सुख आते हैं, सुख जाते हैं
इस आते जाते खेल में, हम मस्त रहते हैं

Good days come and go but in this game of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, we always remain in a blissful state.

It is easily said than done. Those who have faced hard days know how expensive is to be impoverished. Pleasure, good times and sunshine bring joy whereas pain, misery and dark dreary nights are the harbinger of sorrow, gloom and doom. In fact it is the mind which makes us joyous or sorrowful. It has become our master so much that we consider ourselves nothing but mind. When we start watching it without being involved and we become the witness, the first thing we realise is that we are here and mind is there. So we are not the mind. We are the witness to our mind.

We witness whatever is happening within the mind or body. We witness that we are not the body. We witness that we are not the thoughts. We witness that we are not the mind. We witness that we are the witness. Happiness comes we witness. Misery comes, we witness. Pleasure comes, we witness. Pain comes, we witness. Life comes, we witness. When this witnessing becomes deep-rooted and strong, we witness even the death and have no fear of death. This witnessing has to be strengthened and nourished and then it leads to the state of no-mind. Witnessing is the beginning and no- mind is the fulfilment. Witnessing is the method to reach the state of no-mind.

In “Song of Sannyasi", Swami Vivekananda Ji describes: -

There is but One, the Free, the Knower Self,

Without a name or form or stain,

In Him is Maya dreaming this entire dream,

The Witness He appears as nature, soul,

Know thou art that, Sannyasi bold! Say,

             “Om Tat Sat Om!”

By being a Witness, we can be Free. Be a witness and do not react. Let there be action without reaction. The action is pleasing, all misery lies in reaction. The child puts its hand in fire. That is a pleasure. But when its body reacts, then comes the pain of burning. When we can stop the reaction, we have nothing to fear. We can be happy only by being a witness and not re-acting. The happiest moments are those when we entirely forget ourselves. We just become the witness.

We live in the world but the world does not live in us. We are in the world but not of the world. The boat stays in water but water does not enter into the boat. The lotus grows in mud but mud does not stain it. The duck swims in water but water does not dampen it.

दुनिया में हूँ दुनिया का तलबगार नहीं हूँ
बाज़ार से गुज़रा हूँ खरीददार नहीं हूँ

I am in the world but not of it. I have passed through the bazaar but I am not its customer.

To attain liberation through work, we should join ourselves to work but without desire, looking for no result. Such work creates no bondage and leads to knowledge which in turn brings freedom. Work done for self creates no bondage. Neither desire pleasure nor pain. Be unaffected by the result. Be a witness. It is the body and the mind which work not I. Tell yourself unceasingly and realise it. Try not to feel that you work. The best work is done when you are engrossed completely in work so much so that you forget yourself. Do all as a sacrifice or offering to the Lord. Let your love go to all whatever they may do to you.

When we become the witness, we witness whatever is happening within the mind or body. We witness that we are not the body. We witness that we are not the mind. We witness that we are not the thoughts. We witness that we are not the thoughts showering on us. We witness that we are the witness. Happiness comes, we witness. Misery comes, we witness. Pleasure we witness and pain we witness. We witness whatever life is unfolding before us and when this witnessing is deep-rooted, we witness death even as we witness life. Death is no longer a dragon for us. Death comes to body or mind or intellect and we are neither. We are just the WITNESS.

Such is the miracle of witnessing that not only we enjoy the BLISS of life but face even Death boldly. In Meditation we realise that we are not the body, we are not the mind, we are not the intellect, we are not the spiral body but we are the WITNESS. We witness the mind which starts a film that has a beginning but no ending. Mind is a continuous flow of thoughts and it is always rush hour day in and day out. Mind is talking continuously. If inner talk drops even for a moment, we are able to have a glimpse of no-mind. That is Meditation. That is the real state. That is your state.

Through regular and persistent witnessing in meditation, mind becomes no mind. No attempt is made to control the mind. Controlled mind behaves just like a serpent suffering from severe cold and hunger and appearing apparently dead and harmless. Once heat and feed are provided, the serpent starts hissing, becomes alive and even bites. Once fangs are taken out, it does not matter whether the serpent is alive or dead, it becomes harmless. By witnessing the mind constantly, persistently and patiently, we get out of the mind and go beyond mind. That is the state of no-mind and that is the true state. That is our real state.

Then we become the master of mind and mind becomes our slave. So we get our lost master ship back and this vagabond mind not only creates no hurdle for us in witnessing but paves the way to our Being. Let us be witness. Meditation is witnessing the thoughts, witnessing the mind and witnessing whatever is happening within the body and mind after closing eyes gently. Thick darkness appears, we just witness without worrying about the prevalence of darkness. Then there is the stillness, the soundless sound, we witness. The endless caravan of thoughts is going on, we witness. Mind starts a film on its screen with a beginning but no end. Without being involved in the film, we witness the film.

Lo! The miracle will happen through continuous witnessing. Caravan of thoughts will lose its strength and a voice will burst through the heart:-

भीखा भूखा कोई नहीं, सबकी गठरी लाल
अपने को जानत नहीं, ताहि विधि भये कंगाल