Imagine spirit within and without

What the method is

The meditation method “Imagine spirit within and without” is a technique aimed at realizing the non-dual nature of existence by perceiving the universal spirit as simultaneously present within oneself and pervading the entire external world. While a specific detailed commentary on this particular sutra is not provided in the given excerpts, the core instruction implies transcending the artificial division between the inner (spirit within) and the outer (spirit without). This aligns with Tantra’s fundamental perspective that there is no inherent contradiction or duality between the world (sansara) and the ultimate (moksha), or between matter and the divine; rather, they are “two dimensions of one existence”. The purpose is to move beyond the mind’s tendency to divide and to experience reality as a seamless whole.

How it is done

Since direct, step-by-step instructions for this specific method are not detailed in the provided texts, the practice would involve integrating general Tantric principles of meditation, primarily through focused awareness and imagination:

  • Cultivating Sensitivity: Before deep imaginative work, one must cultivate a heightened sensitivity to their inner and outer experiences, moving beyond the superficial. This involves paying attention to simple sensations without verbalization or mental labeling.
  • Initial Visualization of Inner Spirit: Begin by imagining or feeling one’s own essence as spirit, perhaps as light or energy, residing within the body. The spine, particularly, is emphasized as the base of both body and mind, and visualizing light rising through its centers can awaken “livingness”.
  • Expanding Perception to Outer Spirit: Extend this perception of spirit beyond the confines of the body to encompass the entire external world. This involves seeing all space “as if already absorbed in your own head in the brilliance” or feeling the “cosmos as a translucent ever-living presence”. The key is to allow this perception to become a profound feeling, not just an intellectual concept.
  • Dissolving Boundaries: The practice aims to dissolve the perceived distinction between “inner” and “outer” spirit, realizing that the same fundamental essence permeates both. This involves remaining uninterruptedly aware of this non-division, without the mind’s usual tendency to separate or judge.
  • Non-resistance and Acceptance: Maintain a state of total acceptance towards all phenomena, whether internal or external. Do not fight with thoughts or sensations; instead, use them as a means to go inward to their source, transforming dispersed energy into a concentrated inner core.
  • Effortless Awareness: While initial effort may be required to bring awareness to this perception, the ultimate aim is an effortless, passive awareness where the experience unfolds spontaneously. The mind’s tendency to constantly seek or conceptualize must be put aside.
Commentaries and Insights
  • Non-Duality as Reality: Osho consistently emphasizes that reality is not dualistic; the division between self and cosmos, inner and outer, is a construct of the mind. This meditation directly addresses this by making the practitioner feel the oneness of spirit within and without, leading to an “organic unity with the universe”.
  • Dissolution of Ego and Boundaries: The experience of spirit as all-pervading leads to the dissolution of the individual ego or the small “I”. When the “center is everywhere now, or the center is nowhere”, the fear of death disappears because one realizes their essential nature is one with the deathless cosmos. This is an “oceanic feeling” where the individual wave merges back into the ocean.
  • Mind as a Barrier and Instrument: The ordinary mind is a “divider”, constantly creating distinctions and problems. This meditation uses the mind not to analyze or conceptualize, but as a “door” or “jumping board” to transcend itself and reach a state of no-mind or “pure consciousness”. When the mind is put aside, one enters the “here and now”, where reality is directly experienced.
  • Inherent Buddhahood / Potentiality: This method, like other Tantric techniques, is a way to discover what is already present within the individual. Man is born with infinite potential and is already “that which he wants to attain”. The spirit within and without is not something to be achieved, but something to be uncovered or realized.
  • Transformation of Energy: Tantra views all energies as neutral, and through awareness, these energies can be transformed. By becoming a “witness” to internal states like desire or anger without projection, the energy associated with these states is returned to its source, leading to inner power and freedom from dissipation. Similarly, the energy of perception, usually directed outwardly to objects, is redirected to perceive the all-pervading spirit.
  • Authentic Experience over Belief: Tantra is a “science” concerned with “how” rather than “why,” emphasizing existential experience over philosophy or beliefs. The simplicity of the method is deceptive; it requires courage and dedication to experiment directly.
  • Guidance and Completion: Like all powerful Kundalini-raising meditations, this technique, if attempted, needs to be done completely, bringing the energy to the head and releasing it into the cosmos. Leaving energy “in the middle” can be harmful. Osho and Ranjit Chaudhri advise seeking the guidance of a master when practicing such powerful techniques.