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Love is Enough. Hari Om! || Acharya Prashant, on Vedanta (2021)
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4 years ago
Om
Mind
Silence
Brahman
Non-duality (Advaita)
Consciousness
Shri Ram
Liberation
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the disappearance of sound into silence, as happens in the chanting of 'Om', is analogous to the disappearance of the mind into the 'Brahman' target. 'Om' is described as the process where sounds finally dissolve and taper off into silence. Figuratively, 'Om' comprises the sounds 'A', 'U', and 'M', which represent the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and sleeping. These states ultimately dissolve into silence, which is the target. Similarly, the mind must leave behind all its possible states—waking, dreaming, and sleeping—to disappear into the target. The speaker states that 'Om' sends the mind rushing towards this goal. This journey involves passing through all possible experiences and then transcending or jumping over them into what is described as non-being or your own absence. Since one's presence is confined to these three states, leaving them behind means leaving the self, the mind, and the ego behind. When there is no 'you', 'That is'. The speaker highlights how ancient seers, in their deep love for liberation, turned life into a process of realization or a love song. This is reflected in everyday greetings like 'Hari Om' or exclamations like 'Hey Ram'. The entire life becomes impregnated with the divine, symbolized by Ram, as if nothing else exists. This creates a paradox: on one hand, you are already with Ram, and life is a divine play (Leela); on the other, there is an infinite distance to cross, and every act must be performed with extreme care. This paradox, where one is both near and infinitely far, can only be comprehended by a mind that has a flavor of non-duality (Advaita). A mind trained in duality perceives 'near' and 'far' as opposites, but in Advaita, they are concurrent. The speaker concludes that love is sufficient to navigate this path, and that when one remembers Ram in every breath with intense devotion, life becomes a game to be enjoyed rather than a burden to be carried.