Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
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Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
I was advised to keep my eyes open.
Last edited by Caodemarte on Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
I've practiced with all 3 major Buddhist traditions; vajrayana, zen/chan, vipassana and have found that in general vajrayana and zen advise to keep eyes open whereas vipassana and Theravada generally advise to keep eyes closed (with some exceptions). I like the eyes closed, it helps focus attention inward, but will open sometimes.
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
I walk with eyes open but generally stand or sit with eyes closed, unless I am having trouble staying awake. That's how I was taught but most teachers also advise figuring out what works for the student.
Mike
Mike
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
If one is sleepy, it may be helpful to open the eyes just a little to let some light in, but otherwise they should be closed.
“Reverend Sir, if there are six holes in a given ant-hill, and a lizard enters the ant-hill by one of these holes, he that would catch the lizard stops up five of the six holes, leaving the sixth hole open, and catches the lizard in the hole by which he entered. Precisely so should you deal with the six doors of the senses; close five of the six doors, and devote your attention to the door of the mind.”
~ Dhammapada Commentary
“Reverend Sir, if there are six holes in a given ant-hill, and a lizard enters the ant-hill by one of these holes, he that would catch the lizard stops up five of the six holes, leaving the sixth hole open, and catches the lizard in the hole by which he entered. Precisely so should you deal with the six doors of the senses; close five of the six doors, and devote your attention to the door of the mind.”
~ Dhammapada Commentary
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Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
That's also been my experience. I think it's interesting to try different methods and see what the differences are.
Buddha save me from new-agers!
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
Think of Eye primordial form and function. You can directly be aware of perception of light what leads to knowledge and vision while when to use ordinary eyes then you need external light to trigger ordinary defiled perception and knowledge."And what is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to the attainment of knowledge & vision? There is the case where a monk attends to the perception of light and is resolved on the perception of daytime [at any hour of the day]. Day [for him] is the same as night, night is the same as day. By means of an awareness open & unhampered, he develops a brightened mind. This is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to the attainment of knowledge & vision.
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
I have always been a closed-eye sitter. Only if too sleepy, I might try a bit with opened eyes, if that fails, then just get up and do some walking.
I remember reading somewhere, Ramana Maharshi was able to attain absorption with eyes open in a matter of minutes, and able to stay just like that for hours on a stretch. Of course by that time he was at mastery of his absorption already.
Just curious. That never gave headaches or dry eyes? Thanks.
Was it a joke? I mean, "OK, try walking with eyes closed!"
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
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Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
Cakkhupala did.Was it a joke? I mean, "OK, try walking with eyes closed!"
https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/v ... ?verse=001
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.
In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.
In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
The ants were likely reborn among the gods
I drive a lot at work and I mediatate a lot while I drive. My eyes tend to close when my mind and heart reach tranquility. Sometimes I let them close completely. Sometimes I go in and out of sight just long enough to maneuver around the roads. It’s a good practice because it lets me keep track of how well I’m cultivating tranquility.
I drive a lot at work and I mediatate a lot while I drive. My eyes tend to close when my mind and heart reach tranquility. Sometimes I let them close completely. Sometimes I go in and out of sight just long enough to maneuver around the roads. It’s a good practice because it lets me keep track of how well I’m cultivating tranquility.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
You got me there! Perhaps, he used a cane.Dhammanando wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 12:42 amCakkhupala did.Was it a joke? I mean, "OK, try walking with eyes closed!"
https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/v ... ?verse=001
Any unexpected abnormal "bumps" that you drove over while cultivating tranquillity eyes closed?Pondera wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:11 am I drive a lot at work and I mediatate a lot while I drive. My eyes tend to close when my mind and heart reach tranquility. Sometimes I let them close completely. Sometimes I go in and out of sight just long enough to maneuver around the roads. It’s a good practice because it lets me keep track of how well I’m cultivating tranquility.
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
Are you serious or are you joking? Don't you think that isn't meditation, but rather nearly falling asleep at the wheel?!Pondera wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:11 am I drive a lot at work and I mediatate a lot while I drive. My eyes tend to close when my mind and heart reach tranquility. Sometimes I let them close completely. Sometimes I go in and out of sight just long enough to maneuver around the roads. It’s a good practice because it lets me keep track of how well I’m cultivating tranquility.
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
Seriously though, Pondera, that's not mindfulness or tranquility—it's drowsiness while driving. Be careful; not only could you hurt yourself or die if you were to fall asleep, but you could hurt or possibly be the cause of ending someone else's life—of which having to live with that for the rest of your life, would probably be even worse.Pondera wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:11 am I drive a lot at work and I mediatate a lot while I drive. My eyes tend to close when my mind and heart reach tranquility. Sometimes I let them close completely. Sometimes I go in and out of sight just long enough to maneuver around the roads. It’s a good practice because it lets me keep track of how well I’m cultivating tranquility.
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
samseva wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:28 pm [quote=Pondera post_id=488391 time=<a href="tel:1538356274">1538356274</a> user_id=4117]
I drive a lot at work and I mediatate a lot while I drive. My eyes tend to close when my mind and heart reach tranquility. Sometimes I let them close completely. Sometimes I go in and out of sight just long enough to maneuver around the roads. It’s a good practice because it lets me keep track of how well I’m cultivating tranquility.
Thanks for the warning. It’s not drowsiness. I’ve worked graveyard shifts where I’ve been tired at the wheel and I know what it’s like to nod off. Yes, it’s very dangerous. What I do in a completely awake state is something else. I choose to enter a tranquil state and a by product of that is lazy eyelids - not a lazy mind. I’m hyper aware of my surroundings.Seriously though, Pondera, that's not mindfulness or tranquility—it's drowsiness while driving. Be careful; not only could you hurt yourself or die if you were to fall asleep, but you could hurt or possibly be the cause of ending someone else's life—of which having to live with that for the rest of your life, would probably be even worse.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
I close my eyes during meditation.
I have tried meditation with open eyes, but I find it difficult to fix them on a single point, without glancing around. Then I start to feel like the glancing is interfering with my concentration, so it tends to just distract me too much to meditate with my eyes open.
I have tried meditation with open eyes, but I find it difficult to fix them on a single point, without glancing around. Then I start to feel like the glancing is interfering with my concentration, so it tends to just distract me too much to meditate with my eyes open.
"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Re: Eyes Open Or Closed During Practice?
I was initially trained in Vipassana meditation through an SN Goenka course, where we were instructed to keep our eyes closed, gently. I have also studied with an osho in the Rinzai zen tradition, and the instruction there is to leave the eyes about a third of the way open and gently unfocused on the ground or wall a little bit in front of where you're sitting.
In my personal practice I find that eyes open tends to hurt after a while. I wear glasses in daily life but not while meditating, and I wonder if that affects things; my vision is extremely poor without correction and so it's impossible to focus on much, but my eyes tend to get dry and/or hurt after a while.
While doing eyes open, I have had some more interesting makyō, but have much better concentration with them closed. Just my two cents, thanks for the interesting reading!
In my personal practice I find that eyes open tends to hurt after a while. I wear glasses in daily life but not while meditating, and I wonder if that affects things; my vision is extremely poor without correction and so it's impossible to focus on much, but my eyes tend to get dry and/or hurt after a while.
While doing eyes open, I have had some more interesting makyō, but have much better concentration with them closed. Just my two cents, thanks for the interesting reading!