The Principle of Seeing Light with Eyes Closed

Ru Chun: The day before yesterday, after sitting in meditation, I wanted to try sleeping meditation. While lying down and drifting toward sleep, I felt as though my heart was breathing, expelling qi, which felt very comfortable. Last night during meditation, suddenly a bright light appeared before my eyes. I wondered why it was so bright in the middle of the night. As soon as this thought arose, the light vanished immediately. Could it be that some states can only be touched by the mental faculty (manas) and cannot be reached by the conscious mind?

Commentary: When subtle channels (qi) pass through the transcendental root at the back of the head, they reduce the obscuration of the form aggregate, allowing one to see light even with closed eyes. The purer the mind and the deeper the meditative concentration (dhyāna), the more unimpededly the subtle channels can pass through the back of the head and the entire body, making the light before the eyes increasingly brighter. The brighter the light seen with closed eyes, the smaller the obscuration of the form aggregate, the smoother the flow of qi and blood, and the greater the accomplishment in meditative concentration.

As merit (puṇya) increases, worldly matters naturally become easier to let go of, and meditative concentration naturally improves. Skill is cultivated through practice and is also the result of an open and purified mind. In practice, there is no fear of being slow-witted; what is feared is heavy greed, petty cleverness, and an unwillingness to truly apply effort. How excellent is spiritual practice! Why cling every day to worldly phenomena—impermanent, changing, and unreliable? Through practice, one can attain any supreme worldly achievement, including fame, power, status, wealth, and so on—there is nothing unattainable. Yet clinging to worldly phenomena not only prevents the attainment of supreme transcendental Dharma but also fails to secure even meager worldly gains. The two are incomparable. Why do so many still fail to understand and remain greedily attached to worldly phenomena?

Ru Chun: The mental faculty (manas) always seeks benefit and avoids harm. Since beginningless time, ignorance and habitual afflictions have led the mental faculty to believe that gaining material form is self-benefit, while losing it is a severe loss, damaging self-interest. The more one pursues worldly benefits, the greater the merit consumed, the less wisdom one has, and the further one strays from the Way (Dao).

Hai Qing: After lying down for meditation for a long time, under certain circumstances, breathing changes occur, though I don’t know how exactly. Breathing shifts from nasal to abdominal, warming the entire body with a feeling like spring blossoms blooming.
ADA: So that’s how it is. Not only do I see silver-white, golden, and purple light during meditation, but even when not meditating, closing my eyes for a few seconds brings light before me, as bright as during meditation. Especially at night, in a room with the lights off, I can see a thin layer of light filling the entire space even with open eyes—like glazed glass—making everything behind the light, such as furniture, appear utterly illusory. This began in 2020. At first, it was unfamiliar and a bit frightening, making it hard to sleep, but I gradually grew accustomed. However, light is also a phenomenon—it shouldn’t be clung to. Without realizing the true mind and seeing one’s nature, one remains an ordinary being bound by ignorance. The key is still to diligently accumulate merit, correct the mind-nature, and improve meditative concentration. Only then can genuine wisdom arise.
Commentary: Your mind is pure, your meditative concentration is good, and your subtle channels flow smoothly. With little obscuration at the transcendental root, you can perceive light unrestricted by darkness.