VoidSensationIdentityVerse 136intermediate
Withdraw from the Sense-Doors
All pleasure and pain comes through the doors of the senses; let the senses go, and rest established in your own Self.
Source verse · Verse 136
इन्द्रियद्वारकं सर्वं सुखदुःखादिसङ्गमम्। इतीन्द्रियाणि सन्त्यज्य स्वस्थः स्वात्मनि वर्तते॥
indriyadvārakaṃ sarvaṃ sukhaduḥkhādisaṅgamam | itīndriyāṇi santyajya svasthaḥ svātmani vartate
All pleasure and pain comes through the doors of the senses; let the senses go, and rest established in your own Self.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes closed
How to practice
- 1Notice that all pleasure and pain reaches you through the gates of the senses — eyes, ears, skin, and the rest.
- 2Gently withdraw attention from those sense-gates, letting their outward pull relax.
- 3With the senses released, turn inward and rest established (svastha) in your own Self.
- 4Abide there, in the self-settled awareness untouched by what the senses bring.
Practice note. Not forcing the senses shut, but letting go of their outward grip so attention settles back home (svastha — literally "established in oneself").
Terms in this technique
- ātman
- The true self; awareness as one’s own being.
- sākṣin
- The witness; awareness that observes without being touched.
- 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)