Questioner (Q): My question is about meditation. My problem is that whenever I sit to meditate, you come to my mind and your videos come into mind, in which you say, “No, that's not spirituality. Sitting and closing your eyes or breathing—that's not spirituality.” But in some way or the other, it is benefitting me. But still, when I am meditating, or even when I am thinking of meditating, your videos come into my mind and you say that such practices are not right, and that disturbs me. So, I want to know from you why is it bad. Why should I not do it?
Acharya Prashant (AP): I don't want to spoil the party. If it's working for you, absolutely fine. Ultimately, it must work, right? If it's working for you, I’m happy for you, so, feel relieved. And I have never denied that these things don't work, they do work. The problem is actually not so much in the methods of meditation but our mind that misuses them. All methods are designed to work to an extent. They are designed to give you a glimpse of something that's beyond your usual experience. The thing is, that glimpse must encourage you and charm you into making it your constant state. Instead, most people are just too satisfied with getting an occasional glimpse as compensation for the very disturbed and dull lives that they lead. So, that's my grudge against these meditation practices. Otherwise, they were designed for a purpose and the purpose is noble.
See, I have given this example earlier, I will repeat: you go to a sweet shop, the normal Halwai (confectioner) that you have. And if it's not very professionally run, or if it's a small-town thing, there is still the culture that they will give you part of a sweet to taste. In fact, people take it as a given, as a set privilege, to ask for stuff to taste. So, that vendor has like twenty different units of sweets available; there is Gulab Jamun (Indian sweet), there is Rasmalai, there is this, that, that, 20 different names. And you go there and you say, "Chakhao!” (Let me taste it), sometimes, you don't even need to say that. You just go there, and he says, "Oh, this is just fresh from the
