Acharya Prashant addresses a question about the concept of 'less' or minimalism in spirituality. He begins by stating that one must first understand the meaning of 'less'. If a small thing does not provide happiness, then why would one choose it? From this perspective, if minimalism arises, it is acceptable. He explains that he would consume the minimum amount of something that does not give him happiness, and this is the correct approach. A sage, for instance, is a type of minimalist. He consumes the minimum of those things from which he does not get happiness. This is a very logical stance. Why would you want to consume a lot of something that doesn't bring you happiness? The speaker illustrates this with examples. A sage might say, "Wearing a lot of clothes doesn't give me happiness, so I will wear only a few, just enough to get by." This is true minimalism. Similarly, if a big house doesn't bring happiness, he will build a small hut. He builds a small hut not because there is happiness in smallness, but because there is no happiness in bigness. This applies to all material things; no matter how much one accumulates, there is no happiness in them. The only criterion for making choices should be one's maximum, highest happiness, which is called bliss (Anand). One should strive to acquire more and more of whatever brings bliss. Conversely, once it is understood that a particular thing, work, place, or person does not bring bliss, one should minimize their relationship with it. Acharya Prashant then contrasts the ambitions of a worldly person and a spiritual person. A spiritual person is tremendously ambitious, but in the internal dimension, whereas a worldly person is ambitious in the external dimension. This is like the difference between the Western and Indian perspectives. The West has put all its energy into increasing speed in the external world, while India has put its energy into reducing internal speed and becoming still. The spiritual person's ambition is for the inner realm, to become still and quiet, which is a very difficult and ambitious task. The worldly person's ambition is to increase their speed externally to acquire more. He further clarifies the difference between being content and being defeated. A defeated person is one who was in a race with everyone but was left behind. A content person is one who stands outside the race, observing the runners. It is crucial to distinguish between these two. The person who is content with little on the outside is, in fact, practicing the discipline of greatness within. If there is no joy in fulfilling needs, then why waste time and energy on them? Reduce the needs to the minimum. And where there is bliss, that is what should be sought in the greatest measure. The one who is content with little on the outside is the one who is practicing the discipline of the great within.
