Dharana 112 of 112 · verse 138

When the Group of Four Disappears

Mind, intellect, vital energy and the limited self — when these four go, what remains is it.

00:00Ready

10 minutes. Seated, eyes closed.

Advanced10 min

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The practice

Name the four in turn and set each one down: the mind that moves, the intellect that decides, the vital energy that animates, and the small self that claims all three. Let each go without replacing it. When the group of four is not there, do not look for what is — simply remain.

What it works on

The last dharana of the hundred and twelve, and it closes the collection by dismantling the apparatus that carried out the other hundred and eleven. There is nothing to do here except stop, which is what every preceding practice has been arranging.

Notes

  • A fitting place to end a long working through of the text, and a poor place to begin one.
  • Nothing arrives to fill the gap. That is not the practice failing.

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.