Inner Centering: Vigyan Bhairav Tantra Meditation Techniques
I was reading Osho’s The Book of Secrets and reached the section on the Inner Centering technique. This book is based on a timeless dialogue between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. In it, Shiva reveals 112 Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques to attain nirvana — or moksha.
Many people see Osho only through a narrow lens, dismissing him as a “sex guru.” But when I read this book and others, I realized he is pointing toward the same truth spoken by saints across centuries: meditation is the key. Words, chants, and satsangs may open the door, but without meditation, they remain incomplete.
The Vigyan Bhairav Tantra is full of methods to enter meditation and awaken consciousness. If you wish to explore all 112 meditation techniques, you can read them here: WisdomGanga – Vigyan Bhairav Tantra Techniques.
I myself have practiced Vipassana, and I’ve seen that every method — no matter how different it looks — leads to the same destination: consciousness.
Centering In
Osho explains that reality can be seen in two ways: through the senses, and beyond the senses. In truth, there is no separation. Everything is one. The division exists only because the mind looks in one direction and misses the whole.
Centering is the point where you go beyond the senses and touch pure consciousness. Have you ever been in a flow state — so absorbed in your work that the mind disappears, and everything moves effortlessly? That moment when control seems lost, yet momentum carries you forward — that is a glimpse of centring.
This is exactly what the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques aim to cultivate: a direct experience of consciousness beyond the senses.
Senses Are Just Openings
Your senses are not the seeker. Eyes, ears, and touch are simply openings. The real seer is within — the one who gives meaning to what is seen.
When the seer becomes centred, he becomes aware of himself. And to be aware of yourself is to be aware of existence, because you and existence are not separate.
Centring means your consciousness is not scattered in many directions. It rests quietly, inward. This is the foundation of many Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques — turning awareness inward until the seeker and the seen dissolve into one.
Thoughts Are Like Clouds
Thoughts are not yours. They come from outside, like clouds drifting across the sky. You cannot produce a single thought from within.
Whenever you are thinking, you are not centred. Even thoughts about the soul or spirituality are still thoughts. To be “in” means to be beyond thinking.
When you watch thoughts without clinging, they pass. And in that gap, you discover the clear sky of consciousness. This is why Osho emphasized that Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques are not about thinking, but about experiencing.
Gaining Simple Consciousness
To enter centring, devices are used — indirect approaches that throw you inward. Osho describes several inner centring techniques in the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques. Here are some examples:
- Look lovingly at an object — look lovingly at some object. Do not go to another object. Here in the middle of the object — the blessing.
- Sit on your buttocks only — Without support for feet or hands, sit only on the buttocks. Suddenly, the centering.
- How to meditate in a moving vehicle — In a moving vehicle, by rhythmically swaying, experience. Or in a still vehicle, by letting yourself swing in slowing invisible circles.
- Concentrate on a pain in your body — pierce some part of your nectar‑filled form with a pin and gently enter the piercing and attain to the inner purity.
These practices show why Osho emphasizes indirect methods: they bypass the mind’s obsession with results. Whether through loving focus, physical posture, rhythmic surrender, or even pain, the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques guide you inward without forcing bliss.
FAQs on Centering
What is centering in meditation?
Centering is the essence of many Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques. It means withdrawing attention from scattered senses and thoughts, resting awareness inward, and touching pure consciousness. It is like stepping into the silent core of your being, where the noise of the world cannot reach.
Is centering different from mindfulness?
Mindfulness is awareness of the present moment, often through senses. Centering, as taught in the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques, goes deeper — beyond senses and thoughts — into pure being. It is not just noticing the breath, but realizing the awareness in which the breath arises.
Can centering be practiced daily?
Yes. The beauty of the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques is that they can be practiced in daily life. Even short pauses — watching thoughts pass, resting in silence, or being fully present in an activity — are centring practices. Over time, these moments accumulate and create a natural habit of returning inward.
Why does Osho emphasize indirect methods?
Because happiness and bliss cannot be forced. The Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques work indirectly — they absorb you in practice, and bliss arises as a by‑product. If you chase bliss directly, it escapes. If you immerse in the technique, bliss comes naturally.
Conclusion
The seeker’s path is not about chasing outcomes. It is about resting in the centre, where senses dissolve, thoughts pass, and consciousness shines by itself.
The Vigyan Bhairav Tantra meditation techniques are not about pursuing happiness — they are about practicing awareness. When you are centred, happiness, bliss, and peace follow as natural by‑products.
So, practice the technique. Do it fully. Forget the result. And let consciousness reveal itself.
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