“Trāṭaka,” is the word used in Sanskrit to describe the meditation technique most commonly referred to as, “Wall Gazing.”
 
Wall Gazing is a mediation technique that has been attributed to the legendary figure in Buddhism, Bodhidharma, though versions of this technique have been recorded deep into the history on the yogic traditions of the subcontinent of South Asia.
 
In brief, Trāṭaka has the practitioner sit with a wall a few feet in front of them. They find a spot on the wall, slightly below eye-line, and then they softly stare at that spot as they release the thoughts from their mind.
 
There are various versions of this meditation technique. Whereas some find staring at a blank wall the most advantageous to deep meditation, other schools have added such things as staring at a mandala, (artwork with geometric images), or candle staring, more beneficial.
 
The main purpose of Trāṭaka is that by focusing on the blank space in front of one’s self, this allows the mind to lose the developed need to constantly think and be guided through various emotional states via thoughts.
 
I recently heard about this new trends that, (I guess), was launched on TikTok, called, “Raw Doggin’ a Flight.” This is a technique where it has the participates turn off their technology and simply stare at nothing, or just the flight map, on the screen in front of them. The don’t listen to music, they don’t watch movies, they don’t play with their phones, they don’t eat, they don’t drink, they simply do nothing. In other words, they turn off and meditate.
 
I believe that most people do not meditate. Sure, everyone knows about meditation, but how few do it? Do you? Do you consciously sit down and meditate in order to silence your mind?  If you do, you are one of the few.
 
I believe that it’s interesting that it takes a trend on TikTok to cause people to dive into the deeper mind. It’s not like most of these people are seeking a deeper meaning in life or attempting to encounter cosmic consciousness. They are simply following a trend unleashed on a social media platform.  
 
Now, don’t get me wrong. That’s not a bad thing. If something causes someone to dive deeper into the inner realms of their being, no matter who or what guided them to do this, it cannot be a bad thing. Even the psychologists, who are speaking on this subject, say it’s a good thing as it causes people to step back from the dopamine driven reality that all of the input from the various aspects of the world causes us to experience.
 
When I heard about this, it kind of made me smile, as this is something I have been known to do, long before it had a name. For example, I’ll climb into my pod on a long international flight, not find any movie I want to watch, or realize that the movie had some of its hard-core elements edited, (I hate movies that have been edited down from their original release, as you’re really missing the filmmakers intended cinematic vision).  
 
As a kind of side bar here… My lady is just the opposite. She will watch all the films. Sometimes on those really long international flights, like eighteen hours from LAX to Singapore, I’ll ask her if she slept. Nope, she just watched one movie after the next. Then, when we are home, I’ll pull one up to watch, “Already saw that…”  
 
Anyway… On many a long flight, I have just sat there in the abyss, not so much consciously meditating, but simply allowing my mind to BE in its silence. I find it to be a very profound technique.
 
So, what can we take away from all of this? I think that the simple answer is, you don’t have to formally sit down, with your legs crossed, and your eyes closed to meditate. You can do it anywhere. You just simply need to allow yourself to become silent. So, whether you’re on a flight, on the train, on the bus, during a car ride, or wherever, allow yourself to simply BE in that moment. Turn it all off. You don’t have to call it meditating, you just simply need to allow yourself to not be driven to thought by all of that whatever.
 
Try it. You may discover a whole new you.