Verse 85 of the Shri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra
This meditation, based on Verse 85 of the Shri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, leads the practitioner to experience the fundamental truth that all sounds, light, and sensations arise within consciousness itself, which is inherently empty, boundless, and luminous. The essence of this practice lies in recognizing that the vastness of space and sound is a reflection of the infinite nature of your own awareness. The recognition that all sounds and experiences rises in your consciousess, which is empty…no one is in!
Preparation
- Environment:
- Sit in a quiet space where you can feel a sense of openness. A darkened room or a space under the night sky can enhance the experience of vastness.
- Ensure there are minimal distractions, allowing your focus to turn inward.
- Posture:
- Sit comfortably in a meditative posture with your back straight.
- Let your hands rest on your knees or in a mudra, such as Gyan Mudra, to encourage mental focus.
- Breath Awareness:
- Begin with deep, slow breaths, calming the mind and body. Let your breath flow naturally, creating a sense of ease.
The Practice
- Expand the Gaze:
- Close your eyes and imagine your gaze expanding outward into the infinite, as if you are observing an endless horizon or the night sky within your own mind.
- If any faint lights or patterns arise (phosphenes), simply observe them, letting them rise and fade naturally.
- Open to Sound:
- Shift your attention to the sense of hearing. Listen to all sounds—both near and far—without focusing on any single source.
- Gradually become aware that all these sounds seem to arise within a vast, empty field of consciousness.
- Recognize the Source:
- Begin to notice that both the faint lights and the myriad sounds are not “out there” but arising within you. They emerge, dance, and dissolve in the still, silent space of your awareness.
- Allow this recognition to deepen: everything you experience—light, sound, or sensation—manifests within the infinite space of your consciousness.
- Observe the Emptiness:
- As the lights, sounds, and sensations play out, turn your focus inward to the still, unchanging background in which they arise.
- Realize that this background—your consciousness—is utterly empty, yet full of potential. It holds all experiences without being affected by them.
Deepening the Insight
- Dissolve the Boundaries:
- Let go of any effort to grasp or analyze the experience. Feel yourself merging with this field of awareness, where there is no separation between the observer and the observed.
- Sounds and lights no longer seem external; they are recognized as movements within your own awareness.
- Rest in the Realization:
- Settle into the direct experience that all phenomena—whether external sounds, inner lights, or even thoughts—arise and dissolve within this vast, empty consciousness.
- Rest in this emptiness, which is alive with the play of light and sound yet remains untouched by it.
The Essence of the Practice
The heart of this meditation lies in the recognition of consciousness as the ultimate container. All experiences—whether physical sensations, lights (phosphenes), or sounds—arise and dissolve within the vast emptiness of your awareness. This emptiness is not void or lifeless; it is luminous and boundless, the source of all phenomena.
By observing that all light and sound arises within you, the duality between the observer and the observed dissolves. You come to realize that your true nature is this infinite consciousness, in which everything appears and disappears like waves on the ocean. The practice is not about controlling or clinging to these experiences but about witnessing their impermanent play and abiding in the still, empty clarity that underlies them.
This realization is the gateway to liberation, as it reveals that you are not limited by the content of your experience but are the infinite space in which all experience unfolds. Resting in this awareness, you touch the essence of existence itself.
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