That which is not expressed by speech, but that by which speech is expressed: know that to be God, not what people here adore.
That which is not thought by the mind, but that by which the mind thinks: know that to be God, not what people here adore.
That which is not seen by the eye, but that by which the eye sees: know that to be God, not what people here adore.
That which is not heard by the ear, but that by which the ear hears: know that to be God, not what people here adore.
That which is not breathed by the breath, but that by which the breath breathes: know that to be God, and not what people here adore.
Kena Upanishads ( English translation by Sanderson Beck)
I just read another translation of these beautiful words from the Upanishads at the same time I was listening to Michael A. Singer speak about the consciousness that watches the objects of consciousness. How many of us are still getting all tangled up in those things that are unfolding before us and in us, I wonder, without even questioning that which is observing them, that by which they come to be. How many of us adore the object of consciousness more than consciousness?
It is a life of confusion and suffering we live when we shine a narrowly focused light on that which is right in front of us or in us at the exclusion of everything else. It a life of suffering we encounter when we see the body and what it picks up with its senses, its "desire" for internal comfort, as all there is and fail to notice or be aware of the light itself or where it comes from. We are so busy hanging out with the objects of consciousness, we neglect to hangout with and get to know the witness.
This witness is who we are at the deepest level. It is a vast ocean of peace, joy, love. It is Sat Chit Ananda. It is consciousness. Consciousness is the light we are using to observe the objects in front of us, be they external or internal. That Light is God. It is what we are seeking. When we are so caught up in the material world ...what is picked up by the senses...we seek a certain false peace and happiness from these objects, from grasping and clinging, from preferring and desiring one over the other, from pushing away that which is unpleasant and therefore resisting what is. We are so focused on what is said, what is thought, what is seen, what is heard and on the state of the body's biological processes...we fail to ask , "What is that by which these things are happening? What is observing these things?" The focus on the objects of consciousness gets us all tangled up in them and pull us away from the peaceful, love-filled center of consciousness....from that which we are truly seeking: God.
Hmmm! Witnessing what is happening in front of us and in us is an important first step to getting us untangled and back to this center of who we are, to God. Ram Dass also explains what this Witness Consciousness is in Be Here Now. He states it is a part of the rational mind to be used only until we get to the "doorway" where the "eternal witness" ( Sat Chit Ananda) rests. Once we get through that doorway we will merge with the One. The ego/rational mind Witness consciousness is the "eye" or 'I' which sees though it does not look. It is nonjudgmental ...doesn't judge what it sees as good or bad, right or wrong, should be or shouldn't be...it just notes what is. It not only notices what is happening "out there" but also what is happening "in here" in reaction or response,
Once we are untangled and no longer caught up in our focus on the objects of consciousness....we are free to be consciousness. That is what we really want.
All is well!
Ram Dass (n.d.) Remember: Be Here Now. Kindle Edition
Kena Upanishads as translated by Sanderson Beck https://www.san.beck.org/Upan1-Kena.html#:~:text=the%20eye%20sees%3A-,know%20that%20to%20be%20God%2C%20not%20what%20people%20here%20adore,not%20what%20people%20here%20adore.
Michael A. Singer/ Temple of the Universe ( July 31, 2023) Consciousness and the Objects of Consciousness. https://tou.org/talks/
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