QnA with Sri Sri

Q: During meditation, what is the benefit of keeping our eyes open by just five to ten percent? In many statues and idols of Lord Buddha, He is often depicted with His eyes half-closed. Please tell us something about this.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When we close our eyes, we drift into the world of our mind, our thoughts and emotions – which is called the Manorajya (literally meaning the kingdom of the mind). When our eyes are open, we are engaged in the outside world. So when you close your eyes only partially, then the mind neither gets stuck in the inner world of thoughts and emotions, nor does it get entangled in the outside world. Then the mind slowly settles down and comes to a state of rest. This is a very beneficial technique for those who close their eyes and drift off into the world of dreams. It is like asiddhaushadhi (a perfect medicine).