Dharana 32 of 112 · verse 58

The Whole Universe as Void

Hold everything there is, all at once, as empty.

00:00Ready

10 minutes. Seated, eyes closed.

Advanced10 min

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Before you try this

Large dissolution practices can be destabilising. If you feel unreal, detached from yourself, or frightened, stop and do something ordinary and physical. Skip this one if you have experienced depersonalisation or dissociation.

The practice

Sit and consider the entire universe — everything, without exception, in every direction and at every scale — as void. Not destroyed, not absent, but empty of the solidity we take it to have. Hold that steadily and let the mind that is holding it dissolve along with it.

What it works on

The most sweeping of the emptiness dharanas and the one the text names first among them. It asks for no image and gives no handhold, which is precisely why it is placed after the smaller ones.

Notes

  • Come to this only after the body-scale practices are familiar.

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.