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The sublime impossibility of meditating on the Self || Acharya Prashant,on Adhyatma Upanishad (2019)
Scriptures and Saints
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2 years ago
Ego
Truth
Meditation
Self
Renunciation
Liberation
Upanishad
Dissolution
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a question regarding the instruction to meditate on the Self in the self, clarifying that the 'Self' with a capital 'S' represents the truth, while the 'self' with a small 's' represents the ego. He explains that the ego is a limited machine that can only perform conditioned tasks. The purpose of spiritual practice and meditation is to give the ego a task that is beyond its capacity, such as targeting the infinite truth. When the ego attempts something it is not designed to do, it eventually breaks down and dissolves, which is the ultimate goal of meditation. He further elaborates that this dissolution can occur through methods like love or renunciation. In the path of love, the ego is encouraged to fall in love with the truth, which it can never possess or achieve. This impossible pursuit leads to the ego's exhaustion and eventual death. Similarly, renunciation asks the ego to give itself up, an act that is fundamentally impossible for it to perform. By attempting these impossible tasks, the ego reaches its limit and vanishes. Acharya Prashant concludes that meditation is the act of targeting that which cannot be targeted, and liberation is found in fighting an impossible battle with the conviction of victory.