Darkness Meditation

Darkness meditation has been practiced for thousands of years in the form of dark retreats; practitioners (usually monks) lived in total darkness. They ate, slept, meditated, and performed all daily tasks in complete darkness to acquire clarity and wisdom. Western practitioners have adapted this ancient spiritual practice with modifications more suitable to everyday modern life.

This helps to overcome all the fears and our own shadowself, becoming familiar with unknown rather fearing it. its an experience like being in the mother’s womb again where everything was dark but still a sense of security and comfort was present. In same way when we encounter dark, feeling the whole cosmos as mother’s womb, a new being is born which has no fear of unknown.

Create an environment that is devoid of light. Sitting in darkness meditation doesn’t mean closing your eyes in a darkened or semi-darkened room. The goal is to create total darkness so one can meditate with eyes open, yet see only blackness.

A complete dark space is created where not a single point of light is available. A diffuser lamp is slowly diffused off to create complete darkness. Once you have taken all measure to darken the room, sit with your eyes open for 5 minutes so your eyes have had time to adjust from lightness to darkness. If you cannot see anything after 5 minutes, then you have achieved your goal and you can begin your meditation. If you can see any light at all after 5 minutes, locate the source of the light and find a way to block it before you proceed.

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes open and encounter darkness with open eyes . Let yourself relax as you continue to breathe softly and rhythmically.Allow thoughts and fears to surface, but don’t dwell on them. Continue to focus on your breath and on the darkness. Breathe softly as you stare into the darkness. Let your meditation end slowly.  At the end ,its more of lying like a baby in womb, womb of mother earth or cosmos and sense of safety and security is perceived. And as meditation end with dim lights on, you take birth and emerge like new being.

Allow yourself ten minutes to come back into your physical awareness. The Best darkness is achieved on No Moon night where light can not enter from any source.