The Art of Witnessing

Meditation simply means the art of witnessing.

But it is very difficult for contemporary people to enter directly into meditation, because repressions and inhibitions have accumulated in their unconscious like a rock wall. So I have created cathartic techniques (Dynamic, Kundalini, Mandala, Nataraj, etc) as a preparation for meditation, to remove that rock. Once it is removed, then you can begin the right meditation.

There are 112 techniques which you can experiment with to find the one which clicks for you. Those techniques are all variations of one fundamental theme – the foundation that runs through them all is witnessing.

First, watch your actions of the body, becoming aware that you are not the body.

Second, watch your actions of the mind, your mind processes; your thoughts, dreams, imagination.

Third, watch your actions of the heart: feelings, love, hate, moods, sadness, happiness.

And if you can succeed in watching these three, and as your witnessing grows deeper and deeper, a moment comes that there is only witnessing, but nothing to witness. The mind is empty, the heart is empty, the body is relaxed.

In that moment something happens like a quantum leap. Your whole witnessing turns upon itself. It witnesses itself, because there is nothing else to witness. And you become aware of your ‘am-ness’, your ego. And this is the revolution which I call enlightenment, self-realization. You can give it any name, but this is the ultimate experience of bliss.

So first the body, then the mind, then the emotions, moods, feelings, then your ‘am-ness’, your ego.

Then watch the watcher. Now there is no object. Things have been dropped, thoughts have been dropped, now you are alone. Now simply be watchful of this watcher, be a witness to this witnessing.

When there is no object to your witnessing, it simply comes around back to itself – to the source. It comes home. It becomes both the seer and the seen, the object and the subject, and for the first time you have unity. This experience of absolute organic unity of your consciousness has been called by different names – moksha, nirvana, liberation, enlightenment, illumination. Whatever word you choose makes no difference. But this is the ultimate peak, this is the ultimate goal of human life.