Acharya Prashant critiques modern meditation practices, such as breath control and mindfulness, which he views as superficial and often neurotic. He argues that focusing on petty physical actions like walking or chewing is unnecessary because natural processes should happen spontaneously. Instead of being mindful, which implies filling the mind with objects, he advocates for being mind-free or carefree. He suggests that the best movements of the human apparatus occur in the absence of the ego's interference and that one should surrender to the truth rather than focusing on biological functions. True meditation is the honest observation of inner facts without defenses or justifications. It is about emptying the mind through the principle of Neti Neti rather than seeking fullness. He emphasizes that wisdom lies in draining out the nonsense that already saturates the mind. Observation should lead to freedom from the objects within the mind, rather than a heightened concentration on them. He explains that the right thing cannot be planned or executed by the ego; it happens naturally when one stops doing rubbish. Using the analogy of a hot utensil on a burner, he explains that instead of applying temporary fixes like ice packs to life's problems, one must look at the source—the burner of the ego—and turn the knob. By seeing through the falseness of the subject, the mental objects that cause distress will naturally lose their reason to stay.
