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Knowledge that binds versus knowledge that liberates || Acharya Prashant on Saint Kabir (2017)
Scriptures and Saints
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3 years ago
Knowledge
Searcher
Restlessness
Kabir Saheb
Existence
Fulfillment
Suffering
Self-observation
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the nature of knowledge and the human tendency to search for fulfillment. He observes that while existence itself does not demand that a person possess a specific type of knowledge to be complete, humans are perpetually restless seekers. This constant searching—whether through shopping, relationships, jobs, or travel—is a validation that the individual feels a deep lack. He points out that people have tried various destinations, teachings, and experiences throughout their lives, yet they remain empty-handed and continue to move from one thing to the next. He suggests that what one is truly looking for is that which has not been found in any direction, time, or worldly situation. He challenges the seeker to stop looking for an external object or 'special knowledge' and instead look at the searcher themselves. He notes that the seeker's face has become hardened and dry from the disappointments of this endless journey. The confidence people have in their own knowledgeability is often misplaced, as it leads them into dead ends and repeated cycles of suffering. Acharya Prashant suggests that instead of being confident in what they think they know, individuals should become confident in acknowledging their own foolishness and the failure of their past knowledge. He emphasizes that adding more information or 'knowledge' to a person already burdened by it is like adding weight to someone already suffocating under a rock.