Don’t Imagine Things Artificially! Look at Natural Things with Awareness!

May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!

Today, through our spiritual teachings, I wish to address a subtle but significant issue that some people encounter on their spiritual path. This may not apply to everyone, but because some have brought this question to me and struggle to grasp the answer correctly, I felt it was important to clarify it simply. I hope that by understanding this teaching, you can proceed with your practice in the correct way.

The core of our exploration today is this: Don’t Imagine Things Artificially! Look at Natural Things with Awareness!. This is the essential point I wish to teach you.

The Mistake of Forcing Visions in Third Eye Meditation

Many of you began to explore the practical Third Eye meditation we taught. The common mistake people make is trying to force what they think should happen. In the practice, we guide you to focus your attention on the point between the eyebrows or the center of the forehead, cultivating a sense of emptiness or space.

We have taught that, over time, a sign of light, known in meditation as a Nimitta, may naturally appear out of the darkness for some practitioners. This light can manifest in various colors, yellow, blue, white, or red.

Here is where the confusion begins. When we teach that a light sign appears naturally, it’s crucial to understand that this does not happen for everyone. Some practitioners, who do not see this light, ask me a specific question: “Venerable Sir, should we forcefully imagine this light sign in our minds?” This is the problem I want to address for everyone’s benefit.

The Nature of Authentic Spiritual Practice vs. Self-Deception

The answer is simple and direct: No. The Third Eye, the light signs, or any visual phenomena that may arise are not things to be created by force. They must appear naturally. There is no benefit in artificially manufacturing them; in fact, there is no forward progress to be made that way. It is merely a form of self-deception, whether we are conscious of it or not. It is a deception done with or without full understanding.

Therefore, I must emphasize do not try to create these experiences. An authentic light sign should be as real as seeing a CFL or incandescent bulb in a dark room with your eyes open. Just as you see the sunlight during the day, the moon on a clear night, or the stars in the sky with open eyes, these inner lights must appear with the same reality when your eyes are closed.

They should emerge naturally after a period of dedicated practice, focusing on the point between the eyebrows. I won’t elaborate further on the specifics, as I have already explained this clearly in simple terms in our series on practical Third Eye meditation.

Don’t Imagine Things Artificially: Why You Can’t ‘Daydream’ Your Way to Enlightenment

Trying to force spiritual phenomena is like daydreaming about the future. We used to dream as children, imagining, “When I grow up, I will do this, buy this car, build this house, get married, have children, get this job.” If you apply this same method of daydreaming to the spiritual world, it will yield no results. It is a futile act with nothing to gain.

This principle extends beyond visions and into the realm of insight meditation, or Vipassana. Many people try to forcefully analyze their experience into what they’ve read about, like nāma-rūpa (mind-and-matter). They try to artificially break down their reality, thinking, “This is how it must be.”

They do this with profound concepts like the Five Aggregates of Clinging (Pañcupādānaskhandha), the Three Characteristics of Existence, Annica (impermanence), Dukkha (satisfactoriness), and Anatta (not-self), and even the complex teachings of Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) or the advanced concepts in the Abhidhamma. None of these can be understood by forcing them. They must be seen naturally, arising from sustained mindfulness. This is why I titled this teaching: you must mindfully observe what appears and happens naturally.

Even the truth of impermanence is useless if forced. As you maintain your mindfulness, the changing nature of your own mind, the arising and passing of thoughts, must become naturally clear to you. A forced observation has no stability. I mention this aspect of insight meditation not because it’s the core of today’s talk, but to give you a broader understanding of how mindfulness applies to all forms of practice.

The Futility of Forcing in Samatha (Calm) Meditation

This applies to any form of concentration practice, or Samatha Bhavana, whether it’s Third Eye meditation, awakening the Kundalini chakras, or absorbing cosmic energy. If you engage in any of these practices artificially, they will not last. Just as one might get discouraged when natural results don’t appear after some time, you will get discouraged even faster when trying to force things. This is because artificial creation increases craving (āsāva).

Imagine someone trying to create the light sign like a daydream. The probability of this leading to a genuine opening of the Third Eye is almost zero,99.9% unlikely. You cannot open the Third Eye, or develop divine sight (dibbacakkhu), divine hearing (dibbasota), or deep states of meditative absorption (jhana) by daydreaming them into existence. These abilities must arise naturally.

We must gently train the mind, little by little, by maintaining mindfulness and deepening concentration. Then, these states can be attained naturally. Furthermore, if we have practiced these things in our past lives, this samsara habit will allow them to arise naturally when we apply the correct technique and system.

The teachings we provide are sequential and given at the proper time. If you follow the correct methods we have laid out and train your mind diligently, you can achieve these results.

