Vijnana Bhairava · Day 17
Day 17 — Before and After Sound
This dharana turns attention toward the quiet openness before a sound appears and after it fades.
Original Verse
Verified from source textSource: Vijnana Bhairava Tantra — The Mystery Within, Verse 40
Sanskrit
यस्य कस्यापि वर्णस्य पूर्वान्तावनुभावयेत् ।शून्यया शून्यभूतोऽसौ शून्याकारः पुमान्भवेत् ॥
Transliteration
yasya kasyāpi varṇasya pūrvāntāv anubhāvayetśūnyayā śūnyabhūto'sau śūnyākāraḥ pumān bhavet
Literal Translation
Whoever contemplates what is before and after any sound becomes joined with emptiness through emptiness and assumes the form of emptiness.
Plain English Rendering
“Listen to any sound, but place attention on the openness before it begins and after it ends. In that quiet continuity, awareness becomes simple, spacious, and less caught in mental movement.”
Literal translations remain close to the source text. Plain English renderings are interpretive contemplative renderings for accessibility and reflection.
Meaning
The verse does not ask for unusual sounds. It says any sound can become the support when attention notices what is before and after it.
Before the sound there is openness; after the sound there is openness. The practice lets awareness recognize that silence is not separate from experience.
Becoming the form of emptiness means resting in spacious awareness rather than being contracted around the sound itself.
The Practice
- 1Sit quietly.
- 2Let attention gather inward naturally.
- 3Listen for an ordinary sound.
- 4Notice the quiet before the sound appears.
- 5Hear the sound without grasping it.
- 6Notice the quiet after the sound fades.
- 7Rest steadily in the openness before and after sound.
- 8Let awareness become simple, spacious, and unforced.
Practice for 10 minutes with ordinary sounds and relaxed attention.
What to Notice
- reduced distraction
- inward stability
- subtle continuity of awareness
- increasing simplicity and silence
Common Misunderstandings
- The practice is not about achieving dramatic experiences.
- Do not strain to maintain focus.
- Quietness may appear gradually and subtly.
- Awareness itself is the central discovery.
Reflection Prompt
“What is present before a sound begins and after it disappears?”
Connection to Inner Freedom
Inner freedom deepens as awareness is no longer captured only by what appears. Sound comes and goes, but the openness around it remains available.