Informative

Sakshi Bhav – Cultivating the Witness Attitude

Legendary sage Swami Ramana Maharshi had bone cancer in his hand. Surgeons wanted to operate it. Respecting the wishes of his devotees and the diagnosis of the experts, Swamiji accepted the treatment. When the surgeon initiated the anesthesia process during the operation, Swamiji respectfully denied it, saying it’s my hand in pain, not me. If you want to go ahead with the operation, you have to do it without the anesthesia. During the whole painful procedure, he witnessed the changes his body was undergoing with great poise and nothing but a smile on his calm face. This is the real power of Sakshi Bhav or a witness attitude.

Sakshi means witness. Sakshi Bhav translates to Witness attitude. Having the witness attitude, not just during the meditation session but also during our day-to-day life, is vital if we want to progress in the spiritual path.

Sakshi Bhav is being aware of the self and everything around us, all the time. In the overwhelming sensory world, we often get lost in whatever we see, feel, touch, see, hear and taste. When our mind is not scattered everywhere and when we are absolutely in ‘here and now,’ we are Sakshi.  

It means that whatever is happening in our life, we should witness it without getting involved in it with emotions. By looking at every situation without involving our feelings, we can act rational in that situation. By doing so, one can detach from the results of the outcomes to realize the difference that we are different from the events that are occurring around us.

For example, if you are angry at someone, instead of yelling at them, try to be aware of the fact that you are mad. You will notice that when you acknowledge your anger, your anger vanishes quickly.

Difference between a spectator and witness

Spectating is engaging your senses and grasping in your mind. Witness, is just another name of absolute truth. The idea of the witnessing is so complex, that if the witness is really a witness, you won’t be able to say anything else about it. Ancient texts say that the witness remains unseen, he can neither be talked of, nor he could be thought of, nor he would be imagined, described, nor anyone can think about him. 

Imagine your friend has texted you a hilarious joke. If you are lost in the words of that text and burst into a laugh, you are a spectator. But when you become aware of who is reading this text, how your mind is processing that text, how your thoughts are analyzing the meaning of the words, you are a witness.

When you experience the experiencing, it ignites a realization within, that you are separate from the experience. Sitting for meditation, we experience a lot of things, like our body sensations, a moment of breath, sounds coming from outside, etc. What are we? we are the ones who are lost in the experience. The moment we realize, that amongst those experiences, if we can maintain the awareness of that experiencer, we start to do justice to the meditation we have been practicing for so long.

How to Incorporate Sakshi Bhav in Meditation:

During every meditation, Chamunda Swamiji instructs us to possess a witnessing attitude while concentrating on our breath. Swamiji says, “Sakshi Bhav is, I am not this body. This body belongs to me. I am not the physique; this physic is mine. My body is inhaling, exhaling. Do not indulge in the thoughts. The key is to observe them as a witness and let them go. This is the beginning of the cleansing process.”

While meditating, try to understand that your mind and body are just instruments gifted to you to use them well. Detach yourself from these identifications.

-Start your meditation by getting into a comfortable position.

-Take deep breaths with your eyes closed. Inhale, Pause and exhale.

-After every five or ten seconds, recognize what’s happening in your mind.

-If you find in between dialogue with yourself, acknowledge it as a ‘conversation’ and set it aside.

-If you observe pictures or incidents unfolding in front of your eyes, label them as ‘impression,’ sliding them aside. 

-If there are no thoughts or images, simply say ‘rest’ and continue doing so.

-Observe and label them without indulging in them. You will realize that like a bubble on a water surface, these thoughts have a very short lifespan, to arise and to dissolve in the water again.

-If your mind drifts again, don’t be so hard on yourself. Concentrate also on your breathing, continue the process.

Applying witnessing attitude in everyday life:

It’s beautiful to watch children sleep as they appear to be in a state of complete bliss. Sakshi Bhav is in the same condition, with eyes wide open.  

Constant observation of the mind, being in the present, and incorporating a practice of meditation in day to day life helps to acquire a witnessing attitude in day to day life.  When our mind is in the present, we are truly neutral, simple.

During meditation, our mind starts calming down, helping us recognize the negativity spiraling within our subconscious. With constant practice, the meditative state appears in our everyday activity, when your eyes are open.

As we start digging deep in this notion, we begin to realize, the objects we have in our minds are temporary, finite, and continuously changing. Next, we start to get those feelings and thoughts are not constant either. Sometimes we are angry, sometimes we are sad, and sometimes we are happy. But, just like the objects, these thoughts and feelings are the pieces of our cognition. Soon, we realize that we are not our thoughts, but we are the knower of our thoughts.

In a nutshell, Sakshi Bhav is somewhat like visiting a zoo. Visiting a zoo and watching various animals in their habitat is a delightful experience. If someone opens all of the cages at once, letting the animals out, then it’s a sure shot recipe of creating havoc. It’s the same thing with the mind. Witnessing is keeping a safe distance from our emotions for our safety and observing them with joy.

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