Seeing
We are used to living in the past; conditioned by the past memories, events, lamentations, anxieties, insecurities, successes, achievements, ambitions etc. Nothing that we perceive is fresh. Upon what we perceive, we superimpose the past from within our minds and give our perceptions new names.
The names that we give depend on speech. Name is always associated with a form. A form belongs to the mind. As soon as the mind sees a form, the memory within, is activated and we find a corresponding match in the memory. We pull out and superimpose the found match on the object afront. There is a huge conflict in this. Not stopping here, we introduce a name using the speech.
Let us take the example of gold. A bangle as such, is not an object. It is a mental projection and a name. All that is, is gold. On seeing a particular circular form, a previous thought seated in the mind is activated. The form is matched and a label ‘bangle’ is attached to the form. There is no seeing here. It is only recollecting.
How to see then? One just has to see, without the mind, seeing with the being. No doubt, speech and form are required for transactions. Beyond transactions, there is the presence which is. Behold that presence through seeing. Once the mind is brought into the picture, an unrestrained flow of subjective impressions intercede the process of seeing.
Seeing without bringing in this observer, is real seeing. The observer is, in other words, the bundle of impressions, the ego, the ideas, the concepts, definitions, the dogmata, submissions, guilts, resistances etc. These are all embedded to what is seen. This is a clear conflict, in that, the duality of observer-observed is taken as real.
Once the mind is dropped then there is only seeing There is no longer any observer-observed division. There is seeing with the whole being. There is homogeneity in spite of the illusions of heterogeneity.
Let us take a book for example. The mind has to be very peaceful for this kind of observing.
The ‘name’ book has to be temporarily blocked out. Then there is the form which ignites the memory. The form also has to be abandoned. One has to look afresh. The subject-object division is gone now. There is the existence in all silence – unnameable, formless. This is awareness. This is intelligence bereft of name, form, subjectivity and objectivity.
Such looking is real seeing. There is no naming through speech, no layering of mental paraphernalia. There is only seeing.
Does something happen? No. There is no happening, no experiencing. There is seeing, there is reality, presence, the is-ness alone.
There is a sense of being, I- ness, awareness which is appreciable with this seeing. ‘Sense of being’ is more an apprehending of ‘what is’. This sense of being is not a result seeing, since, now, seeing is not an action.
Observing with such a tact is a natural gift, which we have learnt to forget. We have to unlearn it to live life meditatively. This in the scriptures is called ‘shAmbhavi dRRiShTi’
I would also like to point out, that this is a practice that finds mention in Patanjali Maharshi’s works. Though we do not accept their dualistic philosophy, we do accommodate their practices, just like we accommodate yama, niyama etc.
This practice will NOT negate ignorance. This falls in the category of parampara sAdhanam (auxiliary means). Knowledge alone is the sAkshAt sAdhanam. (direct means) for moksha.
Also, this practice has a different approach in haTh a yoga where the eyes are turned in and focussed to the middle of the eyebrow. Advaita has NOTHING to do with that practice. I do not know anything about haTha yoga, so will not talk much about it.
