Self Enquiry

Questioner: In light of our topic, one thing that really comes to mind is the concept of cancel-culture.

I am just summarising what it really means. Individuals on the platforms of social media or digital platforms, in general, have a kind of justice system, where someone can be kicked out…

The one relationship that is of maximum importance is the one you have with yourself.

When you are not alright with yourself, obviously you will seek an alternative to your company: “Can there be somebody to relate to? Can there be somebody to sit with, fill myself up with, form…

Spirituality just needs basic self-honesty, self-awareness. There is nothing mystical, nothing magical about it, but that is what it has been associated with. I am not talking of chanting; I am not talking of chakras; I am not talking of flying snakes; I am not talking of magical seeds. Not…

There is only one way to test whether you have done the maximum you can. If you have done the maximum you can, then you will find that things have started happening on their own, in unexpected, unplanned, unprecedented ways. You are now helpless; you can do no more, but…

Love is about giving yourself the highest. When you love somebody, do you want to stop short of giving them the highest possible? Similarly, when you love yourself, would you stop short of giving yourself the highest possible?

The highest possible is not contained in pleasure nor in happiness. Both…

You are a bird; your nature is to fly. You don’t need to be taught your nature; you need to be freed from the cage.

But we are pretty special characters. Instead of opening the door of the cage, we try to teach the bird to fly within the cage,…

Real courage is needed only when you fight a real battle, and the real battle is against yourself.

Not all problems are worth facing. Most problems you must totally avoid, even if that means that you will be called a coward by others.

Not all battles are worth fighting. In…

Take care of yourself, and you have taken care of the kids. When the kids see a radiant mother, a radiant father, their darkness disappears. Be first of all concerned about discovering your own radiance. If you have nothing but darkness, all that your kids would get from you is…

What is self-love? Self-love is really possible only when the self is worthy of being loved. For self-love to happen, the petty and divided and confused self has to be elevated to the point where it is clean and shining and expansive and fearless. That is real self-love.

Now you…

You must learn aloneness before you relate with people. You must be very, very comfortable with yourself. If you are someone who cannot be with herself comfortably, easily, gladly, then kindly spare the other person. If you are not alright with yourself, then don’t start piggybacking on the other—and usually…

You must learn aloneness. Before you relate with people, you must be very, very comfortable with yourself. If you are someone who can not be with herself comfortably, easily, gladly, then kindly spare the other person. If you are not alright with yourself, then don’t start piggybacking on the other.…

Nobody can help you in the entire world if first of all you don’t like, or respect, or love yourself. What is the point in admiring a great personality if first of all you cannot admire yourself? And most people become admirers or fans because, firstly, they don’t admire themselves.…

Most of the times what people call as their responsibility is something that has been just taught to them. If you take them aside and ask them, “How do you know that you are responsible for such a thing?” they will have no answer.

“I must be successful; it is…

See where you spend your time; that will tell you of your intention.

See where you spend your money; that will tell you of your intention. Money is a very important indicator.

See what is going on in your mind, see what circulates in your mind; that will tell you…

ज़िन्दगी में पहले कुछ बन जाओ, कोई आंतरिक मक़ाम हासिल कर लो, फिर तुम्हें समझ में आएगा न कि रिश्ता किससे बनाना है। अब रिश्ता बना लिए छब्बीस की उमर में – तुम्हारा लक्ष्य हो सकता है जीवन में ऊपर उठना हो, जिससे तुमने रिश्ता बना लिया है उसे ना…

कोई साधारण कद-काठी का आदमी हो, और वो चला जा रहा है, और पीछे से कोई आवाज़ दे उसे, “ओ मोटे!” इस आदमी का दिल टूट जाएगा? इसका दिल टूट जाएगा? और दूसरी और हो कि सवा-सौ किलो का वो किसी तरह लुढ़कता-पुड़कता चला जा रहा हो, और पीछे से…

खाली समय मिला है तो क्या करना है? “चल न! मोहल्ला घूम कर आते हैं, बाज़ार देखकर आते हैं”, या कहीं नहीं जाना तो, “चल न, टीवी देखते हैं।“ ख़ुद को नहीं देखना है!

