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Thinking a lot about Future? || Acharya Prashant (2022)
14.7K views
1 year ago
Fear
Consciousness
Body-Identification
Duality
Wisdom
Responsibility
Liberation
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that all mental fears, such as the fear of losing money, marks, or prestige, are ultimately related to physical survival and boil down to physical insecurity. He states that we are comprised of two parts: the body and consciousness. Fear belongs to the domain of the body, and one should leave it there. He advises against fighting fear, because to fight it, one must enter the domain of the body, and in doing so, one becomes the body. This identification with the body, or "Aham Dehasmi" (I am the body), is the fundamental problem. Even in an attempt to fight fear, if one identifies with the body, one has already been indirectly defeated. The correct approach when fear arises is to let it be and ignore it. Instead, one should focus their attention on the task that consciousness suggests. Consciousness is far bigger and more important than fear. The speaker provides an example: if a wild beast approaches while you are with your baby sister, you would not simply run away. You would first protect her, even if it means fighting the beast. This demonstrates that something more important than fear, like love or responsibility, can take precedence. Fear will be present, but your actions will be guided by a higher principle. This principle applies to all biological impulses, including jealousy, fatigue, hunger, thirst, and anger. Fear is biological; it is a message addressed *to* the body, not *to* you, the consciousness. One should not read a letter addressed to someone else. Similarly, let the body handle its own messages. You should do what you must. Let fatigue, hunger, or anger be there, but do what is right. Consciousness must rule, and the body must obey its commands. In response to a question about making the right decision with limited information, Acharya Prashant states that one will never know anything perfectly. The key is to keep moving and be modest enough to change when you realize it's necessary. One must never be rigid or permanently committed to any one thing. The purpose of life is to continuously learn, develop, and become better. This ultimate learning is called liberation.