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मज़े छुपा जाओगे, मुझे बस मनहूस ख़बरें ही सुनाओगे? || आचार्य प्रशांत (2020)
8.6K views
5 years ago
Spirituality
Life Transformation
Pleasure
Restlessness
Honesty
Detachment
Disillusionment
Description

A questioner expresses his dilemma: he feels he has many problems, but when he gets the chance to ask, no questions come to mind. He knows the solutions to some of his problems but fails to act on them. He has been on a spiritual path for four to five years, listening to Osho and Acharya Prashant, and has also practiced Vipassana. After each spiritual practice, he resolves to focus on spirituality but soon gets engrossed in his normal life again. He finds himself returning to spirituality only when problems arise, making him feel as if he is using it merely as an escape. He asks for guidance on how to remain steadfast on the spiritual path. Acharya Prashant responds by pointing out that the questioner is, in fact, enjoying his life. He indulges in the pleasures of life, and when a problem arises, he turns to spirituality for a solution. Once the problem is resolved, he goes back to enjoying life's pleasures, thus having the best of both worlds. The speaker challenges the notion that there is no solution, arguing that if the solutions didn't work, the questioner wouldn't be able to return to his old life. The reason he returns is that he finds some pleasure in it. The speaker humorously notes that people often present a miserable face to him, while in their daily lives, they are happy and having fun. He observes that many people he encounters in public have cheerful faces, but they become somber and pious in his presence. Acharya Prashant explains that the questioner is treating spirituality as an accessory to his life, like a fog light or a seat cover for a car that is already running well. He clarifies that spirituality is not for minor repairs like denting and painting; it is for a complete overhaul or even changing the vehicle of life itself. The questioner is not interested in changing his life, only in making minor adjustments. Spirituality is not a fashion to be followed. If one's life is going well, there is no need to bother with spirituality, as it can be unsettling. The speaker asserts that in the questioner's own view, his life is going well, and he is not seeking to declare it useless but to make it even better. Spirituality is not an accessory; it's not like getting new seat covers or a music system for an already functioning car. The questioner is not interested in changing the car or overhauling the engine, but only in fixing minor dents. Spirituality, the speaker explains, is the place to stop the running car and be given a new vehicle, like an airplane; it is not a denting and painting shop. He urges the questioner to be honest about what is truly wrong with his life. The restlessness he feels is not just in moments of solitude but is a 24-hour phenomenon that he doesn't notice because he keeps himself busy. This restlessness is a product of his entire life—his friends, job, what he eats and reads, and all his decisions. Spirituality is not about fixing one part of life; it is a total immersion, like a dip in the Ganges, where one cannot choose which part gets wet. It is about questioning the doer, the center, itself. To truly engage with spirituality, one must be ready for total disillusionment and complete detachment, willing to let go of everything. Only then can a new life begin.