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VoidSensationDissolutionVerse 46beginner

A Moment of Emptiness in the Body

For just one moment, contemplate the whole body as sheer emptiness; thought-free, you become the thought-free Self.

Source verse · Verse 46
तनूदेशे शून्यतैव क्षणमात्रं विभावयेत्। निर्विकल्पं निर्विकल्पो निर्विकल्पस्वरूपभाक्॥
tanūdeśe śūnyataiva kṣaṇamātraṃ vibhāvayet | nirvikalpaṃ nirvikalpo nirvikalpasvarūpabhāk
For just one moment, contemplate the whole body as sheer emptiness; thought-free, you become the thought-free Self.
▶ Practice this technique5 / 10 min · eyes closed

How to practice

  1. 1Bring a soft awareness to the whole body at once.
  2. 2For just a single moment, contemplate it as sheer emptiness — nothing there, only open void.
  3. 3Do not strain to hold it; even one clear instant of "the body is empty" is enough.
  4. 4In that thought-free flash, recognise the thought-free Self, and let the recognition settle.
Practice note. Wonderfully simple: it asks for only a moment. Repeat the brief flash of "empty body" often rather than forcing a long visualization.

Terms in this technique

śūnya
Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
laya
Dissolution, absorption; the merging of attention into its source.
sākṣin
The witness; awareness that observes without being touched.

Sources consulted

  • Jaideva Singh, Vijñānabhairava: The Manual for Self-Realization (Motilal Banarsidass, 1979)
  • Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)
  • Swami Lakshmanjoo, Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, 2007)