Appreciation of Objects and Subjects - Remain in Subjective Mood
ज्ञानं कर्म न चास्यास्ति तेजसां नावृतिः क्वचित् ।
jnaanam karma na chaasyaasti tejasaam naavritih kvachit |
VBT Verse 123
The Sutra
"The appreciation of objects and subjects is the same for an enlightened as for an unenlightened person. The former has one greatness: he remains in the subjective mood, not lost in things."
Paul Reps translation, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
Understanding
An enlightened person sees the same world as everyone else. The colors, sounds, and textures are identical. The difference is not in what is seen but in where awareness rests. The unenlightened person is lost in objects - pulled from one thing to another, identified with each experience. The enlightened person remains in the subjective mood - rooted in the awareness that is doing the seeing. Both appreciate fully, but one stays at the source.
Original Sanskrit
ज्ञानं कर्म न चास्यास्ति तेजसां नावृतिः क्वचित् ।
jnaanam karma na chaasyaasti tejasaam naavritih kvachit |
Vijnanabhairava Verse 123 (Technique 100 of 112)
How to Practice
Go about your normal activities - seeing, hearing, touching, tasting. Appreciate everything fully.
Now add one dimension: while appreciating any object or experience, remain aware of the subject - the one who appreciates.
Do not withdraw from the world. See everything, enjoy everything. But stay rooted in the seer, not lost in the seen.
Notice how you normally get "lost in things" - absorbed in the object, forgetting the one who perceives.
Practice remaining in the subjective mood. You are the screen on which all experiences are projected. Stay as the screen.
The greatness is simple: full engagement with life while remaining anchored in awareness itself.
Duration
Continuous throughout the day
Best Time
All day - during every activity
Related Techniques
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