All cognition is without cause, without support, and of the nature of error; in truth it belongs to no one. One who contemplates in this way, O beloved, is Śiva.
School paraphrase drawing on Jaideva Singh (1979), Christopher Wallis and Bettina Bäumer (as printed in Wallis's concordance); not a quotation.
Commentary
Singh: Abhinavagupta calls this a means of entering the heart (sarvātma-saṃkoca, Tantrāloka 5.71) and Jayaratha cites this verse: the reality of every object, and its belonging to any subject, are rejected; knower and known fall away and only knowing (vijñāna), which is Bhairava, remains. Wallis: 'thoughts belong to no one'.
How to sit with it
Watch thoughts and perceptions arise. Contemplate each as having no fixed cause, no solid basis, and no owner. Let them come and go as if in open space. Rest as the knowing in which they appear.
Where attention rests
Thoughts and perceptions, seen as belonging to no one
Knowing itself, without a knower or a known
Not a body shape. The map is thoughts appearing and passing in open space, with no one standing behind them to own them.
Breath
Natural breath. Count about four in and four out only if it helps you settle, then let the count go. No forced hold.
The counts are an optional school pacing aid, not part of the verse. Hold is always 0: this school never adds a deliberate breath-hold.
Any steady, comfortable position (school addition)
Any steady, comfortable position: sitting on a chair, sitting on the floor with support under the hips, or lying on the back. Standing or walking slowly is also acceptable when that is easier. Choose the position in which the body needs the least effort.
School addition. Verse 99 does not specify a body position. The seat is a convenience so the dharana can be practised; it is not part of the technique and makes no claim of tradition.
Safety
Pain is information. Pause, regress, or exit. Never push through sharp pain.
General practice caution only; not medical advice. If this view feels destabilising, return to ordinary ownership of your thoughts and rest with the breath. If anything feels distressing (dizziness, agitation, strong emotion), stop, open the eyes and rest attention on the feet and the floor.
This door needs no particular posture: sit on a chair, sit on the floor with support, or lie down. Eyes may stay open.
Honesty
Door 076 follows Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra dharana 76 (verse 99) in Jaideva Singh's numbering. The door-to-dharana index is a School of 112 Doorways teaching device. Singh's sequence is one edition's count, not an ancient one-to-one canon. The seat, counts, reaction and beat scripts are school additions.
Door index = Jaideva Singh dharana number: Door 076 is dharana 76, verse 99. Other editions number differently (see dharana.numbering_variants).
The seat, breath counts, reaction metaphor, attention-map drawing and beat scripts are school devices, not part of the verse.
The English is a school paraphrase, not a quotation from any translator.
No medical claims. Reaction names are metaphors, not biochemistry.
New door researched on 2026-10-06 on branch research/vbt-houses-2-7; awaiting guardian review.
School of 112 Doorways: seat, breath counts, reaction metaphor, attention map drawing and beat scripts School devices, following the House 1 conventions (doors/HOUSE-1-REGISTRY.md, guardians/CHECKLIST.md). research/PROMPT_TEMPLATE.md is not present in the repository at 32e76c4.
Pain is information, never a badge. Never force the breath. Practice is not medical treatment. The door-to-dhāraṇā index is a School of 112 Doorways teaching device (school_device), not an ancient one-to-one canon.