Five Senses as the Peacock Tail in Infinite Space
सर्वं जगत्स्वदेहं वा स्वानन्दभरितं स्मरेत् । युगपत्स्वामृतेनैव परानन्दमयो भवेत् ॥
sarvam jagatsvadeham va svanandabharitam smaret | yugatsvamritenaiva paranandamayo bhavet ||
VBT Verse 36
The Sutra
"Or, imagine the five coloured circles of the peacock tail to be your five senses in illimitable space. Now let their beauty melt within. Similarly, at any point in space or on a wall - until the point dissolves. Then your wish for another comes true."
Paul Reps translation, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
Understanding
A stunning visual technique. Imagine your five senses as the five iridescent colors of a peacock's tail, spread out in limitless space. Let their beauty dissolve inward. Or focus on any single point in space until it dissolves. This technique dissolves the boundary between the senses and space itself - your perception becomes infinite, and in that infinity, transformation happens.
Original Sanskrit
सर्वं जगत्स्वदेहं वा स्वानन्दभरितं स्मरेत् । युगपत्स्वामृतेनैव परानन्दमयो भवेत् ॥
sarvam jagatsvadeham va svanandabharitam smaret | yugatsvamritenaiva paranandamayo bhavet ||
Vijnanabhairava Verse 36 (Technique 13 of 112)
How to Practice
Sit with eyes closed. Visualize the brilliant, iridescent circles of a peacock's tail feather.
Assign each of the five colored circles to one of your five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell.
See these five circles expanding outward into limitless space - no boundary, no edge.
Now let their beauty "melt within" - the colors dissolve inward, the senses merge back into their source.
Alternative practice: fix your gaze on any single point (on a wall, in space). Stare until the point dissolves.
As the point dissolves, the sense of separation between you and space dissolves with it.
The phrase "your wish for another comes true" means: when self dissolves, you become everything.
Duration
15-25 minutes
Best Time
Evening - when the mind is naturally more visual and receptive
Related Techniques
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