Open Eye Meditation on Eye Floaters (part1)

June 30, 2008 - PRLog -- (part 1)

In different cultures, there is the notion of an “inner sense”, sometimes called the “third eye”: In the Indian religion, for example in the tantric yoga it is called “Ajna Chakra”. In Christianity it’s called “the single, good or healthy eye” (Matthew, 6.22) or the divine “All Seeing Eye” in a triangle. In western science, there is equally the notion of an”inner sense”, which perceives more than just optical input and is associated with the pineal gland.

A good starting point for the open eye meditation is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Its eight-fold path is concerned first with ethical living standards as well as body and breath exercises (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama). These exercises lead to mental and physical balance and are conditions for a successful meditation. The four following stages are: withdrawing the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and contemplation (samadhi). For this second part of Patanjali Yoga, we may concentrate on gross or subtle objects.



Meditation on Gross Material Objects

Material meditation objects are perceived with the physical eyes, not with the inner sense, but the concentration on them can lead to subtle appearances. The meditation on gross material objects should be performed in a way to support the third eye in its function: making aware our two halves of consciousness and harmonizing the right (intuitive-emotional) and left (rational-analytic) side of our brain and consciousness respectively. This succeeds best by means of squinting techniques, which were developed in the east as in the west. However, two different kinds of squinting must be distinguished.

First, the relaxation of the eyes, whereby the point of concentration shifts behind the selected object; and second, the concentration of the eyes, whereby the point of concentration moves in front of the object.

In order to distinguish these two methods, the Seers call the second kind of squinting “doubling “.

The simplest exercise of “doubling“ is looking on the root of the nose like some Indian Yogis do. In Laya Yoga it’s called “shambavi mudra“ and is defined as a pratyahara technique, i.e. it leads to sensory withdrawal.Shambavi mudra steadies the wandering mind, leading it to focus with accuracy. Wherever the eyes go the mind follows, so when the gaze is fixed on a single point, the mind also becomes single pointed and the thoughts aligned. Thus shambavi mudra is also a form of trataka (a yogic cleaning exercise where we look on a single point) to achieve dharana, the meditative state of relaxed concentration. Sometimes it is combined with a squinting technique, where the practitioner pushes two images apart and creates four images. Then by concentrating and superimposing the two middle images, a synchronization occurs of the two consciousness halves of the brain and, regularly practised, produces a deep perception, which carries the practitioner into other spheres of consciousness.

An example of this kind of open eye meditation is the meditation with the “Boards of the Seers“. It’s comprised of two coloured concentric circles of the same size, which are placed or hung in front of oneself (see book: Mouches Volantes)

The knowledge about this open eye meditation technique is used and described in the book, Mouches Volantes - Die Leuchtstruktur des Bewusstseins, (Mouches Volantes - Eyes Floaters as Light Structure of Consciousness) which is a mystical story about the relationship between a seer and his disciple.



Meditation on Subtle Objects : Subjective Visual Phenomena

We can practice meditation with fine or subtle material objects by focusing on feelings or thoughts, but for the development of the inner sense, it is recommended to focus on particular objects which connect the physical visual sense with the “inner sense“. Those subtle objects are subjective visual phenomena often referred to as “entoptics“. Entoptic phenomena are visual phenomena we believe to see in our external world but which are actually generated by our visual system and are culturally independent.

Some examples of entoptics: Positive or negative afterimages (perceived in the astral or dream world), mouches volantes or floaters (mobile points and threads in the field of vision, perceived in the mental world), flying stars also called flying corpuscles or luminous spots (the life force, prana, chi, orgon), as well as geometrical structures which can occur as a result of altered states of consciousness like trance and ecstasy. Such entoptic appearances have been observed by man since the beginning and are attributed with religious meaning and used as concentration objects.



Meditation using mobile points and threads (Mouches Volantes, Floaters)

The four stages of meditation from Patanjali are now explained using the basis of one of these subjective visual phenomena: Mobile, transparent points and threads, which swim in our field of vision and normally drift away as soon as we want to concentrate on them. Many of us are consciously aware of these points and threads but most often we do not look at them closely and a few feel disturbed by them. Eye doctors unknowingly refer to them as a harmless kind of vitreous opacity. Together with other kinds of eye floaters, they are called “Mouches Volantes“, a French term meaning “flying flies“.



Those individuals who are able to see these points and threads have access to a very important meditation object. In each of us, floaters form an individual pattern and are a distinctive expression of our consciousness, just like our thumbprint. Whenever and wherever we want to meditate – a dynamic eye movement is sufficient to make them visible in our field of vision. The meditation on our mouches volantes is an open eye meditation, keeping us alert and supplying us with the energy of the sun.



Patanjali’s Meditation Process Applied to the Open Eye Mouches Volantes Meditation

(see part 2)



http://www.mouches-volantes.com (also available in English: http://www.eye-floaters.info) and http://www.mystik.name