Dharana 17 of 112 · verse 40

The Silence Around a Letter

Attend to the emptiness at the beginning or the end of any single sound.

00:00Ready

8 minutes. Seated, eyes closed.

Intermediate8 min

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The practice

Choose any single letter-sound — a vowel is easiest. Sound it once. Attend either to the silence immediately before it began or the silence immediately after it ended. Pick one end and keep to it. The sound is a marker for locating the silence; it is not the object.

What it works on

This generalises the previous dharana away from any particular sacred syllable. The text is making a point by doing so: what does the work is the void at the edge of a sound, and any sound has two of those.

Notes

  • Very short sounds make the edges easier to find than long ones.

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.