0:00:08.750,0:00:12.740
The self-inquiry intensives at[br]the samadhi center

0:00:12.740,0:00:15.439
are a rigorous form of Sadhana

0:00:15.439,0:00:17.526
or spiritual practice

0:00:17.526,0:00:20.610
designed to create conditions [br]of ‘no escape’

0:00:20.610,0:00:23.520
for the egoic mind, to bring about

0:00:23.520,0:00:26.279
the possibility of Samadhi and Awakening

0:00:26.279,0:00:29.040
to your true nature.

0:00:35.899,0:00:38.830
Self-inquiry can be done individually

0:00:38.830,0:00:41.009
and when it's done on your own

0:00:41.009,0:00:42.630
it's meditation

0:00:43.760,0:00:46.140
self-inquiry can be done with a partner

0:00:46.140,0:00:49.200
in what we call dyads

0:00:49.200,0:00:51.899
or it can be done with a group where

0:00:51.899,0:00:54.360
the entire group is focused on one person

0:00:54.360,0:00:57.180
who is doing the inquiry.

0:00:57.180,0:00:59.399
The main technique used during the

0:00:59.399,0:01:02.940
self-inquiry retreat is the dyad.

0:01:02.940,0:01:05.640
The Retreat format involves working from

0:01:05.640,0:01:10.680
early morning 6 a.m until 11 pm at night.

0:01:10.680,0:01:13.439
The participants are encouraged to enter

0:01:13.439,0:01:16.280
into a period of continuous practice,

0:01:16.280,0:01:20.340
continuously inquiring into Who We Are.

0:01:20.340,0:01:23.580
For this period of time all distractions

0:01:23.580,0:01:25.259
are set aside.

0:01:25.259,0:01:28.680
There are no devices, phones, books

0:01:28.680,0:01:31.900
or anything to engage [br]the conditioned mind.

0:01:31.900,0:01:34.560
During the break periods, or while eating,

0:01:34.560,0:01:37.259
one continues to inquire.

0:01:37.259,0:01:40.140
This continuous practice creates a

0:01:40.140,0:01:43.200
strong inner pressure or inner energy.

0:01:43.200,0:01:45.799
Energy is diverted from the old condition

0:01:45.799,0:01:50.360
patterns and starts to build.

0:01:50.640,0:01:53.540
A sort of alchemy starts to happen.

0:01:53.540,0:01:57.119
Awakening is an energetic event.

0:01:57.119,0:01:59.820
There is a flip from the conditioned ‘I’,

0:01:59.820,0:02:02.640
the sense that you are this character,

0:02:02.640,0:02:06.600
to the true self, to the unlimited ‘I’.

0:02:06.600,0:02:09.360
The self-inquiry Intensive is the most

0:02:09.360,0:02:11.640
direct way to bring about Awakening

0:02:11.640,0:02:14.239
that I know of.

0:02:14.400,0:02:17.580
By Awakening, I mean realizing

0:02:17.580,0:02:20.700
the true Self beyond name and form.

0:02:20.700,0:02:24.669
It's called 'Kensho' in Zen. [br]The word kensho

0:02:24.669,0:02:27.400
means 'seeing essence',

0:02:27.400,0:02:31.080
in Mahayana Buddhism it is [br]'Prajna Paramita',

0:02:31.080,0:02:33.520
the highest wisdom, the absolute

0:02:33.520,0:02:35.760
wisdom of our true nature.

0:02:35.760,0:02:39.180
In Western Traditions, the terms 'Gnosis'

0:02:39.180,0:02:42.300
or 'Apophaticism' refer to the realization

0:02:42.300,0:02:45.959
of our true or divine nature.

0:02:45.959,0:02:48.300
For this period of time, we turn

0:02:48.300,0:02:50.340
attention away from thoughts and

0:02:50.340,0:02:51.840
sensations away from the

0:02:51.840,0:02:54.440
outer world of form,

0:02:54.440,0:02:58.620
towards the self, continuously.

