By Prana Lite 
The Witness of Experience: An Intermediate but Necessary Stage in Self-Realization
One of the fundamental steps in the journey of self-realization is the recognition of ourselves as the witness of our experience. This stage, often referred to as the “witness position,” involves recognizing that we are not merely the thoughts, emotions, and sensations we experience, but rather the awareness that observes them. Although essential, this stage is not the final destination. It serves as a transitional phase, guiding us away from the identification with the body and mind toward the deeper understanding of our true nature as pure awareness.
The Habit of Identification
For most of us, our default state is one of identification with our thoughts, emotions, and sensations. We do not simply think I am aware of my thoughts and feelings; we think I am my thoughts and feelings. This identification goes unnoticed for much of our lives. We experience sadness and say, I am sad. We feel fear and say, I am afraid. In this way, we unconsciously equate our identity with the transient thoughts and feelings that pass through us. We have collapsed our sense of self into the limited experience of the body-mind.
This habit of identification is deeply ingrained. It forms the foundation of what we commonly call “ego”—the belief that we are a separate entity, an individual body and mind existing in a world of other objects and people. We live under the assumption that I, the body-mind, am the subject of experience, and the world, along with all other beings, is the object of experience. In this state, we are completely identified with our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, and we suffer accordingly.
Stepping Back: The Witness Position
To counteract this identification, many non-dual teachings, including Advaita Vedanta, introduce the practice of witnessing. This practice invites us to take a step back and observe our thoughts, emotions, and sensations from a distance. Rather than being lost in them or identified with them, we are encouraged to recognize that we are the awareness in which these experiences arise.
By stepping into the witness position, we begin to realize that we are not the body-mind that we previously took ourselves to be. We are the awareness that perceives the body and mind. Our thoughts, feelings, and sensations are objects of experience, just like the sights and sounds we perceive in the external world. They come and go, but the awareness that knows them remains ever-present.
This shift in perspective is transformative. For the first time, we recognize that the body-mind is not the subject of experience but an object in awareness. What we truly are is the ever-present, unchanging awareness in which all experiences—mental, emotional, and physical—occur.
Witnessing as an Intermediate Stage
While the witness position is a powerful step, it is not the final stage of realization. In the witness stage, there is still a subtle duality at play. We see ourselves as the subject, the witness, and the body-mind-world as objects of experience. This is a significant shift from identifying with the body-mind, but it still maintains a separation between the subject (awareness) and the object (experience).
This duality is necessary at first because it breaks the deeply ingrained habit of identification. By recognizing that we are the witness of thoughts, emotions, and sensations, we create space between awareness and the objects of awareness. However, this separation is ultimately only a provisional step.
At this stage, we may say, I am the witness of my thoughts and feelings, but I am not those thoughts and feelings. While this is true and liberating, it still implies a subtle division between the awareness that witnesses and the experiences being witnessed. This division, although helpful in dissolving identification with the body-mind, is ultimately incomplete.
Going Beyond Witnessing: The Collapse of Duality
The next step on the path of self-realization is to see that the distinction between the witness and what is witnessed is an illusion. Experience does not merely arise in awareness; it is made of awareness. In other words, the body, mind, and world are not separate objects appearing to an awareness that is distinct from them—they are expressions of that awareness.
At first, this may seem like a paradox. How can the thoughts, emotions, and sensations we experience be awareness? Yet, when we examine the nature of experience deeply, we see that there is no substance to experience other than awareness itself. Take any experience—whether a thought, a sensation, or a perception—and ask yourself: What is it made of? It is made of consciousness. There is no objective material that exists outside of awareness. All experience is permeated by and made of consciousness.
As this understanding deepens, the sense of separation between awareness and the objects of awareness dissolves. We no longer see ourselves as the witness standing apart from our experience. We recognize that awareness and experience are not two separate things. They are one and the same.
This is the ultimate realization: the collapse of the apparent distinction between subject and object. In this understanding, there is no longer I as the witness and that which is witnessed. There is only awareness, experiencing itself in all forms.
The Importance of the Witness Stage
Despite being an intermediate stage, the witness position is a crucial step in the process of awakening. For many of us, identification with the body-mind is so entrenched that without this witnessing phase, we would remain stuck in the belief that we are our thoughts, emotions, and sensations. The witness stage serves as a bridge, allowing us to loosen our identification with the body-mind and begin to recognize our true nature as awareness.
It is important not to skip over this stage. Attempting to collapse the distinction between subject and object without first experiencing the witness position may lead to confusion or a superficial understanding. The witness stage is like learning to take a step back from the drama of life, to observe without becoming entangled. It is a necessary preparation for the deeper realization that all experience is, in fact, an expression of awareness.
Conclusion
The witness of experience is a vital yet intermediate stage in the process of self-realization. It helps us break free from the identification with the body-mind and introduces us to our true nature as the ever-present awareness in which all experience arises. However, this witnessing is not the final step. Ultimately, we must go beyond the duality of witness and witnessed to realize that all experience is made of the very awareness that we are. In this way, the separate self dissolves, and we recognize that we are not a witness observing a world outside of us, but pure consciousness, experiencing itself in all forms.
