Void is universal by nature and all its expressions are ultimately manifestations of this supreme void
When people hear the word “void,” they often feel confused or even afraid. It sounds like loneliness, like it has no meaning. So many questions come up in the mind: “If I just understand the idea, will I reach it? Is this only for yogis who have left everything? These questions are natural. They simply show how the mind is trying to understand something new. The void is not something to fear; it is already within you. It is not loneliness; it is a peaceful space. You do not reach it by thinking or understanding ideas, but by simply being ‘silent’ and ‘aware’.
The void can be experienced in the gap between thoughts and in the subtle space between inhalation and exhalation. With careful observation, one may notice that this stillness forms the underlying basis in which all perceptions arise and dissolve. When the Buddha became enlightened, his disciples asked him, “What did you experience?” They thought he would describe something like seeing God or some great vision. But his answer surprised them. He simply said it was an intense experience of the void (nothingness).
But this “void” was not scary or empty. It was full of peace, joy and a feeling of completeness. This void experience is not only for ascetics or monks. Anyone can experience it even in small moments. In Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, simple situations are given as doors to it. For example, the pause between two breaths, the gap between two thoughts, or a moment of sudden surprise; these are moments when the mind stops for an instant. These are natural pause already present in everyone’s life. In these small pauses, the void quietly reveals itself.
“In the silence between two breaths or thoughts lies the ‘void’. This is silence truth”
Entering the Inner Void
A person is always acting from some ‘inner feeling’. Every thought, every word and every action begins from that feeling. If the feeling is disturbed in form of tension, anger, fear, or sadness then naturally the thoughts become negative, speech becomes harsh and actions become restless. All these thoughts and feelings appear within your own consciousnesses. And your consciousness is not separate; it exists within a greater, all-encompassing consciousness.
What you think arises and dissolves within the mind, and even what is not actively thought of can be understood as part of a subtle field of awareness or “void.” From this perspective, all experiences appear and disappear within this vast space of consciousness. All such expressions of void are seen as connected to a single, undivided source i.e. the supreme void. This ultimate reality may be referred to as Shiva, God, or any name one chooses to give it.
What you have to do that when a feeling arises, do not chase the thoughts that come with it. Just watch. Slowly, as you stop feeding them, the thoughts begin to settle down on their own. When thoughts become quiet, a new experience in form of ‘space’ arises within you. This space is called the ‘void’. The Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Course teaches that once you experience this state, you realize a simple truth: real happiness comes from ‘within’, not from ‘outside’.
All good or bad experiences arise and dissolve within the vast space of the void
What Happens to Mind?
Now you may ask: “What really happens to the mind in the void?” The mind stops doing anything. For the first time, it is neither thinking nor worrying or planning. It becomes still like muddy water in a lake. When it is constantly stirred, the water looks dirty. But when you stop stirring, the mud slowly settles at the bottom, and the water becomes clear. In the same way, when you stop feeding thoughts, the mind settles on its own.
And in that stillness, something surprising is noticed; you are still there. There are no thoughts, yet you exist. There is no noise, yet there is clear awareness. This creates a deep curiosity within: “If I am still here without thoughts, then who am I really?” The meditation course in Rishikesh marks the beginning of real understanding. The void is not the destruction of the mind. It is simply the moment when the mind steps aside and something deeper and more real quietly reveals your true nature. It is true that thoughts vanish in deep sleep. But the void of meditation is different from deep sleep.
Since the mind is constantly filled with thoughts, it cannot directly experience void state. In deep sleep, thoughts are absent but awareness is also absent. You are not conscious of that ‘silence’ while it is happening. That is why, after waking up, you can say, “I slept well,” but you did not actually experience that peace in the moment. In meditation, when you enter the void, thoughts stop but awareness remains fully present. You are awake inside that silence.
In a deep sleep state, mental activity is completely suspended, leaving only a void-like absence of thoughts
What is Conscious Emptiness?
In meditation, when you become aware of this inner emptiness, a new clarity begins to arise. A meditation retreat allows you to experience a conscious emptiness within yourself, where the usual stream of thoughts gradually settles. As external distractions reduce and inner awareness deepens, one begins to rest in a quiet, spacious state of being. In this stillness, emptiness is not dull or blank, but a clear and alert presence in which the mind becomes calm and transparent.
Notice something very simple and familiar like sitting by the roadside and watching vehicles pass. Traffic keep moving, one after another. But you are sitting still, just watching. In the same way, thoughts and feelings are like passing traffic. They keep coming and going. But something within you remains still, simply watching. This creates a clear understanding. On one side, there is movement of thoughts, emotions and sensations. On the other side, there is stillness i.e. your silent awareness. Only through experiencing this conscious emptiness can you truly see the difference between the changing and the unchanging, the temporary and the eternal.
Shiva: The Supreme Void
The Supreme Reality is not sitting in one place, because it is present everywhere. It is beyond time and also beyond space. That is why it is also called the ‘Supreme Void’. This supreme space or void does not mean nothingness. It means something so vast that it cannot be contained, something so subtle that it cannot be seen as an object. It is the silent background in which everything appears and disappears. Before anything comes into existence, it is there. After everything dissolves, it still remains.
All forms, all thoughts, all experiences arise in it and dissolve back into it. Where there is space, it is there. And even where there seems to be no space, it is still there. It is within the void, and also beyond the void. This may sound difficult, but it becomes simple through your own experience. When you enter the inner void in meditation, even for a moment, you are touching this same reality.
The silent awareness within you and the Supreme Reality are not two different things. At that moment, there is no inside or outside. No division. Only a vast, silent presence remains. And then you understand not through thinking, but through direct experience that everything is arising in this one infinite reality. This is the final clarity that what you are ‘within’, and what exists ‘everywhere’, is the same. The ultimate reality is pure consciousness. It is simple and whole. It is not divided and does not depend on anything else.
