Acharya Prashant responds to a question about whether the concepts of truth and liberation are also part of 'maya' (illusion) since they originate from the human mind. He explains that it is not about knowing the purpose of life, but about existence itself. Knowledge comes after existence. Using the example of deep sleep, he points out that one exists even without knowledge. The fundamental point is that this existence suffers, and this suffering is the engine that drives the desire for relief. Even without knowing anything about one's suffering, the want to be free from it is inherent. Acharya Prashant clarifies that merely being told through knowledge that one is not suffering, or that everything is an illusion, does not help. The wise have said that we don't exist and that all is maya, but just listening to this does not make one non-existent or end the suffering. The starting point of all spirituality and self-knowledge is the direct experience of 'I am not okay.' This statement arises from one's core, not from theories. He illustrates this with an analogy: if served a rotten dish, one's first instinct is to push it aside, not to analyze its contents. The analysis comes later to avoid being cheated again. The first step is to say 'no.' He further elaborates that the first instinct must be the desire to be free and a dislike for one's current state. The knowledge of what that state is will follow. The seeker's eligibility begins with the admission, 'I do not like myself.' He quotes Jesus from the New Testament, who said one must hate their life and family to come to him, emphasizing the need for a total rejection of the current state. Spirituality, he concludes, is for 'misfits'—those who cannot find a comfortable coexistence with the life around and within them. The entire spiritual exercise is not for those who are easily settled and reconciled with their condition.
