by SS Shiv Charan Singh Khalsa, Moucheira, Portgual
2025 (First Quarter)

To answer some of these questions posed on Shuniya, or rather to make sense of my answers, I might first say a few things as to what Shuniya is for me.

My sense of Shuniya is not a darkness. Rather, it is a continuous, underlying, background, quality of light; always everywhere, the source of all. Being in Shuniya means being present with myself as a microcosm in the midst of an immeasurable macrocosm.  It is quiet, it is peaceful, it is healing; a place of rejuvenation and regeneration. It is the beginning and end of all. 

How do you cultivate and practice Shuniya in your daily life? 

I do not feel that I cultivate Shuniya. Rather, I feel it as a constant background dimension that I either tap into or sit back into. 

Tapping into it is a process combining nabhi, breath and mantra that neutralizes and clears anything that my mind’s psycho-emotional field may be stirring up and blocking the way for the light of Shuniya to transmit itself into my everyday life. 

Stepping back into it is a journey of stopping, negating, disinvesting all entanglements—a zooming out and away from the world, both physical and mental, material and astral. It is interrupting patterns that tend to self-perpetuate themselves. It is entering into a state of trust and faith through the door of silence, and into an extremely heightened quality of listening. 

Every night as I lay down to rest is a return to Shuniya. It is equivalent to dying the great death; Maha Akaal. 

What have you found helpful in maintaining neutrality during chaotic times? 

First is my memories of the experience of Shuniya. Second is the commitment to honour it. Third is the remembering of the commitment. Fourth is the practice of strategies such as merging nabhi, breath and mantra.

Fifth is recalling sections of Guru Gobind Singh’s Jaap Sahib, which continuously directs my attention to that which is beyond, and further beyond. 

In your view, what individual qualities support development of a state of Shuniya in one’s consciousness? 

I have extensively studied and contemplated the virtues of the 10 Spiritual Bodies, which I also equate with the qualities of the Mul Mantra and the living examples of the 10 Sikh Gurus. I now find that any small step towards manifesting these qualities in my life supports intimacy with the state of Shuniya. 

This state is very much supported by a healthy lifestyle—balancing diet, rest and exercise. It is further reinforced by good company, along with teaching, which provides a steady reminder. 

What challenges arise when attempting to reside in a state of stillness?

Shuniya, on the one hand, is an emptiness of conditions. On the other hand, it is a container for all experiences. Allowing myself to be in Shuniya is equally allowing myself to embrace all the discomforts, pains and concerns that come with life. Thankfully, I also feel Shuniya as a container of love vast enough to hold all of that and more. 

I imagine the circle of the zero representing the karmic arena, and dharma as the way to neutralise the entanglements. It is like a game to go beyond the games. Zooming out, stepping back and inward, not spacing out. Falling back to the edge of the circle. Becoming the witness to the world. Touching the thread that weaves us all together. It is a solitary place, but also the place of solidarity with all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SS Shiv Charan Singh was inspired by the practical and insightful teachings of Sikh Dharma, Kundalini Yoga and the Spiritual Science of Applied Numerology when he founded the International School of Karam Kriya. With more than 40 years of teaching and training in many countries, he is currently based in Portugal where, along with his wife Satya Kaur, he established an ashram and founded the Associação Ram Dass Guru. “The idea is to hold a space where each soul can awaken to their true nature, learn the tools to be healthy and whole in mind, body and spirit, reconnect with human community and find their path of service and destiny.”