BE A WITNESSBE A WITNESS

WAKEFULNESS .. Is the way to life, WAKEFULNESS .. Is the way to life, says Buddha.says Buddha.

You are alive only in the proportion You are alive only in the proportion that you are aware. Awareness is the that you are aware. Awareness is the

difference between death and life.difference between death and life. You are not alive just because you You are not alive just because you

are breathing, you are not alive just are breathing, you are not alive just because your heart is beating. because your heart is beating.

Physiological you can be kept alive in a Physiological you can be kept alive in a hospital, without any consciousness. hospital, without any consciousness.

There are now many people There are now many people around the world in advanced around the world in advanced countries who are just vegetating countries who are just vegetating in the hospitals , because in the hospitals , because advanced technology has made it advanced technology has made it possible for your death to be possible for your death to be postponed indefinitely .. For years postponed indefinitely .. For years you can be kept alive. If this is life, you can be kept alive. If this is life, then you can be kept alive. But this then you can be kept alive. But this is not life at all. Just to vegetate is is not life at all. Just to vegetate is not life.not life.

Buddhas have a different Buddhas have a different definition. Their definition consists definition. Their definition consists of AWARENESS . They don’t say you of AWARENESS . They don’t say you are alive because you can breathe, are alive because you can breathe, they don ‘t say you are alive because they don ‘t say you are alive because your blood circulates; they say you your blood circulates; they say you are alive if you are awake. So, except are alive if you are awake. So, except for the awakened ones, nobody is for the awakened ones, nobody is really alive. You are corpses.. really alive. You are corpses.. Walking, talking, doing things.. You Walking, talking, doing things.. You are robots.are robots.

WAKEFULNESS .. Is the way to life, WAKEFULNESS .. Is the way to life, says Buddha. Become more wakeful says Buddha. Become more wakeful and you will become more alive. And and you will become more alive. And life is GOD.. There is no other GOD. life is GOD.. There is no other GOD. Hence Buddha talks about life and Hence Buddha talks about life and awareness. Life is the goal and awareness. Life is the goal and AWARENESS is the methodology the AWARENESS is the methodology the technique to attain it..technique to attain it..

Watch your life.. Everything that you Watch your life.. Everything that you

go on doing is so confused and so go on doing is so confused and so confusing.confusing.

Buddha says :Buddha says :

“ “ The fool sleeps as if he were already The fool sleeps as if he were already dead, but the master is awake and he dead, but the master is awake and he lives forever.lives forever.

AWARENESS.. Is eternal, it knows no death. Only AWARENESS.. Is eternal, it knows no death. Only unawareness dies. So, if you remain unconscious, unawareness dies. So, if you remain unconscious, asleep , you will have to die again. If you want to get asleep , you will have to die again. If you want to get rid of this whole misery o being born and dying again rid of this whole misery o being born and dying again and again, if you want to get rid of the wheel of birth and again, if you want to get rid of the wheel of birth and death, you will have to become absolutely alert. and death, you will have to become absolutely alert. You will have to reach higher and higher into You will have to reach higher and higher into consciousness.consciousness.

And these things are not to be And these things are not to be accepted on intellectual grounds; these accepted on intellectual grounds; these things have too become experiential , things have too become experiential , these things have to become these things have to become existential.existential.

“ “ He watches .. He is clear .”He watches .. He is clear .”

Simple and beautiful statements. Simple and beautiful statements. Truth is always simple and always Truth is always simple and always beautiful. Just to see the simplicity of beautiful. Just to see the simplicity of these two statements but how much these two statements but how much they contain. Worlds within worlds, they contain. Worlds within worlds, infinite worlds.infinite worlds.

The only thing that has to be learned The only thing that has to be learned is watchfulness. Watch ! Watch every is watchfulness. Watch ! Watch every act that you do . Watch every thought act that you do . Watch every thought that passes in your mind. Watch every that passes in your mind. Watch every desire that takes possession of you. desire that takes possession of you. Watch even small gestures.. Walking, Watch even small gestures.. Walking, talking, eating, taking a bath.talking, eating, taking a bath.

Go on watching. Let everything Go on watching. Let everything become an opportunity to watch. Don’t become an opportunity to watch. Don’t eat mechanically, don’t just go on eat mechanically, don’t just go on stuffing yourself. Be very watchful.stuffing yourself. Be very watchful.

smell, touch, feel the smell, touch, feel the breeze and the sun rays. breeze and the sun rays. Look at the moon and Look at the moon and become just a silent pool of become just a silent pool of watchfulness, and the moon watchfulness, and the moon will be reflected in you with will be reflected in you with tremendous beauty.tremendous beauty.

Move in life remaining continuously watchful. Again and again you will forget. Don’t become miserable because of that; it is natural. For millions of lives you have never tried watchfulness.. So, it is natural that you go on forgetting again and again . But the moment you remember, again watch.

Never repent for the past ! Live in the moment. If you had forgotten, so what ?

So, if you can remain watchful even for a few moments, feel thankful. Even those few moments are more than can be expected .

And when you watch, a clarity arises. And when you watch, a clarity arises. Why does clarity arise out of Why does clarity arise out of watchfulness ? Because the more watchfulness ? Because the more watchful you become the more all your watchful you become the more all your hastiness slow down. You become more hastiness slow down. You become more graceful.graceful.

As you watch, your chattering mind As you watch, your chattering mind chatters less, because the energy that chatters less, because the energy that was becoming chattering is turning and was becoming chattering is turning and becoming watchfulness.. It is the same becoming watchfulness.. It is the same energy !energy !

Now more and more energy will Now more and more energy will be transformed into be transformed into watchfulness, and the mind will watchfulness, and the mind will not get its nourishment. not get its nourishment. Thoughts will start becoming Thoughts will start becoming thinner, they will start losing thinner, they will start losing weight. Slowly, slowly they will weight. Slowly, slowly they will start dying. And as thoughts start start dying. And as thoughts start dying, clarity arises. Now your dying, clarity arises. Now your mind becomes a mirror.mind becomes a mirror.

And when one is clear, And when one is clear, one is blissful. Confusion is one is blissful. Confusion is the root cause of misery; it is the root cause of misery; it is clarity that is the foundation clarity that is the foundation of blissfulness.of blissfulness.

And now he knows there is no death, because wakefulness can never be destroyed. When death comes, you will watch it too. You will die watching.. Watching will not die. Your body will disappear, dust unto dust, but your watchfulness will remain; it will become part of the cosmic whole. It will become cosmic consciousness.