Sunday, November 25, 2007

Rest in the Witnessing

Many paths may be tread - meditation, mantra, satsang... and many experiences may be had. But all these experiences pass. Eventually the seeker tires of these passing states. At some point it may be seen that the only way to find out what you are is through negation (Neti-Neti).

As all objects or appearances are negated as neti-neti, not this, not that, even the very sensations and perceptions called "body" and "mind" are negated. But after negating this body-mind, KNOWING is still happening.

So there comes a realization that the very KNOWING is a background ON WHICH all appearances happen, even that body-mind. The Witness is the CLEARING, the vast open space IN WHICH the sensations called BODY arise.

Even the sensation of being a person arises in this CLEARING. It's a contraction, a sense of separation. And it's perfectly fine as it is. Attempts to "drop" the "I" or the "ego" is just more "ego". Nothing has to be done with the sense of "I" - just witness it. Just be aware of it. Just see it as another object arising in this empty witnessing awareness. Once you witness it, you are free from it, because it's seen as an object and not IDENTIFIED with.

The only "practice" is to rest in the Witness. At this point, there is nothing left to do. Oneness or the Absolute may reveal itself once the striving and attempts to attain are left behind, seen as just more objects and appearances.

This knowingness has no borders, no boundaries, no center. All appearances arise IN this KNOWING. There is no actual INSIDE or OUTSIDE, where objects may arise SEPARATELY. Objects don't "come to" awareness from somewhere OUTSIDE. All objects happen right ON that witnessing - in fact the very witnessing cannot be separated from the object witnessed. The object IS that witnessing awareness. The object and the witnessing of the object arise mutually.

So - as the Witness, I am none of it, not the body, not the mind, not the "person", even though these are known to arise. I am the silent, still, vast empty space in which the world and the body happens.

As the Absolute, I am everything - as objects arise in this clearing, no separation can be found between the object and the awareness of the object. It's all just happening.

And in this Oneness, birth and death are only concepts, Enlightenment is another false idea, and suffering no longer has any meaning.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Hi Randall,

I love Nisargadatta. Even visited his house in Mumbai twice. He was already dead though... too bad.

Thanks for the site.

Peace, Sal