0:02:58.620,0:03:01.280
If we do this practice continuously,

0:03:01.280,0:03:03.959
eventually we will awaken from

0:03:03.959,0:03:06.599
identification with the false self,

0:03:06.599,0:03:09.120
to our true nature.

0:03:09.120,0:03:12.420
It's extremely simple but it's not easy,

0:03:12.420,0:03:16.080
because the ego construct which is made

0:03:16.080,0:03:18.780
up of samskaras or condition patterns,

0:03:18.780,0:03:21.599
will generate hindrances, just

0:03:21.599,0:03:24.885
as it does in meditation. The whirlpool

0:03:24.885,0:03:27.540
of the mind may generate thoughts,

0:03:27.540,0:03:30.900
we may experience egoic preferences,

0:03:30.900,0:03:33.540
the mind may focus on comfort

0:03:33.540,0:03:35.099
or discomfort,

0:03:35.099,0:03:37.260
it may become tired,

0:03:37.260,0:03:40.860
it may get confused or disoriented.

0:03:40.860,0:03:44.050
It may find the whole process intolerable

0:03:44.050,0:03:46.440
and want to give up.

0:03:46.440,0:03:48.900
It HAS to give up.

0:03:48.900,0:03:51.900
The conditioned ‘I’ may think it is

0:03:51.900,0:03:54.780
already awake, we have to humble the

0:03:54.780,0:03:56.519
conditioned mind.

0:03:56.519,0:03:59.220
It is said that one must want to awaken,

0:03:59.220,0:04:01.680
like a person with their hair on fire

0:04:01.680,0:04:04.860
wants a pond to jump into.

0:04:04.860,0:04:08.220
We must proceed with a beginner's mind,

0:04:08.220,0:04:11.879
a not knowing mind, a humble mind,

0:04:11.879,0:04:14.354
a mind that is open,

0:04:14.354,0:04:18.180
mirror-like, alive.

0:04:18.180,0:04:20.880
For this process we enter into the cloud

0:04:20.880,0:04:24.600
of unknowing, we let go of control and

0:04:24.600,0:04:27.479
connect to a sense of curiosity

0:04:27.479,0:04:29.880
and investigation.

0:04:29.880,0:04:32.639
During this process, one remains

0:04:32.639,0:04:35.980
equanimous with whatever comes up within

0:04:35.980,0:04:38.129
the mind and senses, having a complete

0:04:38.129,0:04:41.699
experience of everything arising in the

0:04:41.699,0:04:43.400
present moment.

0:04:43.400,0:04:46.620
We observe everything that is arising,

0:04:46.620,0:04:50.040
not pushing anything away and yet not

0:04:50.040,0:04:52.340
getting identified with anything.

0:04:52.340,0:04:55.740
We come to the true self by realizing

0:04:55.740,0:04:58.259
all that we are not.

0:04:58.259,0:05:00.780
We make the unconscious patterns that

0:05:00.780,0:05:02.759
are in play within the self-structure,

0:05:02.759,0:05:04.620
conscious.

0:05:04.620,0:05:07.979
When we inquire into who we are, first,

0:05:07.979,0:05:10.680
everything that is the false self will

0:05:10.680,0:05:13.020
come to the forefront.

0:05:13.020,0:05:16.680
All of our thoughts and blocks, repressed

0:05:16.680,0:05:20.160
emotions, imprints, and samskaras that are

0:05:20.160,0:05:22.620
part of the self-structure, will start to

0:05:22.620,0:05:25.580
come to the surface.

0:05:25.620,0:05:28.199
By not reacting,

0:05:28.199,0:05:31.139
by having a complete experience,

0:05:31.139,0:05:33.840
a purification starts to happen within the

0:05:33.840,0:05:35.580
self-structure.

0:05:35.580,0:05:39.000
This practice that leads to samadhi,

0:05:39.000,0:05:42.240
is cultivating single pointed focus.

