Only for those dissatisfied with life || Acharya Prashant, with DU (2023)

Acharya Prashant

Video Information:  24.01.23, DU-Law College, Greater Noida  Context ~ What is real purpose of life? ~ How to spend my time prudently?  ~ Why are we dissatisfied in life?  ~ How to be like Vivekananda? ~ How to be like Great Personalities?  ~ How to excel in life?  ~ How to be extraordinary?   Music Credits: Milind Date  ~~~~~

Transcript

00:00Does the person you are with encourage you to read?

00:06You have to ask, what does he bring for me?

00:09Roses or books?

00:12If someone has a stake in making you better, that person will push you towards books.

00:17Books are what we all need.

00:31Pranam Acharya.

00:35I wanted to ask, how do we identify the real purpose in life?

00:41Apart from worldly things like, as a son of my father, I need to support him, then I need to earn the livelihood, all these things.

00:52But ultimately, as you are doing the noble job, like promoting Vedanta, sometimes also done by Swami Vivekananda.

01:03How do we, sir, as we do not have that much enlightenment, how do we find our purpose in life?

01:11Even if this illusion, life, what you call, even if this exists.

01:20What is the problem that you are facing? Is there a problem in the first place?

01:25Problem I am facing, like real purpose in life. I am like too much…

01:30No, that you are saying is something you desire.

01:34Spirituality is not there to fulfil your desires.

01:38If there is a pain point, tell me, is there a problem you are facing?

01:42Speaking of spirituality, sir, I like to say you are working for some purpose, like you have got some ultimate…

01:50I want to find out the ultimate purpose of my life.

01:56But you live through your days, right? So you must be having some purpose already.

02:03You are a student, are you?

02:07Right, sir.

02:08So you are living through your days and you are not living through your days purposelessly.

02:14But I am considering it as a smaller goal, sir.

02:18How do you know it's a small goal?

02:21Like small in the sense, sir, like as you said this, we as a person don't exist actually.

02:31That you heard from me just five minutes back.

02:34How have you been living through your days since so long?

02:38There surely is a purpose, right?

02:41What's wrong with those purposes that you have every day?

02:47That haunts me, like I am struck into this thing.

02:53Like before listening to you, even I used to listen to your videos.

02:56And even before that, I have this thing that whatever we think or wherever our mind goes, that is to very limited things.

03:07Ultimate goal can be…

03:10So what's the problem with having limited things as purpose?

03:19They get fulfilled, then we seek for the next one.

03:23So what's the problem with that?

03:26I don't find them too big to pursue all the time.

03:36So they are not big, they are small. What's the problem?

03:45I said there is no problem, sir.

03:47You are already good.

03:49Why needlessly think of, you know, show spoilers like Vivekananda and trouble yourself?

03:56Just because they have a big name.

03:59So one feels I should also have a big name and starts thinking of them as if respectfully.

04:08But probably the objective is just emulation.

04:11If you are already okay in the life that you are leading, why think of an alternative?

04:19Sir, I do not know, even I do not know that whether I like the life which I am leading.

04:26Like I am very much okay with it or I am very…

04:29So I will return to the first question.

04:32What is your problem with the life that you are leading?

04:35When you go to a doctor, what does he ask you?

04:39Where is the pain?

04:41So what is your problem?

04:43If you tell the doctor, you know, I want to visit Switzerland.

04:45The doctor will say, you know, that's a desire.

04:49Where is the problem?

04:54A solution is not the same thing as desire fulfillment.

05:03Solution comes when you first of all identify a clear problem.

05:08What is the problem?

05:10So like, as you say, sir, like we can like whatever I am doing, that is fine.

05:17Absolutely. Like I cannot, I should not seek for something very different.

05:24I don't know. You tell me what is the problem?

05:28The problem is like…

05:31Okay, I'll ask you a question. I'll ask you a question.

05:34Let's say you have never heard of Vivekananda or other so-called great people.

