Our next meditation is called the Inner Light Meditation because your primary object of focus will be the light that naturally exists within you.
This light is a visible aspect of your essence.
By focusing on the inner light,
Your attention shifts from the busyness of outward activity to the quieter space of your inner self.
And in this way,
You tap that inner wellspring of energy which nourishes and enhances all aspects of life.
Now let's briefly go over the steps of this meditation.
When you close your eyes,
You'll see a screen that fills the space behind your eyelids.
This is your inner screen.
Whatever you see when you close your eyes and look straight ahead is your inner screen.
On your inner screen you might see some form of light,
Particles,
Patterns,
Images,
Or colors.
Anything that is not complete darkness is a form of light,
Even if it's just a faint sheet of grey.
If you see any form of light on your screen,
Simply focus on that light with relaxed attention.
Relaxed attention is another way of saying medium effort.
If you don't see any light at all on your screen,
It's okay.
Just focus on the dark screen.
Simply gazing at the dark screen can be very relaxing and beneficial.
If at any time you feel like you're slipping into a sleep-like or dream-like state,
Allow it to happen.
And if you find that your attention has drifted off into your thoughts,
It's okay.
Simply bring it back to the light or the dark screen.
That's all there is to it.
Now let's meditate.
Sit comfortably,
Close your eyes,
And let your breathing be easy and natural.
Take a few moments to let everything settle a bit.
Now with your eyes closed,
Look straight ahead at the area behind your eyelids.
When you do this,
You'll see a space that looks like a screen.
This space is your inner screen.
Notice if there's any light on your inner screen.
Notice any form of light that's on your inner screen.
Whatever is not pure darkness is a form of light.
The light may appear as particles,
Patterns,
Images,
Or colors.
However it appears is alright.
Now gently focus your attention on that light.
With medium effort,
Focus on the light.
Simply look at the light on your inner screen.
If you don't see any light on your screen,
It's fine.
Just look at the dark screen.
This will produce a nice state of relaxation.
If at any time you feel that you're slipping into a sleep-like or dream-like state,
Just allow it to happen.
Whatever happens is alright.
If you notice that your attention has drifted off completely,
It's okay.
Gently bring it back to the light or your dark inner screen.
Now continue meditating like this.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
Just look at the light or the dark screen with medium effort and accept whatever happens.
If you notice that your attention has drifted off and become involved with thoughts,
It's okay.
Gently bring it back.
Gently bring it back.
Gently bring it back.
Gently bring it back.
Now take a deep breath or two.
Take as long as you need.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Now,
Let's go over a few questions that may come up regarding this meditation.
Question.
I saw some light on my screen,
But I didn't see any interesting images.
That's alright.
We're not really looking for any phenomena like that.
If these things happen to appear on your screen,
It's fine.
Just enjoy them,
Letting them come and go.
But this meditation is simply about looking at the light on your screen or the dark screen.
Question.
I felt a little bit of pressure around my eyes,
Especially in the area between my eyebrows.
If you're experiencing some sort of pressure like this,
You might be straining to see what's on your screen,
Or you may be making a bit too much effort to focus.
So the first thing to do is simply dial your effort down a bit.
However,
If less effort doesn't alleviate the pressure,
The cause is most likely an increased flow of energy to this area,
And this energy is encountering a slight obstruction at that point.
This energy is called chi,
Or prana in various Eastern cultures.
Feeling a bit of pressure here is a common occurrence with new meditators,
Especially with this particular meditation,
And there's no reason to be concerned.
If you continue meditating with relaxed attention,
The flow of energy will gently dissolve the obstruction,
And the pressure will subside naturally fairly soon.
Question.
Is there any specific benefit to this meditation?
Yes.
This meditation increases brain fuel.
Your brain runs on energy,
And although nearly all forms of meditation increase the flow of energy to the brain a bit,
This method is especially good for that.
Having a well-fueled brain is essential for being clear-headed and focused.
When your brain is sufficiently energized,
You tend to feel a greater sense of well-being,
And life's little annoyances don't easily irritate you or throw you off-center.
Our next method will be the Golden Sun Meditation.
It involves visualization,
But as you'll discover,
Visualization can take various forms.
