Dharana 69 of 112 · verse 115

Over a Deep Hollow

Look into a deep space — a well, a gorge — until the mind empties.

Recorded, not taught

Shoonyaka does not offer this one as a guided practice. It is here because the collection is of all one hundred and twelve, and leaving it out would misrepresent the text.

Before you try this

Not offered as a guided practice here for the obvious reason. Sustained unblinking gazing into a drop can produce dizziness and a pull towards the edge. Never practise this near an unguarded edge, a well, a cliff or a balcony.

The practice

The verse describes standing over a deep well and looking without blinking into the hollow, so that the mind, given depth with no bottom to find, empties and dissolves.

What it works on

Depth does something width does not: it removes the reference plane. This is the vertical counterpart to the open-plain and open-sky practices, and traditionally one of the most abrupt in the text.

Notes

  • Any deep space seen from safety serves the same purpose — a stairwell, a tall atrium, a valley seen from behind a barrier.

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.