sākṣī

witness / observer

The witness - sakshi - also known as the observer, is the awareness that resides within you. Dropping preconceived ideas and beliefs about yourself and the world around you will help you drop into the space of unconditioned inquiry. From this place we can welcome experiences to be held in the light of truth, to see things as they truly are, in this - and in every - moment.

To truly live intimately with Life, we stay as the witness. It may sound as though we take a step away, a step into passivity, however it actually brings us closer to that which is at the heart of each experience, because we step out of the personhood of the one who is in the experience. As the witness, we hold space for all expressions, on all levels, accepting everything as is - which is total freedom.

This is the foundation for self-inquiry - the foundation for inquiry into the essence of Self - allowing the ego to be exposed. It is no easy task. The mind will try its best to distract you from what arises, especially if it is deep conditioning and patterns with deep grooves. However, stay put. Keep observing. Hold loving space for whatever arises. Accepting everything as is. If you notice the mind wanting to distract you, or putting labels or beliefs on what comes up, focus back on the breath and hold your mind in a loving caress, knowing that it is afraid to let go of what it knows. But by staying put, by not resisting the resistance, the mind will get more and more used to these type of deep dives, and will eventually soften. Sometimes the mind needs to be put to work, then, let it focus back onto the flow of the breath. However, soon enough it will feel and appreciate the spaciousness that comes with moving past ones perceived limitations. It is all about moving beyond what is known, befriending the uncertain, reprogramming one’s reactions and welcoming a different response.

By staying as the witness, keep observing the film of your life as it is presented on the screen of experience. Keep watching - with awareness, equanimity and ease. It is about wholehearted attention, without judgment, to that what is being exposed on a particular day, in each and every moment. Stay put. Breathe. With each breath, let the inquiry go deeper and deeper.

As the witness, start by applying attention, which is allowed to expand into awareness, which ultimately leads to complete absorption. This is where the witness dissolves into that which is witnessed. This process, moving through attention / awareness / absorption, is the ongoing evolution in the world of duality. This is the process that links us with the intimate core of reality, that which never changes, the substratum beneath all of existence. No matter the type of practice, the essence of attention is the same. In the end, it is all about merely being with what is.