अपनी हालत क्या है, उससे बिलकुल बचकर रहना है। अपनी हालत का कुछ पता नहीं, टीवी…

Loneliness and aloneness are not so much about the other; they are about the relationship you have with yourself. If you have been living a life that your best self, that your internal honesty cannot approve of, then you will be very lonely. Your relationship with yourself would be fraught…

Wherever you are, that is where the door will open for you. You need not go to any other place. If you are bored, then boredom is the door. If you are attached, then that attachment itself is the door. If you are angry and fearful, then the anger and…

If you are not feeling right, don’t push yourself into believing that everything is alright. Your nature is total security and total relaxation. Any iota of doubt proves that you are not centered. Entertain it. Don’t dismiss it. Your doubts are not without a purpose. The agitation of the mind…

Limit yourself to consciousness and learn about the ways of consciousness. If you can learn the ways of consciousness, that is the blessing of the Absolute.

The Absolute is not just another thing in the consciousness. The Absolute is when you go to the very root of consciousness. And how…

Our only deep need is self-actualization. All other needs are just precursors and mediums.

Why do you have relationships? Why do you have money? Why do you want respect? Why do you wake up in the morning? Why are you having this conversation? Why do you even watch a movie?…

If no greatness were possible at all, then there was no justification in pointing fingers at littleness. But greatness is possible. Greatness is possible, and it is materially proven in the shape, form, and figure of the great man. If he could do it, why couldn’t you? He had all…

Ignorance starts from the body itself.Even in a well-educated and spiritually liberated woman, the desire for a kid would probably be relatively larger compared to that in a man.What we want to talk of is whether the compulsive desire to keep the kid and the family at the center of…

Please concentrate on the aspect of one’s relationship with oneself. Nobody can help you in the entire world if first of all you don’t like or respect or love yourself. What is the point in admiring a great personality if first of all you can not admire yourself? And most…

When you live from a point of simple, basic fulfillment—which is fortunately your established nature—then victory and defeat, neither of them can mean too much. People have called that equanimity. You can use any other name.

Equanimity is not about being indifferent to this and that. That indifference is not…

When you cannot like yourself, then obviously you have to turn to somebody else. That is loneliness. But when you are living a life that is rich, full, honest, then you are alright with yourself. Now, it is not so that you will not have a relationship with the other;…

We all have experienced pleasure. We all have experienced happiness as well. Have they ever been sufficient and final? Never.

Therefore, if you love yourself, then it is not pleasure or happiness or gratification that you would want to provide yourself. You have to ask: “What is it that I…

The world is all yours if you are first of the world’s master. Have you gone to people who have dogs? If you are on good terms with the master of the dog, the dog comes and wags its tail in front of you. The dog says, “If you are…

People talk of personal time as opposed to professional time, right? They forget that the profession that they have chosen has also been chosen by the person. So, even that which they are mistakenly calling as professional time, is only personal time.

Our lives have only personal time. To be…

Self-improvement cannot happen along with self-deception. If you don’t even admit to yourself that you are in the dumps, how would any improvement happen? You don’t really need to announce it to the world. To yourself, you must know where you really stand. And that silent realization, I assure you,…

When you break up in the material way, you leave the house.

When you break up in the spiritual way, you leave who you are. That’s a great break up.

And in this break up the other person will not even know that you have broken up, because externally you…

The only way to continue with the scripture that you are reading, or the spiritual practice you are into, is to keep demolishing your conditioning. If you are not constantly progressing against your conditioning, you will soon lose interest in the scriptures. The very sight of the scripture or the…

What do you mean by supporting others? Providing them with crutches? Is that what you mean by support?

The greatest support you can offer to others is your own excellence. The greatest support you can offer to others is your own love and passion and determination and creativity and freedom.…

Questioner: What is the difference between death and liberation? How can we be liberated while alive?

Acharya Prashant: These are two very different things in the sense that they happen to different entities.

