Building upon the previous technique, this meditation offers maximum flexibility, asserting that any sound, when used as a focal point to access the preceding or succeeding silence, is a path to the Supreme Reality.
Universal Sound: Gateways to Emptiness
The instruction generalizes the principle of sound as a means to silence:
Concentrate on the void at the beginning or end of the sound of any letter. Then by the power of that void, one will become the Void. (Verse 40)
This verse is a variation of Verse 39. The key is that the sound of any letter (or, by extension, any sound one loves) can be used (p. 46). The object is to find a sound that aids concentration and enjoyment.
Practice Instructions (Silence as the Object)
The practice remains focused on the power of silence itself:
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Choose a Sound: Select a sound (a letter, a mantra, a word) that is appealing and helpful for meditation.
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Chant and Focus: Chant the sound, and then focus concentration on the void (silence) either before the sound begins or after the sound ends.
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Continuous Practice:Â Continue the practice, allowing yourself to go deeper into silence.
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The Goal: The aim is not the sound itself, but the silence—the void—that frames it.
The Self-Realizing Power of Silence
The essence of this teaching is that the mind finds stillness easily in the presence of silence. The great Self-Realized Master Paramahansa Yogananda emphasized this by teaching that “silence was the altar of God” and that conversation with God requires silence. Being aware of the silence is a key way to still the mind.
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Power of the Void: “Then by the power of that void, one will become the Void.” The practice of concentrating on the silence itself makes the mind silent.
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Mind Dissolves: Eventually, the mind will become completely silent, all thoughts will stop, and the practitioner will become “the Void,” which is God.
This technique affirms that the spiritual path is accessible through ordinary means, and that simply choosing to be peaceful—allowing the mind to be silent—is the direct route to the Supreme State. The meditation techniques involving sound and silence are highlighted as producing peace, which is a state that, once experienced, a person “longs for a repeat of the same experience”.