Imagine Yourself Losing All Energy

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation method is: “Suppose you are gradually being deprived of strength or of knowledge. At the instant of deprivation, transcend”. This technique is presented as a “stop technique” aimed at achieving transcendence by creating a sensation of complete loss of energy or imminent death, and then observing the self as distinct from this dying process.

How It Is Done

To practice this method, you should:

  • Choose a Situation: This can be done in an actual situation where you feel deprived of strength or knowledge, or, more commonly, you can imagine such a situation.
  • Lie Down and Relax: Begin by lying down and relaxing your body.
  • Imagine Dying or Losing Strength:
    • Option 1 (Dying): Close your eyes and start feeling that you are dying, repeatedly telling yourself, “I am dying, I am dying, I am dying”. If the feeling is authentic, your body will begin to feel heavy, like lead, and you’ll perceive that you cannot move your limbs.
    • Option 2 (Strength Deprivation): Lie down and feel as if the whole existence is sucking your strength out, imagining your energy flowing out until nothing is left inside and you are completely devoid of strength.
  • Reach the Point of Deprivation: Continue this feeling until you sense that the moment has come where you are on the verge of dying or complete depletion.
  • Transcend and Witness: At this instant of extreme deprivation, suddenly forget your body and transcend. Become an onlooker or a witness to the phenomenon. Observe your body lying dead or devoid of energy, realizing that “this universe and this body, both, are not you”.
  • Remain Alert: As the body falls or feels dead, open your eyes and be alert, observing what is happening without falling with the body or mind. This allows you to experience yourself standing apart while the body is affected.
Commentaries and Insights
  • Mechanism of Transcendence and No-Mind: The core purpose of this technique is to help you get out of your mind. When the body completely relaxes or feels dead, the mind’s processes stop because a dead body does not require a functioning mind. In this state, you simply “be there,” witnessing without the mental constructs of “in” or “out”. This “standing out” from the body is the literal meaning of “ecstasy”. Once this disidentification occurs, the mind, which acts as a bridge between you and the body, momentarily disappears, leading to transcendence.
  • Realization of Immortality: By engaging in this simulated death, you can paradoxically come to the profound realization that you cannot die. You become aware that you are distinct from the mortal body, which is merely a “clothing” or a “vehicle”. This experience of separation from the body and mind becomes a permanent part of your being.
  • Leveraging Inactivity: Meditation fundamentally requires deep inactivity. While engaged in outward activity, one tends to forget the self. By bringing the body to a death-like state, you are forcing yourself into a state of deep inactivity, which is subtle and allows your true presence to be encountered.
  • The Power of Authentic Imagination: Osho emphasizes that imagination is not unreal; it is a powerful force that can genuinely affect physical and psychological states. For the technique to be effective, the feeling of dying or losing strength must be authentic.
  • Breaking the Body-Mind Bridge: The body serves as a bridge connecting you to the external world. By bringing the body to a death-like state, this bridge is broken, compelling your energy to turn inward as its outward movement is blocked. This leads to the cessation of mind processes, as the mind is primarily needed for interaction with the living body.
  • Connection to “Stop Techniques”: This method is one of several “stop techniques” described by Osho, also popularized by George Gurdjieff, who learned them from Buddhist lamas. The essence of these techniques is to suddenly halt an activity or impulse to create a gap between the circumference (body/activity) and the center (consciousness). The suddenness is crucial; any conscious planning or adjustment negates the effect.
    • Similar techniques include stopping an authentic impulse (like a sneeze or drinking water).
    • Suddenly quitting a desire after considering it, without suppression, also uses this principle.
    • The “Exhaust yourself and drop to the ground” technique, discussed previously, also aims for this sudden separation by physical exhaustion leading to an unarranged fall, observing oneself as separate from the falling body.
  • Simplicity vs. Ego: Like many Tantric methods, this technique appears simple but is profoundly deep. The ego often resists simple techniques because it seeks arduous challenges to feel a sense of accomplishment. Osho warns that what appeals to the ego generally does not aid spiritual growth.
  • Sudden Enlightenment: Spiritual transformation is not a gradual process but a sudden explosion. These techniques are not the enlightenment itself, but they gradually prepare you to be ready for the sudden happening by increasing your alertness and removing barriers. The “clarity” experienced during practice is a reduction of mental “disease” or cloudiness, not the ultimate state of enlightenment itself.
  • Alertness is Key: The fundamental goal of all these techniques is to cultivate alertness. When awareness becomes intense, thought (the barrier) disappears, leading to a glimpse of samadhi (satori).
  • Role of the Master: While these are generalized methods, Osho indicates that a master’s presence in a group setting can be beneficial, as they can provide sudden commands at unexpected moments, preventing the mind from planning or deceiving itself.
  • Total Acceptance: Tantra’s philosophy of total acceptance is the underlying framework. This means not fighting or suppressing the experience, but rather allowing it to unfold with deep understanding, which naturally leads to transformation.