The practice
Look at some object steadily for a while. Then slowly withdraw the gaze from it. Then, more slowly, withdraw your knowledge of it — the name, the sense of what it was, the residue it left in the mind. When both the seeing and the knowing have been taken back, remain in what is left.
What it works on
Two withdrawals in order, and the second is the one that matters. Most of us can look away from a thing while continuing to hold it entirely; this dharana treats that holding as the real attachment.
Notes
- Slower is better in both stages, and especially the second.
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.