Acharya Prashant addresses the question of whether enlightenment, such as that of the Buddha, involves gaining all possible knowledge of the world through meditation. He emphatically states that this is not the case. He asserts that anyone claiming to know about science, galaxies, or other worldly subjects simply by meditating is not just bluffing but a "dangerous fraud." The knowledge of the material world, he explains, can only be obtained through the method of experimentation, with the lab being the appropriate place for it. Closing one's eyes will not reveal anything about the world, and he dismisses those who claim to receive scientific secrets through meditation as fraudsters, a statement he makes with full responsibility. The speaker clarifies that while closing the eyes does not provide knowledge of the world, it is a technique to become immune to the uninvited and forceful inputs from the senses. Meditation is described as a "technique in negation," a rebellion against the mind becoming a "dumping yard" for the world's nonsense. Its purpose is not to give knowledge but to prevent nonsensical, or "gutter knowledge," from entering the mind. This false knowledge, which comes from hearsay, gossip, and imperfect perception, often masquerades as truth. Meditation, therefore, is about blocking this influx. Acharya Prashant further elaborates that meditation is about falling in love with silence so deeply that one no longer bothers with knowledge. The problem is not ignorance but being filled with false knowledge. The kind of meditation associated with the Buddha, sitting with eyes closed, is a profound declaration of "do not disturb" to the world, stemming from an intimate love for the Ultimate. He also addresses the question about death, explaining that the body does not get enlightened. The enlightened one, like the Buddha, is no longer the body. The Buddha did not take what his father gave himâthe kingdomâand in doing so, made a silent declaration that he is not the body. Therefore, for the Buddha, death is no longer a sorrow.
