Witnessing Our Own Suffering

Witnessing our own suffering may seem quite obvious because our negative emotions and anxious inner states are right in front of us. It's not hard to see how angry or depressed we are. However, witnessing means a very specific thing in terms of spiritual practice. We have to develop attention and awareness to be able to observe something objectively within ourselves. It requires presence which means being awake and aware of our awareness. With presence, one can learn to witness inner states. In this way, we don't suppress or bypass our feelings. We abide in them in order to accept them in a way we could not before. We acquire a keen sense of humility when abiding and can watch the negative state melt as a result.