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VoidLightDissolutionVerse 120intermediate

Withdraw the Gaze and Its Knowing

Rest the gaze on an object, then slowly withdraw it — together with the knowing of it; you become an abode of the void.

Source verse · Verse 120
क्वचिद्वस्तुनि विन्यस्य शनैर्दृष्टिं निवर्तयेत्। तज्ज्ञानं चित्तसहितं देवि शून्यालयो भवेत्॥
kvacid vastuni vinyasya śanair dṛṣṭiṃ nivartayet | tajjñānaṃ cittasahitaṃ devi śūnyālayo bhavet
Rest the gaze on an object, then slowly withdraw it — together with the knowing of it; you become an abode of the void.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 15 min · eyes open

How to practice

  1. 1Place the gaze on some object and let it rest there steadily for a while.
  2. 2Now very slowly withdraw the gaze back toward yourself.
  3. 3As you draw the gaze back, draw back with it the very knowing of the object — let the perception itself recede, not just the eyes.
  4. 4When both the gaze and its knowledge have been retracted, rest as the abode of the void (śūnyālaya) that remains.
Practice note. The subtle part is withdrawing the knowing along with the gaze — emptying the perception itself, so what remains is objectless awareness.

Terms in this technique

śūnya
Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
laya
Dissolution, absorption; the merging of attention into its source.
cidākāśa
The space of consciousness; the inner sky of awareness.
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)
  • Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)
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