What triggers a state of sharp awareness during meditation instead of falling asleep?

Beloved Osho, when relaxing and turning inwards there is a moment when I either become sharply aware, being at the same time totally relaxed as if not there, or I fall asleep. I don't know what triggers the first state rather than the second. Could you please explain?

The state when you are relaxed and become very sharply awake takes you closer to the superconscious. And the state when you are relaxed but fall into a peaceful sleep leads you towards the unconscious mind. Certainly the first state is far superior to the second, but the second may also be necessary for you; otherwise it would not have been happening. Remember one principle: whatever happens is somehow needed, whether we understand it or not. They look totally different -- not only different, but diametrically opposite -- but they may be helping each other. When you are tired, relaxation will take you to a calm and quiet sleep that rejuvenates you, revitalizes you, brings your energy back. It is healthy; nothing is wrong with it. It will give you a certain well-being, which may become the ground for the first state. You are fully revitalized, rejuvenated, full of energy,…

Mm, that's possible in a buddhist meditation... very possible. That's why zen masters have to keep a staff continuously to hit the disciples, because they are always dozing. The whole method is so silent, so relaxing, that the natural possibility is to fall into sleep. Whenever we relax, whenever we are silent, we fall asleep, so with relaxation there is a deep association with sleep. That's what we have been doing for our whole life -- and the buddhist meditation depends on relaxation. So once you relax, the mind gets the hint that now you are ready to sleep, because that is the only way it has come to know sleep. It has no other way, no other experience. It cannot figure it out -- if you are relaxed, why aren't you going to sleep?

How to be alert in sleep and dream?

The person who has asked says that whenever he tries to be aware, he cannot sleep. Or, if sleep is coming and suddenly he remembers that he has to be alert, the sleep is broken, and then he cannot sleep -- it is difficult. Awareness with sleep cannot be worked out directly. First you have to work with the waking. Don't try that, otherwise your sleep will be disturbed and your whole day will be disturbed and you will feel depressed, lazy, sleepy. Don't do that. Remember always there is a chain and one has to move from step to step. The first step is to be aware while waking. Don't think about the sleep at all. First you be awake while waking in the day. And when you will gather enough energy of awareness, then only the second step can be taken. Then there will be no effort really.…

A friend has asked: Osho, if through meditation or spiritual practice one can conquer death, does not the same state occur in sleep? And if it does, why can’t death be conquered through sleep?

But meditation and hypnosis are not the same. Understand me carefully. I said: up to this point it is hypnosis, mesmerism—so long as we are manufacturing suggestions. When the manufacturing of suggestions stops and you awaken—where awareness begins—there meditation begins. Where witnessing begins, meditation begins. And the reason for this hypnosis is that you have fallen into a reverse hypnosis. In scientific language, this is not hypnosis but de-hypnosis. Not mesmerism, but the breaking of mesmerism. We are the ones mesmerized—but we don’t know it. In life we have become hypnotized, and we have no idea how many kinds of hypnotic trances we have taken on, by how many devices we have produced them. A large part of our life is hypnosis. And when we want to be hypnotized, we don’t notice what we are doing. For example… we live like this all our lives. If we became aware of…

Sometimes at your lectures I can't keep my eyes open or concentrate, and keep falling somewhere and coming back with a jerk. There is no memory of where I have been. Am I going deep, or just falling asleep?

That's how in the morning you remember that in the night there were so many dreams, or on some day you say, "I slept very deeply; there were no dreams." These are both memories -- one positive, one negative. If dream happens there will be a positive memory -- something was happening, certain activity going on. If there is no dream you will have just a peaceful remembrance of nothing, that nothing happened. But this you will remember: that nothing happened and no dream crossed my mind and sleep was really deep, very deep, not a single ripple. But you will remember and you will say, "I was very blissful." But if you fall not asleep but into the meditative state -- they are similar, almost similar -- than you will not be able to remember anything. Because when you fall into a meditative state, theta, or sometimes you can…