Question 1:

I was practicing 100% awareness for most of the day. But it seemed to me that as I was 100% aware, I was also totally aware of what I was experiencing through the senses – I was totally aware of what my body and mind were doing. It seemed to be an excellent way of not thinking of the past and not worrying about the future, and it also kept my raagas and dveshas out. However, being 100% in the senses, is that not contrary to what we are trying to do – drop the body?

Question 2:

In the 100% awareness situation, I was not doing what I was practicing before – the Sakshi bhav – the witness of what was happening and what I was experiencing – i.e. witnessing what my body and mind were doing. When I was practicing the latter, it seemed that I could have been observing myself thinking about the past or the future, or been observing my thoughts and desires. Which of the two is a better technique for dropping the body and the mind?

Answer:

Both the techniques are one and the same. You seem to be lost in words. Understand that being aware and being a witness are just two different words for the same thing. Let me now clarify all the different words so that we leave no room for the small mind to make concepts and get caught up in them. All of the below are one and the same.

• • Buddha calls this mindfulness ‘being in the present moment totally’.
  • Ashtavakra calls this Sakshi Bhav – ‘witnessing everything, dropping the doership’.
  • Krishna calls this Sthitapragya – ‘established in 100% awareness’.
  • Patanjali calls it Ekagrata – ‘one-pointedness’

It is all one and the same.

Remember, I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not the intellect. I have a body, I have a mind, I have an intellect. I am the consciousness that is sticking on to this body like a flame is on the wick of a candle. Thus the flame can observe the candle because it is different from the candle.

For e.g. The body is typing this email right now, I am completely aware of the movement of each finger hitting every alphabet on the keyboard. I am aware of the posture of the body. I am aware of the breath moving in and out. I am aware of every little word the intellect is coming up with and the body is typing that down. There is no unnecessary chitter-chatter at the background. There is complete silence in the mind. Only intellect is speaking and fingers are typing. There is complete lack of emotion right now, just a calmness and quietude of Peace exists.

There is 100% awareness of everything that this body mind complex is involved in. While witnessing this entire scenario, I am at rest, I do nothing, I am nothing. I just am a witness to all that is happening.

I am just like a leaf floating with the current of life. Life just threw a question toward me, I let the body-mind complex act spontaneously and answer it. It is no different for me from the action of drinking water, or talking to somebody, or driving the car, or working in the office, or dealing with family and friends or teaching you in a class. It is all the same for me.

I am completely one-pointed and 100% aware, I am totally in the present moment witnessing all that this body-mind complex is involved in. I am not the doer, I am not the experiencer! I am in Sakshi Bhava!