My friend Srivats shared this experience with me recently. One of Srivats' favorite books is "I am That" by Nisargadatta Maharaj, that famous (in some circles) exponent of Advaita or non-dualism. Some days back, Srivats was on the treadmill at the gym pondering Nisargadatta's advice to be a detached observer or witness of one's own mind, and by extension of all worldy phenomena.
As you watch your mind, you discover your self as the watcher. When you stand motionless, only watching, you discover your self as the light behind the watcher. The source of light is dark, unknown is the source of knowledge. That source alone is. Go back to that source and abide there. - pg 188, "I Am That"
As he wrestled with this thought, and in the very act of doing so disregarding Nisargadatta's sage advice, in walked a dude wearing a Nike t-shirt that proclaimed in large, bold font "WITNESS". Srivats was suitably impressed with the uncanny timing of this. He and I remarked on the incongruity of the word "Witness" on a Nike t-shirt, the company being better known for their exhortation to "Just Do It".
Nike WIITNESS t-shirt commemorating King James' second NBA championship
Some searching online revealed that Nike launched this line of apparel in June of this year to commemorate the fact that a very large number of basketball fans were witness to LeBron James' second NBA championship.
King James in action
I learned something else - LeBron is known to fans as King James, a name he shares with King James I of England, to whom we owe the King James Bible. As I read on, the following line from the King James Bible immediately popped to mind. It is a line that has frequently served as an inspiration to me when I sit in meditation and attempt to still my mind.
Post Script: Noted for its "majesty of style" and as a fine example of Jacobean prose, the King James Bible has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world (wikipedia)
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