You are driving your car, and there is a point that you must reach. But you are,…

Questioner (Q): How to live my daily life regardless of my family, job, financial situation, mood or body, and reach the Truth? Ramana Maharshi says, “One’s duty is to practice continuous self-enquiry.” The mind is so used to its tendencies that this is hard for me; it hijacks my attention…

Questioner (Q): You always mention how qualifications like dispassion and abandonment of action are necessary for enquiry to take place, while Ramana Maharshi says, “Even a great sinner can do enquiry.” How can this be reconciled? Also, you speak about renunciation, but Ramana Maharshi says, “All events in our lives…

Questioner (Q): Sir, it is pretty evident that I exist and you exist, but you have also stated that the ego does not exist. So, when someone calls you Acharya Prashant and you reply, isn’t that an identification which reflects an ego?

Acharya Prashant (AP): It is a thing that…

Questioner (Q): When we were studying for IIT, we used to think that everything would be sorted after getting into IIT or BITS. But it didn’t happen. Can such a thing actually happen at some point in life? Can I come to a point in my life where I can…

Questioner: What is the difference between death and liberation? How can we be liberated while alive?

Acharya Prashant: These are two very different things in the sense that they happen to different entities.

You are driving your car and there is a point that you must reach. But you are,…

Questioner (Q): You talked about consciousness, and you also said how we should not associate ourselves with our identities like daughter, student, or a friend. But I was born as a daughter, and my parents took care of me; then I was a friend, a sister, and a student. So,…

Questioner (Q): Acharya Ji, you talk a lot on the importance of Vedanta. Should I get familiar with it at my age already?

Acharya Prashant (AP): You haven’t yet started?

Q: No, sir.

AP: It is too late!

Q: Sir, how? I wasn’t actually sure if I would be able…

प्रश्नकर्ता: क्या ऐसा जीवन सम्भव है जिसमें मान्यताओं का कोई भी स्थान ना हो? ना अपने बारे में कोई मान्यता और ना ही दूसरों के बारे में। मैं छवियों में जीती हूँ। ऐसा लगता है जैसे जीवन जीने के लिए, लोगों को परखने के लिए मेरे पास आँखें नहीं हैं,…

Questioner: Acharya Ji, is observation a function of self-knowledge?

Acharya Prashant: Observation is not a function of anything. Observation happens when grace strikes you. You cannot bring about observation. You are forced to observe, you are shelled-shocked into observation. You have to observe, something’s at stake you must observe. Self-knowledge…

प्रश्नकर्ता: आपकी वीडियो (चलचित्र) लगातार सुनने के बाद एक बात जो मेरी समझ में उतरी है वो ये है कि हमें हर वक़्त पता होता है कि सही कर्म क्या है, और उसके बावजूद भी जो ग़लत कर्म होता है उसका चुनाव हम अक्सर कर लेते हैं। आचार्य जी, मेरे…

Questioner (Q): Acharya Ji, how do I live my daily life regardless of my family, job, financial situation, mood, or body to reach the Truth? Ramana Maharshi says,

“One’s duty is to practice continuous self-inquiry.”

I am not able to practice continuous self-inquiry due to mind’s tendencies. Please help and…

प्रश्नकर्ता: आपके हिसाब से एक साधक को या जो इस रास्ते पर चल रहा है, उसको क्या करना चाहिए? उसका क्या कर्तव्य होना चाहिए?

आचार्य प्रशांत: पूछने की बात ही नहीं है, बात तुम्हारे अपने अनुभव की है। दिन भर जो अनुभव हो रहे हैं, क्या जानते नहीं हो वो…

Questioner: Pranam Acharya Ji! I am working with home ministry, the government of India. My question is, there are hundreds of self-help books published every year telling us how to live in a better way. What makes Vedantic teachings distinct from those self-help books?

Acharya Prashant: Self-help books in general,…

Acharya Prashant (AP): What is evolution? Is there evolution without time? Is there evolution without movement?

Is there evolution without time? And what is time? Time is the essential mind stuff. Time is past and future.

Spirituality is to know, the falseness that is evolution. It is not an evolution,…

Questioner (Q): Acharya Ji, I want to discuss just about three words, whatever we are discussing and it’s not personal, it’s an open-ended discussion. Perception, divine, and karma. I will put it in a very simple way. So, we call it walking a path, I call it living a life…