05:41Would you still have a problem?

05:44Right now you are facing a problem because you see that there were people who took up noble missions and did this, did that

05:51and compared to them you find your life quite small, petty, etc.

05:55So by comparison, you see a problem.

06:00Let's say nobody is available for comparison.

06:02Is there still a problem?

06:06No, sir. In that respect, I am not seeking that as question.

06:12What I wanted to ask is like, do we have any other purpose other than like doing these whatever things we are doing?

06:21Can we have any other purpose?

06:23The question of other purpose arises only when one has a problem in the current purposes.

06:29As you are living your life, you already have certain purposes.

06:34Now do you have a problem with your current purposes?

06:37First thing, you cannot say I am already alright and still I want to get alright.

06:46Do you have a problem?

06:49Have you identified your problem?

06:52Are you willing to disclose it?

06:54That's what I say, like for whatever thing I do, like for after sometime I get, in the sense you can say,

07:09so fine, this is not what I should be doing.

07:14That might as well be a moral compunction raising its head.

07:22You know the solution is never too far.

07:38It's just that we don't even know the problem.

07:42The moment the problem is known, the solution is so near.

07:53But the ego refuses to acknowledge the real problems.

07:59The very fear is that the problem may not remain and if the problem is gone, the self is gone.

08:07So, why do then one seek spirituality or say for example, go to Vedanta Mahal.

08:19Most people seek it just as an entertainment.

08:23One is bored of so many things.

08:27So, let's try our hand at this one as well.

08:30At most, there may be some genuine people.

08:35Yeah, the genuine people have genuinely identified their problem.

08:41It's not so difficult to identify it.

08:47It's just that we imagine the consequences of identifying it and feel afraid.

08:52Figure out what problem would you face if you continue to live the same kind of life.

09:13Figure out what problems you are already facing if you continue to live the way you do.

09:19What is happening to you in your current ways?

09:28Sir, I have been listening to you quite often and what I am doing currently, it has certain purpose.

09:44It will get filled after some time.

09:46Again, I will move on to the next goal.

09:49Keep on doing, entire life I will be doing this.

09:52So, am I really meant for this?

09:56Who am I to tell you that?

09:58If you feel contended as you are currently going, obviously you will continue going that way.

10:08A change is needed only when the one within is troubled with the status quo, things as they are.

10:23Are you really troubled?

10:26And unless there is an acknowledgement of real trouble, there can be no change.

10:34There can be a lot of words, there can be years of discussions but no change will happen.

10:42Change happens only when you clearly identify there is a problem and I will have no more of it.

10:49I am done with living with this problem.

10:52Spirituality is not window shopping.

11:03I am already happy with the clothes that I have but I found something on the mannequin and I just enquire the price.

11:12Just you know, to tell myself that there are other options available.

11:16You have to find yourself naked and shivering in the cold and then beg for clothes.

11:25That's spirituality.

11:28You have to see you are in a very very bad shape.

11:34Only then you will have the guts to embrace an alternative.

11:39Otherwise it's just entertainment.

11:4218 yogas are available.

11:4818 alternatives I have.

11:52Internally you are already yogasth, established in yoga.

11:59So why will you choose any of those 18 paths?

12:03You have to see that internally there is deep vyog, separation.

12:08You are torn apart.

12:12If you do not see that, if you express your condition in this kind of lukewarm way,

12:19I have certain purposes, they get fulfilled then there will be some other purpose.

12:23This frankly takes one nowhere.

12:28The ones who reach somewhere are the ones who acknowledge a deep deep suffering inside.

12:35The ones who are well-adjusted, well they can remain well-adjusted.

12:40So my advice, figure out whether you really see anything terribly wrong in the way you are currently living.

13:08If you don't see anything greatly wrong with that, no problem.

13:17Don't worry.

13:20I do find some things wrong.

13:23Some things wrong, this kind of enunciation.

