From Audible Sound to Silent Harmony
निजदेहे सर्वदिक्कं युगपद्भावयेद्वियत् । निर्विकल्पमनास्तस्य वियत्सर्वं प्रवर्तते ॥
nijadehe sarvadikkam yugapadbhavayedviyat | nirvikalpamnastasya viyatsarvam pravartate ||
VBT Verse 65
The Sutra
"Intone a sound audibly, then less and less audibly as feeling deepens into this silent harmony."
Paul Reps translation, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
Understanding
Begin chanting any sound loudly. Then gradually make it softer and softer. As the external volume decreases, the inner feeling deepens. Eventually the sound becomes so quiet it exists only inside you. Then even that inner sound dissolves into silent harmony. You have traveled from noise to silence, from outside to inside, from sound to the source of sound.
Original Sanskrit
निजदेहे सर्वदिक्कं युगपद्भावयेद्वियत् । निर्विकल्पमनास्तस्य वियत्सर्वं प्रवर्तते ॥
nijadehe sarvadikkam yugapadbhavayedviyat | nirvikalpamnastasya viyatsarvam pravartate ||
Vijnanabhairava Verse 65 (Technique 42 of 112)
How to Practice
Begin chanting any sound or mantra at a comfortable volume.
After a few minutes, reduce the volume slightly. Continue chanting more softly.
Continue reducing - from speaking to whispering to barely moving the lips.
Now let even the whisper become internal. Hear the sound only in your mind.
As the sound becomes purely internal, notice how the feeling deepens.
Finally, let even the inner sound dissolve. Rest in the "silent harmony" that remains.
This silent harmony is the deepest layer - the unstruck sound, Anahata.
Duration
20-30 minutes
Best Time
Evening or any quiet time
Related Techniques
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