Dwell as the "Witness."

2nd Gear in the 3-Speed Transmission is "dwelling as the Witness." The first thing to know about the "Witness" is that it isn't what it appears to be. In other words, although there is, in every moment of conventional experience, a sense that there is an "I" who knows the experience, this "I" is actually a fiction, a fabrication of mind. One way to see through this apparent watcher is to become absorbed into it, understanding that it will eventually collapse of its own accord. Ramana Maharshi referred to the Witness as "the stick that stirs the fire and is eventually consumed by it." When the Witness dissolves, you will find that you have naturally arrived at 3rd Gear, the direct apprehension of buddha nature in your own being.

With this in mind, dwelling as the Witness is seen as a transitional step. It could be said to lie halfway between 1st Gear and 3rd Gear, halfway between the object-oriented practices of concentration/insight and the complete surrender to what is, also known as non-duality. Since it takes a great deal of concentration to become absorbed into the sense of "I," this practice kills two birds with one stone; it serves as a transition to recognizing buddha nature while at the same time strengthening your ability to concentrate. As concentration is essential to progress through the Insight Knowledges (ñanas) and Realms of Absorption (jhanas), this technique of dwelling as the Witness is a very streamlined way to both Realization of what is always already the case (3rd Gear) and developmental enlightenment (1st Gear).

How to dwell as the Witness:

As you go about your daily life and as you sit on the meditation cushion, ask yourself the question, "Who am I?" Don't try to answer it with trivialities like "I am Joe," etc. The question is just a pointer to get you to notice who it is that seems to be having this experience. As you ask this question, "Who am I?" you might get a flash of something like "I" as an answer.

"Who am I?"

"I, that's who! I am I!"

OK, that's what we're looking for. You don't have to go beyond that. That sense of "I" is the very Witness we are seeking. You don't need to debunk the Witness. This is a self-debunking practice; all you have to do is become absorbed into this sensation of "I, I" and enjoy it. You will find that it is very enjoyable indeed, as this apparent "I" has no stake in anything that goes on; it is just an impassive witness. Continue to become ever-more-deeply absorbed into this sense of "I", understanding that someday it will dissolve of its own accord, leaving only pure, non-local awareness. At that point, you will have arrived at 3rd Gear.

One of the things I most want to communicate to people is that when we talk about the witness we aren't being poetic or metaphorical; the "witness" is a clear, discreet, recognizable, and reproducible state that can be mastered with practice. Once mastered, it becomes one of the most empowering tools in a yogi's toolbox. Not only does it pave the way to direct realization of the non-dual, it is valuable in its own right as a way to maintain a connection with awareness while going about daily life activities.

I think of an hourglass, turned on its side. On one side of the hourglass is the non-dual. If all of the sand has gone to that side, there is only the perfection of primordial awareness, which pervades, includes, and gives rise to all things. This is the most precious jewel of all the Buddhas, but does not lend itself to productivity or even functionality in modern daily life; we can only practice the non-dual when we don't have any other cognitively demanding tasks to attend to. On the other end of the hourglass is duality; when all the sand has moved to that side of the glass, the apparent self has completely lost touch with the greater reality and sees itself as cut off and separate from the whole. Although it is possible to be extremely productive in terms of daily life activities while isolated in this way (indeed, most people will spend their entire lives in the thrall of duality), the price to be paid for such a productive life is a horrendous amount of suffering. In the middle, in the narrow part of the hourglass, is the Witness. Experience is somewhat limited here, consistent with the narrowness of the glass; everything is seen as self. There is only pure subjectivity. All of the usual objects of consciousness are present, but they are not seen as Other. As such, the Witness is upstream from suffering. In other words, suffering, which is part and parcel of our ordinary dualistic condition, has not yet arisen during the witness state. And yet, unlike the full experience of non-duality, it's possible to do most daily tasks while dwelling as the Witness. Tasks that require dualistic thinking (writing this message, for example) can be effectively accomplished from the witness state, and with practice it gets easier and easier. The flexibility of the witness state, lying as it does halfway in between the dual and the non-dual, makes it possible to remain functional in daily life while staying poised at the very gates of primordial awareness, ready to tip over at a moments notice into what the Dzogchen masters call The Great Perfection. Because of its ability to serve as a bridge between the unborn and the manifest along with the practical value that goes along with that bridge status, I can scarcely imagine a more useful or empowering tool for those of us who have chosen to pursue awakening while living as householders.

Kenneth Folk
July 2009