Acharya Prashant addresses a question regarding the reconciliation of his teachings on renunciation with Shri Ramana Maharshi's statement that even a great sinner can perform inquiry. He clarifies that the absence of inquiry is itself the sin. Therefore, one cannot remain a sinner and inquire simultaneously; rather, the statement means that one has the power to drop the identity of being a sinner at any moment. Identification with sin is merely a thought held in the waking state, often supported by the false idea that one is destined to remain helpless. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that inquiry requires the courage to drop the idea of being weak and to realize that the truth within is always ready to break out. Regarding the concept of turning inwards versus renunciation, Acharya Prashant explains that these are not two different things. Turning inwards is the renunciation of the outward. He notes that as long as one is mesmerized or terrified by external objects, such as a roaring tiger, one lacks the freedom to look at the 'looker' or the process of looking. Renunciation does not necessarily mean physically discarding possessions; it means not taking external things too seriously. It is the realization that 'stuff is stuff and self is self,' and the two should not be conflated. One can possess items without being attached to them, which is the true essence of renunciation.
