Osho's perspective on Witnessing
When Osho Spoke About Witnessing
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Osho, practicing witnessing is difficult. Is there no other way to reach the divine besides witnessing?
There is. We speak of it every day. This very language of compassion, this way of grace, is the other means. Bhakti, devotion, is the other way. There are two ways: sakshi—sakshi means meditation; and bhakti—bhakti means feeling. Sakshi means: stay awake and watch. And bhakti means: drown—drop all watching, and the rest. Bhakti means: to sink into utter forgetfulness. To be so absorbed in prayer, in dance, in song, as if drunk; you forget; there is self-forgetfulness. Self-forgetfulness is one means; self-remembering is the other. The processes are different, but the end is one. The paths differ; the destination is one. Self-remembering means witnessing. Keep remembering yourself—do not forget for even a moment. Keep yourself separate, remain apart from everything. Whatever appears before you, remember: it is other than me. Do not let identification form. No matter what it is—even if the divine appears before the witness—the witness remains…
Osho, would you please speak a little on witnessing and the heart. Can they be experienced simultaneously?
WITNESSING AND THE HEART ARE ONE AND THE same thing. Witnessing is not of the mind; mind can never be a witness. When you start witnessing, mind becomes the witnessed not the witness, it is the observed not the observer. You see your thoughts moving, your desires, your fantasies, your memories, your dreams -- just as you see things moving on the screen of a film. But you are not identified with them. That non-identification is what is meant by witnessing. Then who is the witness? Mind is being seen, then who is the seer? It is the heart. So the heart and witnessing are not two things. If you witness, you will be centered in the heart; or if you are centered in the heart, you will become a witness. These are two processes to reach the same goal. The lover, the devotee, never thinks of witnessing; he simply…
Beloved Osho, I want to concentrate my efforts. Be sincere with me. Is to be a witness of myself the only thing, or is there something else?
I am not interested in intellectual questions. First, be a witness to yourself, then ask. You want me to be sincere with you; please just be sincere with yourself. It is all wanting -- "I want to concentrate my efforts." It is just wishing. Who is preventing you? What are you doing here? The only thing I am teaching is to be a witness of your actions, thoughts, feelings. Start with the actions because that is the easiest, then thoughts, and then feelings -- which are the most subtle. But it seems people simply go on only thinking about things. "What is there after witnessing yourself? Is there something more?" Do you think witnessing is not more than enough? But the mind functions in this way, it always asks for more. It asks continuously -- wherever you are it will ask for more. But in witnessing the mind disappears, hence…
Beloved master, how do I come to know when I am really witnessing my body, feelings and thoughts, or when it is only my mind pretending to be a witness?
The question is only intellectual; you have not even tried to pretend. When you are witnessing and you start feeling that it may be just the pretense of the mind, then it is certainly a pretense of the mind... because who is thinking about it as pretense of the mind? -- something behind the pretense. You can never get confused about witnessing, because behind witnessing there is nothing. You cannot witness witnessing. Anything that you can witness is part of the mind. So if you witness that it is a pretense, it is a pretense. Witness the pretense, don't get identified with it. Witnessing has a beauty: it cannot be reduced to an object, you cannot witness it. It is irreducible, it always slips back; it remains only witnessing. So whatever you feel, that means you are getting identified with the mind. You have not tried it -- the question…
Are being open and witnessing two different things, or is this a duality created by the mind?
definition"Openness and witnessing are not two separate states; they are one movement, and in the silence of true experience, the illusion of duality dissolves into oneness."
"Harm begins the moment you identify with information; remain the witness-knower and let the ache of “I don’t know” deepen your practice."
"True witnessing is a relaxed, egoless awareness; if your experience feels tense or sickly, it is merely the ego masquerading as consciousness."
"Witnessing and absorption are not opposites but complementary paths; in the dance of existence, one blooms into the other, revealing the unity of being."
Can a liberated person who attains witnessing still commit a passion-driven act like murder?
outcome"A liberated being becomes a mere instrument of the Divine, moved by the winds of existence, free from the chains of personal desire and aversion. In such surrender, even the act of killing may unfold, yet there is neither merit nor blame, only the unfolding of swadharma."
"Witnessing is not mere spectatorship; it is the awakened presence that allows life to sing through you, where bliss flows spontaneously when the egoic doer dissolves."
"Freedom is not from witnessing; it is the embrace of witnessing, for it is your very nature."
"Witnessing and the heart are not two separate experiences; they are the same essence, where the seer is the heart and the seen is the mind. In love and meditation, we discover that both can blossom together into a single peak of awareness."
"When the witnessing disappears, it is not lost but fulfilled, revealing the effortless, natural state of being—just suchness, uncontrived and whole."
"Witnessing and spiritual practice are not against nature; they are the means to align with its higher laws, transforming effort into bliss."
"Witnessing arises not from effort, but from the surrender of effort; it is in the stillness of non-doing that true awareness unfolds."
"True witnessing transcends joy and sadness, revealing a profound stillness that is the essence of meditation and the path to Buddha-hood."
"Witnessing is not a cold phenomenon; it is a cool, compassionate presence that remains poised between indifference and excitement, caring without clinging."
"Let witnessing be the gentle undercurrent of your life, a silent presence that flows through your thoughts and actions, awakening you to the beauty of each moment."
"To witness fully is to be utterly immersed in the moment, allowing love to consume you while remaining inwardly awake and alert, embracing the mystery without analysis."
"True witnessing is when nothing remains to witness; only silent awareness exists, free from the objects of thought and feeling."
"When love flows as unconditional goodwill, meditation deepens, and the joy you share becomes the very essence of your being."
How to be a witness to experiences?
practice"True witnessing is not about detachment, but about surrendering to the flow of life, allowing your innate wisdom to guide you without interference. Embrace a soft awareness, where you are present but not tense, letting each experience unfold naturally."
"To witness is to cultivate awareness in every moment, while surrendering is to dissolve the ego and awaken the inner Self."
"Witnessing yourself is not a step toward something else; it is the whole path, where the mind's hunger dissolves in the silence of awareness."
"Witnessing is not an action but a mirror-like presence; you can live life totally while your impersonal consciousness reflects it without division."
"Witnessing is a profound awareness that turns back on itself, transforming mere observation into liberation. While dogs can watch, only a conscious human can truly witness."
"Shraddha is the inner door to witnessing; it is not belief, but the ability to see without prejudice, allowing the mind to fall silent and the witness within to awaken."
"Devotion is the path where you drown in love and prayer, surrendering yourself completely to the divine, while witnessing is the art of self-remembering and disidentification; both lead to the same ultimate realization."
"Witnessing and the seer are one; in the realization of this unity, suchness unfolds, revealing reality as it is."
Profound Quotes on Witnessing
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