The Witness Is Not Something You See

We have seen that we are not the body and not the mind.

So it is natural to say: I am the witness.

But this can be misunderstood.

The witness is not something you will see as an object. It is not a special inner experience. It is not a new state to reach.

The witness is that because of which everything else is known.

You do not see the witness. You are the witness.

Every thought is known. Every feeling is known. Even the absence of thoughts is known.

That which knows all of this does not itself come and go.

In waking, thoughts are present. In dream, a different set of thoughts appears. In deep sleep, there are no thoughts.

But you do not say, "I did not exist."

You say, "I slept well."

That means the Self is present even when the mind is not active.

This is why the text says the Self is present in all states and does not change.

It is also self-revealing.

You do not need another means to know that you exist. You do not need proof to know "I am."

Everything else requires a means of knowledge. But the Self is known by its very presence.

This is the sakshi — the witness. Not an object. Not a role. But your own nature as the knower.