The Myth of 'Acceptance'
Questioner: Sir, when things start happening spontaneously, at that time you accept that you don’t have any choice. For example, you feel that you need to sit here, so being here has come from your heart, it’s not something which you plan.
Acharya Prashant: No, if you will accept, you still reserve the right to reject.
So all this talk of acceptance that is being touted as spirituality is pure nonsense. Who are you to accept? If you are accepting then you are still on the top of things. Who are you to accept? Some authority?
The spiritual mind accepts as well as rejects. But knows both of them to be worthless because acceptance and rejection are anyway happening daily. Are they not happening? You will choose what to eat this evening, you will accept something, you will reject something, it is happening. You don’t have to accept something new. It is already happening.
The game of accepting, liking, rejecting, disliking, it is continuously being played. When it is being played then just know that it is being played. It is already happening sir, it is already happening.
Questioner1: Yes, but you don’t know whether you are selecting or not. In the sense, you don’t have a choice in that.
Acharya Prashant: Somebody is selecting,
Questioner: So sometimes you know, you may look at this or somebody else may look at it and say you are selecting. Whereas I am not selecting.
Acharya Prashant: Is selection happening?
Questioner: Yes
Acharya Prashant: Then, just know. Along with the selection, you will always then come to know the selector. Because we don’t know the selection itself, the whole game, we also don’t know the selector. When you don’t know the selector, you know what happens?
You start assuming that you are the selector.
The wise man knows that the selector is the conditioning. You may say you are choosing a particular girl to marry and you think you are the selector but the wise one knows that the selection is happening only as per what I have been trained, taught, conditioned, made to believe in. That happens only when you know that it is just happening like something that happens in a system, in a machine.
Pay attention to the selection, pay attention to the likes, dislikes. Don’t you all dislike something? Don’t you all like something? Are we not attracted to something? Does something not repulse us? Is that not happening all the time? When it is happening all the time, why do you need something more? All the hints, all the clues, the very solution is present in front of you. Why do you need anything else?
Questioner: No, now in my case it is not so. Whatever comes I accept.
Acharya Prashant: You accept! Right? You.
Questioner: I accept, means whatever is there at that point in time. For example- a mosquito is biting me, earlier I would slight it. Now I don’t do it?
Acharya Prashant: Exactly. Now you don’t do it. Right? So you don’t do it.
You are there, you are, you are on top. You are the decider.
Questioner: It’s primarily because I think that my conditioned behavior is slaughtering, I should get rid of my conditioning.
Acharya Prashant: So you think. The thinker is still there. What else is needed for the thinker?
The thinker may keep thinking that he is not there and in thinking that he is not there, he is still very nicely sustaining himself. What else does the thinker want?
Questioner: So, it’s a back door entry.
Acharya Prashant: It’s a back door entry.
Sir, even this is a kind of Sadhna to keep accepting. When you keep accepting then you are still continuing with the old. You have all the right to reject. I have all the right to reject if somebody gives me milk. If I don't take milk, I will reject. And when I will reject there would be somebody who would probably smile. I can only guess. I don’t know because I am busy accepting and rejecting. I am busy playing the game. I don’t know what the watcher is like. I have no idea. I can only guess that he might be smiling. I reserve the right to reject. I have not forfeited it. I reserve the right to wear formals.
Questioner: This I, is who?
Acharya Prashant: This "I " is ego.
Questioner: So in our daily life we have to face choices? So nothing wrong with that?
Acharya Prashant: Nothing wrong.
When the chooser is shown his right place, then the choices are divine. But when the chooser is sitting on top, then the choices are evil.
If somebody is teaching you not to choose, to live choicelessly, he is just enforcing a principal upon you, an impractical principal. Because choosing will happen.
Questioner: How will I know that the chooser is…
Acharya Prashant: You want to know so that you can declare to the entire world and put up a sign board and distribute pamphlets. Why do you want to know except for this? You want to know only so that you can announce. At least to yourself, if not to somebody else. If you tell it to somebody else and he says if you are enlightened then why are you making such a show of it. So, at least to yourself, you would like to silently whisper, what?
I have done it.
(Laughter)
Questioner: Sir, to go by your heart and you feel
Acharya Prashant: Not your heart. ‘The heart’
Questioner: Okay, to go by the heart and you feel this is the right choice at that point of time? Is that good enough?
Acharya Prashant: You just keep feeling. Let the heart decide. The heart will decide. You feel, you think, you do whatever you want to do. You are a kid who is entitled to do everything and anything. Just don’t rebel against the father. As a kid, you are enlightened to live life as you want to. Just remain one with the father.
There is no need to give up anything; renounce or commit yourself to some actions. No, nothing, just the umbrella of father, just the blessing of the father is enough. The kid can keep playing. You are here not for a purpose. You are here just to play.
Unbelievable! Do I have the right to play?
Yes, you surely do have.
