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Are you crazy? || Acharya Prashant, with IIT Delhi (2022)
13.3K views
3 years ago
True Love
Ego
Craziness
Spirituality
Dissolution
Kabir Saheb
Rumi
Upanishads
Description

In response to a question about whether only a crazy person can understand true love, Acharya Prashant begins by questioning the premise itself. He suggests that before asking such a question, it is important to first investigate the assumptions it is based on, such as the conclusion that only a crazy person can understand true love. The questioner elaborates that the mind enjoying its own dissolution would be seen as crazy by a normal person, but for that individual, it is true love. Acharya Prashant replies that answering yes or no would not be useful, as words like 'crazy' and 'love' are so frequently recycled in spiritual literature that people become habituated to them and feel they understand them without any real depth. Acharya Prashant explains that just because one is habituated to something, like passing a hospital or a funeral ground daily, it does not mean one truly understands it. Similarly, being habituated to spiritual terms does not equate to understanding. He notes that saints like Kabir Saheb and Rumi speak of concepts like 'divine craziness' or 'seeking joy in one's own inner death' with such simplicity and conviction that they seem straightforward, but this can be deceptive. He cautions that these are not objective facts that can be repeated by anyone. For instance, when a Rishi from the Upanishads says 'Aham Brahmasmi' (I am Brahman), it is a spontaneous expression from his lived experience, for which he has paid the price. It is his prerogative to say it, but if someone else repeats it without the same realization, it becomes a problem. He emphasizes that one must earn the right to use such profound words, which requires the ego to be at its minimum. He warns to be cautious with the idea of the 'craziness of love,' as even ordinary, egoistic love can make people feel crazy. Instead of trying to relate to the words of the saints, he advises one to rise to their level. The more useful inquiry is to investigate the lived meaning of 'dissolution' and the bare facts of one's own life. The honest way to relate to the highest is not to stay where you are and try to connect, but to rise to the sky.