On YouTube
Acharya Prashant, unplugged || On education, corporate life and career progress (2021)
9.7K views
4 years ago
Spirituality
Business
Vedanta
Consumption
Purpose
Consciousness
Sustainability
Education
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the assumption that one's education should dictate their life's path. He clarifies that education is something one has, a resource or a tool, not who one is. He views his own educational pedigree as a resource to be used for a worthy mission. He explains that these resources, including knowledge and skills, are in one's hands and should be dedicated to the highest possible purpose, rather than becoming the central identity or the driver of one's life. He questions the tendency to let resources own the individual, instead of the individual owning the resources. Acharya Prashant defines spirituality as the very space in which all human activities and actions of consciousness take place. It is not something to have space for, but rather the space itself. He likens it to the light that enables one to operate intelligently in the material world, or a continuous heartbeat for the consciousness. He critiques the common practice of compartmentalizing spirituality into specific times or places, such as a half-hour meditation slot or a temple, questioning how one can operate without this essential light for the rest of the day. He asserts that one cannot live without spirituality, as it is the art of knowing what is important and dedicating oneself absolutely to it. Applying this to the business world, he states that for an organization to thrive, it must have a central, overriding mission that binds everyone together. This purpose must be so important that it can trump the individual differences that exist at the surface level. He explains that at their core, all people share a common desire for joy and welfare and a dislike for fear and distrust. A business must identify what it truly exists for, beyond just maximizing shareholder value. When there is a central, unifying purpose that every employee can be devoted to, the organization will not face serious problems, as differences will be given a lower priority. He further discusses the concept of sustainability, contrasting the Western approach with the Vedantic one. The West, he argues, has come to sustainability only after reaching the climax of consumption and realizing its ways are unsustainable. This approach is based on self-interest, such as saving the planet for human survival. Vedanta, on the other hand, begins by questioning the very nature of consumption and whether it can provide what one truly craves. It is an inquiry, not a set of beliefs, that asks fundamental questions like 'Who am I?' and 'What is my relationship with the material world?' By understanding one's true nature, sustainability becomes an automatic outcome, not an enforced obligation.