A Call to Share Authentic Experiences for Mutual Understanding

So, the practice must be done correctly. Let me repeat: do not try to forcefully create anything, whether it’s in insight meditation or concentration meditation. I used the light signs as the primary example, but this applies to everything. Do not try to force them.

For those of you who have had authentic experiences, I ask you to consider sharing a brief note for the benefit of others. Describe how the light signs appeared to you. For those who are still in that stage, you can describe how it appears now. This is to help those with misunderstandings gain a correct perspective.

Your experience can help them understand. Because this is something that must be truly seen, as real as the colors of the world you see with open eyes. The darkness behind closed eyes must give way to this vision. Those who have experienced it know how the darkness vanishes and these light signs appear with incredible clarity, sometimes like a flashlight turning on. Those who have faced these experiences know the truth of it.

Visualizing Sacred Sites: Imagination vs. Authentic Vision

The same principle applies to what comes next, such as seeing visions of places or beings. Many people who lack understanding ask me about this, even after I have explained it in simple terms. This reflects the nature of their wisdom, or paññā.

I use no deep or complex words; I speak in a way that anyone, of any age, gender, religion, or nationality, can understand. Yet some still cannot grasp it and ask the same questions again. This is why the Buddha himself always emphasized the need to cultivate wisdom.

For example, we have guided that once the Third Eye is awakened, you can try to direct your focus to certain sacred places like the Ruwanwelisaya stupa, Sigiriya, Sri Padas (Adam’s Peak), or important sites in India like Bodh Gaya. The mistake people make is trying to forcefully imagine these places.

Imagine trying to see the Ruwanwelisaya stupa by force. If you have not even seen a light sign, if your Third Eye is not awakened, trying to visualize it is just like daydreaming about your future, imagining buying a BMW, building a two-story house, or starting a family.

When you daydream, a vague picture forms in your mind, right? It’s not a clear image, but a fabrication. If you do this with Ruwanwelisaya, you may feel some mental peace and generate some good merit, or Kusala, because it is a sacred place touched by the Buddha and enlightened beings (Arahants).

But it is not the authentic vision I am talking about. An authentic vision should be as clear as seeing it with open eyes. It should be like watching a CCTV camera, a television, or a computer screen. If you are not seeing it with that clarity, what you are doing is just daydreaming. The only difference is one action is wholesome, and the other might be unwholesome. That is not what the Third Eye is.

The Hard Path vs. The Natural Path

No matter how much you artificially visualize Ruwanwelisaya, the Third Eye will not open. For that to happen, the mind must become concentrated and unified, or achieve ekagrata.

It is true that there is a path where you could, through immense and prolonged effort, force the mind to concentrate on an imagined object until it becomes so unified that an opening occurs. If you think about Sigiriya day and night, imagining its rooms and layout, it’s possible that at some point the mind could become one-pointed and a real vision could appear.

But this is the extremely difficult way, and the probability of success is very low. That is why we have given you an easier method.

Please do not try this difficult, artificial path. It is very arduous. Instead, train in the way we have described. I have spoken to people who try to artificially create visions of Ruwanwelisaya, and I tell them to stop. It is not something to be created; it must be seen naturally.

Again, I invite those who have seen such things authentically, whether sacred sites, non-human beings, or other phenomena, through the Third Eye, with the same clarity as seeing the world with open eyes, to share their experiences. Your stories can help those who are working with misunderstanding to grasp that these spiritual faculties arise naturally for each person. Please consider sharing a note to help them.

Final Reflections: Embrace the Natural Flow of Practice

This is what I needed to convey. I have discussed the light signs and what lies beyond with the Third Eye, including visions. None of these things, not even the ability to see into the minds of others, can be forced. I repeat these points so that those who are operating under a misunderstanding can hear them again and again, allowing a correct understanding to dawn. By helping them gain a proper grasp of authentic spiritual practice, you also gain merit.

I believe this teaching is sufficient for those who have been practicing with a lack of clarity. If you still do not understand what I have explained, please listen again,not just twice, but ten times if needed. Listen until you truly grasp it. Then, move forward and practice with that correct understanding.

If you know others who are deceived by this misunderstanding, please share this teaching with them so they can listen. You will gain merit, and they will realize their mistake and correct their path. Please proceed in this way.

I do not intend to lengthen this teaching further. My only wish was to deliver this message: Do not try to create things artificially. Mindfully observe what is natural. Please act according to this principle. I will conclude today’s teaching here. By the power of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, the Triple Gem, may you all be able to understand this crucial point and practice accordingly. May you all be blessed.

May you receive the blessings to attain a state of true spiritual certainty and correctness.

We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.

Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.

May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!