The ego is not a real, independent entity but a bundle of conditioning that creates the illusion of a separate "I" and becomes the source of suffering. Self-observation is not introspection or analysis but moment-to-moment honesty about what is happening within. Real freedom comes when this false center is seen through, allowing life to function naturally without the burden of psychological ownership.
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Questioner: Hello sir, I'm Jitendra Shah, second year PhD student. Coincidentally, my question is in contrast to hers. So basically, I wanted to ask why there is a need to have a goal, like why is it considered a virtue? Suppose she said she does not have an idea and she's trying random things, but one fine day she discovers something she loves. But again, people try to attach that thing to a goal. Suppose she likes music, again, people, "Oh, why don't you pursue it further?" and all. So, why is having a goal considered a virtue? Why is it necessary? I don't understand that.
Acharya Prashant: No, you see, there are possibly two kinds of goals. So, if you are a prisoner in a jail, you will not be allowed to sit idle. They'll want you to work. They'll want you to be productive. They'll give you tasks and targets. Right? This is what you have to do, just to survive here, to be called a decent prisoner. And if you do this, you will have some compensation. Even prisoners do get paid. Do this, and they'll be disburse money credited to your account, and you can have it when you walk out, if you walk out.
That's one kind of goal, a goal imposed on you. In the jail, it is very gross, very optical, very visible, undeniable. It is very clear that what you are doing is somebody else's wish. But you have to do that, right? By evening, you have to do something. That's a goal. Type 1 goal. The type that the prisoner in the jail has.
