The practice
Put down the sense of the body where it is. Then bring to mind a place, an object or an occasion, and let the recollection become full enough that attention is genuinely there rather than in this room. Stay until the mind is resting in something with no physical support at all.
What it works on
Memory is used here as a demonstration: attention plainly does not require the body to be at the location. The text says what follows is a flood, and what makes it possible is the first instruction — leaving concern for the body behind.
Notes
- Somewhere you were at ease works better than somewhere spectacular.
Practise gently
Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.