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Eagerness to conclude is a barrier to learning || Acharya Prashant (2015)
Acharya Prashant
408 views
6 years ago
Conclusions
Silence
Worry
Truth
Love
Freedom
Presence
Knowledge
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a questioner who has concluded from his videos that there is nothing to worry about because something precious is already within us. He warns that the nature of conclusions is to change and that no conclusion is ever final. If one relies on a conclusion of not worrying, they will inevitably find themselves worrying again because conclusions are merely thoughts that eventually evaporate. He explains that people often feel cheated or faithless when their conclusions fail, leading them to seek even more solid conclusions rather than looking inward. He emphasizes that his intention is not to provide conclusions, which are often used to avoid silence and feel a false sense of security, but to provide silence itself. The speaker clarifies that being free of worry means that even 'not worrying' loses its charm. If one is delighted at not worrying, it indicates that worry is still a central concern. He points out that both the person who says worrying is important and the one who says it is not are still keeping worry at the center of their minds. He describes the game of worrying and not worrying as a small, repetitive cycle. Beyond this game lies an immensity that is untouched by these states. This immensity is not a takeaway or a statement to be written down; it is a presence that one must be in continuously. He aims to provide a flavor of this reality so that faith in it becomes possible for the listener. Furthermore, Acharya Prashant asserts that terms like love, truth, and freedom are not concepts or definitions to be collected. When people treat these as concepts, they eventually find them small and faulty, leading to the cynical belief that love or truth does not exist. He states that he does not have definitions to give, but rather the reality of love and truth itself. He warns against the desire to 'know' or summarize his teachings into pithy, lifeless statements. He concludes by telling the listener that all their knowledge is about things of no value and that the truly valuable cannot be known or conquered by the mind. He encourages the listener to drop the arrogance of trying to understand or possess the truth as an object of knowledge.