Open-Eye Meditation: Benefits And Techniques For Beginners

Meditation is often associated with closed eyes, but there are many reasons to keep your eyes open while you practice. Open-eye meditation is the default in Zen and Tibetan traditions, and it can be easier to stay alert and transition to mindfulness during daily activities. Open-eye meditation can also help you connect with your surroundings and stay grounded in the present moment, making it easier to focus your mind. With your eyes open, you can also use the horizon or a candle flame as an external focal point, which can be especially helpful if you experience anxiety or disturbing thoughts during meditation.

It's easier to keep alert and avoid drowsiness

Meditating with your eyes open can be an effective way to combat drowsiness and maintain alertness during your practice. This is especially beneficial if you tend to fall asleep when trying to meditate with closed eyes. By keeping your eyes open, you can stay more connected to your present surroundings, making it easier to maintain a wakeful state.

The Tibetan tradition and Zen Buddhism both advocate for meditating with open eyes, and this practice is known as Zazen in Zen Buddhism. In Zazen, practitioners often face a wall or a black curtain to prevent the eyes from wandering and reduce distractions. This technique can help you stay alert and avoid drowsiness by providing a fixed point of focus.

Open-eye meditation also allows for an easier transition to mindfulness during daily activities. By keeping your eyes open, you can train your mind to be more aware of your surroundings and maintain a meditative state even while engaged in everyday tasks. This can help you cultivate a sense of presence and mindfulness throughout your day.

Additionally, open-eye meditation can offer a powerful solution for individuals who experience a flood of anxious thoughts or disturbing images when closing their eyes. By keeping the eyes open, you provide your mind with something external to focus on, making it easier to let go of troubling thoughts. This technique can be particularly grounding for individuals struggling with anxiety.

To practice open-eye meditation effectively, it is recommended to adopt a soft and relaxed gaze. Look down at an angle of approximately 45 degrees and focus on a point about 1 to 2 meters in front of you. This helps prevent eye strain and keeps your gaze unfocused, allowing you to maintain a relaxed and alert state without becoming distracted by your surroundings.

It helps to make the transition to mindfulness during daily activities

Meditating with your eyes open can help you make the transition to mindfulness during daily activities. This is because it trains your mind to be aware of your surroundings and to focus on the present moment.

When you meditate with your eyes closed, it can be easier to become immersed in the contents of your mind, and you may find yourself drifting into daydreams or getting lost in thoughts. However, when you meditate with your eyes open, you are more likely to be aware of your present moment surroundings and can use this awareness to anchor yourself and focus your mind.

For example, if you are sitting in a room, you can look at the objects around you and notice their details, such as a table or a plant. This helps to ground you in the present moment and can make it easier to bring your mind back to the present if it starts to wander.

Additionally, meditating with your eyes open can help you to stay alert and avoid drowsiness. This can be especially useful if you tend to fall asleep during meditation or have trouble staying awake during the day.

Keeping your eyes open while meditating also has benefits that can extend beyond your practice session. It can help you to translate your meditative state of mind into your everyday life more easily. For example, if you are walking down the street, you can be aware of your surroundings, such as the buildings and people around you, and use this awareness to stay present and grounded.

It can help you to see the space likeness of the mind

Open-eye meditation is a practice where you meditate with your eyes partially or fully open. It is the default in the Tibetan tradition and Zen Buddhism. By keeping your eyes open, you can see the space likeness of the mind. This means that you can experience the outside world as an inside world. You will see that the space from the outside extends inwards, and you will realise that your mind has a vast, spacelike quality.

Open-eye meditation can be challenging for beginners because it brings more stimuli, which can make it harder to stay aware. However, it is beneficial because it teaches us that we don't need to be sitting still with our eyes closed to have a meditative mind. We learn that visual stimuli are not a distraction but can actually aid awareness. The major takeaway from this style of meditation is that it makes it easier to be aware in daily life.

When meditating with your eyes open, it is important to keep your eyes natural. You don't need to make an effort to have a particular type of gaze. Instead, relax your eyes and soften your gaze so that your eyesight is not dominant and all your senses are experienced equally. Rather than looking at one object, create a diffused view like the soft lens of a camera by looking at the wider scene in front of you.

Open-eye meditation can be practised anywhere, whether you're in a quiet room or a public space. It can be seamlessly integrated into your daily life, helping you stay present and attentive in various situations.

It can be easier to let go of thoughts with eyes open

Meditation is often associated with the image of a monk sitting with a straight back and eyes closed. However, keeping your eyes open while meditating can offer several benefits, one of which is that it can be easier to let go of thoughts.

Overcoming distractions

When you close your eyes, it is common to become hyper-aware of the noise in your mind, with daydreams and thoughts becoming 'noisier' and more persistent. With eyes open, it is easier to let these thoughts go as your sense of sight places you in the present moment. You can use your external environment as an anchor, so you don't get swallowed up by your internal one.

Reducing drowsiness

Meditating with open eyes can also help keep drowsiness at bay, making it easier to transition to mindfulness during daily activities. This is especially beneficial if you tend to fall asleep during meditation. By keeping your eyes open and gazing at a specific object or your surroundings, you can stay more alert and engaged in the present moment.

Achieving a different level of awareness

Open-eye meditation encourages a shift in awareness, where all your senses—including vision—are functioning in their natural state: open, relaxed, clear, and integrated. By relaxing your eyes and softening your gaze, you can achieve a wider field of vision and a more open way of seeing. This can lead to a realisation that your mind has a vast, spacelike quality, and you can experience the outside world as an extension of your inner world.

Practising effortless mindfulness

The goal of effortless mindfulness is to shift to an operating system of open-hearted awareness, where all your senses are functioning harmoniously. By meditating with open eyes, you can retrain the relationship between your eyes, your small mind, and your small self. You can learn to shift your awareness and live with your eyes open, allowing light to reflect into your eyes and stimulating a sense of receiving rather than actively seeing or thinking.

It can be a more comfortable option for some people

Meditating with your eyes open can be a more comfortable option for some people. For instance, some people fall asleep when they try to meditate, and keeping their eyes open can help keep drowsiness at bay. Others may feel overwhelmed by the darkness when they close their eyes, and keeping their eyes open can help them avoid this feeling.

Additionally, some people may feel uncomfortable to close their eyes in the midst of a group of people, and keeping their eyes open can help them feel more at ease. Furthermore, keeping your eyes open can help you stay alert and focused during meditation, especially if you are prone to anxiety or a busy mind. It can also be easier to make the transition to mindfulness during daily activities if you meditate with your eyes open, as you are already engaging with your surroundings.

However, it is important to note that meditating with your eyes open may not be comfortable for everyone. Some people may find it challenging to prevent their eyes from wandering or may experience discomfort from dry or heavy eyelids. Ultimately, the decision to meditate with eyes open or closed should be based on personal preference and comfort.

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