Acharya Prashant explains that suffering arises not from struggle itself, but from getting stuck in it. He illustrates this by pointing out that even the most pleasant things, like a favorite movie, become intolerable if one is trapped with them for too long. He emphasizes that common life often involves being mired and gripped by things on all sides, lacking a sense of 'beyondness.' To address this, he discusses the significance of the sacred syllable Aum, which represents the transition from the ephemeral to the unending silence. He breaks down the components of Aum: 'A' represents the waking state of consciousness, 'U' represents the subconscious and latent tendencies, and 'Ma' represents the fundamental ego tendency of self-preservation. Acharya Prashant asserts that these three states must be transcended and brought to a closure, yet in most lives, they continue indefinitely, preventing the silence that lies beyond from beginning. He describes Aum as a reminder to drop and dispose of the 'three-dimensional nonsense' of the world, allowing one to bask in the sunlight of silence. He likens Aum to a 'great vacation' or a holiday from worldly chores and burdens. He concludes that nothing in the world is important enough to justify the loss of one's essential peace, as peace cannot be the price paid to obtain peace. In this context, Aum serves as a cultured way to reject the disturbances of the world and reclaim one's tranquility.
