Expand in all directions

What the method is

This meditation method, found within Shiva’s 112 techniques, implicitly instructs the practitioner to transcend the confines of their physical form and experience their being as boundless, pervasive existence. While a specific sutra or explicit core instruction text for “Expand in all directions” is not provided directly, its essence is deeply intertwined with the method “Fill endless space with your bliss body”. The core instruction is to perceive one’s being as limitless and all-encompassing, dissolving personal boundaries into the universal.

How it is done

To practice this method, you should:

  • Assume a comfortable and motionless posture: Sit comfortably with eyes closed, keeping the body motionless to allow for deeper focus and energy flow.
  • Conceive yourself as light/energy: Begin by imagining or conceptualizing your entire being as composed of light rays or energy. Tantra suggests that everything, including yourself, fundamentally consists of light particles or energy, making this imagination rooted in reality.
  • Visualize boundless expansion: Allow this light or energetic essence to expand outwards from within you, permeating and filling limitless space. This involves a sense of becoming “weightless” and moving “beyond mind”.
  • Dissolve the sense of limited form: The practice aims to transcend the perception of oneself as a confined physical body or a separate “I”. This is akin to the feeling of the “individual center dissolving into the cosmos”.
  • Allow for inner transformation: As the expansion occurs, one allows for the process without actively doing beyond the initial visualization. The goal is to let the individual form melt and become one with the larger existence, like an ocean rather than a single wave.
Commentaries and Insights
  • Purpose and Outcome: The ultimate aim of this method is self-actualization, which is described as reaching the highest peak of human potentiality and possibility. By expanding into endless space, the practitioner achieves a state of profound bliss, peace, and serenity. This process leads to an inner rebirth and liberation, signifying a complete transformation of one’s being. It dissolves the identification with the limited ego, leading to a state of being “no more” as an individual, but “one with the cosmos”. The experience makes one “omnipresent”.
  • The Nature of the Expanding Self: The expanding “bliss body” or self is not a physical entity but a state of being that transcends the physical and mental. It is rooted in the Tantric understanding that everything, including human essence, is fundamentally composed of light and energy. This method helps one connect to the “cosmic source” of energy, making the practitioner “energy-filled” rather than reliant on mere “fuel energy” from the physical body.
  • Beyond Duality and Desire: When one’s being expands to fill endless space, there is no “object” for the mind to cling to, leading to the dissolution of desire. This non-arising of desire brings profound serenity and silence. This method aligns with Tantra’s philosophy of total acceptance, where one does not fight against inherent nature or desires but allows them to be transformed.
  • The Role of Imagination and Reality: Osho emphasizes that while the process begins with imagination, it is rooted in reality because all existence is essentially light. When the practitioner’s attention is focused, particularly at the third eye, imagination becomes incredibly potent and can manifest phenomena. However, it is crucial to resist mere imagination and allow the experience to unfold naturally, avoiding the creation of a “beautiful, spiritual dream” rather than a genuine transformation. True spiritual transformation is not a gradual accumulation but a sudden happening for which these practices serve as preparation.
  • Challenges and Guidance:
    • The ego often resists simple methods because it seeks difficulty and conquest to feel fulfilled.
    • These powerful meditations, particularly those involving rising energy (like Kundalini, which is related to energy moving up the spine), can be dangerous if not completed properly. Osho warns not to leave the energy “in the middle” as it can be harmful; it must be brought to the head and released into the cosmos.
    • For such profound techniques, guidance from a master can be beneficial, as they can assess the individual’s type and provide specific, personalized methods and timely interventions.
    • The journey involves a shift in awareness where thoughts cease and one moves to a “no-mind” state. This initially can be disturbing before true peace emerges, akin to confronting a “dark mess” within.
    • The approach to such techniques should be indirect; the focus should be on doing the technique fully and totally, rather than on desiring or expecting the results. The results occur as a consequence of the total action.
    • A significant outcome is the experience of the individual self, the “wave,” dissolving into the “ocean” of existence, leading to the disappearance of the fear of death and the realization that only the ocean (existence) truly is.