The Headless Way

Douglas Harding developed the Headless Way after a profound experience in the Himalayas where he realized that, from his own first-person perspective, he had no head—only a vast, open space where a head should be.

Unlike most spiritual practices that require years of effort, the Headless Way offers immediate experiments that reveal our true nature right now. By pointing at where your face should be and noticing what you actually see (not what you imagine), you discover boundless awareness rather than a limited person.

This approach bypasses belief and philosophy entirely. It is direct seeing, available to anyone willing to look. The experiments are playful yet profound, using simple observations to reveal what has always been true but overlooked.

Try the "pointing experiment": Point at something across the room and notice what you're pointing at. Now slowly turn your finger toward where others see your face. What do you find? Not a face, but empty, aware space—room for the entire world. Notice how this space has no boundaries, no age, no color. This is your original face.

The main obstacle is imagination overriding direct experience. We "know" we have a head because of mirrors and photos, but direct experience shows only open space. Another obstacle is dismissing the experiments as too simple—we expect enlightenment to be difficult.