Attention & Focus · “You Become What You Hold”
Sky-Gazing
To use the open, edgeless sky as a support that loosens grasping and lets awareness rest, contentless and boundless — ‘blending the three skies’ so the empty radiance of the nature of mind shows itself.
Sky-gazing: On a clear day, sit upright with your back to the sun, breathe gently, and gaze with soft, open eyes into the centre of the empty sky — start on a point, then release it into a panoramic, unfixed gaze. Let the outer sky, the openness of mind, and bare awareness blend into one, with nothing in the middle. Don’t try to make anything happen; rest in the open, empty radiance and let thoughts self-liberate into space. A few minutes, often. Never look at the sun.
What it is
Sky-gazing is a core support-practice of Dzogchen’s trekchö (and a doorway to tögal), in which the meditator gazes with soft, open eyes into a clear, empty sky and lets awareness merge with that boundless space.
The outer sky (the physical expanse), the inner sky (the space-like clarity of mind), and the secret sky (rigpa itself) are “blended into one” — the edgeless visual field gives grasping nothing to land on, so attention naturally relaxes into open, contentless presence.
Longchenpa systematised this within the Nyingtik teachings; the practice pairs a specific posture and gaze with the natural object of empty sky so that “the inexpressible empty radiance of primordially pure dharmakāya” can show itself.
Unlike most focus practices, the “object” here is space — chosen precisely because it has no features to fixate.
The Method
A faithful outline of the publicly described instruction (its depth depends on prior recognition of rigpa and on a teacher):
- Choose the conditions. A clear, cloudless sky, ideally with even light. Sit with your back to the sun so you never face it. Open, unpolluted horizon or open sky overhead.
- Take the posture. Sit upright and relaxed (cross-legged, spine straight, in the sevenfold posture or a stable variant), at ease but not slumped.
- Breathe very gently. Let the breath be soft, quiet, and natural — no forcing.
- Direct the gaze into space. Aim the eyes into the centre of the open expanse — often beginning with a single point and then releasing the point so the gaze becomes open and panoramic, steady but not fixated. Eyes stay open and still; you do not scan or stare hard.
- Blend the three skies. Let the outer sky, the space-like openness of mind, and bare awareness merge — no boundary between “me looking” and “space looked at.” Awareness rests as open as the sky, with nothing in the middle.
- Rest, don’t manufacture. Do not try to make something appear or to hold a special state. Simply remain in the open, empty radiance; when grasping or a thought arises, it self-liberates back into the spaciousness.
- Short and fresh. Practise for a few minutes at a time, repeated, rather than long strained staring — freshness keeps it alive and protects the eyes. (Sourcing note: “back to the sun, gaze into the centre of space, breathe gently, blend the three skies” is the documented Nyingtik gaze instruction Longchenpa systematises and the Longchen Nyingtik elaborates. Faithful paraphrase; the tögal light-vision applications are deliberately not detailed here, as they require transmission.)
Source & Lineage
Sky-gazing belongs to Nyingma Dzogchen, traced to Padmasambhava and Garab Dorje, carried in the Heart-Essence (Nyingtik) and given systematic form by Longchenpa (1308–1364) → (also ).
It is one of the gazes of trekchö and a basis for the light-vision yoga of tögal; Jigme Lingpa’s Longchen Nyingtik carries the instruction forward. Academic work (e.g. on the “skullward leap” and sky-gazing) traces its pre-history.
The Traditions' versions
Trekchö gazes (Dzogchen) — sky-gazing is one of several; this is its open-space form.
- Bön Dzogchen — parallel sky-gazing practice.
- Open / panoramic-awareness meditation — soft wide gaze to dissolve figure-ground fixation.
- Trataka turned outward — Yogic gazing, but trataka fixes on a point; sky-gazing releases the point — an instructive contrast.
- Ganzfeld experiences — featureless uniform visual fields are known to alter perception; sky-gazing is a natural Ganzfeld-like support.
Common refinements
Staring hard / fixing the eyes. Defeats the practice and tires the eyes; the gaze is open and soft, the point released.
- Hunting for visions or lights. Trying to produce phenomena is contrivance; just rest. (Tögal light-visions are a separate, transmission-only matter.)
- Spacing out. Blank, dull staring is not the vivid open awareness intended — keep it clear and present.
- Bad conditions. Glare, haze, or facing toward the sun ruins it and risks the eyes; choose a clear sky and keep the sun behind you.
- Marathon staring. Short fresh sessions protect vision and keep recognition alive.