Dristi has the ”fascination” effect that a predator has on its prey, or headlights have on a deer, rabbit or kangaroo. They freeze.
Etymology - From Latin fascinare ("to bewitch"), possibly from Ancient Greek βασκαίνιεν
Noun: The act of fascinating, bewitching, or enchanting; enchantment; witchcraft; the exercise of a powerful or irresistible influence on the affections or passions; unseen, inexplicable influence.
The state or condition of being fascinated.
That which fascinates; a charm; a spell.
Women have ”fascinators” on their millinery (fancy hats) which are imitating the fascinators in the animal kingdom. A good example of this is the peacock’s tail, covered in eyes, or the way a snake mesmerises its prey.
Now, when you combine this phenomenon with a meditation practice, it encourages you to forget everything else and be attentive (to what may happen) and it encourages stillness, a state of preparation. It is also confronting, reminding you of what you are supposed to be doing (which you might otherwise doing innattentively in solitude). People tend to sit up straighter when sharing dristi, and that erect posture is a basic discipline of many meditation traditions, like Soto Zen which has sitting in correct posture as the basis of its practice (i.e. the practitioner is then allowed to come to their own realisations, no particular experience is prescribed, expected or achieved. Enlightenment is potential within each person).
These traditions are built on the fact that such a posture allows free, easy breathing, maximum alertness and stillness all at once, which allows the mind to be free of other distractions, even the slight effort of breathing into slightly congested ribcage. Dristi is part of that tradition too, and found in many ‘schools' not just BKs. The third eye dristi practice is part of other vedantic and Buddhist practices, Lekhraj Kripalani is said to have learnt a technique from a saddhu (one who has ”achieved” through saddhana). Hitler, and other early 20th C. europeans who became fascinated (!) with eastern philosophies is said to have practiced an ‘eye-contact” charismatic technique.
What is that feeling (energy) you get? It’s you. It's what lies beneath the mundane, conditioned you when you get out of your own way, when the chatter and whirr (vritti) of ego-creating consciousness (aham kara) is finally stilled because its not only unnecessary but counter-productive.
You learn to make the silent spaces between the ‘thought-words‘ longer and longer, you feel a profound experience of ”being” that is not coming from the ego whirrings, so logically ego figures it is ”someone else” - an ”other” - because it not ‘conventional” me.
What is felt in many such traditions is similar but is named and understood according to culture and language of the belief system.
BKs call the lsat remnant of ego conscious whirring as ”atma” and the "other” experience as ”paramatma” .
Christian mystics call it ‘Christ consciousness” and ”Godhead”, Orthodox Christian mystics call it ”ησυχία” (quietude).
Patanjali talks of Samadhi. (”sama” - same,, sum, equilibrium, all; and ”adhi” - max, super-, meta- )
Buddhists will use terms like ”entering the stream”
Chan Buddhists use Hua T’uo (head of the thought - the state preceding thought) and Hua Wei (tail of the thought - the effect of the thought), nirvana (extinguishment of self) etc.
Taoist meditation is concerned with seeing ‘what is” and speak of ”Yuanyou” ("far-off journey; ecstatic excursion)
Jungian psychology distinguishes ”Ego" (conscious aspect of self) from ”Self” (whole being including the unconscious aspects)
The point is, it is not
necessarily ”soul and god” or anything to do with immortality, considering all these similar practices are about presence. Buddhism for example is based on ”anatman” (no immortal self) and ”anicca" (Impermanence), the Tao is being one the constant flow and constant change of things, including self (while it exists) .
The way the experience of such states will emerge and be ”understood” in retrospect will be accordiing to the thought forms and cultural structures you place around it. The language and terminology etc, they are wrapping and ribbons - because the present is a gift!