✦ Vijnana Bhairava Tantra
Technique 62 of 112 — Absorption In The All-Pervading Voids
Sanskrit Verse
sarvataḥ pañcakaśūnye śūnyabhāvanayā vibhoḥ | icchā vā śaktiratyantaṃ layaṃ gatvā vimucyate ||
By meditating on the five voids (senses) as empty, the pervasive Lord is revealed. When the will and energy are completely dissolved therein, one is liberated.
Commentary
This dharana utilizes the concept of 'pañcakaśūnye'—the five-fold void. These voids correspond to the five sense organs (jñānendriyas) or the five elements (tattvas). The practice involves a sophisticated metaphysical deconstruction of perception. Usually, our senses are 'full' of objects—sounds, sights, textures. Here, the practitioner is instructed to perceive the senses themselves as empty channels or voids. When the senses are recognized as empty, the 'vibhoḥ' or the all-pervading consciousness of Shiva naturally shines through. The verse emphasizes the dissolution of 'icchā' (will/desire) and 'śakti' (energy/action). This means the striving of the individual ego to perceive or act must cease. In the state of 'laya' (dissolution), the boundary between the inner subject and the outer object collapses. This is a practice of Shunyavada within the Shaiva framework; it is not a nihilistic void, but a plenum-void where the absence of limitation reveals the presence of the Infinite. It leads to 'vimukti' (liberation) because it severs the identification with the limited instruments of the body-mind complex.
Practice Instructions
- 01Sit in silence and become aware of your five senses one by one. Start with hearing; instead of listening to sounds, focus on the empty space through which sound travels and the emptiness within the ear itself.
- 02Move to touch, sight, taste, and smell, viewing each sense organ as a hollow, empty vessel.
- 03Visualize your entire body as being composed of five great voids. As you do this, let go of the 'will' to perceive anything specific.
- 04Allow your personal energy (prana) to dissolve into the vastness of these empty spaces. Feel the spaces merging into one single, all-pervading emptiness.
- 05Do not resist any sensation, but see it as a transparent ripple in the void. Stay in this state of total dissolution where the 'I' who perceives is also realized as an empty construct, leaving only the pure, pervasive light of awareness.
Recommended Duration
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 'five voids' exactly?
In this specific tantric context, they refer to the five gateways of perception: ears, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose. By treating these gateways as 'empty,' we stop the mind from grasping at sensory data, allowing consciousness to rest in its own source rather than being projected outward.
How can a sense be 'empty' if I am still hearing sounds?
The 'emptiness' refers to the lack of inherent, separate existence of the sensory object and the sensor. You continue to hear, but you no longer attach labels or meanings. You perceive the sound as being made of the same spaciousness as the silence, losing its 'thing-ness'.
Why is the dissolution of 'will' (iccha) necessary?
Will is the primary movement of the ego. As long as there is a 'will' to achieve something, the mind remains active and dualistic. By dissolving the will, you enter a state of 'effortless being' where the universal consciousness can reveal itself without the interference of individual striving.
Is this practice similar to Buddhist sunyata?
While linguistically similar, the Shaiva perspective views the void as 'Purna' (Full). In Buddhism, sunyata often emphasizes the lack of self-nature. In Kashmir Shaivism, the void is the 'womb' of Shiva—a state of pure potentiality that is vibrantly alive, though devoid of objective limitations.
I feel a sense of fear when imagining the void. Is this normal?
Yes, the ego often feels fear when facing its own dissolution. This is known as 'bhairava-darshana.' If fear arises, ground yourself by remembering that this void is not 'nothingness,' but your own most intimate and expansive nature, which is inherently safe and eternal.
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