Question: Dear Acharya Ji Pranaam! After watching a few videos on conditioning, I understood a few methods to work on conditioning. I still have one doubt. Why must one work on conditioning in the first place? Is it not natural to have conditioning, including social conditioning? Does it not serve the purpose of Liberation?
Acharya Prashant Ji: You have hit it right on it’s head Anisah (the questioner) . Conditioning does serve the purpose of Liberation, just as the stinking body helps the purpose of entering the washroom.
But why let it come to that? Why not wash up on your own? Why let the conditioning fester and ferment, and raise an odious stink?
I indeed have said that the greatest method for Liberation is suffering. But why suffer so much? I haven’t said that you require an unmitigated and infinite suffering to be Liberated.
Wisdom lies in suffering little, and flying away quickly.
Or must one allow herself to be skinned alive before she knows that it is a wrong life?
Biological conditioning exists, social conditioning exists. Realise that quickly, see what effect they have upon you. Ask yourself, “Do I like the effect they have upon me?” And if you don’t like what they do to you, then there is no need to let them remain.
Call if off. Fly away.
Pain is a great method of prakriti (nature), it helps you know that you need to go to the doctor. But too much pain can just bring your system down. It can cause an internal collapse.
Too much pain can cause you to die not because of the disease, just because of the pain.
Pain is a great messenger. But pain by itself is not the remedy. One must listen to the messenger quickly. And in listening, lies the remedy.
Are you getting it?
