that enriches your life, deepens your experiences, and disrupts your day-to-day routine.
As meditation practice deepens, it stops being a mere practice and starts calling to you, even in the stillness of night. Instead of drifting into unconsciousness, you naturally get meditative when you lie down to sleep. The mind quiets, awareness sharpens, and a profound presence envelops you. This isn’t just relaxation – it’s a touch of something holy, something sacred.
I’ve read accounts from seasoned practitioners that describe this very experience. Eckhart Tolle talks about how the “presence” he found through meditation became his constant companion, shifting his entire way of being. Ajahn Brahm speaks of a “meditative presence” that persists throughout the day, an underlying calmness and clarity that colors every interaction. And Pema Chödrön mentions that even when she’s not on the cushion, a sense of mindfulness is always with her.
This is what I wanted to convey in the poem. A “good meditation” isn’t just what happens when you sit quietly; it’s what follows you around like that “homeless drunk” or the “lonely old dog.” It nags at you and interrupts you, but in the best way possible, because it keeps you connected to a deeper truth and a more profound awareness.
And then there’s the “wine”—the essence, the Holy Spirit, the elixir of enlightenment. When I say, “Pass me another cup of that Wine,” I speak to the thirst for this divine presence, the essence of true nature Hafiz sings about in his poetry. It’s a metaphor for the sacred connection that meditation practice can forge, dissolving the boundaries of the self and bringing us closer to the mystery of existence.
In the context of the Diamond Approach®, meditation is not just a practice but a dynamic exploration of one’s true nature. Rather than seeking to escape the world or find a temporary peace, meditation in this tradition is about being fully present with whatever arises—whether it’s the nagging thoughts that keep us up at night or the deeper truths that surface when we least expect them. This approach sees meditation as a process of inquiry, where the aim is not to quiet the mind for its own sake but to engage with the fullness of our experience, uncovering the layers of reality often hidden beneath the surface. Through this lens, the paradox of meditation practice becomes a journey into the unknown, where even the disturbances and disruptions are seen as essential parts of the path to awakening.
John Harper is a Diamond Approach® teacher, Enneagram guide, and student of human development whose work bridges psychology, spirituality, and deep experiential inquiry. His newest book, Nurturing Essence: A Compass for Essential Parenting, invites parents to discover the role essence plays in child development. He is also the author of The Enneagram World of the Child: Nurturing Resilience and Self-Compassion in Early Life and Good Vibrations: Primordial Sounds of Existence, available on Amazon.