Acharya Prashant explains that true observation is not possible when one is tied to prejudices, identities, and past conditioning. He uses the example of an India-Pakistan cricket match to illustrate how spectators from both sides claim to be observing, yet their reactions are dictated by their national identities. When an Indian batsman plays a poor shot but survives a dropped catch, Indians applaud out of relief rather than acknowledging the reality of the play. Conversely, they may fail to acknowledge a beautiful delivery from a Pakistani bowler because their brain is conditioned to favor one side. This demonstrates that what most people call observation is merely the automatic and mechanized movement of the brain based on stored identities. He further clarifies that intelligence is the ability to understand the movement of time, which is essentially the movement of the brain. To truly observe means to observe the processes of the brain itself, rather than observing through the brain. If one observes through the brain, they are always observing as 'somebody'—a student, an Indian, or a Pakistani—which prevents them from seeing life as it actually is. True observation requires being beyond these identities and the flow of time. Without this understanding, one does not look at life at all but remains trapped in the dead movements of past conditioning.
