The Default Mode Network, or DMN, is a network of the brain that lights up during self-reflection. These are the neurons that create the ego-story. Neuroimaging studies have shown that experienced meditators are not firing the ego-story neurons as much as non-meditators, and are accessing other parts of the neural network more. Scientific studies confirm that the narrating ego is a construct of the mind, and conscious awareness is a measurable neural condition.
Source: https://rumble.com/v7f6eje-egoic-mind-and-the-silent-witness.html
Mirror: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Yr9Sz7iY6O7J
The philosopher Thomas Metzinger claims that beyond the biological organism there is no separate entity that qualifies as a “self,” and that our sense of identity is generated in the mind. The work of Zahavi and Blanke portray the self as a construct the brain must embed into its model of the physical world so it can behave properly. This is the ego mind we will be discussing now, and it is what most people identify as.
Tony Robbins and others in the motivational-speaker field work almost entirely with the egoic mind. Their main toolkit, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, is based on re-scripting the identity. This type of work strengthens ego-identification, which is practically the opposite goal of spiritual evolution, but sometimes must precede it. It is good to first stabilize a chaotic mind, re-scripting the ego can be useful and often necessary for investigating the self deeper.
Spiritual growth is universal. Nearly every ancient tradition across the world describes an evolutionary path from the material animal up through subtle dimensions to something divine. And it begins with self examination. There are many ways to do this, today we will look at a way of the Yogic tradition:
The “Silent Witness” practice, known in Sanskrit as Sakshi Bhava, is a pillar of Vedanta and classical Yoga, and it teaches how awareness itself is categorically different than the ego and the thoughts of the mind. The “Witness” represents the unchanging, eternal core of reality that observes everything but remains entirely untouched by it. Many argue that this is the true self, and the purpose of yoga is to liberate it by no longer wrongly identifying with the ego mind. The Silent Witness practice is one of the shortest pathways to recognizing non-duality and abiding in one’s true nature. And it is seen as an ideal tool to bridge formal meditation with everyday living.
The Silent Witness practice is used to end psychological suffering caused by false identification. Once you realize you are not the temporal narrative, you are not the mental voice, and you are not the physical shell, then your awareness moves to the observer. Instead of automatically reacting out of emotion, you observe the emotion arising, which then naturally loses its grip over you. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated, and the mind naturally quiets.
The Silent Witness practice can be practiced both as a formal seated meditation and as a continuous state of mind throughout the day. For the seated meditation, you would first come to a comfortable seated position, with your spine straight, shoulders relaxed, and eyes closed. With your senses, become aware of your body. Release all the tension in the body, relax. Then become aware of your breath. Don’t control it, just be aware of it, witness it. Notice the rise and fall of the abdomen and chest as you breath in and out. Feel the air flowing through your nostrils. Become aware of the brief moments between the inhale and exhale.
Next, turn your attention inward to your thoughts and feelings. As thoughts pop up, do not fight them or get pulled into them. Simply label them objectively: memory, impression, conversation, or thinking, and let it go. If the mind is highly chaotic, you can use a mantra to train it to be more quiet.
Finally, become aware of the thing that is aware. Witness the witness. Focus your awareness on the source of awareness, and you shift your identity. You can train the ego with words, instead of saying, “I am angry,” shift to, “I notice anger present in the mind now.” This instantly detaches your identity from the ego generated emotion.
This practice provides more control over the person. Like an untrained ego, having a big untrained dog as a pet can lead to a chaotic relationship. And if you take the time to restrain and train the dog, it will serve you both.
[Via: gregreese.substack.com]