Meditation is often presented as a single practice: sit quietly, close your eyes, follow your breath and try to empty the mind.

But the ancient tantric tradition offers a radically broader perspective.

In The Book of Secrets, Osho presents and discusses 112 meditation methods drawn from the ancient text Vigyan Bhairava Tantra. These techniques do not insist on one particular posture, belief system or style of meditation. Instead, they explore different ways of using breath, sensation, sound, awareness, movement, emotions, imagination and ordinary experiences as doorways to deeper consciousness.

The significance of the 112 techniques is not that a person must practise all of them. Rather, the collection suggests that meditation can be adapted to different personalities and circumstances.

For a busy modern person, that idea is especially relevant: meditation does not necessarily require escaping everyday life. Everyday life itself can become the field of awareness.

What Is The Book of Secrets?

The Book of Secrets is Osho's extended commentary on the Vigyan Bhairava Tantra, an ancient Sanskrit meditation text traditionally presented as a dialogue between Bhairava and Devi.

The original text describes 112 dharanas or methods of concentration and awareness.

These methods cover an unusually broad range of experiences. Some focus on breathing. Others use sounds, bodily sensations, visualisation, moments between thoughts, emotions, sexual energy, sleep, waking, sensory perception and even apparently ordinary activities.

The underlying principle is simple but profound:

Awareness can be cultivated through almost any experience when approached consciously.

This makes the 112 techniques less like a rigid meditation programme and more like a catalogue of experiments in consciousness.

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Why Are There 112 Meditation Techniques?

Different people naturally respond to different forms of meditation.

Someone who finds sitting still difficult may benefit from a movement-based practice. Another person may naturally connect with breathing. Someone else may find deep awareness through sound, visualisation or observation of bodily sensations.

The 112 methods offer multiple entry points.

They can broadly be understood through themes such as:

• Breath awareness
• Sensory awareness
• Sound and vibration
• Concentration
• Visualisation
• Body awareness
• Emotional observation
• Thought awareness
• Stillness
• Movement
• Contemplation of impermanence
• Awareness during everyday activities

The objective is not intellectual understanding of every method.

It is direct experience of awareness.

1. Breath Awareness: The Most Accessible Starting Point

Several of the techniques in the Vigyan Bhairava Tantra involve observing the breath.

This makes breath meditation one of the most practical starting points for beginners.

Sit comfortably and allow your breathing to remain natural.

Instead of deliberately controlling it, simply observe:

• The inhalation
• The exhalation
• The movement of the abdomen or chest
• The transition between inhalation and exhalation
• The transition between exhalation and inhalation

The mind will wander.

That is normal.

The practice is simply to notice that wandering and gently return to awareness of breathing.

Everyday application

You do not necessarily need 30 minutes.

Try observing three conscious breaths:

• before answering an important email,
• before entering a meeting,
• while waiting for an appointment,
• before reacting to an argument.

A few moments of conscious breathing can create a pause between stimulus and response.

That pause is one of the most practical benefits of mindfulness.

2. Discovering the Space Between Breaths

One of the more subtle ideas associated with the traditional breath techniques is attention to the transition points in breathing.

There is an inhalation.

There is an exhalation.

And between them there can be a moment of stillness.

Rather than forcing the breath to stop, simply notice the natural transition.

This can introduce an important meditation principle:

Awareness is not necessarily about doing more. Sometimes it is about noticing what is already happening.

For beginners, there is no need to hold the breath forcefully. The practice should remain comfortable and natural.

3. Watching Thoughts Without Fighting Them

Many people believe meditation means stopping thoughts.

That expectation can make meditation frustrating.

The mind produces thoughts naturally. Trying aggressively to suppress them can create even more mental tension.

A different approach is observation.

Sit quietly and notice thoughts as they appear.

You might notice:

“I need to call someone.”

Then another thought:

“What should I do tomorrow?”

Instead of following the story, simply recognise:

A thought has appeared.

Then allow it to pass.

This gradually changes the relationship with thinking.

You are no longer automatically identified with every thought.

