Acharya Prashant addresses a series of questions about the ego, spirituality, and the need for uniqueness. He begins by confirming that the ego will absolutely use spirituality as a weapon to protect itself and continue surviving. He explains that the ego is not an abstract entity but is, in fact, who we areāan entity that lives, eats, breathes, and walks. Just as we would do anything to continue surviving and avoid death, the ego does everything possible to avoid elimination. This fundamental tendency to live on is classically called "Jijivisha," the will to live. Acharya Prashant states that most of what is called spirituality is nothing but the ego in action, wearing a holy mask or a sacred veneer. He asserts that spirituality is the most fortified and impenetrable base of the ego. While the ego can be smoked out from other places it hides, like a rat in a hole, it is much harder to deal with when it takes refuge in a temple, not just hiding but becoming the priest. This makes the ego's deception in the spiritual domain particularly insidious. The spiritual guide or guru, if driven by ego, can damage a person at their very core, as their intention is to steal the soul, the very center of one's mind. Therefore, one must be extremely cautious of the spiritual domain and spiritual people, especially where personal interactions are involved. Regarding the need to feel unique, Acharya Prashant explains that this desire is rooted in the ego's fundamental need for differentiation to exist. Our very existence is founded on division and differentiation. However, the expressions of uniqueness that the ego takes are not truly unique; they are borrowed ideas. For instance, the desire to win kingdoms is a common, unoriginal idea. Similarly, the desire for enlightenment can be another form of seeking uniqueness, the ultimate crown the ego places on its own head. The speaker clarifies that there is a true uniqueness in each person, which lies in their physical constitution and the diverse ways they can approach the Truth. The purpose of life is to let the Truth express itself uniquely through you, which requires you to cease to exist as the ego and make way for the Truth. The mark of spiritual growth is a diminishing interest in differences, a state of equanimity or "Samata," where one no longer finds differences interesting.
