eyes shut vs open

[annabelle239]

I had always thought meditation was supposed to be done with eyes shut but when i first started meditating(on accident)i did with eyes open and since that was easier and more natural for me and so beneficial kept it at that. Well,it's been a few years now,and i realize i've never really had super deep meditation experiences except some kind of deep ones very rarely. And,maybe it's time to try shutting my eyes during meditation. I experimented a few times,and it definitely takes efforts to keep them shut. lol. idk why this is? is it just me? However,with eyes shut,it does seem the inner voice gets clear quicker,and the vibration raises quick. Those are two things i notice just from the little efforts i made. I'm going to keep at it. It makes sense to me deeper meditations would occur with eyes shut because we close our eyes to go in if you think about it.It's like when we kiss,our eyes naturally shut,because we want to take in the kiss. When we sleep,we shut our eyes,and i'm now seeing more and more the link between deeper experiences and sleep. All this time,i thought i was fine meditating eyes open,but always lacked the really deep experiences people talk about having who meditate often. I've never had vibrations,or an OBE. I did have meditation highs but not since i first started. I want deeper spiritual experiences,so this is one of a few things i'm doing.

Anyways,what are your thoughts on eyes open during meditation/vs shut?

[Luminous]

I always meditate with my eyes closed. You should try it.
If you have problems, just forget about the eyes. The more you practice, the "easier" it will be.
I also have to add that it depends on the person, but from my perspective, yes. If you meditate with closed eyes you are prone to have more deep experiences.
That doesn't mean that you should do it with closed eyes. Do what feels natural to you. Meditation with closed eyes is different in some aspects than with open.

There is no "supposed to" about meditation. Some people meditate with eyes closed, others with eyes shut. The types of meditation I've usually used are Buddhist (sitting Zazen). With that type of meditation, one usually sits with eyes slightly opened and relaxed.

The only "should" be whatever works best for your personal meditation practice.

[sea-dove]

Many yogis meditate with their eyes slightly opened and relaxed.

So I dont think there is a right or wrong way about this. Do whatever works best for you.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by annabelle239

I had always thought meditation was supposed to be done with eyes shut but when i first started meditating(on accident)i did with eyes open and since that was easier and more natural for me and so beneficial kept it at that. Well,it's been a few years now,and i realize i've never really had super deep meditation experiences except some kind of deep ones very rarely. And,maybe it's time to try shutting my eyes during meditation. I experimented a few times,and it definitely takes efforts to keep them shut. lol. idk why this is? is it just me? However,with eyes shut,it does seem the inner voice gets clear quicker,and the vibration raises quick. Those are two things i notice just from the little efforts i made. I'm going to keep at it. It makes sense to me deeper meditations would occur with eyes shut because we close our eyes to go in if you think about it.It's like when we kiss,our eyes naturally shut,because we want to take in the kiss. When we sleep,we shut our eyes,and i'm now seeing more and more the link between deeper experiences and sleep. All this time,i thought i was fine meditating eyes open,but always lacked the really deep experiences people talk about having who meditate often. I've never had vibrations,or an OBE. I did have meditation highs but not since i first started. I want deeper spiritual experiences,so this is one of a few things i'm doing.

Anyways,what are your thoughts on eyes open during meditation/vs shut?

What you describe about the shut eyes here sounds pretty accurate to me.

Doing meditation- eyes shut.... Happening meditation- no need to bother eyes ;)

Eyes shut just means one less distraction. No input from your eyes. But if you can meditate with eyes open (some can, some can't) then that's perfectly valid.

I'm going to write a book on the correct way to meditate. The entirety of my new book will go like this:

"The correct way to meditate is to find what works for you, and do that. The end".

As for taking effort to keep your eyes shut, I think that's because when you make a conscious effort to keep them shut, you tend to overcook it a bit, and squeeze them shut without realising, rather than just fully relaxing your eyes and letting them shut naturally, as happens when you sleep.

[wstein]

One can meditate with eyes open or shut. Most beginning classes suggest eyes shut to avoid even more distractions (there are enough internal ones already).

It tends to be easier to go 'within' with eyes closed and expand 'out' with eyes open. Soul-gazing (intimate meditation with partner) eyes open is almost required.

Note that after you 'get' meditation in a controlled circumstance (like sitting meditation), it is way easier to stay in the meditative state while returning to daily activity if you end the session with eyes open.

Originally Posted by wstein

Soul-gazing (intimate meditation with partner) eyes open is almost required.

Soul gazing eh? I always wondered if there was a name for that. I've long believed that you can connect with another's soul via their eyes. They can off course guard whatever they want to, but you can at least see the essence of the person through their eyes. But as I've always said to the wife, who wears glasses, I can't do it through glass (or anything else except thin air). I'm not sure if that's just a weakness on my part, of if it is actually because the glasses distort or block the 'signal', much like ultraviolet light can't pass through glass.

I prefer to keep my eyes open. That way all of my senses are open.