This meditation technique as given in Vigyan Bhairav Tantra text is the counterpart to the external ‘looking’ techniques, directing awareness inward to the internal darkness and stillness of the skull, leading to the gradual perception of the Supreme Reality.
The Internal Void: Darkness Behind the Forehead
The instruction shifts the focus entirely from the external world to the inner space:
Seated with eyes closed, fix one’s attention inside the skull. From firmness in concentration, one will gradually perceive the Supreme Reality. (Verse 34)
The practice utilizes the natural sensory deprivation that occurs when the eyes are closed and fixed on the internal space behind the forehead.
Practice Instructions (Inner Concentration)
This technique is a seated meditation, fundamentally seeking stillness by controlling the eyes, even when closed:
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Seated and Eyes Closed:Â Sit comfortably and close the eyes.
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Fixed Internal Gaze: Focus your attention inside the skull, to the area behind the forehead.
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Maintaining Stillness: The practitioner must focus on this internal darkness and stillness. The commentary notes that even when the eyes are closed, they keep moving as we think; this practice requires fixing the attention to stop that movement and prevent the flow of thoughts.
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Observing the Darkness: Inside the skull, there are “no forms or objects visible in the darkness. There is only darkness… There is only stillness”.
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Handling Thoughts and Images: If “images” or “thoughts” arise, the practitioner should “observe them and let them pass,” ignoring them and continuing to concentrate on the darkness and stillness.
The Gradual Perception of Supreme Reality
The mechanism of this meditation is based on making the mind still by giving it an object that is devoid of the diversity and movement the mind usually processes:
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Mind Stills: Focusing on the darkness and stillness behind the forehead causes the mind to quieten down and become still.
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Peace to Joy: As the mind stills, a “deep sense of peace” is felt, which then transforms into an “incredible feeling of joy”.
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Perceiving God:Â “From firmness in concentration, one will gradually perceive the Supreme Reality.” The perception of God begins when concentration becomes unwavering and thoughts become less frequent. When thoughts stop completely, God is reached.
This method reveals that the deepest truth is a place of unity and stillness within the individual, an experience that nothing in the external world can match.