Questioner: In the Indian tradition, there is more than.... I would say, western the newcomer found it worse to practice or whatever to follow Guru or rituals, that’s a kind of difference between western and Indian culture.
Acharya Prashant: Spirituality is neither a tradition nor a culture. Spirituality is not at all about following something or somebody. When it is said that you must follow the Guru, the Guru is the Truth, not a person not a man. Spirituality would never say, “Follow the words of a man.” Spirituality says, “Let the mind follow the Center, the Truth or you may call it the Heart or God.”
Questioner: Disposition is devotion, for instance, you are probably inclined to love a teacher.
Acharya Prashant: You may be inclined to love anything, anybody that’s all right.
Questioner: But specially, Guru.
Acharya Prashant: No, not even specially but all that follows the love you have for Truth. The mind in its great love for peace loves a man, a woman, a house, a tree, a river, a dog, a cat, an insect, a butterfly, anything. You are free to like, you are free even to dislike but you must first be free. That’s what spirituality is. You are free to like, you are free to dislike but first of all be free.
Questioner: Free and free to spirituality.
Acharya Prashant: It is…And all freedom is firstly and only the freedom of mind. Mind that is cluttered with thoughts of any kind even the most…
Questioner: Stupid things…
Acharya Prashant: No, not stupid, not stupid. Because if it is stupid you’ll throw it out. It remains in the mind only because it appears beautiful, nice, helpful, you know, benevolent. It appears great, it appears moral, it appears a right thing to carry around in the mind, that’s why you carry it. You must look at the mind stuff and see that whatever you carry around, is not worth it. And even if it must remain in the memory it must remain in a dormant form. It must remain as a guest. It must not remain as the owner of the house. The house is yours, the house is you.
Questioner: Oh! A beautiful thought…
Acharya Prashant: Beautiful thought (laughter…)
Questioner: It’s the language.
Acharya Prashant: No, it’s not language, it’s the whole attitude. It’s the whole mind stuff that’s talking. You see when you go to your house and you say, “It is my house,” is that a thought? Please see this, “Is that a thought or a fact?”
Questioner: It’s a fact.
Acharya Prashant: The difference between thoughts and facts is, thoughts do not remain without thinking, facts remain even if you’re not thinking. You’re thinking that you have to go somewhere and if you stop thinking that you have to go there, the mind is free of all consciousness, right? This door is a fact, even if you are not thinking that this door is there, you go and bang yourself against it, you will be hurt. So, facts do not depend on thinking, thoughts depend only on thoughts. Thoughts have nothing of their own.
Your house is your house, this is not a thought, it is the fact. So, you need not say that this is a thought, there is a danger in that, you start thinking. The internal instrument will again get fuel to carry on and on and on. And if it carries on its the same grind again. Its the same grind again.