Dharana 39 of 112 · verse 128

The Mind Fixed on Outer Space

Fix the mind on space itself — eternal, supportless, silent — and enter what is beyond it.

00:00Ready

10 minutes. Seated or standing, eyes open or closed.

Intermediate10 min

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The practice

Turn attention to space as such: the space outside you, which nothing holds up, which has no edge, which is everywhere and makes no sound. Fix the mind on those qualities rather than on any object in space. Keep it there until attention takes on the same character.

What it works on

The instruction lists the qualities deliberately — eternal, supportless, all-pervading, silent — because they are also the qualities being pointed at in oneself. Fixing on space is a way of practising a state by first finding it somewhere outside.

Notes

  • Reading the four qualities over slowly before you begin makes the sitting much more focused.

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.