Question:
Can you please tell us once again a little more about Sakshi!?? The non judgemental witness as you describe it!?? Is it something to be developed!?? Is it not there formless ALWAYS but we are becoming aware of it more and more and abide in it!??
Sri Prabhuji:
There are two levels of reality – Absolute (paramarthik) and transactional (vyavaharika). Transactional reality is Maya (dream).
Absolutely reality is not affected by transactional reality. For example rope appears as snake in darkness. This appearance is “maya”. Rope is equivalent of “absolute” reality. Snake is equivalent of “transactional” reality. Illusory snake cannot affect rope. Similarly transactional reality cannot affect absolute reality.
Sakshi or witness is absolute reality – Brahman. Sakshi is never affected by Maya – transactional reality. However, reflection of Sakshi – chidabhasa appears as jiva or ego or ahankara – I sense.
Ego has problem of samsara. Ego is identifying with dream body forgetting its source -sakshi (witness). It is ego which is doer (karta). Ego which is doing sadhana to get out of samsara.
Ego is false “I”. Sakshi is real “I”. Real I has no problem and false I has no solution. Only freedom for false I is to find its source real I and merge with source. This is called mukti or liberation.
Mukti or liberation is gradual process for false I. It has to purify itself through sadhana. False I has to remember its true nature as Sakshi (witness). This spiritual sadhana for ego is called “Sakshi bhava”. Please note the difference between Sakshi (real I) and Sakshi Bhava (false I trying to remain as sakshi). Sakshi bhava is a spiritual practice for purification of ego.
Deep purification of ego (Sakshi bhava) makes ego appear like Sakshi. Suffering will reduce. This is called PURITY (chitta shuddhi). This practice is called YOGA.
Through self enquiry (who am i) and study of vedanta, a CLARITY emerges. CLARIY that real I is Sakshi, as Sakshi I am unborn. This is called JNANA. Real I Sakshi does not require practice of sadhana. Only false I requires sadhana.
Hence PURITY + CLARITY leads to TOTALITY (Purnatva). In other words YOGA+JNANA is realization. This is called PURNA YOGA.