Acharya Prashant explains why one might not benefit from a spiritual session using an analogy. He likens the mind to water and conditioning to the dirt within it. A session, like the HIDP (Help in Daily Problems) session, is like being told about the various diseases one can contract from drinking contaminated water. One might listen and understand completely that these are the processes of the mind, and if something goes wrong, life can become hell. While sitting in the session, everything is clear and visible. However, the problem arises when one steps out and becomes part of the same old crowd again. The speaker describes this as getting intoxicated by the crowd's influence. In this state of intoxication, one is again faced with the contaminated water and gulps it down. Upon regaining consciousness, the person concludes that the session was useless, saying, "Look, I came out and swallowed the fly again." The speaker questions this behavior, asking why, if one has truly understood and is their own friend, they do not hold on to that attention and understanding. He asks, "Why do you let this happen to yourself?" He probes deeper, asking why there isn't something steadfast within a person that can remain stable even when the world outside is shaking. He urges the listener to resolve, "I will not allow the outside to penetrate deep into me." The reason this doesn't happen, he explains, is a pre-existing belief that life is torture and an acceptance of a defeatist attitude that things cannot be changed. He challenges this notion, asking who said that life is the name of defeat or that these teachings are impractical and confined to a closed room. The speaker asserts that what is being discussed is the only practical thing in life, but it becomes practical only if one practices it. If a person is hell-bent on not practicing, it cannot become practical for them. He concludes by stating that if one has already decided not to follow the advice—perhaps because their father taught them something different, or because they believe their 18-20 years of experience makes them knowledgeable—then nothing can be of benefit to them.
