Acharya Prashant explains that liberation is not a new state of being, such as moving from a thoughtful to a thoughtless state, but rather the underlying awareness behind all states. He clarifies that as long as one is alive and possesses a body, thoughts, desires, anxieties, and emotions like anger or joy will continue to arise because that is the nature of the mind. Liberation means maintaining a subtle internal knowing that these are merely functions of the mind, without being consumed or defined by them. He critiques the popular pursuit of 'thoughtlessness' in meditation, arguing that if one can remember or register a state of light or silence, the memory mechanism is still active, meaning one was never truly thoughtless. True wisdom lies in 'right' or 'appropriate' action—where every emotion has its proper place and is expressed fully yet remains detached from the core self. He further discusses how our attractions and repulsions are deeply rooted in past conditioning and memories, often triggered by subtle similarities to past experiences. Addressing the concept of duality, Acharya Prashant states that true freedom is independent of any object, person, or situation. If happiness or love depends on an external factor, it is false and temporary; true love and joy are internal states that remain constant regardless of external circumstances. He emphasizes that one should not strive to suppress or 'forgive and forget' through ego, as forgetting is not within human control and suppression leads to hypocrisy. Instead, one should live with a sense of 'witnessing' or 'Sakshi', where one observes the mind's stories and tendencies without identification. By seeing the mind's drama as a story, a natural distance is created, allowing one to function in the world with authenticity and without the burden of guilt.