The practice
Find somewhere with a wide empty view — open ground, water, a large sky, a plain wall if nothing else. Let the gaze rest into it without settling on anything, because there is nothing to settle on. Do not scan. Let the emptiness in front of you and the mind looking at it come to the same condition.
What it works on
The verse says one is born anew. What it is describing is what happens when the eye is given nothing to do: the machinery of picking out and naming has no work, and stops, and the stopping is felt as freshness.
Notes
- Genuinely empty views are hard to find. A large sky is the most available one.
- This is a good practice to keep for a walk rather than a cushion.
Practise gently
Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.