Thiti, is the pause that exists between moments of activity—like the breath, between inhalation and exhalation. It is a space that carries immense potential, but is rarely emphasized directly in practice. This restraint is intentional, as Goenkaji, understood the danger of forcing or pretending to experience this state.
Forcing stillness, especially through willpower, can lead to artificial results. Take, for example, kumbhak—the pause in yogic breathing. When practiced naturally, it brings a profound awareness and clarity. However, if done forcefully, it dissolves the true purpose of the practice and leads to delusion rather than insight. The stillness we seek must arise on its own, like the blossoming of a flower—it cannot be rushed or coerced.
An Encounter with Stillness
Today, after a nourishing meal, I found myself sitting n doing vipassana in vajrasana. My mind was reflecting on the Dhamma. it is a habit to do this after the morning meal. There was a faint ringing in my ears, a sensation I often associate excess vata, the residue of past restlessness. My body carried the subtle tension of continuous thinking, perception, and a hint of worry—a vibration that seemed to ripple through me.
As I sat there, I realized how my life has been caught in a cycle of hurrying—from one thought to another, from one task to another. I had not allowed myself the luxury of a pause, thiti. And yet, in that moment of reflection, amidst the changing sensations, I began to sense the seed of something greater in thiti—a magnification of insight. That thiti was profoud and closest to what I was aiming for, closest to the unconditional thing beyond matter. Maybe that state arises from this thiti ... just my musings.
