Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 5: Renunciation in Action

Bhagavad Gita 5.9

pralapanvisṛjangṛhṇannunmiṣannimiṣannapi | indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan ||

speaking, letting go, taking hold, and opening and closing the eyes; holding firmly that it is only the senses moving among their objects.

Modern context

The list goes on to speaking, releasing, grasping, and even blinking, and then gives the understanding behind the practice: the senses are moving among their objects. Eyes meet shapes and ears meet sounds, and the self is the one who is aware of it. Seen in this way, experience becomes something one witnesses and is no longer something one is caught in. This is not coldness. A person who is not swept away by each sensation can be far more present to what is in front of them.