A handful of vivid practices float through the Surangama Sutra, each inviting a deeper dive into awareness and perception. One cornerstone is breath-anchoring samādhi: gently tracking inhalation and exhalation until the mind settles like ripples calming on a pond. Rather than forcing the breath, attention drifts toward its natural flow, allowing subtle tensions to evaporate.

Next comes the “Mind-Cavity” meditation, where focus moves to the tiny aperture at the center of the chest. By softening around this point, practitioners awaken an inner light—often likened to a lantern glowing in a dim corridor—and begin to glimpse the luminous nature of consciousness itself. This method echoes modern “heart-centered” practices gaining traction in mindfulness circles today.

Another jewel is the “Point-Concentration” technique: fixing the gaze—whether outward upon a flickering candle or inward upon the tip of the nose—until sensory distractions dissolve. It’s a bit like tuning a radio to a clear station, discarding static until only pure signal remains. This approach laid early groundwork for what’s now called trataka in certain yoga traditions.

The Sutra also unfolds stages of sense-restriction samādhi, gradually withdrawing from sights, sounds and mental chatter. First, senses retreat at minor levels—perhaps catching a whisper of ambient noise—then recede further until the world outside seems as distant as a fading dream. In our era of relentless notifications, this ancient guidelight offers an antidote to information overload.

A less-spoken but profound practice involves investigating perception itself: watching how thoughts and sensations surge and vanish, like waves on an infinite ocean. By noting their impermanence, clarity dawns on the dream-like quality of experience. It’s a precursor to Vipassanā insight work, now celebrated globally through apps and retreats.

Finally, the Sutra’s “Empty-Body” meditation invites resting in formlessness, beyond every concept of subject and object. When this borders on the puzzling, recall how cloud-patterns shift without a single, lasting form—yet the sky remains undisturbed. Such exercises can feel startlingly fresh even against today’s backdrop of scientific explorations into consciousness.