Look into the Limitless Sky

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation method is: “Simply by looking into the blue sky beyond clouds, the serenity.”. This technique is one of the “looking techniques” that aims to bring the practitioner into a state of serenity and silence by focusing on the objectless void of the sky.

How It Is Done

To practice this meditation, the practitioner should follow these steps:

  • Choose the “object”: Select the blue sky beyond clouds for observation. It is crucial to look beyond the clouds because clouds are considered objects floating in the sky, and the intention is to look at objectlessness, emptiness. Avoid looking at stars, the moon, or any other defined celestial bodies; focus purely on the empty space.
  • Manner of looking:
    • Look without thinking: Direct your gaze with a pure, innocent look, without thinking or verbalizing what you see. Do not label it as “beautiful” or “lovely,” as such words create barriers and stop the process. The instruction is to “Just move, just look – do not think”.
    • Remain with no word, no verbalization, no bubbling inside: This means maintaining an inner silence while observing, allowing no mental commentary on the sky.
  • Persistence: Continue looking for an extended period: “Go on looking, day after day, month after month”. The object (the sky) is infinite, and the looking “never ends”.
Commentaries and Insights
  • The Nature of the Sky and Emptiness: Osho explains that the sky is infinite and without boundaries; it is not an object in the conventional sense because objects begin and end. The sky is purely the vacuum, the space in which objects exist, making it pure emptiness.
  • Senses and Their Futility in Emptiness: Our senses are designed to grasp objects. When observing emptiness, there is no object for the senses to grasp, rendering them futile. This lack of external focus helps turn awareness inward.
  • The Mirror-like Mind and Inner Reflection: Our eyes function like a mirror, reflecting what is before them. When you look at emptiness, your mind reflects this, and you become empty yourself. This process makes you feel the “same sky within, the same dimension within, the same space and blueness and emptiness”.
  • Cessation of Desire and Mind Activity: Looking into emptiness means there is nothing to possess, love, or build upon, thus no desire arises. The non-arising of desire leads to the cessation of mental movement, resulting in serenity, silence, and peace. This is how you “become like the sky”.
  • Reaching Self-Awareness and Pure Consciousness: When the mind is still and there is no object, the awareness naturally shifts, and you suddenly become aware of yourself. This leads to the realization of your “pure consciousness”, a state of “simple subjectivity without any object around it”.
  • Simplicity vs. Ego’s Demand for Difficulty: While the instruction seems “simple”, Osho notes that the ego often resists such easy methods because it craves challenges and difficulties to feel fulfilled. The mind may dismiss simple techniques as ineffective for achieving profound spiritual states. However, “these methods seem so simple” yet “miracles happen, because it is just indirect”. The real difficulty lies in the “ignorance” of the mind.
  • Liberation from the Past and Dreaming: This technique, like others that promote a pure, present awareness, helps you remove the “dust” of accumulated experiences, knowledge, and memories (the past). By being in the present moment, dreams stop because their source (cooperation with them) is withdrawn. This leads to an alert state of mind and allows you to “come out of your dreams back to the place where you have always been”.
  • Spiritual Health and Sudden Enlightenment: The “serenity” gained from this practice is a glimpse of spiritual health or enlightenment. Osho emphasizes that spiritual breakthroughs are not gradual but sudden, like death. These techniques prepare you for this sudden happening by cultivating alertness and removing barriers, leading to “thoughtless consciousness”.
  • Accessibility: This method is highly accessible as the sky is “just near you and it costs nothing,” requiring no special location like the Himalayas or Tibet. It can be practiced anywhere, anytime, when the sky is clear.
  • Connection to Other Methods: This method shares a fundamental principle with other techniques like “Look into a deep well” and “Look upon some object, then slowly withdraw your sight from it, then slowly withdraw your thought from it”. The underlying mechanism is to concentrate on an object (or lack thereof) until it dissolves, forcing consciousness back to its center.