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Why do you think you have all the answers, Acharya Prashant? || IIM Ahmedabad session (2020)
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5 years ago
Wisdom
Spirituality
Experience
Reason
Truth
Adi Shankaracharya
Ashtavakra
Responsibility
Description

In response to a question about the paradox of being a wisdom teacher, Acharya Prashant explains that one simply answers to the best of their capacity. He dismisses the idea of needing to be the 'smartest person in the room' as juvenile language, stating that spirituality is for adults, not for adolescents concerned with who is smart or gets attention. The role of a teacher is a responsibility, and one responds to the best of their ability without claiming their answers are absolute. The listener, in turn, has their own intellect to assess the advice. Ultimately, the speaker emphasizes that any advice must 'pass the test of life' to be of genuine use, rather than being mere grand statements from a high pedestal. The true measure is whether the advice is genuinely useful to someone. Addressing the role of experience, Acharya Prashant acknowledges that experience, reading, and knowledge are helpful, but unlike other fields, spirituality does not have certain determinants like age. He provides the examples of great proponents of Vedanta, such as Ashtavakra, who was only fourteen during his famous debate with King Janak, and Adi Shankaracharya, who composed literature that is considered the gold standard today, before passing away in his early thirties. Therefore, while experience matters, it is not a rigid constraint. The ultimate determinant is whether the advice makes sense and adds value to the lives of others. The speaker defines truth as 'that which is useful,' asserting that it must perform in life, otherwise it is just verbiage and sophistry. Acharya Prashant clarifies that spirituality is not separate from life but is essential for making daily decisions in the best way possible. Since everyone is alive, everyone needs spirituality. It is not about changing one's path but about illuminating the existing one. He likens spirituality to a light that helps one navigate their life's track without stumbling. To go beyond reason, one must first have the capacity to exercise reason soundly. He concludes that one must first come to the boundary of logic by exercising it well.