Acharya Prashant addresses the question of whether an atheist can be spiritual. He begins by stating that spirituality is not at all about believing in any divine power or God. It does not require one to have faith in any God or Ishwar. The literal and profound meaning of 'Adhyatma' is to know oneself clearly and deeply. It is composed of 'Adhi' (greater/deeper) and 'Atma' (the self, the 'I'). Therefore, spirituality is the inquiry into the real 'I', asking the question, "Who am I?" The speaker emphasizes that in this definition, the word 'Ishwar' (God) does not appear anywhere. Spirituality is the process of knowing oneself. This is important because it is the 'I' that suffers, gets troubled, and experiences all problems. A problem only becomes a problem when it is associated with the 'I'. For instance, peeling paint on a wall is not a problem until it is 'my' wall. The real problem, therefore, is not the external situation but the 'I' that gets troubled. The one who is troubled is the problem; the diseased is the disease. The ego is a peculiar thing that survives only in ignorance. The more one investigates it, the more it dissolves. This investigation is spirituality. Acharya Prashant further explains that people often confuse the mental with the mystical. They think that by moving from material concerns to thoughts and concepts, they have become spiritual. However, all concepts, including the idea of God, heaven, or a flying elephant, are mental constructs. They are all part of the mind. Spirituality is not about getting stuck in any concept, whether it is theism or atheism. Both are merely mental positions, beliefs, and prejudices. Spirituality has no concern for either. Ultimately, spirituality is not about belief but about a rigorous and sharp inquiry. It is about knowing, not believing. It is not about believing in God or disbelieving in God. The concern of spirituality is with the 'I', the ego, and the mind. It is the inquiry into the nature of the mind and the self. The relationship between the mind and truth is that when the mind is, truth is not. The dissolution of the mind is where truth is found. Therefore, spirituality is the path of knowing the self, which is the only way to end the suffering caused by the ego.
