IdentityCenteringVerse 106advanced
Attentive to the Knowing Itself
The split of knower and known is common to everyone; the yogi's one difference is constant attentiveness to the knowing itself.
Source verse · Verse 106
ग्राह्यग्राहकसंवित्तिः सामान्या सर्वदेहिनाम्। योगिनां तु विशेषोऽस्ति सम्बन्धे सावधानता॥
grāhyagrāhakasaṃvittiḥ sāmānyā sarvadehinām | yogināṃ tu viśeṣo'sti sambandhe sāvadhānatā
The split of knower and known is common to everyone; the yogi's one difference is constant attentiveness to the knowing itself.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes either
How to practice
- 1Notice that in every experience there is something known and someone knowing it — this much everyone has.
- 2Now shift attention from the known object, and from the apparent knower, to the act of knowing that links them.
- 3Stay continuously attentive (sāvadhānatā) to that knowing itself, moment by moment.
- 4Rest as the alert awareness that is always present in every act of perception.
Practice note. The only "extra" the yogi has is vigilance toward awareness itself. Keep returning attention from what is known to the knowing.
Terms in this technique
- cit
- Consciousness itself, the aware principle.
- sākṣin
- The witness; awareness that observes without being touched.
- aham
- The sense of "I"; the self that is inquired into.
- ātman
- The true self; awareness as one’s own being.
Sources consulted
- Jaideva Singh, Vijñānabhairava: The Manual for Self-Realization (Motilal Banarsidass, 1979)
- Swami Lakshmanjoo, Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, 2007)
- Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)