Acharya Prashant explains that consciousness is inseparable from its content, asserting that thought always requires an object. He argues that there is no such thing as an empty consciousness, as consciousness by its very nature abhors a vacuum and will always seek to fill itself with objects. He critiques intellectuals, psychologists, and neurologists for focusing solely on the 'slave'—the mind and consciousness—while ignoring the 'master' or the Lord. He suggests that trying to understand or repair the mind using the mind itself is as nonsensical as trying to fix a broken car by driving it to a service station. True discipline of the mind comes only through devotion to the master, a concept often rejected by intellectuals due to their ego and fear of mysticism. He further clarifies that while consciousness is conditioned and objective, awareness is the foundation of consciousness and is synonymous with truth. Awareness does not require the elimination of consciousness but rather a lack of identification with it. He describes the transition from consciousness to awareness as taking a single step backward into an abyss. This step is the most difficult for humans because it represents a total change in dimension and a psychological death of the ego. While the Lord is always close, just one step behind, people remain stuck on the edge of the cliff because they are terrified of the transformation that occurs when they stop looking forward at the terrain of the mind.