What is the difference between Immersion and Alertness? || Acharya Prashant (2019)
Questioner (Q): Acharya Ji, pranam. Is there any difference between being immersed and being alert? What we see in nature is that the animals are very much alert of their surroundings from moment to moment. What does J Krishnamurti mean when he says that great alertness is needed to remain present? What does it actually mean in practice? Kindly clarify.
Acharya Prashant (AP): See, many ways are devised by your well-wishers, by your elders, by the Saints and the knowers to help you and guide you. There is the way of immersion and there is the way of alertness. They both are in different topographies. These two ways are not in the same terrain. These two ways are located in different geographies. It will become clear. When it is said, ‘be immersed,’ to whom is the advice being given, and with respect to whom? That should be the first question you must ask. Instead of asking, “Acharya Ji, what is meant by immersion?” you must ask, “Who would be immersed and in what?” That would clarify things to you.
The ego is advised to be immersed in the Truth. So, when it comes to immersion, the ego is advised to be immersed in the Truth. You get the whole imagery. The ego is a little thing, a little blob, little nugget of something, a little lump and it is being advised to be immersed in a great ocean. What would the great ocean do? It would clean the ego up. And if the ego stays determinant, stays immersed, it may even dissolve. That’s the advice.
The ego is being told, “You are not only small but actually you're dirty, small and dirty.” Let that sink in. When they're saying, ‘please be immersed,’ it all sounds so clean, but they are just being political, you know. Actually, what they are telling you is that you are small and dirty, so you need to clean yourself up, and go and get immersed. You're not nearly being advised to take a bath; a bath is so superficial. You're not even being told to take a dip, that too, is momentary. You are actually being told to get immersed. In fact, a word that is even better than immersion is ‘marination’. Because when you get marinated then the solvent, the ocean actually percolates right to your core. It fills you up. It swells you up. It occupies you from the within.
