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IdentityLightVisualizationVerse 86advanced

All Things as Bhairava, Bearing Infinite Light

A little knowing gives duality; know the whole universe as the form of Bhairava, and you bear infinite light.

Source verse · Verse 86
किञ्चिज्ज्ञातं द्वैतदायि बाह्यालोकस्तमः पुनः। विश्वादि भैरवं रूपं ज्ञात्वानन्तप्रकाशभृत्॥
kiñcijjñātaṃ dvaitadāyi bāhyālokas tamaḥ punaḥ | viśvādi bhairavaṃ rūpaṃ jñātvānantaprakāśabhṛt
A little knowing gives duality; know the whole universe as the form of Bhairava, and you bear infinite light.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes either

How to practice

  1. 1Notice how partial, piecemeal knowing always splits the world into this and that, light and dark, self and other.
  2. 2Instead of knowing things one fragment at a time, contemplate the whole universe — everything at once — as the single form of Bhairava.
  3. 3Hold this total vision: all of it, awareness; nothing outside it.
  4. 4As fragmentary knowing gives way to whole seeing, rest as the bearer of infinite light (ananta-prakāśa).
Practice note. The cure for duality is not more knowledge but whole knowledge: seeing everything as one Bhairava-light rather than as separate, partially-lit things.

Terms in this technique

cit
Consciousness itself, the aware principle.
tejas
Light, brilliance, inner fire.
bhairava
The fierce, all-encompassing form of Shiva; ultimate consciousness.
aham
The sense of "I"; the self that is inquired into.

Sources consulted

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