0:05:42.240,0:05:45.080
You become continuously present,

0:05:45.080,0:05:47.419
observing what is,

0:05:47.419,0:05:51.300
allowing what is, always becoming aware

0:05:51.300,0:05:54.120
of subtler and subtler aspects of what is.

0:05:54.120,0:05:57.900
Gaining sensory clarity,

0:05:57.900,0:06:00.620
allowing the mind to be open,

0:06:00.620,0:06:05.340
responsive, without analyzing.

0:06:05.580,0:06:08.039
When self-inquiry is done with a partner

0:06:08.039,0:06:11.280
it can be particularly potent.

0:06:11.280,0:06:14.820
One can't drift off into the mind,

0:06:14.820,0:06:18.120
you're accountable, [br]it's like meditating with

0:06:18.120,0:06:20.639
a partner. You have to be present because

0:06:20.639,0:06:23.520
you're being witnessed, you're staring

0:06:23.520,0:06:26.960
into someone else's eyes,

0:06:27.000,0:06:29.520
you can’t wander away.

0:06:29.520,0:06:31.860
At these retreats we begin the

0:06:31.860,0:06:34.870
self-inquiry when we're in [br]the waking state,

0:06:35.200,0:06:37.380
but the practice can carry over into

0:06:37.380,0:06:40.770
dreaming and even deep sleep states.

0:06:44.039,0:06:47.260
Here I'm going to describe [br]the dyad technique.

0:06:47.759,0:06:51.060
In this practice, one person is witness,

0:06:51.060,0:06:53.980
and the other engages in deep

0:06:53.980,0:06:55.919
inner investigation,

0:06:55.919,0:06:59.100
inquiring into their true nature.

0:06:59.100,0:07:02.220
First, decide who will be the witness

0:07:02.220,0:07:05.819
and who will start doing inquiry.

0:07:05.819,0:07:08.880
You will switch roles back and forth

0:07:08.880,0:07:11.039
all day long.

0:07:11.039,0:07:13.660
If you're doing this with a large group,

0:07:13.660,0:07:15.310
you will switch partners,

0:07:15.310,0:07:18.300
roughly every 40 minutes.

0:07:18.300,0:07:20.699
Sit across from your partner

0:07:20.699,0:07:22.560
looking into their eyes.

0:07:22.560,0:07:27.139
Maintain eye contact in silence.

0:07:27.560,0:07:31.380
As an introductory exercise, just look

0:07:31.380,0:07:33.539
into each other's eyes for about

0:07:33.539,0:07:36.259
three or four minutes.

0:07:36.539,0:07:39.640
Allow yourself to see this being

0:07:39.640,0:07:41.220
across from you.

0:07:41.220,0:07:44.880
Allow yourself to be seen.

0:07:44.880,0:07:46.979
The witness will connect to their

0:07:46.979,0:07:50.759
intention, to know who this being is,

0:07:50.759,0:07:53.400
that is in front of them.

0:07:53.400,0:07:56.699
The witness will say to their partner

0:07:56.699,0:07:59.759
‘tell me who you are’.

0:07:59.759,0:08:02.699
The imperative should come from a place

0:08:02.699,0:08:06.240
of sincere wanting to know.

0:08:06.240,0:08:09.240
For the one doing the inquiry,

0:08:09.240,0:08:12.180
simply allow yourself to be open,

0:08:12.180,0:08:14.699
to receive the imperative.

0:08:14.699,0:08:17.940
Inquire into who you are,

0:08:18.040,0:08:23.280
earnestly, sincerely, penetratingly.

0:08:23.280,0:08:26.340
Notice how the imperative lands within

0:08:26.340,0:08:28.560
the self-structure.

0:08:28.560,0:08:31.080
There may be an impulse to close the eyes,

0:08:31.080,0:08:34.919
or the eyes may remain open, simply let

0:08:34.919,0:08:38.730
it land in the deepest [br]part of your being.