13:26Not something in the sense, I find something terribly.

13:30Say for example, taking the, how the life has gone.

13:33So what is it that you find terribly, fundamentally wrong with the way you are living?

13:39I am not stable with one thing.

13:43So what's terrible about that?

13:45Terrible, right?

13:47Sir, I keep on changing the things like say for example, I am from engineering background.

13:53I did engineering, went on teaching in the engineering colleges.

13:58And then I started preparing for civil services.

14:01I went through pains and then interview, but I find I could not make it.

14:07And right now I am pursuing law.

14:10What's terrible about it?

14:13That I am finding myself as a wanderer.

14:17What's terrible about wandering?

14:20There has to be rest to it.

14:25That's some kind of a heavenly mandate.

14:28Heavenly mandate, there has to be rest.

14:31One day you will die, you will have enough rest.

14:39Nothing wrong with this.

14:45You don't find anything wrong in it.

14:49And that's what is wrong.

14:59That's what is terrible.

15:16Not that I mean to enforce an opinion upon you.

15:22It's just that I see you interested in change.

15:26And I know very well that change cannot happen unless there is terrible dissatisfaction.

15:35The kind of change you are looking for is not superficial, not incremental.

15:41You want fundamental change.

15:44For fundamental change there has to be an insight into the fundamentals.

15:49Things that appear normal to you currently should start appearing very weird.

15:59Things that are acceptable today should start appearing extremely distasteful.

16:12When that kind of a thing starts happening,

16:16when that kind of a thing starts happening, only then there is change.

16:21Otherwise you can keep skimming on the surface of life.

16:27And that's no problem.

16:32Maybe that day is going to come soon.

16:35Should I seek that again you?

16:42I'm available.

16:44Had I not been available you wouldn't have come to me.

16:48I was available to you even before this conversation.

16:52That availability made this conversation possible.

16:58So I'm anyway available.

17:02There is nobody who is not generally dissatisfied with life.

17:09But that general dissatisfaction does not help anybody.

17:13Please see.

17:16Do you find anybody perfectly contended?

17:22Nobody.

17:24People have their complaints, grudges, grouses,

17:28something is wrong here, something is wrong there.

17:31That little bit of average kind of dissatisfaction

17:37only helps to maintain things as they are.

17:44You are dissatisfied with your car,

17:50you provide it more maintenance.

17:52The car remains maintained.

18:03You need to, I'm repeating,

18:06see how the very fundamentals of life are botched up.

18:14And then something can happen.

18:18But don't force that upon yourself.

18:24Don't try to make that forcibly, artificially happen.

18:30Sir, right from the childhood we have been taught or like

18:36in our education system is like that,

18:39that we have been taught about the great peoples,

18:41or the personification of,

18:44like you should be doing something very big or very different in life.

18:50So those things have gone deep into the mind.

18:53And now less things do not satisfy us.

18:56And that satisfaction then, where does it lead us to?

19:02See,

19:03see,

19:07big things happening to small people

19:14leave them small even after the big event.

19:19The question is not whether big things are happening to you.

19:23The question is, are you big?

19:28Are you big?

19:34So the smallness within has to be encountered.

19:50Without that, trying for big positions, big money, big power, big life,

19:58all that means nothing.

20:03It is the inner encounters that we are very afraid of.

20:13And we are equally afraid of encountering that we avoid the encounters.

20:23So we pretend to ourselves that we are available to the encounters.

20:29We are not.

20:34When the real deal is there, we just avoid it.

20:54When water comes to the boiling point,

20:59we take it off the heater.

21:04And we certify ourselves as good people.

21:11You see, I allowed it to come to 98, 99.

21:19Don't you see what is it that you didn't allow to happen?

21:33So sure I am not making much sense, but fine.

21:37Alright.

21:38I suppose I am not clear with myself.

21:43I'll remain available.

21:46Thank you sir.

21:47Wonderful.

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