Whilst in Berlin recently, I took the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to 17, Nollendorfstraße in Schöneberg, to visit the apartment where Christopher Isherwood lived in the early 1930s. Like many tourists, I arrived clutching my dog-eared copy of Goodbye to Berlin, his acclaimed 1939 novel, documenting his time in the city during the dying days of the Weimar Republic. It’s not just a diary of events and people, but a spiritual novel too, and on the very first page Isherwood declares:
“I am a Camera. With its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman in the kimono washing her hair. Some day, all of this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed.”
Isherwood’s camera metaphor strikes me as a description of bare attention or witness consciousness, seeing each moment exactly as it is, without the mind’s names, labels and beliefs. Seeing the world as a camera sees it, was how Isherwood crafted his closely observed characters and drew on the minutiae of his everyday experiences, but I imagine it’s also what drew him to becoming a Vedanta Monk in California, in later life (read The Guru And His Disciple for his account of this).
To see as a camera sees “quite passive, recording, not thinking” is mindfulness, plain and simple. We don’t think, we observe and if we do think, then we observe the thinking.
Such clarity of vision leads to a monumental discovery: our moment-to-moment experience is not solid, fixed or stable, but crafted from a cacophony of fleeting impressions - a thought, a sound, a colour, shape or texture, a feeling. The mind then overlays this ungraspable dance of consciousness with its collected knowledge and transforms our direct experience into a story with a central character called me, moving from a past, to a present and into a future.
This is an act of magic, but it’s also the origin of our suffering. We subconsciously conceptualise ourselves and the world, and then consciously reinforce those ideas. This is the trap. It has no actual reality to it, no substance; it’s dream-like and yet, when you’re in it, it may as well be Alcatraz.
“Hello to Berlin” - Standing outside Christopher Isherwood’s apartment on 17 Nollendorfstraße.
The cultivation of bare attention offers a way out of our suffering, and this is precisely what the Buddha teaches the spiritual renunciant Bahiya, in the Bahiya sutta:
“Then, Bāhiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train yourself.”
In other words, be a camera. Stop conceptualising what you see, hear, feel and think and just observe it. Let it be as it is, naked and unthought. The Buddha then goes on to explain why this is the path to liberation:
“When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized, then, Bāhiya, there is no you in connection with that. When there is no you in connection with that, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress.”
It’s the end of stress because it’s the end of the story. In a moment of bare attention, the whole mental construct of time, self and other melts away, and what remains is what is - nameless reality. Not this, not that, not something else. Not anything and yet undeniably everything. It’s this-here-now before you think about it or utter a single word. This may sound Zen-like, but it’s not that either.
You can call it suchness or isness, call it the Face of God, but these are just words, more smudges on the camera lens. All the wisdom traditions point emphatically to the sacred Now and yet none can claim to capture it. It’s not Buddhist, Hindu or Christian. It’s just this. Blink and you miss it. Grasp at it and it trickles through your fingers. Think you understand it, and you're chewing on the menu and missing the ambrosia. Don’t say that God doesn’t have a sense of humour.
“Whose is this dead body you’re dragging around with you?” The Zen Master asks us, and the answer is: it’s yours. It’s your story, your past, present and future. It’s everything you think you know. It’s the imaginary self which appears to live at the centre of it all. It’s what you believe yourself to be when you lack the clarity to see that you’re nothing at all.
Of course, we forget all of this. You might be nodding as you’re reading these words, but you’ll forget; we all forget. But don’t worry, this is the dance of forgetting and remembering. This is why the notion of practice exists; we engage in the act of remembrance until there’s nothing left to remember and no one we need to be.
But until then, be like the young Christopher Isherwood gazing out of his window on a cold Berlin morning 86 years ago. Be a camera “with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.”
My next Mindfulness Group will be on Monday 22nd September at Vibe cafe, from 7pm-9pm. These drop-in sessions are designed for anyone interested in enhancing their mental fitness and wellbeing through the practice of Mindfulness and meditation, as well as those interested in embodiment and awakening.
Each session begins with a short talk followed by a 45-minute guided meditation, a tea break, and then time for discussion, questions and answers.
Price: £10 per person / £5 concessions (student, pensioner, low income)
How to book: email hello@mikekewley.com to reserve your place.
Ballaglass Glen Meditation - Saturday 20th September
Discover inner stillness in the heart of one of the Island's most beautiful Glens
Join me on Saturday 20th September, in the enchanting Ballaglass Glen for the next in my series of outdoor meditation sessions, combining the experience of deep inner stillness and insight with the beauty of nature.
Date: Saturday 20th September 2025
Time: 10.30am - 12.00pm
Location: Ballaglass Glen (meet in the car park at 10.20am)
The Buddha’s Heart: An Online Course Exploring the Power of Positive Emotions.
I’m teaching a transformative 4-week online course starting on Wednesday 24th September at 8pm (GMT), exploring the traditional Buddhist practices of:
Loving Kindness (Metta) Compassion (Karuna) Empathetic Joy (Mudita) Equanimity (Upekkha)
These ancient meditations – known as the Brahma Viharas – cultivate the highest human qualities and act as antidotes to stress, negativity, and destructive emotions. They help us develop inner calm, resilience, and emotional intelligence, while deepening our understanding of the interconnectedness of self and world.
What’s Included?
- 4 weekly live online classes (via Zoom) - Downloadable handouts & resources - Access to a private Facebook group with class recordings & bonus content
This course is perfect for beginners interested in mindfulness and meditation, as well as experienced practitioners looking to deepen their practice of loving kindness and compassion.
1-Day Mindfulness Retreat - Saturday 27th September
What is mindfulness, and how can this simple yet powerful practice reduce stress, calm the mind, and reconnect us with our deeper nature?
I invite you to join me for my One-Day Mindfulness Retreat on Saturday 27th September, at St. John’s Mill Conference Centre, and discover the power of this ancient practice. This 1-day retreat includes inspiring wisdom stories, guided sitting & walking meditations, group discussions and delicious food.
Whether you’re new to meditation or looking to deepen your practice, this retreat is the perfect way to slow down, recharge, and experience the life-changing benefits of mindfulness.
If you can’t make it to any of my in-person events, then why not join me on Zoom every Thursday evening, 7:30 – 9:00 pm (UK time) for a live online exploration of:
Each session begins with a short teaching, followed by a 45-minute guided meditation exploring breath, body, and being. There’s also time for questions, reflections, and shared insights with a supportive global community of practitioners.
And if you can’t make the live sessions, don’t worry, I’ll invite you to join my private Zoom Facebook group where I share all the live recordings so you can listen back in your own time as well as bonus material. You’ll also receive a discount on my online courses and workshops.
It’s just £20 per month and you can register below - I look forward to sitting with you!
