Ever had one of those lazy Sundays when you’re flipping through TV channels? There’s that action movie you’ve seen a dozen times, a cooking show that’s making you hungry, maybe some reality TV drama… and occasionally, you hit that blank blue screen when you’ve gone too far up the channels.
Now here’s a curious thought: In the middle of all this channel-surfing, have you ever wondered about the screen itself? It’s right there, faithfully showing you everything from explosive action scenes to peaceful cooking demonstrations, yet we barely notice it. We’re always caught up in what’s playing, aren’t we?
The Show
Think about your day. You wake up from dreams (perhaps hitting that snooze button a few times), go through your daily routines, and eventually fall back into deep sleep at night. It’s like your own personal TV network running different shows:
- The “Waking Life” show (complete with coffee, meetings, and occasional drama)
- The “Dream Time” channel (where anything goes, even flying elephants)
- The “Deep Sleep” station (just peaceful static)
But here’s the million-dollar question: Who’s watching all of this?
The Plot Twist
This is where it gets interesting. Just like that TV screen that doesn’t get wet when it shows rain or hot when it shows fire, there’s something in us that stays unchanged through all our experiences. The ancient sages made a mind-bending discovery: this “something” isn’t something far away or mysterious – it’s what we actually are.
The Great Cosmic Hide and Seek
Isn’t it funny? We’re like the screen itself, searching through different channels trying to find… the screen! Or like a pair of glasses perched on our head while we turn the house upside down looking for them.
This is why the wise ones said this awareness isn’t something to be achieved – it’s already what you are. It’s like the space in which all your experiences appear:
- Your thoughts? Like clouds in the sky
- Your emotions? Like weather patterns
- Your sensations? Like birds flying through
You’re the sky itself, not the weather.
A Playful Exploration
Want to get a glimpse of this? Try this little game:
- Notice whatever you’re experiencing right now
- Now notice what’s aware of that experience
- That awareness – is it coming and going, or is it always there?
- Is it making any effort to be aware, or is it effortlessly present?
Living with This Understanding
This isn’t just some philosophical idea to ponder over tea (though that’s fun too). Understanding this can radically change how you experience life:
- Having a rough day? Remember you’re the screen, not the dramatic scene playing out
- Mind spinning with thoughts? You’re the space they’re spinning in
- Feeling overwhelmed? You’re the awareness that’s calmly knowing it all
The Beautiful Simplicity
The beauty of this understanding is that it’s not about adding anything to what you are. It’s about recognizing what’s already here, always has been, and always will be. It’s like the screen finally realizing it doesn’t need to become anything – it just needs to recognize what it already is.
A Note from the Ancient Wisdom
Interestingly, this understanding was beautifully mapped out in the Mandukya Upanishad, one of the shortest but most profound ancient Indian texts. It describes four states of consciousness: the waking state (jagrat), the dream state (svapna), the deep sleep state (sushupti), and a fourth state called Turiya (तुरीय) – that unchanging awareness we’ve been exploring. They realized that this fourth state isn’t really a state at all, but the constant reality that knows all other states while remaining forever unchanged.
