The Witness Position in Meditation

"I often rest in the witness position during meditation, observing my thoughts and feelings. Is this the same as recognising my true nature as awareness? Rupert says: ‘The witness position is a valuable first step, particularly on the Direct Path, but it’s not the final recognition. When you witness your thoughts and feelings, there’s still a subtle subject-object relationship – you as the witness, and thoughts and feelings as the witnessed. This creates an artificial distinction between awareness and its content. The next step is to collapse this distinction and recognise that awareness isn’t separate from experience but pervades it. You don’t stand apart from experience as its witness; you are the intimate presence in which experience appears. The witness position is like stopping at the threshold; the final recognition is to step through the door and see that there’s no separate witness, only the seamless presence of awareness itself.’"

From event 21 - 28 November, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at The Vedanta, 21–28 November 2025

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