What is Spanda

Spanda is the subtle, creative movement within Awareness itself. It is not a physical motion, like vibration in matter, but a quiet, inner pulse in Consciousness. It is what allows experience to happen—thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and even the sense of having a body or a world. You could think of Spanda as the very first stirring in stillness—the moment when Awareness begins to move within itself, though it never becomes anything separate or outside itself.

This movement is not forced or deliberate. It’s spontaneous and natural—like the way a breeze moves through air or a ripple spreads across still water. Through Spanda, the stillness of Awareness expresses itself as appearance, change, and diversity. But even as this happens, the stillness is never disturbed. It remains fully present, untouched in the background.

Spanda and the Illusion of Time and Space: Time and space arise within Spanda, not outside it. They are not fixed or independent realities. Instead, they are part of how the human mind organizes experience. When the inner vibration of Spanda flows in a sequence, we call that “time.” When it flows with contrast or variation, we interpret that as “space” or “form.” But both time and space are part of the way we experience Spanda—not something separate from it. This is why time can seem to slow down, stop, or disappear altogether during meditation or deep states of Awareness. Space too can feel unreal, expanded, or collapsed. These changes show that time and space are not fundamental—they are relative, and they depend on how Spanda is being perceived. They are patterns in perception, not objective truths.

Spanda as the Source of Experience: Spanda is the first movement that gives rise to experience. Everything we call “reality” appears through this movement. Without Spanda, there would be no world, no thought, no perception—only pure, undivided Awareness. Yet even when Spanda moves and the world appears, nothing truly separates. All forms remain within infinite Awareness. Like waves on the surface of the ocean, they are not different from the water itself. Spanda doesn’t need to be controlled or sought. It is not an object or a thing to grasp. It is already here, moving quietly beneath all experience. Whether we notice it or not, it is always active. Every thought, every sensation, every breath is part of its rhythm. The more still we become, the more clearly this movement can be felt—not as something external, but as the very energy of being itself. 

To the Dharmin, Spanda is not a mystery to be solved. It is not an object of inquiry, nor a concept to be clarified. It is the living pulse within Awareness itself, so immediate and evident that thought cannot contain it. The moment one tries to define or capture it, it is already late—it has already expressed, vanished, and returned to stillness. Spanda is the movement of being before it becomes a ‘thing.’ The adharmin looks at the world and asks, “What is this?” But the very question divides. It assumes a subject that looks and an object to be seen. In that split, Spanda is already overlooked. The Dharmin does not answer with explanation, but simply rests in the obviousness of what is happening—without need to name or reduce it. That which appears is not separate from that which sees. Spanda is that seamless movement, neither this nor that. This is where the principle of Obviation—the law of the obvious—meets the heart of Spanda. Obviation says that the obvious itself is not hidden; it is evident, if not interfered with. Spanda is the activity of that which is evident, the dynamic unfolding of what is already so. It is not an object or event, but the energy of Awareness displayed, effortlessly.

In the view of Obviation - (the law of the obvious), confusion does not begin with Awareness or perception. It begins with conception—the stage where spontaneous experience is turned into interpretation. When Spanda, the natural movement within Awareness, is claimed by the mind as “my experience,” “my thought,” or “my life,” a subtle distortion takes place. What was simply happening is now being owned, defined, and personalized. That ownership is the root of confusion. Spanda itself remains unproblematic. It is simply the dynamic display within Awareness. It is how things appear—without needing to be explained or controlled. The Dharmin cognizes this directly. There is no attempt to interfere with what is happening. Thoughts come and go. Sensations appear and fade. Feelings rise and fall. These are not problems to be fixed—they are movements within the greater stillness of Awareness. What creates difficulty is not the movement, but the mind’s habit of naming, judging, and attaching meaning to appearance. When appearance is left as it is, without interpretation or resistance, there is no division. No thinker behind thought. No feeler behind feeling. The Dharmin allows this natural movement to unfold, without resistance and without grasping.

To live as the Dharmin is not to reject experience, nor to retreat from the world. It is to see that all experiences—pleasant or painful, active or still—are patterns within Spanda. Nothing needs to be added or taken away. Like ripples on water, all appearances are part of the movement, not separate from it. There is no goal to reach, no final understanding required. There is simply what is happening now. Ideas such as self, time, and truth arise within this movement. They are not fixed realities but mental patterns—tools the mind uses to make sense of experience. The Dharmin sees their usefulness, but does not mistake them for something permanent or ultimate. These ideas are allowed to come and go, without becoming a basis for identity or belief. The Dharmin’s approach is simple. There is no need to analyze, justify, or deny. There is no attachment to conclusions. What appears, appears. What moves, moves. Spanda flows on, and the Dharmin remains grounded in what is obvious, without turning appearance into something else. This is not a path of withdrawal, but of clear seeing. And from that clear seeing, no position is required.