Witness is beyond Life and Death

If one simply observes inhalation and exhalation, it leads to a famous meditation technique, “Anapanasati”, taught by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.

Buddha is not a person, rather it is the formless pure existence of highest human evaluation realized by Gautama, and many more.

Simply observe, starting with the physical body. Since the other six bodies will eventually show up on their own, they are not discussed in Anapanasati.  We will become increasingly conscious of the second body the more we get to know this polarity—this simultaneous birth and death, this simultaneous dying and living. Thus, the Buddha advises, have indifference (upeksha) toward hatred. Show no emotion at all. Be unaffected by feelings of love or hatred. Additionally, avoid being attached to somebody because doing so will affect the other pole. We'll then be experiencing a "dis-ease." There will be illness, and we won't feel comfortable. 

Buddha states: "The coming of the beloved one is welcomed, but the going of the beloved one is wept over. It is a terrible thing to meet someone disgusting, and it is a happy thing to see someone repulsive go. However, if you continue to split yourself into these opposites, you will end up living in hell."

Simply observing these polarities leads one to conclude that one is a product of nature. It is inherent to the physically seen "body", which is one of the seven bodies.

This is the reason the body exists; without it, it could not." And you transcend the body the instant you realize it. We become conscious of the second body when we transcend our first one. We become conscious of the third body when we can transcend the second one.

Witnessing is never limited to life or death. It is beyond. The inhalation and exhalation are two distinct entities, and if we identify as a witness, we cease to be either of them. After that, a third force emerged. We are no longer the bodily embodiments of prana; rather, we are prana, the observer. We can now understand that life is a physical manifestation of this polarity, and that life cannot exist if this polarity ceases to exist. It requires tension to exist—the ongoing tension of arrival and departure, the ongoing tension of birth and death. This is the reason it exists. It exists because it constantly shifts between the two poles. 

"Love and hate" are the fundamental polarities in the second body. It takes many different forms. This like and disliking is the fundamental polarity, and it changes every time we are liking something or dislike something. However, we never witness it. We are only deceiving ourselves twice if we ignore our dislike when it turns into something we don't like and keep telling ourselves that we will always like the same things. When we don't like something, we keep disliking it and never let ourselves recognize the times have have enjoyed it.

We repress our hatred of our friends and our love for our adversaries.

In the second body, the vital force takes the form of like and dislike. However, it is the same as breath: nothing changes. Here, influence serves as the medium, just as air does in the physical body. The second body is immersed in a complex environment. It's not as easy as meeting someone and instantly become fond of them. It won't matter; the likes and dislikes will keep alternating all the time. The etheric body's breath is this polarity, which gives it existence. We can merely laugh if we happen to witness it. Then neither an enemy nor a friend exist. After that, we realize it's just a natural occurrence.

Picture Courtesy: Photographs used in this blog are paintings by Rudradev Sen.