4. Listening to Sound

Sound can also become an object of meditation.

Choose a sound—perhaps a fan, birds outside, traffic, music or even silence between sounds.

Instead of judging it as pleasant or unpleasant, listen carefully.

Notice its:

• volume,
• pitch,
• rhythm,
• beginning,
• continuation,
• ending.

The practice transforms ordinary listening into conscious listening.

Try it anywhere

You can practise while:

• drinking coffee,
• travelling,
• sitting in a park,
• listening to rain,
• walking through a busy street.

The environment does not have to be perfectly silent.

The sound itself becomes the meditation object.

5. Meditation Through the Senses

The five senses provide another doorway into awareness.

Take eating as an example.

Instead of eating automatically while scrolling through your phone, pay attention to:

• the appearance of the food,
• its aroma,
• texture,
• temperature,
• flavour,
• chewing,
• swallowing.

You are not adding another activity.

You are changing the quality of attention given to an existing activity.

This is one of the most useful lessons from the broader tantric approach: ordinary experiences can become opportunities for awareness.

6. Body Awareness

Modern mindfulness practices frequently use body scanning, and the tantric tradition also contains methods involving attention to bodily sensations.

Sit quietly and notice physical sensations without immediately trying to change them.

You may notice:

• warmth,
• pressure,
• tingling,
• tension,
• heaviness,
• lightness,
• movement.

Instead of thinking, “My shoulder hurts and I need to fix it,” initially observe the sensation itself.

This does not mean ignoring genuine pain or medical problems. It simply means learning to distinguish the raw sensation from the mental story surrounding it.

7. Using Emotions as Objects of Awareness

Meditation does not require waiting until you feel peaceful.

Anger, sadness, fear, excitement and frustration can also become objects of observation.

Suppose you become angry.

Instead of immediately acting on the emotion, pause.

Observe:

• Where is the sensation in the body?
• Is the breathing changing?
• Is the heart beating faster?
• What thoughts accompany the emotion?
• Does the intensity remain constant?

The aim is not to suppress anger.

It is to experience it consciously rather than automatically.

This can create greater emotional regulation over time.

8. Turning Walking Into Meditation

Meditation does not always require sitting.

Walking can become a mindfulness practice.

Walk at a comfortable pace and pay attention to:

• the lifting of the foot,
• movement of the leg,
• contact with the ground,
• shifting of body weight,
• rhythm of breathing.

When attention wanders, return to walking.

This is particularly useful for people who find prolonged sitting uncomfortable.

9. Awareness During Transitions

One of the most interesting ideas in the 112-method tradition is the importance of transition points.

Consider the moments:

• between waking and sleeping,
• between inhalation and exhalation,
• between two thoughts,
• between movement and stillness,
• between one activity and another.

These moments can be extremely brief.

Yet they provide an opportunity to notice consciousness before the mind immediately moves toward the next object.

A simple modern practice

Whenever you finish one activity, pause for two or three seconds before beginning the next.

Finish an email.

Pause.

Finish a phone call.

Pause.

Close your laptop.

Pause.

That tiny interval can become a practical mindfulness exercise.

10. Visualisation and Inner Imagery

Some traditional techniques involve visualisation.

A practitioner may imagine light, space, energy or particular bodily locations.

Visualisation can be useful because the mind naturally works with images.

For beginners, however, there is no need to force elaborate imagery.

A simple exercise is to close your eyes and imagine a gentle point of light.

Observe the image without struggling to make it perfect.

If the image changes or disappears, simply notice that.

The practice is less about producing a perfect mental picture and more about observing the mind's capacity to create and transform imagery.

11. Contemplating Impermanence

Another powerful direction in contemplative practice is awareness of change.

Everything experienced changes:

• sensations,
• thoughts,
• emotions,
• sounds,
• physical surroundings,
• relationships,
• circumstances.

Sit quietly and observe this changing nature.

A sound appears and disappears.

A thought appears and disappears.

A sensation appears and changes.

Instead of trying to hold onto each experience, observe its impermanence.

