Acharya Prashant explains that knowing oneself and knowing others are inseparable processes; one cannot truly understand another without self-knowledge. He points out that our inability to see the essence of others stems from our lack of self-awareness. If we possessed the capability to see the truth in others, we would have first applied that ability to see ourselves. He critiques the common tendency to be more interested in the secrets and personalities of others while remaining ignorant of one's own internal state, comparing it to watching neighbors through binoculars while ignoring one's own home. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that while external factors like body, name, color, and age differ, at a deeper level, all human experiences of anger, joy, sorrow, hope, and despair are the same. He asserts that as one goes deeper, differences diminish and commonality increases, leading to a state of complete non-duality. Understanding that the suffering of one is no different from the suffering of another, including animals, is what constitutes true realization, the fruits of which are compassion and non-violence.
