Dharana 41 of 112 · verse 62

The Middle Where a Thought Ended

A thought has left and the next has not arrived. Stay there.

00:00Ready

8 minutes. Seated, eyes closed.

Intermediate8 min

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The practice

Sit and watch thoughts come and go without following any of them. Each time one finishes, there is a moment before the next starts. Do not reach for the next one. Rest in the interval and let it lengthen on its own.

What it works on

The companion to the previous dharana: there you drop two thoughts deliberately, here you simply decline to start the next one. Both arrive at the same middle, and the text says one’s nature blossoms there.

Notes

  • The gaps are short at first and get longer without any effort on your part.
  • Noticing you have been carried off is itself the end of a thought. Use it.

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.