Withdraw Yourself Completely

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation method is: “Look upon some object, then slowly withdraw your sight from it, then slowly withdraw your thought from it. Then.”. This technique, also referred to as “Withdraw yourself completely,” focuses on a progressive withdrawal of attention from external objects and their internal mental images to lead to a state of pure awareness.

How It Is Done

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

  • Choose an Object: Begin by looking upon some object. This object can be anything external, such as a roseflower, or even a statue in a temple. It is recommended to use the same object every day to build consistency in the practice.
  • Pure Looking: While looking at the chosen object, engage in a pure, simple look, without thinking. The mind should not engage in commentary, analysis, or verbalization about the object, as thought can “contaminate” the direct perception.
  • Withdraw Sight: After purely observing the object, slowly withdraw your sight from it. This involves closing your eyes and detaching your visual perception from the external object, creating a blank darkness as if you have gone blind to both reality and dream reality.
  • Withdraw Thought/Image: Once the external object is no longer perceived, an inner image or thought of that object will remain in the mind. The next crucial step is to slowly withdraw your thought from this inner image, becoming indifferent to it and allowing it to completely disappear.
  • Practice in Steps: This is a multi-part technique that should be approached step by step, rather than attempting the entire process at once, especially for beginners. First, focus on achieving total absorption with the external object, forgetting everything else. Only when this first part becomes easy should you proceed to the second part of dissolving the inner image.
  • Persistence and Non-Blinking: Persistence is key. If concentrating outwardly, non-blinking eyes may be necessary to prevent the mind from moving and losing concentration.
Commentaries and Insights
  • The Significance of “Then”: The sutra concludes with the word “Then”. This indicates the moment of realization, a sudden happening that is a by-product of the technique, not a directly pursued goal. Shiva, the speaker of these sutras, uses a scientific, telegraphic approach, focusing on “how” to attain truth rather than directly describing the “what” of the experience, which is inexpressible. When the conditions are met, and both the external object and its internal image vanish, the practitioner is “left alone” in a state of pure self-realization, thrown back to their “original source”.
  • Purpose: Aloneness, Purity, and Freedom: The ultimate aim of this technique is to arrive at a state of total aloneness, purity, and innocence. This process frees one from the mind, which is regarded as the source of bondage and suffering.
  • Mind as a Barrier: The mind is characterized as an accumulation of words, thoughts, and borrowed knowledge, often leading to a false sense of self or identity. Meditation techniques like this one are designed to help one transcend or go beyond the mind and its limiting identifications. The mind is seen as cunning and can create rationalizations to avoid simple yet profound practices.
  • Redirecting Consciousness: Our consciousness usually moves outwards through the senses to engage with objects in the world. This technique serves to redirect this outward flow of consciousness inward. The senses are depicted as a middle ground, offering a path either to external objects or to the inner center; the “distance” to both is considered the same.
  • Object as a Catalyst: Since directly confronting nothingness can be challenging, an external object is used as a vehicle to focus attention. By intensely concentrating on a single object and then allowing it to dissolve, consciousness is left without an external anchor, thereby being “thrown to its inner center”.
  • Consciousness as Light and Emptiness: The practitioner’s fundamental essence is described as light. When the external world and the internal image dissolve, only the pure light of consciousness remains without an object. This state of pure emptiness or nothingness is referred to by various terms: Buddha called it shunya (nothingness), Mahavira called it kaivalya (total aloneness), and the Upanishads called it brahman or atman.
  • Connections to Other Traditions:
    • Zen and “No-Mind”: This method is deeply integrated into Zen tradition, particularly the concept that ordinary mind, when truly present, is the “buddha-mind”. It aligns with practices like zazen (just sitting) where one ceases mental activity and becomes fully present. The state achieved is a thoughtless consciousness.
    • Self-Remembering and Inquiry: It shares common ground with Gurdjieff’s “self-remembering” and Ramana Maharshi’s “Who am I?” inquiry, both of which aim to peel away layers of false identity and mental constructs to reveal the pure “I am” or absolute emptiness.
    • Indirect Approach of Tantra: This technique exemplifies Tantra’s indirect approach. Instead of directly seeking enlightenment or bliss, the practitioner focuses entirely on the technique itself. The desired outcome is a natural by-product of full absorption in the process and the consequent creation of inner vacant space.
    • Patience and Stages of Practice: While the ultimate experience can be sudden, the path to it often requires patience and gradual steps. Osho advises breaking down complex techniques into manageable parts to ensure success.
    • Fear of the Void: The concept of dissolving into nothingness or emptiness can evoke fear, which might lead individuals to avoid true meditative practice. However, embracing this emptiness leads to the dissolution of the ego and the revelation of the true self.
    • Transformation of Identity: Through continuous practice, one eventually realizes that the “knower” (the self) is distinct from the “known” (body and mind). This detachment from the physical and mental identities leads to the realization of oneself as a pure, unpenetrated witness.