Lights in Meditation

There could be lights in meditation. It is however difficult to determine what a specific light is. There are many lights in many dimensions. Even physically, there are so many lights during the day or night.

For the purpose of yoga meditation, one should begin categorizing lights according to their position and intensity in reference to the coreSelf. However, the core is itself a light. In the raw, it is a spiritual light. On the average, it is experienced as a combination light which is a radiance. It is not easy to sort which feature is involved with the core. The assumption is that the core is the core, and it is nothing else, but this idea is faulty.

Beginning at the core, the innermost aspect of what is normally regarded as a mental/emotional self, there is surrounding it, a sense of identity. This is not the core but it is the psychological factor which is expressed as the interest of the core. As soon as there is any effort or psychic movement, this sense of identity moves to execute that requirement or need for involvement.

The sense of identity surrounds the core on all sides. It is spherical. The coreSelf, the innermost aspect, is itself in the format of a spherical light. This is its experience of itself initially. It seems that in this existence, the core can only experience itself as the form of a spherical light, a radiance which emanates from all sides of itself.

To understand this, one may consider a tiny miniscule light which continually radiates. But it is enclosed by a transparent covering. This transparent aspect is the sense of identity. Whatever the core makes an attempt to do, it can do only by acting through the sense of identity. If it desires to touch something, it can do so only through touching the sense of identity, and then causing that sense to reach out to the said object.

But the sense of identity is itself a transparent light. However, the coreSelf can hardly objectify itself in reference to its sense of identity. Even though that sense is a light it cannot be seen in contrast to the core.

Imagine a tiny miniscule light which has a limit of radiance. Think of this being enclosed in a transparent fabric. This fabric is so transparent, that it cannot be seen. This means that normally, the core cannot see the sense of identity.

Now with the enclosed sense of identity, there is, a short distance away, about three inches, another light. This light is termed as the intellect (buddhi). This light is not like the sense of identity because it does not enclose the core. Instead, it can be seen because it is present in the mind space by itself. However, even though this is a light, it is a black light. It radiates light but since it is a black light, the core cannot see it in the dark space of the mind.

If, however, that intellect operates to give ideas or memory images, those pictures will be seen in the mind space. The intellect will not be seen, but what it shows in the form of pictures or idea, that will be seen in the mind. Because these images are produced in the intellect, the perception of them gives the yogi an idea about the location and activity of the intellect. A yogi can determine the location of the intellect. He can study how it creates ideas and images.

The core being surrounded by a dark space which is the mind, cannot see what is beyond that dark space, as to what is outside of that dense space. The mind space is dark but it is also opaque. It is not transparent. Like thick black smoke, one cannot see through the mindspace. Unless the yogi can make the mind space to be transparent and revealing, it is not possible to see what is beyond the dark mental energy which surround the core and its sense of identity.

Hence in meditation, usually, a yogi does not see light. Occasionally, one may see a light or some lights but one must determine if the perception is of something inside the mind space or outside of it.