Acharya Prashant explains that spontaneity means accepting what is immediately and clearly apparent, and bowing down to it without bringing in any pre-existing beliefs. He illustrates this with an example: if an animal is being killed at a religious place, a child will spontaneously cry and say something is wrong. However, a religious person might not feel anything is wrong because a pre-determined thought or belief—that the sacrifice is a religious act—comes between them and the event. This thought acts as a veil, preventing them from seeing what is obvious and directly in front of their eyes. This veil of belief, or conditioning, is what spirituality aims to repeatedly challenge. Acharya Prashant uses the story of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' as an analogy. The king, his ministers, and the public are all conditioned by the belief that the non-existent clothes are real and only invisible to sinners. They all pretend to see the clothes to avoid being labeled as sinful. It is only a small, unconditioned child who spontaneously shouts that the king is naked. This veil of belief is what is called 'Maya', which has the power to project what isn't there and hide what is. Spontaneity, as discussed by Krishnamurti, is the simple, direct observation that occurs when this veil of Maya is removed. When belief systems are in place, even the most distorted and grotesque situations can appear normal. For instance, practices like Sati, the caste system, or ingrained gender roles were considered normal for centuries because people were conditioned to accept them, suppressing any spontaneous, humane reaction. An unconditioned person would immediately protest such acts. What seems normal or abnormal is entirely dependent on one's mental conditioning and beliefs. Therefore, one must be wary of what is considered 'common sense'. Acharya Prashant presents a hierarchy of understanding: at the bottom is belief (Vishwas), which is blind acceptance. Above it is thought (Vichar), which is better but can still be heavily conditioned. The highest faculty is spontaneous discretion (Sahaj Vivek), which is a commitment to truth alone, free from preconceived notions. Truth is realized through this spontaneous discretion, not through belief. One must choose whether to worship truth or their own beliefs.
