We will do gazing, where your eyes are first turned down and into your heart centre – you have to enter into the heart centre through the gazing.

It is very easy, it is very relaxed.

In this gazing in the first location, your eyes are completely shut, but your eyes are turned down and into your heart centre, the chest area.

You have to enter into your heart, so to speak. The gazing does not remain on the surface – you enter into the heart, the heart space. This is the first location.

Then the second is where you gaze in the direction of the tip of your nose. But it is done very relaxed, very easy. You do not even feel you are doing it. Otherwise it tends to put some strain on the eyes.

It is very relaxed. It is just resting; that is why it is called gazing. It is resting, but yet there is intensity. It follows from being relaxed, it comes. So we gaze in the direction of the nose. But here the eyes are not fully open and not fully shut. And it is not that you are looking out, and it is not that you are looking in. It is in-between. This is the second location.

In fact, it will give you an intense sense of self-awareness. If you do it right it tends to give you a very relaxed feeling and you could stay there for a very long time.

Then the third location is – again you close your eyes and you gaze in the middle of your eyebrows from inside. Here again the gaze is kind of turned outward, but your eyes are totally shut, and yet you are looking through the eyes, into the space between the eyebrows.

So really you are not looking out into this empirical, physical world, but looking beyond.

Then the fourth location is in the cerebral. You turn your attention and the eyes upward from within to the top of the head – eyes shut of course. In the first location which is in the heart the gaze is turned downward while here the gaze is turned upward.

You enter into this space in the head, the cerebral area. It is called Kapal – skull. It is a very beautiful word. Ka in itself has several meanings. It also means ‘head’. And pala means the ‘Lord’, that is the Sahasrar, the abode of Siva, who is therefore called Kapali, the Lord in and of the head.

So Kapala, the cerebral space, and from here you open into the sky, infinite sky – into the heavens. Your eyes are shut and turned upward internally. You are totally there.

And the space will just keep expanding – no limits.

These are just four locations for the moment. There are others; seven altogether to be exact plus above the head in the sky and below the first centre deep down into the earth.

The only risk here is that you may end up in samadhi! We may end up losing you – and, as it is, there are few people – so to lose even one can be quite noticeable! Then again having seen your meditation all these years I am sure there is no such risk!!

And of course, again, here the breathing is rhythmic breathing. It keeps you relaxed. It keeps you centred. Ultimately you are just with your gazing.

We will begin with the breathing, of course – quick breathing, vigorous breathing. Lighten up, so you are energised. Then the rhythmic breathing for ten minutes and you are centred, and then automatically you will feel this inward moment.

Then having shut your eyes, direct your eyes down – gaze down into the chest area, and go in into the space inside. You allow the body to be relaxed. You are not to strain. The idea is not one of straining, but one of relaxation.

Five minutes.

This meditation has been coming to me for quite a few days, so let us see what comes of it.

You can always also try it on your own, when you are with yourself, by yourself; but the breathing, before and during it, is important. It keeps you there. It keeps you energised.

The longer the breath the better it is. Stay with the breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. If things come up, allow them to pass – they are no concern of yours at this moment. It is to be with the breathing that is important.

Fill up completely, empty out completely. Breathe in, breathe out. Stay with the breathing.

Long breaths, deep and strong breaths. It will keep you energised, keep you centred. Thoughts come up, allow them to pass; stand behind, while you are yet working with yourself.

You are a witness. If things come up, allow them to pass through your awareness and out – while you stay with the breathing

Fill up completely, empty out completely. Equal inbreath, equal outbreath. When you breathe in, you are reaching to the sky. When you breathe out, you are grounding yourself into the earth.

We will keep the breath going while we turn our gaze down and into the heart centre. Your eyes are shut; you are looking into the space in the heart, deep in your heart.

Do not remain on the surface, and remember it is gazing, do not tense yourself.

Keep looking within into your heart. You are rested, you are relaxed. You stay there continuously for five minutes. Of course you are not thinking of time. You are just resting with your gaze with your eyes turned down, and into the heart centre.

You have entered into yourself through the heart. You are in a state of stillness, resting with your gaze down and into your heart centre. And yet you are totally relaxed.

