Awareness: Returning To The Silent Witness

You are not your thoughts — you are the awareness behind them.

A direct pointing meditation to rest as pure awareness. Through stillness and self-observation, rediscover the unchanging presence that is already free, luminous, and whole.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Bassem, Thank you for joining me. And today our conversation is going to be about the mindful life. Be present, Be happy, And be aware. So welcome my friends, Thank you for joining me. I'm honored that I could be your guide today through the mindfulness life. We should start by saying a few words about what exactly is a mindful life. It's interesting how in our language, Words often get diffused. For example, Mindfulness has become a bit of a catchphrase, Cliche even, It's lost much of its significance and its potency because of the way we use it, Without really understanding its implications. Mindfulness is much more than a catchphrase. Mindfulness is about embracing presence, Peace, And joy in our everyday lives. It invites us to cultivate a deeper connection within ourselves. In today's fast-paced world, Filled with constant distraction, Pressures, Demands, Responsibilities, It's easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected. Demands of modern life lead us to states of stress and anxiety, Social bewilderment, And sense of disconnection from ourselves. And this is what has sometimes felt for me like this underlayer of heaviness, You know, It's just there. I think the first time I tried meditation was when I was about 17. I hated it. I never thought I would ever try it again. It was just a nightmare, Sitting in my girlfriend's hallway trying to wrap my mind around this practice. A few years later, Fortunately, I discovered the practice again in a magazine article, Some 30 years ago now. Took to it like a house on fire. This practice points to a possibility that is a far departure from the ideas that I had inherited about life, About what happiness is and what constitutes success. It was this practice that was promising something else that was not outside of myself, Telling me that the inner life is the fulfillment of the outer life. This is why I call mindfulness or meditation an ancient antidote to modern-day crisis. You're standing in a beautiful garden, Surrounded by vibrant flowers of all colors, Blooming, Altogether a perfect day, But your mind is elsewhere, Lost in thoughts of yesterday and worries about tomorrow, Completely oblivious to the beauty and richness that surrounds you. And not least, Oblivious to the immense opportunities that are contained in the present moment. And yet that's how the vast majority of our population, Our species and our current level of consciousness exists. We ignore that the present moment is not just a fleeting instant in time, The now is the fertile soil of our being. The question is, How do we cultivate mindfulness in our daily life, In the midst of so many distractions and so many important responsibilities? Who's got time for presence? Nearly 40 years being preoccupied with this topic, I've come to understand that it's actually not that hard. There are many paths to mindfulness in daily life, And they all share this common thread, Presence in the here and now. What's the common thread? It's the underlying reality behind all experience. There is experience, And then there's the underlying reality. And in between the two, There's the perception of experience, There's the sensation of experience, And there is the conception of experience. So there's experience, Which we can call the creative expression of the underlying field, The background reality, What religion calls God, What science calls the field of all potentiality. And the common denominator in all of this is presence. Presence is the juncture between the field and experience. It's the bridge that allows the two to consciously relate to one another, And the result, Bliss. So contrary to this idea that our fulfillment is in the experience itself, Our lasting fulfillment is not in the experience, Our lasting fulfillment is in self-realization, Knowing our essential reality, Which is the underlying background reality. Our essential reality is the field of all potentiality. We are fractals of that field. This is the value proposition of mindfulness, Of meditation. There are many paths to it that we can practice that help to align our awareness back to the reality of our being. In daily life, What does that look like? You're in your office, Perhaps, Or you're in your bedroom, Or you're in the kitchen washing the dishes, Warm water or hot water flowing over your hands. You're looking at the soap on the dish. Usually, You're in such a state of hurry trying to finish this so you can get on with your life. Instead, You stop, And you become aware of the fact of your being, Engaging with the dishes, The fact of you, The being of you, The weight of you, And you're aware of the feel of you, The sense of you, Your feet on the ground, Your hands feeling the hot. You're stabilizing your mind here in this moment of engagement. You're interacting with the world around you, Which in this case is your office or your room or the hot water on your hands. And so this is a skill that you can cultivate over time, That you can cultivate with presence. Or you're walking, And you're feeling your feet touching the ground. You're walking while feeling that. Right now, As I'm doing, I'm talking, But my attention is in the soles of my feet. So you're looking out, You're talking, And all you're experiencing is just this vibrational ecstasy of your being, This vibrational field of joy, Part and parcel of the reality of you in its purified state. Because you have practiced meditation over the years, You have purified, The body is released all the layers of conditioning, All the hurt. As babies, We are born into an original state of happiness, Bliss. That's the underlying reality, That fractal of the divine. It is just in its pristine state. Layers of conditioning start, And then this underlying reality becomes disturbed. Like a clear lake that you throw stones in, It starts to become murky. Layers of conditioning, Layers of experience compound on top of that reality, The original state, And that becomes unhappiness. It's on top of this unhappiness that we build our lives. With meditation, Or through certain spiritual practices, Let's say through denial, Fasting without water, Without food, The unhappiness starts to bubble up, Starts to rise, Surface, And releases. Day after day, Releasing, Releasing, Releasing. You can't have the coffee, You can't have the drink, You can't have this, This, This, To make sure your emotional hurts don't rise. Now you don't have those, And they rise. You meet them openly, And they