Which direction to take in life? || Acharya Prashant (2019)

Questioner: Acharya Ji, which direction to take in life?

Acharya Prashant: What is it, that matters to you?

The direction in which you must go is determined by where you will feel the pain.

And if you feel no pain, no discomfort, why must you go in any direction?

You move only because your current station discomforts you. So what is your discomfort? Your discomfort will decide where to move to and how to move. And if you are already well-settled, and alright, then that’s Samaadhi. Why must you contemplate any movement then?

I find it strange to see that why do we keep talking about moving, without caring to examine what makes us move. Why must there be any movement at all?

You are a human being. Any movement that you make, physical, psychological, involves costs, time, resources. Every movement is a chunk of your limited lifespan. That’s why movement is life. Must you then move irresponsibly? Is life there to be wasted?

Life, as you know it, is just time. Why must you move randomly, hither-thither?

Yes, there is a movement that is aimless, purposeless. That is just like – the dance of a child. But that movement is only for those, who are not looking to move, who have internally come to the end of all movement. Have you come to the end of all movement? No. You are still eager to move.

And if you are eager to move, then you better move with discretion.

Use your suffering, as the compass. Your suffering will give you the direction.

Be very very alert and sensitive to your suffering. Just do not surrender at the wrong place. Do not start considering that suffering, and restlessness, and boredom, and loneliness, and fear, are the natural modes of life. They are not. Never, never allow this belief to settle within you.

If life is boredom, and loneliness, and fear, that is unnatural. Just because you see a lot of sorrow and anger, and uprooted-ness around you, that does not mean that anger and sorrow are our natural states.

They are not.

Don’t give in. Don’t surrender. Remain a little rebellious. Remain a little compassionate towards yourself. If the mind remains heavy, don’t just move on with it.

Pause and ask: What’s going on?

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