No mention here though of the sort of ‘death of the self’ that you refer to, Lokesh (although elsewhere he often deals with dying to aspects of oneself as essential preparation along the way to ‘real-ising’ what you describe as one’s “fundamental destination”).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5QFWTCj0yc

With that amount of experience with witnessing did you ever penetrate through to seeing beyond the mind? I’ve only sporadically tried to watch thought, but it gives me a feeling of bliss and renewal. So you could say I’m fairly new to it.

I’m finding that a lot of thoughts are triggered by what I see and hear, and that the old Zen method of staring at a blank wall in a quiet room is conducive to letting it slow down.

And then what? Mind the gap?

That is all very well…for beginners. What are you suggesting? Minding the gap for the remainder of your life? I think even quite ordinary people are aware of this process. Not everyone you meet is completely identified with the mind. People are aware that thoughts come and go. It is not such a big deal. Of course, it is good if a spiritual teacher directs one’s attention to the fact that you can watch thoughts come and go…especially for the young, because it is a good start, but it is just a beginning.

The real work is to become aware of that which witnesses, become absorbed in that which does not come and go, which is a definite step up the ladder of becoming self-aware. Osho was persistent about the importance of witnessing, but it must be considered that he meant his message to go mainstream. It did.

I hung out in the witnessing stage for almost twenty years. Whatever comes up, one can witness it. Unless, that is, one encounters a snake on the path. Then you jump!

Osho talked about self-enquiry, which has to do with finding out the true nature of the witnessing consciousness. This is not something that will go mainstream in the foreseeable future. The main reason being that, in the outset at least, a more intimate contact with a realized person is needed in the vast majority of cases.

Becoming acquainted with the nature of witnessing consciousness might sound simple and easy enough to some. The truth is that it is quite simple but not that easy, very difficult in fact, and, as I have already mentioned, it is good to have a teacher nearby to keep an eye on you when one moves up the ladder, because it is very powerful medicine and one needs to be earnest in one’s approach, and it certainly helps to have a guide, because you might slip on the slippery slope, fall and cause serious damage to your mind. The mind gets a bad rap in certain spiritual circles, but living in the world at large you won’t get very far without one.

Some merge into the witnessing consciousness without help. Those people are rare. One only needs to read Osho’s pre-enlightenment testament to understand it is not a picnic one is embarking on. It is the fundamental destination of anyone who is truly drawn to getting in touch with the energy behind the ever-changing show of human existence. It is a journey that requires guts and earnestness and is definitely not for the faint-hearted because ultimately one has to die to the false idea of what you have up until now mistakenly taken to be yourself. The ultimate let go, if you like.

The final word goes to Lao Tzu. ‘He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.’

“A man once came to Ramakrishna, and brought him a thousand gold coins as a gift. Then Ramakrishna asked him, now will you do me a favour? Take these thousand gold coins and throw them in the Ganges. Of course the man was upset, but had to admit, the coins were now Ramakrishna’s. It took hours… when Ramakrishna went out to look, he found him throwing the coins one at a time… throwing the whole bag was too painful.”
(Osho, ‘The Razor’s Edge’)

SN is fragile anyway.
Who knows if it will survive this year.