Visualization Technique
Hi everyone,
I’m taking the Tripurarahasya course, but my question is more general.
In Advaita Vedanta, the goal is to reach pure consciousness by setting aside all mental activities like thoughts, desires, and images through the practice of neti neti ("not this, not this"), leading to a state of atman (sunyata or purnata).
But in Tantra, like in the Tripurarahasya, we use visualization, forming sacred images and symbols in the mind.
So my question is: How do we know that this visualization isn’t just another product of the mind? Does true visualization arise from the inner stillness, the void itself revealing as form, or must we consciously imagine and build those images first using our mind’s creative power? Thanks, Binayak
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The visualisation is a part of the method not the end goal. Initially you visualise and is a product of your imagination but later you experience it.
I heard a story about Ramakrishna Paramhamsa that when he did digbandham, he would actually see fire leaping up around him whereas the usual practice is to imagine fire around you.
Daniel Ingram was once narrating about a magic system where the practitioner would imagine a star in front of him and would be able to see as if it were a real object. This is very difficult to achieve and would require a lot of effort and concentration. So even though one would think that this is just imagination, note that it requires a very hardened version that one would need to work on and develop.