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Sakshi Bhav
Following is a article on Sakshi Bhav (the atatitde of the witness) I
wrote for the San Francisco Sentinel. I hope it is of interest
SPIRIT MATTERS
THE ATTITUDE OF THE WITNESS
by Jim Gilman
Most of the great spiritual traditions suggest that we practice the
attitude of the witness both in our meditation and in our daily lives.
Just what does this mean? How does this attitude change our view of
ourselves and the world? How does it aid in the revelation of our
essential nature?
The attitude of the witness means that we watch. Rather than to be
involved as a participant, to witness means to stand apart as it were,
and simply observe. How do we accomplish this? I often suggest to
students that we approach it like a game. The rules of the game are
these: "I" am the subject. Anything of which I can be aware, anything
that is an object of cognition, is an "object." There is a distinction
between the "I", the subject, and the entire world of objects. If I
look at something, I am not the thing at which I am looking, I am the
one doing the seeing. The subject is aware of the object. The object
does not illumine itself. It must have a conscious observer for its
existence to be known. Let us examine this notion further. As I
apprehend the world of objects (things seen, tasted touched, smelled
and heard), this fact of subject - object distinction is clear
I am not any of these objects of the senses, I am the one who knows
them. If I see a bowl for example, I am not the bowl, I am the one who
sees the bowl. This seems simple so far. But let us now go to the realm
of the physical body. When I was a child, I had a child's body. That
body changed (actually died in a very real sense) and was replaced by
the body of a youth. That body also faded away and was replaced by the
body of the adult. Now as I approach old age, the body again changes.
Even though the body has undergone all of these changes, have not "I"
been the witness of them all? In fact the body and all of its
experiences and changes is an "object" of awareness, just like the
bowl. "I" am the subject and the body is an object of cognition. I am
not the body! I am the knower of the body. Let us now go to the realm
of feelings. Sometimes I feel sad, sometimes I feel happy. Sometimes I
feel love, sometimes I feel anger. The feelings are always changing.
But the feelings, like the bowl, are objects of cognition. I am aware
of my feelings. What ever feelings I may have "I" is always the
re as the witness of them all. I am not my feelings. I am the knower of
my feelings. Let us now go to the realm of thought. The thoughts go by
so quickly. Sometimes they are in the form of words, sometimes images.
They can be voices, or just impressions. It can be memory, or
projection into the future. But what ever the content of our thoughts
may be, they too, like the bowl, are objects of cognition. I am not my
thoughts I am the knower of my thoughts. So to sum up: "I" is the
subject, anything of which I can be aware is other than "I", the Self.
The subject always knows the objects, the objects do not know the
subject. The subject is always conscious. W
ith reference to the subject, the objects are always inert, meaning
they are not self luminous, they do not know themselves. The presence
of the conscious factor, the "I" is necessary for their existence to be
known. In Sanskrit this is known as "Drik Drishya Viveka,"
discrimination between the seer and the seen. As we practice this
exercise in contemplation, some truths begin to become clear. First, we
begin to see the the objects are all finite, temporary, and subject to
change. This is the realm of the impermanent. The Self, the "I" on the
other hand, is always there. It is the same "I" that is the knower of
all the objects, all the various emotions, and of all the changing
thoughts. Though the "seen" always changes, the "seer", the "I" does
not. This Self is pure existence, changeless being, the place where
God and the person are one. This Self is space- like witnes
sing consciousness. It is the knower of all, but itself cannot be known
as an object. It would be like trying to see your own eyes. The great
truth in the quest for Self Realization is "what you are looking for,
you are looking with!" Maintaining this viewpoint, always endeavoring
to be conscious of the fact that "I", the Self, am the witness, the
eternal subject, and that the phenomena, all of the objects, emotions
and thoughts, are the not-Self, ever impermanent, begins to give us the
sense that we are not our bodies, not our feelings, not our ideas, but
rather something pure, empty and space-like, yet the essence of knowing
Itself. It is the eternal consciousness in which the whole universe
rises and falls. If you have questions or comments, write to me at 4256
18th St., San Francisco, or call me at 626-1512. Jim Gilman, a direact
disciple of H. H. Swami Chinmayananda, is director of the Silent Way
Meditation Center in San Francisco.
