Spiritual Forum

The Similarities and Differences of Seeing and Witnessing

Dear Sri Bhagavan, During your last darshan, you told us that we would receive the state of seeing. Previously, you spoke about the state of witnessing. Are the two states the same or different? Thank you, Sri Bhagavan.  

Sri Bhagavan: 

Seeing and witnessing are the same, and not the same. Seeing basically refers to you're seeing the workings of the mind. Of course, there are times when the mind would stop working. It's silent, it's quiet, it's peaceful. Then what you experience is witnessing. When the mind becomes silent, seeing still continues, but it becomes witnessing. 

All things are happening, and you keep witnessing. Seeing is you are seeing the workings of the mind. The mind is continuously working, and you normally do not see that. But you start seeing it, that is seeing. It concerns the mind. But when the mind becomes silent, what is there is witnessing. 

When you look at a tree, it is witnessing. Suppose you look at the tree, and you see the mind commenting on the tree, you see the commentary of the mind, that is seeing. But when the mind passes no commentary, you are witnessing the tree. You will not say it's a big tree, small tree, green tree, yellow tree. Nothing like that, the witnessing is totally different. 

But as you keep seeing, soon you’ll start witnessing. Then, as witnessing more, normal to you, you spend a lot of time witnessing: witnessing the sky, the sun, the moon, the people, everybody, your wife, your child, only witnessing. 

So after some time, the question will put to you, “Who are you? And what are you?” You would not be able to say that you are alive or dead. You’ll be completely gone - washed off, erased. You would only say, “I do not know if I am alive or dead.” Because you are gone. 

We are trying to get there, where you will not see yourself. 

You are the big nuisance. Once you are gone, the universe is very, very different. Extraordinarily beautiful. It's very enjoyable. Bliss is there. Love is there. They are all there because you have gone. You are the nuisance so you must be wiped away. So, it's easy to start with seeing, move on to witnessing and then, no more comments. You are gone. You're just there, that's all. That’s what will happen to you. We are currently very focused on that. Many of you would soon get there.