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How can mind know the Total? || Acharya Prashant, on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2017)
Scriptures and Saints
826 views
2 years ago
Consciousness
Silence
Humility
Intellect
Duality
Shri Yajnavalkya
Maitreyi
Spirituality
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that human senses, mind, and intellect are inherently limited and can only grasp partial aspects of reality. He argues that the common human error is to mistake these partial fragments for the total truth. While the totality of reality is beyond the reach of the dualistic mind, one can access it through total humility and by admitting the mind's limitations. He contrasts the way of science, which seeks to know the universe through external observation, with the spiritual path, which requires turning inward to the reality of consciousness. True understanding of the world comes through consciousness, and consciousness is realized only in stillness and silence. The speaker emphasizes that the total is available in the present moment, not through intellectualization or the search for causes. He describes curiosity as a mediocre trait that keeps one trapped in an infinite chain of cause and effect, rooted in the past and future. An intelligent person gives up the search for reasons and methods, as these only serve as justifications or distractions from life in the here and now. He posits that God is the ultimate reasonless being, and to find God, one must move beyond the need for explanations and live in the silence where all mysteries are solved without effort. Acharya Prashant further discusses the relationship between the observer and the observed, using the teachings of Shri Yajnavalkya to Maitreyi. He points out that the eyes, ears, and mind do not function independently; they are instruments of the 'watcher' or the 'seer.' Without the presence of the self or consciousness, the senses are effectively dead. He concludes that every object in the universe serves as a pointer or a messenger toward the ultimate reality. The purpose of existence is to recognize these pointers and transcend the partial to realize the total, rather than becoming obsessed with the messengers themselves.