At the beginning of a strong sensation, be aware

This meditation method, deeply rooted in Tantric principles, offers a direct path to heightened awareness by focusing on the nascent stages of strong sensations and emotions. It is a practical approach to transforming inner energy, moving from unconscious reaction to conscious observation, and ultimately leading to self-realisation.

What the Method Is

The core instruction or sutra for this method is: “At the start of sneezing, during fright, in anxiety, above a chasm, flying in battle, in extreme curiosity, at the beginning of hunger, at the end of hunger, be uninterruptedly aware”. This means bringing total and continuous awareness to the very initial stirrings of any intense physical sensation or emotional state.

How It Is Done

To practice “At the beginning of a strong sensation, be aware,” the following guidance is provided:

  • Identify the Onset: The crucial step is to catch the sensation at its very beginning – the moment you feel it stirring, before it fully takes over. This is because once the sensation has fully started, the “arrow has gone” and the mechanism for release has begun, making it difficult to intervene meditatively.
  • Focus Total Consciousness: As the sensation begins, bring your total consciousness to that specific point or focus where you feel it. For example, if a sneeze is coming, focus on the sensation in your nose.
  • Close Your Eyes and Be Meditative: When bringing awareness to the sensation, it is suggested to close your eyes and enter a meditative state.
  • Do Not Suppress or Express: The aim is neither to suppress the sensation nor to indulge in its outward expression. Instead, allow the sensation to be, observing it without interference. If you suppress, you create more disturbance and build up repressed complexes. If you express unconsciously, you waste energy.
  • Move to the Source: Rather than projecting the sensation or emotion onto an external object or person (e.g., hating the person who insulted you), move your awareness inward to the source from where the sensation/mood is originating. This transforms the energy within.
  • Avoid Mental Interpretation: Do not bring in thoughts, ideas, or judgments (e.g., “this is bad,” “I am not hunger”). Simply look at the fact as it is, directly encountering the sensation without intellectualising. Any verbalisation or belief about the sensation can be a deception of the mind.
  • Start with Easier Sensations: Begin with ordinary and less intense sensations, such as walking, thirst, hunger, or even habitual gestures like nodding while speaking. As you become proficient in maintaining awareness with these “cold” things, gradually move to more complex and “hot” emotions like anger or sexual passion.
  • Relive Past Experiences (Optional): If you find it difficult to apply the technique in the moment of strong emotion, you can re-enact past experiences (e.g., remembering a time you were very angry and reliving it). This allows you to practice remaining undisturbed in a recreated, less urgent situation, healing past “wounds” and developing the knack for present situations.
Commentaries and Insights

Osho’s extensive commentaries on this method illuminate its profound implications:

  • Tantra’s Scientific and Practical Nature: Tantra is not a philosophy but a science concerned with method and technique. It begins with where you are right now. This method exemplifies Tantra’s direct, unidealistic approach, treating the human dilemma as a spiritual disease for which meditation is the medicine.
  • Simplicity and the Ego: The apparent simplicity of this technique can be a barrier, as the ego prefers difficult challenges for its fulfillment. However, spiritual transformation is not a causal phenomenon that requires arduous effort; it’s a remembering of an already-present state. The techniques merely help grow your alertness to recognise this inherent state.
  • Alertness is the Goal: The essence of this, and all, meditation techniques is to cultivate alertness. A non-alert state of mind is the world (sleep/dreaming), while an alert state is nirvana (reality). Fear, for instance, disappears with alertness, as a coward is simply someone who is asleep in moments of fear.
  • Energy Transformation and Satori: By bringing awareness to the beginning of a strong sensation, the energy associated with that impulse or emotion is transformed. Instead of being dissipated outwardly or suppressed inwardly, it is turned inward and absorbed back into its source, leading to increased alertness. This can lead to a flash of “satori” (a glimpse of samadhi), a state of thoughtless consciousness where the mind temporarily disappears.
  • Beyond Suppression and Expression: This method offers a third way beyond the common patterns of expressing or suppressing emotions. It’s an inner effort that moves energy upwards towards heightened awareness, rather than being a tension-creating suppression. It allows for genuine unburdening without creating “suppressed complexes”.
  • Non-Judgmental Acceptance: Tantra teaches total acceptance of all aspects of existence, including so-called “immoral” or “impure” emotions like anger, hatred, or sex. It posits that sleep is impure, and alertness is pure, making the quality of consciousness (aware or unaware) the only relevant factor, not the act itself. By remaining with the fact of your emotions without judgment or trying to change them, transformation occurs through understanding.
  • The Body as a Vehicle: Tantra places great importance on the body, acknowledging it as the starting point for spiritual journey. It views the body as a “vehicle” to the spirit and encourages conscious engagement with bodily sensations as a means to transcend.
  • Connections to Other Traditions:
    • Gurdjieff’s “Stop Exercises”: This technique is closely aligned with George Gurdjieff’s “stop exercises,” which involved suddenly halting all physical and mental activity to separate oneself from the mechanical nature of the body and mind and become aware of the inner center. Gurdjieff would sometimes create situations to trigger strong reactions, then command “Stop!” to induce this awareness.
    • Self-Remembering: It resonates with Gurdjieff’s concept of “self-remembering,” which involves feeling “I am” without verbalisation, connecting to the true being behind thoughts and actions.
    • Zen Buddhism: Similar principles are found in Zen, such as training warriors for alertness in the face of fear, and masters like Bokuju using self-referential calls to return to the present moment.
    • Mahavira and Fasting: The practice relates to Mahavira’s use of fasting, where awareness of hunger (or its end) could be a meditative point, distinct from mere bodily abstinence.
  • Gradual Preparation for Suddenness: While the ultimate experience of samadhi is sudden, these techniques gradually prepare the practitioner by cultivating alertness, making them ready to bear the sudden spiritual “explosion” when it occurs. They train one to be in the moment and not to postpone.