Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
The falling away of self is common to all religions. But in
Buddhism, No-Self is not a state or stage of the falling away of
the ego or personality or a state of union with divine, it's
actually a Dharma Seal or the nature of reality. And, there is no
identification with an eternal witnessing consciousness as the
Self, the view and experience of other mystics.
That means, those mystics experience Consciousness/Awareness as
an Eternal Watcher (which is God), a non-judging and permanent
watcher watching everything in life yet remaining unaffected and
unchanged. But when non-duality is realised, it's seen that
there is no Observer apart from Observed. The true face of
consciousness is seen. Scenery sees, there is no seer. Sound hears,
there is no hearer. Thought thinks, there is no thinker.
All along the
transience rolls and knows; no separate watcher is real or
needed.
--------------
When this is realised, practice becomes spontaneous, effortless
and natural, and there is no attempt to maintain a conscious
witnessing (which is related to holding onto a self), no 'effort'
required, because it is seen that all transient phenomena has
always been self-luminous, no watcher/witness is needed. (I think
this is where the problem of insomnia may be overcome in those
practitioners suffering from the side effects of intense Presence
coupled with strong propensities/bond to Self)
Also in my experience and I believe all others experience, if we
attempt to use "effort" to maintain a witnessing, we may experience
that the observer is an entity in the center of the head or
somewhere in the body. In actuality, this is not true.
Rather, it is based on the association that arises over time
between thinking of one's self and the subtle muscular contractions
in the forehead region. It makes us think that this is where we
are. This is the propensity/bond and identification of a self with
the body.
And by dropping the witness/center, one opens up to a vastness
without a center. As Longchen said: Additionally, the need to
stay conscious through the meditation is also dropped away. This
opens up a vastness without center. (Meditation and spontaneous manifestation)
Nevertheless, prior to enlightenment the practice of maintaining
mindfulness is taught, and is a very important practice, but to the
dualistic mind it is often seen as 'stage-based' and
'effortful'.
Also a strong practice of witnessing (so does self-inquiry and
certain practices) can quickly lead to a vivid experience of the I
AM, which is a transcendental and precious experience that serves
as a condition for further insights, but the experience itself does
not come with the understanding its nature as anatta. (and when one
has experienced the I AM, one still has to switch to proper
insight-practice/vipassana, but with the condition of Presence one
may develope insights faster.)
However, it should be noted that the kind of witnessing
described above is not exactly the same as the mindfulness
practiced in Vipassana/Insight-Practice, which leads to a more
gradual and systematic way to experience insight, without going
through the "I AM". (of course this is just speaking generally,
it depends alot on the condition of the practitioner, some might
take 7 years, while people like Bahiya got enlightened in one
day) This practice is taught by Buddha. Vipassana is not so
much focusing on experiencing/being the witness -- there is mindful
awareness, but the "focus" is on the impermanence, suffering, and
no-self nature of phenomenon. Means for example there is only the
awareness of the minutest detail of every arising and passing
sensations without abiding, and without attempting to be the
unchanging watcher watching changes. Through this practice one will
traverse many stages of insights (nanas) all the way to
enlightenment. In this method, there will not be quick experience
of Presence, but when Presence is experienced it comes with the
realisation of non-duality/insight of Anatta (no-self).
But in whichever case, what is necessary is the insight into the
'nature' (of non-duality and anatta/no-self as dharma seal) which
is 'always so', its an awakening, a quantum shift in perception.
With this awakening of insight, the pathless path is known.
Thusness says, The key
point about mindful awareness is there is no keeping of the mind on
anything and by not resting on anything, it fuses into everything;
therefore it cannot be concentrated; rather it is to relax into
nothingness empty of self, empty of any artifical doing so that the
natural luminosity can take its own course. There is no
focusing, there is only allowing the mirror bright clarity to shine
with it natural radiance. In essence there is no one
there, only the phenomenon arisng and ceasing
telling their stories.
And here is how Buddha taught mindfulness and non-duality to
Bahiya:
"Then, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to
the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard,
only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In
reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you
should train yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in
reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard,
only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in
reference to the cognized, then, Bahiya, there is no you in terms
of that. When there is no you in terms of that, there is no you
there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder
nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress."
~ http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.1.10.than.html
I updated this post last night, with my understanding of
Vipassana and Presence.