Eyes Open or Eyes Closed?

WHICH MEDITATION TECHNIQUE IS BEST FOR YOU?

Photo by Fleur Kaan on Unsplash

If you’ve ever wondered why some meditate with their eyes closed while others meditate with their eyes open, this short article will help you gain some insight into these two meditation practices exist simultaneously.

The Eyes Open Camp

The Mahayana traditions of Buddhism (Tibetan, Shambala, and Zen) teach practitioners to meditate with their eyes open.

I mean, not wide open 😳, but with a downward gaze and the eyes half open. One does have to blink every so often.

These traditions focus on opening the eyes so as not to exclude the outside world from the awareness of meditation. There are no trances or special states of consciousness to be earned or achieved.

Meditating with the eyes open can also aid in combatting drowsiness and super-relaxation, two byproducts of sitting still in relative silence.

The Eyes Closed Camp

Hinayana Buddhists (Theravada or School of Elders) and Insight meditation practitioners (Vipassana) tend to sit with their eyes closed. The e…