Acharya Prashant explains that a mental state, such as anger, is perceived as absolute reality in the moment it occurs. He emphasizes that the question of 'appropriate action' is only useful if it arises during the state of suffering itself, rather than as a memory after the fact. He argues that attention and remembrance must be a constant way of life rather than an emergency service used only during crises. Most people seek remembrance during suffering but forget it during pleasure; however, because they forget during pleasure, they inevitably slip back into suffering. True remembrance is not a forced mental activity or suppression, but a state of total attention that serves as the background for all life's activities. He further clarifies that attention is not a new activity to be added to one's portfolio, but a fundamental change in the quality of the actor, which is the mind or ego. While changing one's activities, such as physical exercise or reading, can sometimes lead to a change in the actor, there is a danger that the ego will simply co-opt these new activities to feel more 'intelligent' or 'spiritual.' The primary way to change is to realize one's conditioning through the weight of one's own suffering. When a person repeatedly suffers for the same reasons, it is a clear indication of an incorrect diagnosis of their life situation. Finally, Acharya Prashant discusses how to help others who are resigned to suffering as an inevitable way of life. He suggests that instead of verbal persuasion, one should become a 'living example' of a life without suffering. He compares a Buddha to a 'bag of abuses' to the ego because their very existence insults the ego's limitations and proves that a different way of living is possible. Once someone has glimpsed such a state of being, they can never truly forget it, and eventually, they must return to that truth. He concludes that trying too hard is a sign that one is not yet in the flow of truth, as true transformation is not a matter of tricks or magic but of deep, consistent immersion.