0:08:38.820,0:08:42.120
Take a moment or several moments to

0:08:42.120,0:08:45.420
observe the mind, body, the energy,

0:08:45.420,0:08:48.959
any phenomena that arises

0:08:48.959,0:08:51.720
within the self-structure.

0:08:51.720,0:08:55.620
Then simply convey to your partner what

0:08:55.620,0:08:58.140
has arisen as a result of

0:08:58.140,0:09:00.740
doing this inquiry.

0:09:00.899,0:09:05.160
What's coming up in the present moment,

0:09:05.160,0:09:07.500
what's the most REAL thing

0:09:07.500,0:09:10.300
happening in this moment.

0:09:11.519,0:09:14.100
If there are thoughts or doubts

0:09:14.100,0:09:16.985
or if there's a feeling that nothing is

0:09:16.985,0:09:19.369
happening, just observe the most real

0:09:19.369,0:09:21.779
thing about this moment.

0:09:21.779,0:09:24.250
Connect with your I AM-NESS.

0:09:25.380,0:09:28.380
Inquire into who you are by being aware

0:09:28.380,0:09:32.700
of this I am-ness, the [br]sense of existence.

0:09:32.700,0:09:34.730
Don't think that there is a right

0:09:34.730,0:09:37.019
or wrong answer,

0:09:37.019,0:09:39.540
we're not looking for an answer on the

0:09:39.540,0:09:42.240
level of the mind. Don't think that you

0:09:42.240,0:09:45.180
have to please someone with your answer,

0:09:45.180,0:09:48.240
be free, playful.

0:09:48.240,0:09:51.240
You don't have to search for an answer,

0:09:51.240,0:09:54.959
be free in the not knowing.

0:09:54.959,0:09:58.500
A Bible passage comes to mind unless, you

0:09:58.500,0:10:01.019
become like little children you will

0:10:01.019,0:10:04.019
never enter the Kingdom of Heaven,

0:10:04.019,0:10:05.160
Jesus said.

0:10:05.160,0:10:08.040
There was a sense of ‘I’ that you had when

0:10:08.040,0:10:11.700
you were a little kid, the sense of YOU,

0:10:11.700,0:10:13.980
the unconditioned you,

0:10:13.980,0:10:16.860
it was there when you were a teenager,

0:10:16.860,0:10:20.880
it's there at every point in one's life.

0:10:20.880,0:10:24.300
Feel that sense of ‘I’ right now,

0:10:24.300,0:10:27.920
that sense of I am.

0:10:28.680,0:10:32.160
What is that sense of I am?

0:10:32.160,0:10:36.200
I t has no quality, it doesn't change.

0:10:36.600,0:10:40.200
The body changes, the mind changes,

0:10:40.200,0:10:43.920
the phenomena of life changes.

0:10:43.920,0:10:47.519
Sensations change, [br]but that sense of ‘I am’

0:10:47.519,0:10:51.970
does not change, it has no location.

0:10:52.860,0:10:55.320
‘Tell me who you are’

0:10:55.320,0:11:00.380
it is not a question, it is an imperative.

0:11:00.380,0:11:03.779
One trap people fall into is that they

0:11:03.779,0:11:06.959
mistake it for a question.

0:11:06.959,0:11:09.540
It is not about getting the right answer

0:11:09.540,0:11:12.657
with words, it's about

0:11:12.657,0:11:15.839
knowing who is answering.

0:11:15.839,0:11:18.420
WHO is responding.

0:11:18.420,0:11:21.120
The practice is to report any phenomena

0:11:21.120,0:11:23.940
that arises within the self-structure

0:11:23.940,0:11:25.800
to your partner. Explaining as clearly

0:11:25.800,0:11:30.550
and as truthfully as you can.

