"Drik drishya vivekam" explains How is consciousness the witness

Suppose i see a flower. The flower is the object and eyes are the subject.

When the image falls on the retina, the mind is the subject of that image. So for the mind, eyes are the object, mind is the subject.

Now, when mind has the image, consciousness recognizes its presence. So consciousness is the subject to the objects of mind.

So consciousness is the ultimate subject --- which watches all that we see. But we need to see how it does not involve itself -- then we are done with the proof that it is the witness of everything.

Now. When i replace the flower with a fruit, the object of perception has changed, the eyes do not change.

Same way, when object in the mind is changed, the consciousness does nto change.

So Consciousness is just a witness to everything in mind --- this is to be seen here and now. We need not postpone this.

Now, this means, when i have a pain, its a sensation in the mind and consciousness just witnesses it --- it does not do anything, it does not say that this sensation is good / bad. it does not reject the sensation nor accepts it --- that is pure witness. So the pain, remains just the sensation and does not trasform into suffering.

so the learning here is "I am consciousness, pure witness to everything" --- once we pick this idea, we need to be it. We have forgotten this and started thinking we are the body - mind complex : that is identifying with these dead entities.

Source: http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/forum/index.php?topic=487.15