Meditate with eyes open or closed?

[punkdbass]

I'm just curious, how many of you prefer to meditate with eyes slightly open, or eyes closed?

I've visited one super small Zen sangha in my life and a lady there taught me their main "meditation routine" and she explained that since they were Zen(I think I remember her saying this) that they prefer to meditate with eyes slightly open.

The reasoning for this was 2 fold i think: 1) it helps you not fall asleep, 2)If one closes their eyes while meditating, some can mistake this for sort of "developing mindfulness in a place external to your everyday common environment"... it's like you're closing your eyes to "escape" to a different "place" to feel peace if that makes sense... whereas if you have your eyes slightly open while meditating, there is no sense that you are "escaping" to anywhere. The hope is that it will be easier to transmit that mindfulness and stillness to your everyday activities.

What do you guys think?

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

That's a pretty standard Zen view. However, being Zen myself, I still close my eyes when I meditate. I find that when I try to keep my eyes slightly open, I spend most of my energy focused on that.

 

[punkdbass]

That's a pretty standard Zen view. However, being Zen myself, I still close my eyes when I meditate. I find that when I try to keep my eyes slightly open, I spend most of my energy focused on that.

Yea I've meditated with my eyes closed for almost 3 months now. I think I'm going to try meditating with my eyes open, maybe not the whole time, but I have a tendency to get attached to the cool lights or "visions" that go on while I meditate with eyes closed.. and ultimately I think such attachments are not helpful to my meditation. I really need to start going to a sangha and start regularly talking with a guru, I know this would greatly enhance my mindfulness practices.

 

[crossfire]

Eyes open, as when you close your eyes, your blood pressure drops, and your limbs might fall asleep. You would have to speed up your breathing rate to compensate for eyes closed, imo.

 

[Makaranda]

Eyes wide open for me, seems to work better somehow.

 

[von bek]

I generally prefer to meditate with my eyes closed. At times though, my eyes will begin to flutter and my mind will obsess on the sensation. When that happens, I will open my eyes and fix my gaze at nothing in particular and continue meditating.

Deciding on whether to meditate with eyes open or closed is like finding the correct sitting posture for practice. The point is to find a stable base to engage in concentration and insight meditation. Find what is most conducive for you and apply it to your practice.

 

[ametist]

Eyes open for zen meditation simply because I am not given a choice for it by the master who thaught me the technique. After kundalini yoga eyes closed for fireworks.

 

[Ekanta]

I still close my eyes when I meditate. I find that when I try to keep my eyes slightly open, I spend most of my energy focused on that.

I have experimented with both and this is make take.
Sure closed eyes are comfortable but... after all, comfortable is not the objective. Half-closed is easy with habit and its a good way to keep the mind in check. As soon as the eyelids drop a bit I know Im drifting off. With closed eyes I dont get that warning.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

It depends on the type of meditation you are doing and whether your focus is on achieving the state of pure Dharana or pure Dhyana.

I meditate with eyes open during Trataka, which often leads on to close-eyed meditation. It's all about what I am doing and feeling at the time.

 

[Ablaze]

It depends on the style of meditation. When I practice zazen or shikantaza, I sit with half-lidded eyes. When I practice vipassana or metta, I sit with eyes closed. Different contexts call for slight variations in form.

Keeping one's eyes partially open helps ward off drowsiness and maintain an open awareness of one's immediate surroundings. The point is to find the middle ground between being drawn out and distracted by sense experience (attachment) and seeking an escape from the world through total withdrawal (aversion). Neither distraction nor escapism, attachment nor aversion are the answer.