Hour 18 Meditation – Witnessing: Sakshi Bhav as the Core
Witnessing: Sakshi Bhav as the Core
Introduction: The Power of Witnessing
Of the practices of meditation, perhaps one of the deepest and most meaningful is the practice of witnessing—a state of observing your thoughts, emotions, and body sensations without becoming identified with them. Osho calls this Sakshi Bhav (witness attitude), and he frequently refers to it as the essence of meditation. To witness means to be a non-attached observer of the mind, emotion, and body, permitting them to ebb and flow without grasping onto any of them.
Here in this module, we will examine the process of witnessing and explore what it has to offer us when we are meditating. Once you have learned to become the witness, you will have absolute inner peace away from identification with your world, your thoughts, and your desires.
The Essence of Witnessing in Meditation
Witnessing is the state of seeing without attachment, judgment, or interference. It is the basis of most spiritual traditions, and in Osho’s teachings, it is the central part of his philosophy of meditation. When you become a witness, you no longer identify with the ever-flowing stream of thoughts and start feeling a deep, silent presence.
Key Concept: Witnessing is the process of becoming aware of your experience without becoming the experience. The witness does not become involved in the experience but only observes it.
Witnessing and the Sense of Self
Osho instructs that the witness is the real self—the atman, which lies beyond the ups and downs of the mind. By witnessing, we distance ourselves from the false self, which is our identification with thoughts, desires, and feelings.
Key Insight: Witnessing enables you to recognize that you are not your thoughts, you are not your emotions, and you are not your body. You are the witness.
Sakshi Bhav: The Witnessing Attitude
The word Sakshi in Sanskrit translates to witness, and the word Bhav translates to feeling or attitude. Combined, Sakshi Bhav is the term for the inner witnessing attitude of being the detached, aware, and present witness.
Key Qualities of the Witness:
Detached Awareness: The witness is not engaged with the mind or the feelings. It just sees without reaction or judgment.
Non-Judgmental: The witness does not judge experiences as good or bad. It just observes them as they are.
Presence: The witness is completely in the here and now, neither in the past nor future, but living in the now.
Acceptance: The witness accepts whatever comes up in the moment, without denial or resistance.
Witnessing: The Road to Freedom
Witnessing is an effective way to gain freedom from the thoughts of the mind. Osho describes how when we identify with our thoughts, we become a slave to them. When we witness them, we are no longer mastered by them. This witnessing opens up a space of freedom between the experiencer (you) and the experience (thought, feeling, sensation).
Key Insight: Witnessing as Freedom
Freedom from the Mind: As you observe your thoughts, you establish space between yourself and mental activity. That space enables you to observe the patterns of the mind clearly without being carried away by them.
Emotional Freedom: Likewise, observing emotions avoids you getting trapped in emotional reactions. You may see anger, sadness, or joy as temporary states and not as permanent attributes.
Table: Witnessing vs. Identification
Witnessing
Identification
Detached observation
Emotional attachment
Observes thoughts, not the thinker
Identifies as the thinker
Non-reactive, non-judgmental
Reacts emotionally or mentally
Creates space and awareness
Involves in the drama of thought
Allows thoughts to flow freely
Gets stuck in thought patterns
Witnessing and the Present Moment
One of the fundamental characteristics of Sakshi Bhav is being completely present in the now. In our day-to-day life, we are usually caught up in thoughts of the past or future. Witnessing awakens us to the present moment, where peace and freedom really exist. By practicing Sakshi Bhav, we transfer our attention from the mind’s distractions to the immediate experience of being, here and now.
The Role of Awareness in Presence
Awareness in the present is the essence of witnessing. When you become aware of your emotions and thoughts, you cease identifying with them and merely observe them as transient events.
When you are present, you live in the moment, uncolored by the past or the future. This presence is a state of unadulterated awareness, untainted by the habitual patterns of thought that cloud your perception.
The Witness as the Observer
Osho points out that the witness is not different from the experience, but it is the same awareness which beholds the experience. It is a complete change in perspective. You don’t have to “become” the witness—you already are the witness. It is your natural state, ever-present but which may get obscured because of the prevalence of the mind.
The witness is a non-judgmental observer who merely observes the mind and body in their natural course. It does not control, modify, or get involved in the experience. It merely observes.
Advantages of Being the Witness:
Clarity of Mind: As the witness, you can see your thoughts without being submerged by them. This brings about clarity and enables you to make conscious decisions instead of reacting involuntarily.
Emotional Balance: By observing your emotions without identification, you establish a state of tranquility, keeping emotions from dominating your actions.
Inner Peace: The more you are the witness, the more you feel a state of inner peace and quietness. You come to know that you are the quiet observer, not the changing experiences.
Witnessing and Meditation
In meditation, the witness role becomes predominant. While you meditate, your thoughts, feelings, and sensations will necessarily occur. Instead of attempting to suppress them or get lost in them, Osho teaches that you must observe them with a witnessing mindset. This enables you to experience a higher state of consciousness where you are no longer affected by the constant stream of the mind.
Meditative Practices to Strengthen Witnessing:
Witnessing Awareness of Breath: Paying attention to the breath is a great method of cultivating witnessing awareness. While observing your breath, notice any feeling or thought arising, but without getting involved in them.
Body Awareness: You can also exercise witnessing by noticing the sensations within your body. While meditating, observe tension or pain anywhere in your body, but observe it without getting involved.
Observation of Thoughts: Permit thoughts to arrive and pass without becoming identified with them. As a thought comes, observe it as it travels through the mind, but don’t analyze or judge it.
Witnessing of Emotions: Emotions are intense states, but once you witness them, they become disempowering for you. Observe emotions simply as they pass and come back, but do not designate them as good or bad.
The Guru’s Role in Fostering Witnessing
In Osho’s philosophy, the Guru is instrumental in enabling the disciple to develop the attitude of witnessing. The Guru acts as a catalyst to take the disciple beyond identification with the mind and emotions and into a state of pure awareness.
Osho points out that the presence of the Guru supports the seeker to become aware of the witnessing self. The Guru does not offer the disciple any external thing but assists them to become aware of their own witness within.
Top Takeaways of This Module
Sakshi Bhav (witnessing attitude) forms the basis of Osho’s meditation process.
The witness is your essential self, and it is untouched by the moods of mind and emotions.
Meditation is the process of witnessing thoughts, feelings, and sensations without becoming identified with them.
Witnessing frees and gives space, so you can see life without being a victim of it.
Questions for Reflection
How do you start building the witness attitude into your daily life?
Remember when you were overwhelmed by a strong emotional response. How could witnessing have assisted you at that moment?
Do you find it difficult to let go of your thinking in meditation? Why or why not?
How can witnessing assist you in becoming more at peace within your day-to-day actions?
How do you see the role of the Guru in pointing you toward the witness?