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2. Noumenal Self

Noumenal Self is our Being and not a concept, hence it is our subtle and consistent awareness experience.
It is the first person subjective experience of being aware of awareness itself - the witness Self (sakshi). It
does not potentiate any action unlike the phenomenal self. However, noumenal Self illuminates our inner
apparatus like mind, intellect, ego and memory.

The difficulty arises in studying our noumenal Self because of pre-existing habits of mind. We are trained,
culturally, from childhood in the phenomenal world of object reality.

We can work directly on the noumenal Self (direct method) directly by the Gyan Marg ( Path of
Knowledge) because it is not mediated through mind-body-sense instrumentalities, but is just the
experience of unmediated awareness.

The experiential or direct methods of Self Inquiry, developed by spiritual leaders like Ramana Maharshi,
Nisargadatta Maharaj and Atmananda Krishna Menon and further elaborated by their non-dual followers
& practitioners such as Jean Klein, John Levy, Alexander Smith, Philp Renard , Francis Lucille, Ramesh S.
Balsekar, and Rupert Spira.

3. Inculcating movement between level of Awareness

Working on the phenomenal and the noumenal Self essentially is the facility of movement between 3
levels of awareness. Like gears in a car, we must learn to move between three levels.

1. Stand to see the object reality, the roads, building, table etc. By and large almost all of us
recognize and operate from here. The problem arises when we get stuck here and believe this is
ultimate reality.

2. Stand to see our subtle mind and the other’s mind, different from ours. At this level of awareness,
subject – object becomes the dominant frame. The difficulty arises when we are fixated.

3. Stand as awareness means our attention is steady in the awareness of being aware. Content in
awareness such as thoughts, feelings, perceptions, judgements are all parts of the phenomenal self. The
Noumenal self is witness Self.

4. Inculcating ‘Witness Self’?

We shall illustrate a three-stage practice that helps integrate contrasting realms of Ego and Witness self.

Stage one

This starts with noticing the contents in consciousness, such as emotions, cognitive process and also
cultural conditioned behaviour. By careful attention to these contents, one develops the perception to
differentiate characteristics of the contents of awareness, and that of the process of Consciousness itself
. While skill and steadiness are obtained in observing contents, intra-subjective witness is strengthened.

Stage two

The second stage is when self-awareness develops. In this stage, the witness-self is able to relate to the
coming and going of emotions, desires and thoughts, and at the same time be free to make choices about
those contents or emotions and be able to ask certain questions to one self. For example, in our endeavour

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