Look at an Object as a Whole

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation method is: “Look upon a bowl without seeing the sides or the material. In a few moments become aware”. This technique is a looking technique, aiming to shift perception from the fragmented, material aspects of an object to its unified form, thereby leading to self-awareness and inner transformation.

How It Is Done

To practice this meditation, the practitioner should undertake the following steps:

  • Choose an Object: Select any object for concentration, such as a bowl, a roseflower, or even a person. Osho suggests choosing an object you naturally love.
  • Look as a Whole: Direct your gaze upon the chosen object without dividing it into parts. This means to look at the object as a whole. Do not scan from one fragment to another; perceive it as a single, unified entity.
  • Disregard the Material/Substance: While looking, intentionally do not see its material or substance. If it’s a wooden bowl, see only the “bowl, the form,” not the wood itself. The aim is to focus on the pure form, moving from the material to the non-material aspect of the object.
  • Prevent Eye Movements: When you look at a thing as a whole and disregard its material, the eyes have no need to move. This deliberate stillness of the eyes is crucial, as blinking or shifting focus gives the mind an opportunity to move and think.
  • Stop Thinking/Verbalization: Pure form, when truly observed, stops thinking. Avoid verbalizing or interpreting what you see (e.g., don’t think “it is beautiful” or “it is ugly”). Allow the object to be revealed without the interference of past knowledge, memories, or words.
  • Relish and Be Filled: Relish the presence of the single object, taste its presence, and feel it, allowing it to go deep into you.
  • Practice in Stages (if needed): If the entire technique is difficult at first, practice it in parts. For instance, first focus only on creating the “object-feeling” and being filled with the object until only it remains in your consciousness and all else is forgotten. Once this first stage is achieved effortlessly, then proceed to the second part: closing your eyes and removing yourself from the inner image of the object, letting it disappear.
  • Location Flexibility: This technique can be done anywhere, even while riding in a bus or train, as it focuses on the internal quality of looking rather than external conditions.
Commentaries and Insights
  • Eyes as a Gateway: Osho explains that the eyes are the most non-bodily part of the human body, acting as a deep meeting point between the individual and their body. They offer a direct path to one’s inner being, a “single jump” to the source, unlike other body parts. Eyes naturally move outwards, but if their outward movement is stopped, they are compelled to move inwards.
  • Mind-Eye Connection: There is a direct relationship between eye movement and the mind. When the eyes are kept still and focused on a single, undivided form without its material aspect, the mind is deprived of its usual triggers for thought and therefore stops its activity. This is because the mind thrives on analysis, division, and interpretation.
  • Shift to Self-Awareness: When the mind stops due to the specific focus on form and wholeness, the consciousness, which usually flows outwards, returns home to itself. This leads to an experience of sudden self-awareness, described as one of the most ecstatic moments possible, bringing immense beauty and bliss. The world may temporarily “disappear” or become a “gap” in perception during this inward turn.
  • Form vs. Substance: The technique emphasizes looking at the form rather than the substance because form is considered the “spiritual part” of an object, while substance is the material part. This distinction aids the journey from the material to the non-material realms of perception.
  • Witnessing Consciousness: This technique aids in finding the witness, enabling one to observe thoughts as if they are a film playing on a screen, rather than being identified with them. When the eyes become pure and innocent through such practices, they gain the capacity to penetrate and see the inner world.
  • Analogy of the Lamp: Osho uses the analogy of a lamp’s light. Just as a lamp’s light can be focused on one object in a dark room, and then that object removed to reveal only the pure light, so too does one’s consciousness (the flame) become pure light when all objects of perception are removed. This state of pure, unoccupied consciousness is referred to as nirvana, kaivalya (total aloneness), or the experience of Brahman/Atman.
  • Challenge to Ego: This technique, like other simple methods, may not appeal to the ego because it doesn’t present a “difficult” challenge to conquer. However, only that which has no appeal to the ego can truly help spiritual growth and transformation.
  • Indirect Approach: This is an indirect technique for spiritual realization. The “doing” (looking at the object in a specific way) is not the goal itself, but a means to an end. The actual spiritual “happening” (self-awareness, bliss) arises as a by-product of being totally absorbed in the act, without being directly concerned with the result.
  • Tantra’s Perspective: Tantra is a “love technique” that seeks to make one one with existence by dissolving boundaries. It is based on feeling, not intellect. This method aligns with Tantra’s scientific approach, starting with the body and senses to penetrate deeper realities. It affirms that if you focus on the world, the self appears illusory, and if you focus inward, the world appears as a dream, indicating a duality that consciousness must transcend.