Now we move to the second location for five minutes. Your eyes open slightly, gazing in the direction of the nose, and yet not looking at the nose – just in the direction of the tip of the nose. It is as if your gaze is suspended in space, neither out, nor in. Your eyes will be slightly open.

You are resting, you are relaxed. You will have a sense of self – presence, then it is right, you are doing it right.

But it is not something that you seek; it comes of itself. And that is when you can stay with it for a long time and it makes you feel good, and therefore you can stay with it for a long time.

The breathing continues of course. The breathing will intensify the gazing – being centred; it is always helpful.

It will bring you to a total stop. You will become stationary and still.

You are gazing in the direction of the tip of the nose, but you are not looking at the nose. If you stare at the nose, it will strain you. You are just resting.

We move now to the third location, between the eyebrows.

Your eyes are completely shut once again and you are gazing at the location between the eyebrows – the third eye, so to speak.

Again in your gaze there is no strain. You are resting with your gaze. You are not looking for anything. You are just gazing between the eyebrows – that is all.

Keep the rhythmic breathing going.

Now once again we move the gazing to the second location, in the direction of the tip of the nose. This is how we are to alternate between locations, each and every time – coming back to the second location alternatively. So, for five minutes rest your gaze once again in the direction of the tip of your nose.

Keep the rhythmic breathing going. Long, deep and strong breathing.

Now we move up to the fourth location, the cerebral, the kapal, the top of the head.

Five minutes.

You turn your gaze upward. The eyes roll upwards, and you gaze into the space that is the top of the head, internally. You enter into open space, the open sky that is the top of the head.

Keep the rhythmic breathing going, while you rest with your gaze turned upward into the kapal, the top of the head. You are resting upward with your gaze, your gaze turned upward to the top of the head, into the skull, the top of the skull.

There is no straining. You are relaxed throughout. It is an easy movement.

You stay there relaxed and easy, as you breathe in long breaths and you breathe out long breaths.

You may feel some sensation at the top of the head because of the gaze – things getting activated. The breathing can help. As you breathe in, you feel it entering into your skull, the top, and with it your gaze. You can join your gaze to the breathing as you visualize the breath entering into your skull as you breathe in. As you breathe out you are relaxed, and yet your gaze remains centred and turned upward and into the top of the skull.

We call this meditation Kapalika.

You are relaxed.

We will repeat the meditation, downward now.…

We begin with the second location once again, gazing in the direction of the tip of the nose for five minutes. Keep the rhythmic breathing going. It helps in keeping you energised and centred. It helps the gazing.

Now we move to the third location to the space between the eyebrows, gazing between the eyebrows.

Spend five minutes there, while you continue with the breathing.

Your eyes are shut. You are gazing into the space between the eyebrows. You are totally there. You are completely there.

Keep the rhythmic breathing going. It will help you to stay with the gazing.

We move once again down to the second location, gazing in the direction of the tip of the nose and yet not looking at the nose. Eyes slightly open, neither out nor in, suspended – your gaze – in-between.

Finally we turn the gaze downward and inwards in the heart centre, the first location. Your eyes are shut completely, and your gaze is turned down and into the heart centre.

Five minutes.

Stay there throughout. Keep the rhythmic breathing going; it will help you to stay with it. You are resting, you are relaxed. There is no strain. Keep the breathing going with the gazing.

We will move back up again. From the heart we move up to the second location gazing at the direction of the tip of the nose.

Five minutes.

Keep the rhythmic breathing going. Your eyes are slightly open. You are neither out, you are neither in. You are resting, gazing in the direction of the tip of the nose and yet not looking at the nose, or it will strain you.

We will move up to the third location now, between the eyebrows once again, keep the breath going. Your eyes are shut. You are gazing into the centre between the eyebrows. You are easy, you are relaxed.

Five minutes.
Stay with the gazing as you breathe in and breathe out.

We move to the second location once again, gazing in the direction of the tip of the nose, as it were, neither looking out nor looking in, eyes slightly open.

Five minutes.

Finally we turn the gaze upward internally to the top of the skull. Five minutes. Keep the rhythmic breathing going. Your eyes are shut. Your gaze is turned upwards into the top of the skull, Kapala. Rest there with the gaze and yet there should be an intensity.

Arya Vihar
6 and 8 December 2001