Experiencer

The Experiencer (Sanskrit : अनुभवकर्ता, Anubhavkarta) is that aspect of the Existence to which the Experience appears.

It is the unchanging aspect of the Existence.

It is the witnessing "ability" of the Existence through which it witnesses itself in uncountable illusory forms.

It is the true face of the Existence.

It is also known as the witness, the observer, the Self, the Atman, Shiva, Purush, the light etc. There are many other names.

I am the Experiencer.

Establishing the Experiencer

Since there is an Experience, and since the Experience cannot witness itself, and since the Experience is being witnessed, there has to be a witness of it. This witness is the Experiencer.

Denial of the Experiencer is an experience, and this denial is also witnessed. Without an Experiencer it is impossible to even deny it. So the Experiencer establishes itself. It is self evident, or it is self proven.

The statement "There is no Experiencer" is being witnessed by an Experiencer. It is impossible to deny it. So it is self evident.

It can be said that all experience is simply being witnessed and there is no real Experiencer of it. This is true, but the Experiencer is the "witnessing", nothing else. It is not separate from that which is being witnessed. Or we can say that the Experiencer is only a dual aspect of Experiencing, it has no separate existence apart from the Experiencing.

Establishing the Experiencer establishes the Experience and the Experiencing also. There is no surprise in it, as they all are same. This can be clearly seen via a comparative study of Existence, Experience, Experiencer and Experiencing.

Analysis

Analysis of Experiencer can be done on the basis of seven basic questions. Here some conclusions are stated in brief, the full analysis can be seen in detail on these links.

Essence of Experiencer: is emptiness.

Cause of Experiencer: is acausal.

Generation of Experiencer: is nonprocedural.

Place of Experiencer: is nonlocal.

Time of Experiencer: is nontemporal.

Personality of Experiencer: is impersonal.

Number of Experiencers: is one.

Nature of the Experiencer

There are many "qualities" of the Experiencer, which is not really qualities but descriptions of its nature.

The Experiencer is unknowable. Since knowledge of anything can only be gained via an experience of it, and since the Experiencer cannot be experienced, no knowledge of it is possible. One can roughly say that it is the one that knows. It is the knower.

The Experiencer is infinite. Since that which is finite has a boundary of some kind, and since this boundary would be an experience, and since the Experiencer cannot be experienced, there is no possibility of establishing a boundary of it. Hence it is infinite.

The Experiencer is blissful. Bliss is an absence of activity. It is an absence of happiness and suffering. Since these activities are experiences of various kinds, positive or negative, they cannot be attributed to the Experiencer. Hence it is blissful, lacking all activity.

The Experiencer is pure. Since impurities are experiences, none of them can be in the Experiencer. It has no qualities.

The Experiencer is unborn and will not die. Its timeless nature ensures this. Also there is nothing there to change, and birth and death require a change of some kind. Since there is nothing to change, it remains as it is, timelessly.

The Experiencer is undivided. Since any divisions would be seen, and since nothing can be experienced in the Experiencer, there is no possibility of any divisions. It is one whole, it has no parts.

Truth of Experiencer

According to the accepted criteria of truth, Experiencer is true, since it is unchanging.

It is the background on which change appears.

It cannot change, as any change in it would be seen, would be experienced, and will then fall in the category of the Experience, not of the Experiencer. Hence it is impossible for it to change. And thus, it is most certainly true.

Since the other aspect of the Existence, the Experience is ever changing, the Experiencer is the only truth there is, everything else is false.

I and the Experiencer

The word I is just another name of the Experiencer. Usually I shifts to various experiences, such as the body, the mental activities or the memory, especially in a person where self realisation has not happened. As soon as there is self knowledge, I shifts to the Experiencer. This state can be called as a state of Awareness or self-awareness.

When the identity of the Experiencer and the Experience is also realised, the I shifts to the whole Existence, and it becomes almost meaningless.

In a relative sense, I always stands for the ego. But in the absolute sense, it is the Experiencer. Teachers and seekers use this word indiscriminately , which is very confusing for a new comer. Usually the context provides a hint of what is meant by I.

Beliefs

Experiencer is an extraordinary experience.

It is my "higher self".

It takes birth and dies.

It has qualities, desires or emotions.

It can be seen only after death.

It comes and goes.

Experiencer is a byproduct of physical processes in the body.

Experiencer in Scriptures

Atman:

Shiva:

Purusha:

Sun:

Divine:

Moon:

Supreme: