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What is the “inner sense”?
In different cultures, there is the notion of an “inner sense”, sometimes called the “third eye”: In the Indian religion, for example in the tantric yoga it is called “Ajna Chakra”. In Christianity it’s called “the single, good or healthy eye” (Matthew, 6.22) or the divine “All Seeing Eye” in a triangle. In western science, there is equally the notion of an”inner sense”, which perceives more than just optical input and is associated with the pineal gland.
A good starting point for the open eye meditation is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Its eight-fold path is concerned first with ethical living standards as well as body and breath exercises (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama). These exercises lead to mental and physical balance and are conditions for a successful meditation. The four following stages are: withdrawing the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and contemplation (samadhi). For this second part of Patanjali Yoga, we may concentrate on gross or subtle objects.

Meditation on Gross Material Objects
Material meditation objects are perceived with the physical eyes, not with the inner sense, but the concentration on them can lead to subtle appearances. The meditation on gross material objects should be performed in a way to support the third eye in its function: making aware our two halves of consciousness and harmonizing the right (intuitive-emotional) and left (rational-analytic) side of our brain and consciousness respectively. This succeeds best by means of squinting techniques, which were developed in the east as in the west. However, two different kinds of squinting must be distinguished…