Watch the turning point with devotion

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation technique, as presented by Osho, is: “With utmost devotion, center on the two junctions of breath and know the knower”. This method is a specific adaptation of breath awareness, distinguished by the addition of “devotion,” and is particularly suited for individuals who are heart-oriented, feeling, or emotional types, rather than those with a scientific or intellectual bent.

How It Is Done

To practice this method, you should:

  • Identify the Junctions of Breath: Become aware of the precise moments when your breath turns – the brief gap after the incoming breath stops and just before the outgoing breath begins, and conversely, after the outgoing breath stops and before the incoming breath is taken again. These are like a “neutral gear” in the breathing cycle, where movement momentarily ceases.
  • Apply Utmost Devotion: The crucial element is to approach these turning points not with intellectual analysis, but with “utmost devotion,” encompassing faith, love, and trust.
  • Perceive the Body as Holy: To facilitate devotion towards the breath and oneself, Tantra encourages viewing the body as a sacred temple or the abode of the divine, rather than merely a physical object. This helps to instill a sense of reverence in the act of breathing.
  • Absorb Senses in the Heart: For those inclined towards feeling, it can be beneficial to relate and absorb sensory experiences into the heart. This fosters a deeper connection to the emotional center, where devotion naturally resides.
  • Maintain Continuous Awareness: The practice requires keen and sincere observation to feel these momentary gaps. The aim is to remain continuously aware at these turning points to allow for deeper realization.
Commentaries and Insights
  • Tailored for Heart-Oriented Individuals: Osho clarifies that while other breath-focused techniques might be “dry” and scientific, this method is specifically designed for those who resonate more with their heart and emotions. Many older religious traditions also lean on heart-oriented techniques.
  • The Significance of “Devotion” in Tantra: Tantra is fundamentally a science of technique and experience (focusing on “how” rather than “why”), and it embraces a non-dualistic approach of total acceptance rather than suppression or conflict. The dialogue structure of Tantra treatises, often between Shiva and Devi (his consort), symbolizes that deep spiritual teachings are best transmitted through love and a receptive, feminine attitude from the disciple, rather than intellectual debate. This signifies that devotion, as an expression of love, surrender, and vulnerability, opens the seeker to deeper truths.
  • The “Neutral Gear” for Inner Glimpse: The momentary pause between breaths is described as a “neutral gear” of consciousness, a fleeting moment when the mind is not actively engaged in either the incoming or outgoing breath. This provides a unique opportunity for awareness to shift from the periphery to the inner core, enabling a glimpse of one’s true being.
  • From Heart to Center: When sensory experiences are deeply absorbed into the heart, a profound centering in the heart can occur. This state, in turn, can facilitate a natural descent to the navel center (hara), which Tantra identifies as the original and most fundamental center of human existence.
  • Body as a Divine Miniature: Tantra emphasizes the body as a miniature of the entire cosmos and a reservoir of potent energies. Engaging with the body’s processes, such as breath, with devotion allows one to access and transform these energies, moving towards liberation rather than merely existing in the material realm. Even energies like sex, if accepted and channeled with awareness, can become a vehicle for spiritual growth, transforming into love or higher states.
  • The Goal: Knowing the Knower and Transcendence: The ultimate purpose of this practice is to “know the knower” – to realize the unchanging, eternal self that underlies all experience. This realization leads to a profound transformation, where the individual “self” or ego dissolves, and one merges with the vastness of existence, becoming “no more” in a personal sense but omnipresent in a cosmic sense. Osho repeatedly states that the profound experience of samadhi or enlightenment, while hinted at, is ultimately inexpressible in words, and one must undergo the practice to know it personally.
  • Simplicity and Ego: Osho notes that many spiritual techniques, including this one, appear deceptively simple, which often causes the ego to dismiss them because it seeks difficulty and challenge. However, the power of these methods lies in their directness to fundamental realities of being. While “simple” in instruction, they demand deep awareness and can reveal the profound inner “sleep” that most individuals live in.