This can cultivate psychological flexibility and reduce the tendency to treat temporary experiences as permanent realities.

12. Meditation in Daily Activities

Perhaps the most practical lesson is that meditation does not have to remain confined to a meditation cushion.

You can practise awareness while:

Brushing your teeth

Notice the movement, sensation and sound.

Drinking water

Feel the temperature and movement as you drink.

Cooking

Observe smells, textures, sounds and movements.

Working

Focus completely on one task instead of constantly switching between notifications.

Speaking

Listen fully instead of preparing your response while the other person is talking.

Waiting

Instead of automatically reaching for your phone, observe breathing and surroundings.

These practices turn mindfulness into a way of living rather than a separate appointment in the day.

How to Choose Among 112 Techniques

The number 112 can initially seem overwhelming.

It is not necessary to practise every method.

Instead, experiment.

Choose one technique that feels natural and practise it consistently for several days.

Then ask:

• Does this method make it easier to sustain attention?
• Do I feel more aware of my thoughts?
• Am I becoming less reactive?
• Does the practice fit naturally into my routine?
• Can I practise without excessive effort?

If a technique does not suit you, another may.

The value of the 112 methods lies partly in this diversity.

A Simple 15-Minute Practice Inspired by the 112 Methods

For someone beginning a meditation routine, the following structure can provide a practical starting point.

Minutes 1–3: Settle

Sit comfortably.

Notice your body and surroundings.

Do not try to achieve a special state.

Minutes 4–8: Observe breathing

Watch the natural rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.

Whenever thoughts arise, acknowledge them and return to the breath.

Minutes 9–12: Observe sensations

Move attention through the body.

Notice sensations without immediately judging or changing them.

Minutes 13–15: Open awareness

Stop focusing on one particular object.

Notice whatever arises:

• sounds,
• thoughts,
• sensations,
• emotions.

Let experiences come and go.

Then gently conclude the practice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Expecting immediate silence

Meditation is not a competition to eliminate thoughts.

Forcing the breath

Breathing practices should not involve uncomfortable or prolonged breath retention unless properly learned.

Chasing mystical experiences

Unusual sensations or experiences may occur, but they are not necessarily evidence of spiritual progress.

Changing techniques every day

Experimentation is useful initially, but consistent practice with one suitable technique is often more productive.

Judging yourself

A distracted meditation session is not a failed meditation session.

Noticing distraction is itself an act of awareness.

The Deeper Message Behind the 112 Techniques

The 112 methods can be understood as an invitation to explore the relationship between experience and awareness.

We normally move through life immersed in what we experience.

We are angry.

We are worried.

We are excited.

We are thinking.

We are tired.

Meditative awareness introduces another possibility:

We can notice that we are experiencing these things.

That subtle shift—from automatic identification to conscious observation—is central to many contemplative traditions.

Meditation for the Modern World

The relevance of these ancient techniques may be particularly strong in an era defined by constant stimulation.

Smartphones, social media, notifications, multitasking and information overload continually pull attention outward.

The modern challenge is therefore not simply lack of information.

It is fragmented attention.

The 112-method approach offers an alternative: use breath, body, sound, movement and ordinary experience to repeatedly return attention to the present.

Meditation then becomes less about escaping modern life and more about changing the way we participate in it.

Final Thoughts

The 112 meditation techniques associated with The Book of Secrets offer a remarkably broad map of contemplative practice.

Their greatest practical lesson may be that there is no single doorway into awareness.

Breathing can become meditation.

Walking can become meditation.

Listening can become meditation.

Eating can become meditation.

Observing thoughts can become meditation.

Even moments of emotional intensity can become opportunities to develop awareness.

The key is not the complexity of the technique.

It is the quality of attention.

For a beginner, the best approach is therefore simple: choose one safe, manageable practice, practise regularly, observe without forcing, and gradually bring the same quality of awareness into ordinary life.

The ultimate purpose is not merely to spend a few quiet minutes each day.

It is to become more conscious of the life being lived between those minutes.