CenteringIdentityVerse 116intermediate
Wherever the Mind Goes
Do not fight the wandering mind; wherever it lands, the nature of Shiva is already there.
Source verse · Verse 116
यत्र यत्र मनो याति तत्र तत्र समाधयः ।
yatra yatra mano yāti tatra tatra samādhayaḥ
Do not fight the wandering mind; wherever it lands, the nature of Shiva is already there.
Word by word
- yatra
- — where
- yatra
- — (reduplicated) wherever, in whatever place
- manaḥ
- — the mind (nom. sg.)
- yāti
- — goes, moves (3rd sg. pres.)
- tatra
- — there
- tatra
- — (reduplicated) in that very place
- samādhayaḥ
- — states of samādhi, absorptions (nom. pl.)
Alternate reading
“Wherever the mind goes, in that very place is the experience [of the Self].”
▶ Practice this technique5 / 10 / 20 min · eyes either
How to practice
- 1Sit and let the mind move wherever it wants — do not restrain it.
- 2Wherever a thought goes, gently notice the awareness that is already there with it.
- 3You are not chasing the thought; you are recognizing the space it appears in.
- 4Everywhere the mind lands, that same open awareness is present. Rest as it.
Practice note. The most liberating instruction in the text: there is nowhere the mind can go that is outside awareness. The wandering itself becomes the meditation.
Terms in this technique
- samādhi
- Absorption; the settled, unified state of awareness.
- śiva
- Pure consciousness; the silent ground (with Shakti as its power).
- cit
- Consciousness itself, the aware principle.
- madhya
- The middle, the centre, the gap between two states — a key VBT doorway.
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)
- Osho, The Book of Secrets (St. Martin’s Griffin, 1998)
- Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)