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What is the name of the One with no name? || Acharya Prashant, on Saint Lalleshwari (2016)
Acharya Prashant
515 views
8 years ago
Truth
Silence
Guru
Lalla
Atman
Peace
Mysticism
Upanishads
Description

Acharya Prashant discusses the inherent difficulties in communication between a spiritual knower and their audience. He explains that a true knower understands the futility of words, as they can only circle around the truth without ever capturing its essence. The listener, on the other hand, is limited by pre-assigned meanings and mental images, often converting new insights into old, familiar concepts. He emphasizes that any peace experienced in the presence of a teacher is not caused by their words but is an inherent state that is merely coincidental to the speaking. He warns against becoming fixated on 'holy words,' as this leads to a superficial relationship with the teacher that only exists during formal instruction. Using the verses of the mystic Lalla as a foundation, Acharya Prashant describes the spiritual journey as a relentless process of questioning. He contrasts the ordinary person's search for peace in the world with Lalla's focused inquiry directed toward a guru. He highlights that Lalla’s strength lay in her refusal to tolerate falseness, leading her to abandon social structures and family when they became obstacles to her truth. He explains that the guru’s role is not to provide easy answers but to stoke the student's internal fire through silence, eventually leading the student to a state of total exhaustion and the realization of the futility of personal effort. Finally, Acharya Prashant explores the concept of spiritual 'nakedness' and the 'tiring out' of the ego. He clarifies that Lalla’s legendary nakedness represents the dropping of all mental concepts, beliefs, and fake personas rather than just physical clothing. He describes the transition from a struggling ego to a liberated state as a 'blank page' in the story of life—a mystical gap that cannot be recorded or explained. He concludes by urging the audience to allow their own old stories of suffering and seeking to end, asserting that the 'dance' of liberation and the 'new' life begin naturally once the old story is terminated.