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How to know the subconscious mind? || Acharya Prashant (2016)
Acharya Prashant
16.8K views
9 years ago
Subconscious
Consciousness
Rationality
Fear
Immortality
Language
Ego
Spirituality
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the conscious and subconscious minds are not separate compartments but are deeply interconnected. He asserts that everything in the conscious mind, including rationality, feelings, and emotions, is rooted in the subconscious. Rationality itself is not a rational choice but a faculty emerging from a deeper, non-rational source. He emphasizes that even the most sophisticated modern actions are driven by the same primitive tendencies as those of a caveman, primarily the desire for self-continuation and security. This ancient fear of non-existence is the substance of the subconscious, often hidden under modern labels like ambition or love. He further discusses how humans seek immortality and continuity through progeny, fame, and memory. These pursuits are symptoms of a deep-seated fear of elimination by time and space. Acharya Prashant argues that what is considered normal human behavior is often just the caveman's fear of the dark. He suggests that language often deceives us by giving beautiful names to fear, preventing us from seeing the truth. To live a meditative and spiritual life, one must have an inner eye of attention that witnesses the mind's games without judgment or labeling. This process involves rejecting the false to allow the true to emerge. Finally, he addresses the nature of understanding and the role of the body's intelligence. He posits that true understanding is the dissolution of knowledge and the disappearance of the subject-object duality. He encourages trusting the body's inherent intelligence, which knows how to sustain itself without the interference of moral or social thought systems. He concludes that spirituality is basic honesty in living—refusing to hide behind words or give decorated names to suffering. By observing the conscious mind with total attention, the subconscious is naturally dissolved, leading to a state of freedom and true being.