This meditation technique intensifies the conceptual negation of the body by adding a third, vital center—the heart—to the simultaneous visualization of emptiness, promising a state that is permanently free of thoughts.
Triple Void Focus: Above, Below, and the Core
The instruction is a powerful, three-pronged attack on the ego’s attachment to the body:
Meditate firmly and simultaneously on the above as void, the base as void and the heart as void. Then, by being free of thoughts, will arise the state that is permanently free of thoughts. (Verse 45)
This verse is a “slight variation” of the previous one (Verse 44), but the addition of the heart is significant. The heart is the spiritual core of the human experience, and conceptually dissolving it with the extremities strengthens the detachment.
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The Above:Â Neck upwards (void/empty).
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The Base:Â Waist downwards (void/empty).
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The Heart:Â The region of the heart (void/empty).
Practice Instructions (Firm Belief in Emptiness)
The practice requires firm conviction and concentration:
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Posture and Focus:Â Sit comfortably with eyes closed.
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Simultaneous Triple Visualization: Focus attention on all three areas—top, base, and heart—at the same time.
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Continuous Belief: Continuously believe and imagine that these three areas are empty, non-existent, and that there is only emptiness there (p. 52). The word “firmly” implies no wavering of this belief.
The Permanent State of Thought-Freedom
The philosophical mechanism is simple: if the body and mind are empty, then “who is there that can think?”.
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Ego Dissolution: By meditating on the body as empty, the practitioner detaches from the body and its associated ego. The ego is the “sense of separate identity” tied to name and form, and by negating the body’s form, this identity dissolves.
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Witness/Consciousness:Â When the ego is gone, the practitioner realizes they are the true self:Â awareness, consciousness, or the witness.
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The Result: Permanent Freedom: The outcome is the highest state: “the state that is permanently free of thoughts.” This is the ultimate freedom (moksha), a state where the individual has complete control over their mind.
This technique also links suffering to the seeking of pleasure and avoidance of pain, which is the ego’s mechanism. By dissolving the ego through this triple-void focus, one transcends the pain-pleasure duality and achieves unshakeable peace.