Sākṣī means: a witness, evidence, testimony.

(sourse: Rolf Sovik article)

WITNESS SAKṢI

A witness is a direct observer. The Sanskrit word for that is Sākṣī, a word derived from the meanings of its two parts: sa, which means “with,” and aksha, which means “senses or eyes.” The Sākṣī is the capacity of awareness to disengage from its identification with thoughts, and at the same time, observe them “with its own eyes.” We may not know it, but each of us has the capacity to be such an inner witness. We can see the operations of our mind directly—and yet remain detached from them. In order to accomplish this, however, we must learn to take on the perspective of the Sākṣī.

Like most Sanskrit words, the word aksha has multiple meanings. It can, in addition to its basic definition, mean “the center of a wheel.” When a wheel turns, its spokes revolve and its outer rim rotates, but its center, or hub, is still. The capacity to remain steady while events are turning around it is an important characteristic of the Sākṣī..

As awareness distances itself from the constantly changing panorama of body, breath, and mind, it rests in its own nature.

The word aksha also means “spiritual wisdom.” This is a reference to the insight gained from awakening the Sākṣī. As awareness distances itself from the constantly changing panorama of body, breath, and mind, it rests in its own nature. And this new perspective is gradually internalized over the course of time until it becomes a source of spiritual strength.

Thus, the process of witnessing has three essential components—seeing our inner experience directly but from a distance, re-maining detached and steady in the process, and, through meditation, gradually internalizing this experience in the form of a new spiritual vision.

THE PROCESS OF WITNESSING SAKṢI

It is important that you not become confused by the terms used to describe the process of witnessing. The sakshi is not some foreign or hidden aspect of your awareness locked up in a secret spot in your mind. Witnessing your thoughts and emotions is neither a distortion nor an artificial manipulation of your awareness.

The awareness you use for witnessing your thoughts and inner experience is fundamentally no different from the awareness you are using to read this article. The sakshi is the same awareness—but disengaged from its usual web of entanglements and attachments. In meditation, the process of becoming this inner witness begins by discovering how to calm the reactions through which we normally experience life, and set them aside in favor of a more detached point of view. As the rigidity of our attachments is softened and we gain distance from them, awareness acquires a different inner feel. It becomes more restful, transparent, and expansive. This is who you really are. In other words, you are the inner witness. This realization deepens with each meditation.How does the process of self-witnessing come about? If you were to decide to watch a holiday parade, you would want to have a clear vantage point from which to observe it. Your choice of an observation point would determine how well you could see the passing floats and hear the marching bands. Similarly (but more abstractly), the news media you select to keep track of events serve as a vantage point through which you observe the world with some manner of detachment. Your daily newspaper not only sharpens, it expands your vision.