0:11:32.279,0:11:34.780
There are some rules to this game:

0:11:36.000,0:11:39.540
Don't refer to your partner as ‘you’ and

0:11:39.540,0:11:41.220
don't refer to anything that your

0:11:41.220,0:11:44.480
partner may have said in a previous dyad.

0:11:44.480,0:11:47.579
This is not a conversation.

0:11:47.579,0:11:50.090
In this practice, we also eliminate words

0:11:50.090,0:11:54.240
like ‘I’, ‘mine’ or ‘myself’.

0:11:54.240,0:11:57.660
When we use the word ‘I’ we habitually

0:11:57.660,0:12:01.400
refer to the ‘false I’, the condition self

0:12:01.400,0:12:03.180
so we want to communicate

0:12:03.180,0:12:05.440
whatever comes up without

0:12:05.440,0:12:09.200
using this dualistic language.

0:12:09.360,0:12:11.940
If you know that you are referring to

0:12:11.940,0:12:15.079
the ‘false I’ then don't use the word ‘I’

0:12:15.079,0:12:18.839
instead of saying I am feeling tired

0:12:18.839,0:12:21.480
or I am feeling angry, say there is a

0:12:21.480,0:12:24.240
feeling of tiredness arising,

0:12:24.240,0:12:27.360
or there is a sense of anger within the

0:12:27.360,0:12:29.640
self-structure.

0:12:29.640,0:12:34.019
Is it true that I am tired?

0:12:34.019,0:12:37.680
Is it the body that is tired?

0:12:37.680,0:12:43.459
Am I the body, or am I aware of the body?

0:12:45.720,0:12:48.240
You can start with what is obvious,

0:12:48.240,0:12:50.220
but don't miss the subtle.

0:12:50.220,0:12:52.440
Go into the feeling,

0:12:52.440,0:12:56.399
the sensory layer, the somatic field.

0:12:56.399,0:12:58.980
If a feeling comes up, where does it live

0:12:58.980,0:13:02.459
in the body? How does it move? How does it

0:13:02.459,0:13:05.339
change through time?

0:13:05.339,0:13:08.459
If there's sadness or anger, what

0:13:08.459,0:13:11.459
do those feel like? Notice any energetic

0:13:11.459,0:13:14.940
contraction, any holding or resistance

0:13:14.940,0:13:18.419
within the body, having [br]a complete experience

0:13:18.419,0:13:20.519
of everything arising in the

0:13:20.519,0:13:22.200
present moment.

0:13:22.200,0:13:25.860
During this process, the witness holds

0:13:25.860,0:13:28.399
the container of Silence.

0:13:28.399,0:13:31.079
Witnessing without reaction,

0:13:31.079,0:13:33.600
without encouragement, the witness

0:13:33.600,0:13:36.899
maintains a neutral face and lets go of

0:13:36.899,0:13:39.420
any body language.

0:13:39.420,0:13:43.019
When witnessing, you disappear,

0:13:43.019,0:13:45.360
there's only your partner.

0:13:45.360,0:13:47.820
Make sure that you're understanding

0:13:47.820,0:13:48.720
your partner,

0:13:48.720,0:13:51.300
following what is being said.

0:13:51.300,0:13:53.601
Don't zone out or stare

0:13:53.601,0:13:55.800
through your partner.

0:13:55.800,0:13:57.480
If something is said that you don't

0:13:57.480,0:14:01.800
understand, you can say ‘clarify that’.

0:14:01.800,0:14:04.596
This is the only thing the [br]witness can say.

0:14:05.220,0:14:07.860
As a witness you may be feeling what

0:14:07.860,0:14:10.940
the other person is feeling,

0:14:11.639,0:14:16.519
you may even synch breaths and movements.

0:14:16.920,0:14:19.680
This happens spontaneously, you don't

0:14:19.680,0:14:22.800
have to try to do anything.

0:14:22.800,0:14:25.079
It’s possible for the witness to enter a

0:14:25.079,0:14:27.180
samadhi state where there's no

0:14:27.180,0:14:30.480
separation from the one being witnessed.

