On YouTube
What is silence? || Acharya Prashant (2015)
Acharya Prashant
2.1K views
6 years ago
Silence
Noise
Frustration
Ambition
Anxiety
Materialism
Mind
Life
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that silence is the mind's essential state and deepest thirst, yet humans mistakenly seek it by moving from one form of noise to another. He compares this to a person constantly changing radio channels, never realizing that what they truly desire is freedom from all channels. Because silence is not a thought, the mind cannot conceptualize it and instead pursues newer, more agreeable noises through deliberate thinking and planning. This cycle leads to a life of constant movement without ever reaching a point of settlement or true satisfaction. He observes that people flip through properties, relationships, and excitements, fueled by a subconscious frustration that society mislabels as ambition or the urge for achievement. Using the analogy of a frog on a hot pan, he describes how individuals jump from school to college and then to various jobs, hoping for relief but remaining equally anxious at every stage. He points out that even major life milestones like marriage or having children are often desperate attempts to escape a dull and rotten existence, yet these actions fail to provide the warmth or intimacy that is missing. Acharya Prashant highlights the tragedy of a life spent accumulating material possessions, such as multiple houses, while the individual remains miserable and forlorn. He warns against the 'foolish game' of being hopeful for the next acquisition or life stage without addressing the underlying emptiness. He concludes by stating that there is nothing more pitiable than a person who dies without ever having tasted the real, urging the listener not to allow their life to be wasted in such a dry and superficial manner.