Acharya Prashant addresses the Western philosophical concept, "I think, therefore I am," by stating that Vedanta does not concur with this idea. He presents the Vedantic realization as, "I am, and I do not know who I am, therefore I think." He explains that while Descartes' statement originates from thought, the Vedantic perspective comes from realization. The two concepts are entirely separate. He clarifies that thought can be a starting point for realization, but only if the intention is to know, not just to keep thinking. Without this intention, thought becomes a natural, unending, cyclical activity in itself. One can keep thinking without ever gaining in depth. The intention must be to get into thought, to get to the source of thought. When you realize where your thoughts are coming from, you know that the solution lies at the source of thought, not at some endpoint of the thought. When a person knows something in theory but does not live it, that is merely memory. Real knowledge has to become life; knowing has to become being. If knowing and being are separate, it indicates some kind of internal dishonesty or hypocrisy. The ego, to preserve itself, can have a lot of knowledge but keeps everything at a distance from itself. It uses things but never lets them become itself. If something comes too close, it becomes threatening. Acharya Prashant explains that love is what bridges the gap between knowing and being. Only in love does one not tolerate distances and instead seeks a union or oneness. Love is the preparedness to dissolve into the other, which must be something higher than oneself. He quotes Ramana Maharshi, who said, "Devotion is the mother of knowledge." Before one can realize something, there has to be love. Without love, even if you are told something, you will keep it in your pocket, not in your heart, and it cannot become your life.