0:14:30.480,0:14:33.480
Don't sympathize with the partner.

0:14:33.480,0:14:36.899
Don't play into their drama. [br]Be totally neutral.

0:14:36.899,0:14:40.740
This neutrality allows the freedom of

0:14:40.740,0:14:44.700
expression to unfold. You are a mirror.

0:14:44.700,0:14:46.730
A mirror has no opinion,

0:14:46.730,0:14:50.360
judgment or preference.

0:14:50.459,0:14:53.519
At the retreat, the facilitators will

0:14:53.519,0:14:56.699
come around and use various tools and

0:14:56.699,0:14:58.920
their own intuition, to point

0:14:58.920,0:15:01.139
participants beyond their conditioned

0:15:01.139,0:15:04.199
minds, towards a direct experience

0:15:04.199,0:15:07.100
of their true nature.

0:15:07.139,0:15:09.360
The dyad facilitator may come and

0:15:09.360,0:15:12.899
observe, and may ask you questions.

0:15:12.899,0:15:15.360
If this happens, stay connected with

0:15:15.360,0:15:16.920
your partner's eyes,

0:15:16.920,0:15:20.399
don't turn and look at the facilitator,

0:15:20.399,0:15:23.519
simply answer the question but stay

0:15:23.519,0:15:26.620
connected to your partner.

0:15:29.160,0:15:32.300
Stay awake in the ‘not knowing’.

0:15:32.300,0:15:35.820
Primordial Awareness is inseparable from

0:15:35.820,0:15:39.440
Stillness and Presence.

0:15:39.480,0:15:42.600
It is a stillness and presence beyond

0:15:42.600,0:15:44.760
the movement and stillness of

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the limited mind.

0:15:46.740,0:15:49.320
It is closer than the you that

0:15:49.320,0:15:51.860
you think you are.

0:15:54.839,0:15:58.019
It is neither near nor far,

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because these are mere concepts.

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Don't try to manufacture some answer

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with the mind or philosophize about

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who you are. Let the thoughts

0:16:12.565,0:16:15.521
and experiences come up, observe them and

0:16:15.521,0:16:18.280
report them, but don't get caught in their

0:16:18.280,0:16:22.779
content. We want to objectively report

0:16:22.779,0:16:27.560
what is coming up within [br]the self-structure.

0:16:27.899,0:16:30.679
We want to express freely in an

0:16:30.679,0:16:34.139
inhibited spontaneous way.

0:16:34.139,0:16:37.579
Don't overthink it.

0:16:38.160,0:16:42.440
This process is incredibly simple,

0:16:43.740,0:16:46.320
you don't have to do anything other than

0:16:46.320,0:16:49.639
observe and report.

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It is the condition mind responding,

0:16:52.639,0:16:55.860
trying to answer.

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But who are you?

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There is nothing to attain, there is only

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the dropping of the false identification

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and realizing the truth of the ‘true I’

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Primordial Awareness is so simple and

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obvious, that the mind misses it.

0:17:18.780,0:17:21.540
It is always the conditioned mind

0:17:21.540,0:17:23.799
that looks, that moves.

0:17:24.839,0:17:27.179
The conditioned mind is nothing but

0:17:27.179,0:17:31.280
movement, looking here and there.

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If you give up that movement, then

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what remains, who is aware,

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ever present in the seeing.

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The Zen master Dogen said: [br]‘To realize your

0:17:48.000,0:17:52.020
true nature, is to realize the self.

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To realize the self is to [br]forget the self.

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To forget the self is to be actualized

0:17:59.400,0:18:02.580
by myriad things.

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To be actualized by myriad things,

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your mind and body as well as the mind

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and body of others drops off.

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When mind and body drop off,

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there is only direct experience [br]of what is.

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Samadhi is the dissolving of the illusion

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between observer and observed

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experience and experiencer.