In Entering the Fourth State, Mark Griffin presents a direct meditation on accessing the supracausal dimension of consciousness—the fourth state beyond waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. This teaching emphasizes immediate entry rather than gradual progression, guiding practitioners to stop the mind and step directly into pure awareness.

Using the framework of the four bodies—physical, subtle energetic, mental, and supracausal—the teaching outlines how attention can be withdrawn from sensory and mental activity to reveal the underlying field of consciousness. Central to this process is pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses, which allows awareness to disengage from external perception and settle into stillness.

The primary method involves attention to the natural rhythm of SoHam and the space between the breaths. In this subtle interval, the breath pauses and the mind correspondingly comes to rest. By stabilizing awareness in this gap, the practitioner gains access to cessation—a condition in which sensory input and mental activity temporarily switch off. This gateway is closely related to the principles explored in the Space Between the Breaths Meditation, where the interval between breaths serves as a direct doorway into stillness.

Griffin emphasizes that entry into the fourth state requires both precision and surrender. The practitioner may cycle repeatedly between stillness and thought, gradually learning to release effort and allow awareness to “hook into” the supracausal field. As stability increases, deeper states of absorption emerge, leading toward samadhi—the direct apprehension of consciousness beyond time and space.

The teaching also introduces advanced experiential markers, including the merging of ida and pingala into the central channel and the stabilization of awareness within the subtle axis of the body. These shifts reflect the progressive integration described in The Samadhi Kunda, where cessation evolves into sustained realization.

Ultimately, Entering the Fourth State offers a precise and powerful method for direct entry into consciousness. By stopping the mind, withdrawing the senses, and stabilizing attention in the gap between breaths, the practitioner discovers that the fourth state is not distant or abstract, but immediately accessible within the structure of awareness itself.