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IdentityVoidCenteringVerse 131advanced

Drop "I" and "Mine"

When the props of "I" and "mine" are examined and let go, the mind goes to the supportless; meditating thus, you grow calm.

Source verse · Verse 131
अहं ममेदमित्यादि प्रतिपत्तिप्रसङ्गतः। निराधारे मनो याति तद्ध्यानप्रेरणाच्छमी॥
ahaṃ mamedam ityādi pratipattiprasaṅgataḥ | nirādhāre mano yāti taddhyānapreraṇāc chamī
When the props of "I" and "mine" are examined and let go, the mind goes to the supportless; meditating thus, you grow calm.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes either

How to practice

  1. 1Notice the constant inner assertions "I am this" and "this is mine".
  2. 2Examine them: look for the solid "I" and the real "mine" they claim — and find no fixed thing there.
  3. 3Let those props of self and ownership be released.
  4. 4As they fall away, the mind drops into the supportless (nirādhāra); rest in the calm (śama) that meditating thus brings.
Practice note. The whole sense of a separate, owning self is built on "I" and "mine". Loosen those two assertions and the mind has nothing left to stand on but peace.

Terms in this technique

aham
The sense of "I"; the self that is inquired into.
ātman
The true self; awareness as one’s own being.
śūnya
Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
cit
Consciousness itself, the aware principle.

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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