The Dawn of Spiritual Awakening is the Light of Witnessing Awareness

Witnessing is the breakdown of the subject-object relationship that is called self-realization

“Both in Jnani and ajnani, ego is sprouting forth, but with this difference, namely the ajnani’s ego when it rises up is quite ignorant of its source, or he is not aware of his sushupti in the dream and jagrat states; whereas a Jnani when his ego rises up enjoys his transcendental experience with this ego keeping his lakshya (aim) always on its source. This ego is not dangerous: it is like the skeleton of a burnt rope: in this form it is ineffective. By constantly keeping our aim on our source, our ego is dissolved in its source. like a doll of salt in the ocean.”
― Ramana Maharshi

Ramesh Balsekar said that when the ego speaks, the ego listens, and in that moment, no communication happens. The ego is generally imagined as this grandiose sense of self, which it is, but it can even be subtler where it claims innocence and pretends to be the victim. “Look at poor me, I am so troubled, nobody understands how miserable I am, my situation is far worse than others, and so on.” It can show up in other aggressive forms as mocking, insulting, finger-pointing, blaming, shaming, ridicule, etc.

Ego is identification with name and form as a separate entity. Essentially the belief that I am separate from the rest. It is neither good nor evil. It is simply the conditioning that happens to a body-mind organism that is subjected to different life-forces. However, ego is painful as it continues the pain that is experienced in a given moment as suffering in horizontal time. It forms a chain of thought links where each link represents an increasing emotional charge.

This sense of personal identification is an image that is made of beliefs and ideas, “I am so and so, I belong to this country, this group, this religion, and this organization.” It comes about as a division between the sense “me” and what is perceived as the “other.” According to masters, this subject-object relationship is the root of all afflictions.

We get upset when people criticize us believing that the hurt or insult is directed at “me.” However, if one examines carefully, do we really see the other or simply an image of ourselves in the other? In my experience, the latter is mostly the case. If we see others for who they are, no insult, mockery, or ridicule will ever be registered. Yes, one may feel heat in the moment, but it is not carried forward (as a registration in memory) in horizontal time.

What we see in others is an image of ourselves. This image is a superimposition on What-Is – things as they are. It is an abstraction that comes from our own past. It has nothing to do with reality. Why do we do that? Because the human mind loves fantasy. It loves creating stories out of small things. Good or bad. Stories created out of the past and projected into an imaginary future feed and sustains the sense of separate self.

The separate self (or the ego-mind) believes that its suffering is unique and has no solution. Its nature is division, so it uses the intellect (which is a highly potent tool of the larger mind) to do the same. It divides the problem into two: one part of it creates the imaginary problem, and the second part obsesses for a solution to that imaginary problem. These are two opposing forces that cause conflict. We have all observed this within ourselves.

We wake up in the morning with a foul mood and start picking every small thing as annoying and irritating: “Oh it’s horrible weather, my mail has not arrived, why are the birds making so much noise, I’m unwell, my mind is troubled and I need help.” That’s one movement. The other solution-oriented movement is: “Why don’t I install soundproof windows, why don’t I buy a room temperature regulator, why don’t I change my house, I need to buy supplements for my health, …” Both of these movements are the same and their job is to reinforce the feeling that I am troubled; that my mind needs help.

Why am I saying that these problems are imaginary? Because these problems are identified as something external to “me” and that I can control the external environment to achieve the desired outcome to perfection. Does that mean we should not look for solutions? Or not do anything? Not at all. Do whatever you think will give you peace of mind, however, know that despite everything you “do” things may not happen as “you” want them to happen. The acceptance of this by itself weakens the ego. It frees the ego from the bondage of doership – action born out of attachment to a preferred outcome.

When we dump an emotional charge on others, we hope to feel better by sharing, but do we ever feel any better? It’s a never-ending cycle of ruminating and ranting that we get trapped in. We may feel better in the moment because the ego feels it has been validated. That is a false feeling.

Now, being heard is a need of the human biological organism. We all need to express and also be heard. However, if the expression is reactionary (the outward movement of complaining, criticizing, gossiping, and contemning people, places, and things) in nature where no regard is given to the other’s sensitivity and capacity to receive then it is self-indulgent in nature.

The more energy that we give to the reactive mind, the stronger it grows, and more is the need to throw that reactive energy onto other people. That is ego speaking. When the speaking organism is emotionally charged, the receiving organism, having deep compassion and understanding, may offer to lend an ear, but will never get caught up in the story of the speaker. This may be offensive to the speaker. Generally, the receiving organisms will shut down or react to the speaker dumping emotional charge on them. Or, give unsolicited advice as to how they should change or force change in others in order to feel relieved.

“You should speak to these groups of people and avoid others, you should do meditation and yoga to calm yourself, you should socialize more, you should take up a personal empowerment course, you should meet more people, you should talk to your parents, blah blah blah…” There is nothing wrong with either the speakers or the receivers because the Source has created them in that way. The speakers have the right to express themselves, and the receivers also have the right to reject the speakers if they are not sensitive or compassionate enough to listen. We all come with our respective conditioning and there is nothing right or wrong about it.

I will repeat that when an ego speaks, the ego on the other end listens, and there is no communication happening in that moment.

Witness Consciousness: The Dawn of Spiritual Understanding

“The only true meditation is the constant impersonal witnessing of all that takes place in one’s life as mere movements in the universal Consciousness.” – Ramesh Balsekar

Ramesh said that for most people their conflicts and stress arise from objectivizing the future in terms of the past, which disrupts peace and harmony of daily living. When I was working in my corporate job, I often received emails that would criticize my work and there would be an impulse to send a “befitting” reply. This reply was a defensive reaction that would often start with, “But you don’t understand how this works …” There was an immediate need to defend myself by throwing the blame on someone else. Up to this point, it is usually not a problem if one forgets the whole thing and moves on.

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