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CenteringVoidVerse 62intermediate

Held in the Gap Between Two Objects

When one object is released and the mind not yet on the next, contemplation unfolds in the open middle.

Source verse · Verse 62
भावे त्यक्ते निरुद्धा चिन्नैव भावान्तरं व्रजेत्। तदा तन्मध्यभावेन विकसत्यति भावना॥
bhāve tyakte niruddhā cin naiva bhāvāntaraṃ vrajet | tadā tanmadhyabhāvena vikasaty ati bhāvanā
When one object is released and the mind not yet on the next, contemplation unfolds in the open middle.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes either

How to practice

  1. 1Let go of whatever object the mind is holding.
  2. 2Before the mind jumps to a new object, gently restrain it — do not supply the next thought.
  3. 3Stay in the resulting open interval, neither on the old object nor the new.
  4. 4In that held middle, let awareness expand and unfold on its own.
Practice note. A companion to "The Middle Between Two Thoughts": there you drop both sides at once; here you decline to begin the next. Either way, the gap is the practice.

Terms in this technique

madhya
The middle, the centre, the gap between two states — a key VBT doorway.
śūnya
Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
dhāraṇā
A holding or fixing of attention; one of the 112 techniques.

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)
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