release, They release, They release. Gets what's underneath all these layers of compounded unhappiness, Happiness, Your original state. But of course, Not everybody wants to fast. In this case, A meditation practice to cultivate this life skill of presence, A simple but profound practice, Shifting our attention inward from the external distractions that are designed to ensure we do not meet our unhappiness, To the serene depths of our being, Our original state, From mind to no-mind. And we learn to develop a deeper sense of presence, The light of the divine, Expressing in the here and now. Even a few minutes of practice each day yields profound benefits. The original placement of attention is inward. By synchronizing or aligning our awareness with the reality of our being, Everything suddenly makes sense. But meditation is just one tool, Mindful movement practices are another. Like yoga or Tai Chi, Ways to connect with the present moment through the body, Through the breath, And they help us to pay close attention to the sense field in the body, The energetic matrix within. And in doing so, We anchor firmly in the here and now. Also mindful eating is a wonderful practice. So you see how you can integrate practices into your daily life? Mindful eating. It's an opportunity to slow down, To savor each bite, Chewing the food, Receiving the sweetness or the bitterness or the sourness. All these are capable of bringing your mind, Your awareness into the present moment. Through the act of eating, We can transform a mundane daily activity that we take for granted into a sacred ritual of nourishment and gratitude. Practices transform the unconscious moment into a sacred moment of grace. Then you have so many other possibilities. Mindful walking, Mindful communication. How about mindful communication? Not only does it encourage us to be present, Available to the other, To listen, To speak consciously, But also cultivates empathy. In being present, We become profound, Allow a deeper connection with the other. More meaningful relationships can be built in this simple way. In my therapeutic practice, Couples therapy, It doesn't matter whether they are at the brink of divorce. I ask them just to give me seven weeks and I'll make them love each other again. Fortunately, I don't have to do anything except guide them on a simple meditation technique. All they have to do is to sit opposite each other on a chair, Look at each other in the eyes without blinking. First week, Seven days, Just sit for five minutes a day, Keeping your mouth shut, Allowing the hate to be there, Allowing the anger to be there. Week one, Week two, Ten minutes now, All the hurts have come up and are still coming up. All the differences are coming up and are still coming up. Keeping the mouth shut, They are being released, The eyes now can stay open longer, The tears are gone, The acidity is gone, And then suddenly the face, The true face of the partner begins to be seen. Third week, The light is returning, Fourth week, Fifth week, Sixth week, Seventh week, They are hugging, They are kissing, They are embracing, They are loving each other. So you can turn your life into a mindful experience. You can read mindfully, You can breathe mindfully, And in that effort, You release, You purify, And in time, You are able to stay in your being, Connected with the underlying reality that you are mindful of the experience, Not mistaking yourself with the experience. You are not your thoughts, You are not your feelings, You are not your moods, You are not your body, You are not your sensations. The body is an experience to the underlying field. The only thing you know about your body is the sense of it. You sense it, You feel it, It is an experience of awareness. From unconsciousness to consciousness, Everything becomes a moment of grace. You are the awareness, Knowing the experience. How about we take a mindful moment now? Some of you arguably are already in this mindful state. Just close your eyes wherever you are sitting, Or if you prefer to leave your eyes open, That's fine, You can just lower your gaze and start to take a few deep breaths by helping your inhale to deepen a little, And then to let the exhale fall. So in this way you are preparing, You are helping the body to settle, You are helping the mind to quiet somewhat. So just a few deep breaths, Maybe three, Maybe four, And as you are deepening your breathing, You will naturally start to notice sounds that are around you, Coming to you. The rain falling on the roof, Little creaky sounds of my chair. So just become aware of the sounds. Sounds are one of the most readily available ways to enter into the mindful state. Just notice them without judgment. Now let your breath come back to natural as you feel your body beginning to settle. And as your body is settling and you are breathing naturally, And you are receiving the sounds without judgment, You start to become aware of the sensations of your body. Maybe the weight of your body, Wherever you are sitting, The feeling of it. You are aware of your breath coming, Going. Your chest expanding with the inhale, Releasing with the exhale. Becoming increasingly more and more aware to the sensations of your being. All the while, Mind with its thinking, With its commentary is ongoing. You don't try to stop that, Only a fool would try to stop that. Don't only witness, But prioritize the breath, The sounds, The sensation. Meditation is just that, Learning to prioritize the right thing over the wrong thing. When catching yourself prioritizing the wrong thing, In this case, Thoughts, You simply come back. Prioritize your breath, Feeling the chest rising and falling, Experiencing the unfolding delight of being that we call serenity. You notice the mind, Don't prioritize it. In this way, Over time, You learn the skill of prioritizing a breath, The sense of you over the mind. And that's it, My friends. Start to bring your awareness now back to the room. How do you feel? The seeds of presence, Peace, Serenity, Joy, They are not out of phenomenon. They are always within us, Waiting to be nurtured and cultivated through the practice of mindfulness. As you go about your day, Keep coming back to the sense of you, To the breath of you, To the being of you. So thank you once again, My friends. Be well, Be present, Be mindful. Wishing you well. Bye-bye for now.

Reviews

Bassam, I feel like this is one of your best talks that I have listened to so far. I super enjoyed it and the way you phrase things.

This gave bath time the ring of perfection. Thank you!

As always, wise words and great suggestions from Bassam. 😊💕

A great reminder to incorporate mindfulness into whatever we may be doing-anytime, anywhere :) 🙏🤍 Thanks Bassam

Beautiful summary of mindfulness/ meditation. Thank you, Bassam 🙏🏽🫶🏽☀️💚