On YouTube
All spiritual teachers are fraud! || Acharya Prashant, with NIT Trichy (2021)
22.6K views
4 years ago
U.G. Krishnamurti
Spiritual Teachers
Doubt
Faith
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Spirituality
Swami Vivekananda
Beliefs
Description

Acharya Prashant responds to a question about U.G. Krishnamurti's statement that all spiritual teachers are fake. He begins by stating that U.G. Krishnamurti was not the first to make such a declaration; many others, including his mentor Jiddu Krishnamurti, have said similar things, albeit in less abrasive terms. Acharya Prashant endorses the spirit of this statement, explaining that spirituality is a favorite ground for fraudulence. Unlike other fields where cheating requires some effort, in spirituality, one can simply talk nonsense, and the masses are too gullible to question it. He criticizes the culture where people just want to listen to discourses rather than engaging in a real conversation, a passivity he attributes to years of being 'dumbed down' by parents, teachers, and religious preachers who discourage questioning. He advises the questioner that it is better to be doubtful than to be falsely assured. Doubt is a welcome and healthy state for a young person. He illustrates this with the example of Swami Vivekananda, who remained doubtful of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa for a long time. It was this very integrity and refusal to compromise with the false that ultimately allowed Vivekananda to find a true teacher. Acharya Prashant encourages the questioner to doubt everything, including the world, the gods, and most importantly, oneself. He explains that faith which is not initiated by doubt is merely flimsy trust, not real faith at all. When doubt introduces faith, it is a powerful statement. He concludes by advising the questioner not to suppress their doubt but to use it as a great opportunity for investigation.