Witnessing is freedom from the unnecessary || Acharya Prashant (2015)

Question: You have said, “Awareness is untouched by problems. No matter what, good or bad, be aware.” On the other hand you also talk of complete immersion. These two seem to be contradictory.

Speaker: First of all, be a little immersed so that you do not misquote me. I have not said, “Awareness is untouched by problems.” What I have said is, “Awareness is a point untouched by problems.” And there is a seemingly small, but actually great difference between these two.

When I say, “Awareness is a point untouched by problems,” what I mean is that except that point, whatever there is, that will be completely touched by problems. And these two things go together. When the rest of ‘you’ allows everything to penetrate and pass through, then parallely you find that there exists something that just cease this penetration and passing through.

When the mind is not resisting whatever is happening, when whatever is happening is happening in totality, whatever is happening is flowing through you, without resistance, then parallely there exists a point where nothing is ‘happening’; and only then, only then.

When you are busy resisting, then who are you? The resistor. And when you are not resisting, then who are you? The witness. Understand this difference. When you are busy resisting problems, then you have an identity. What is that identity? “I am the problem-solver.” When you are busy chasing happiness, then you have an identity. What is that identity? “I am the chaser of happiness.” When you are busy, running away from misery, then again you have an identity.