How to decide the highest work to do? || Acharya Prashant, at BITS Goa (2023)

Acharya Prashant

‍♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant? Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/hi/enquir...   Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books? Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?...  ~~~~~  Video Information: 12.01.23, BITS, Goa  Context: ~ What is the Highest work to do?  ~ How to choose what to do in life? ~ How to not be fearful?  ~ How to bring real change in life?  ~ What is the purpose of life?  ~ How to not surrender in life?   Music Credits: Milind Date  ~~~~~

Transcript

00:00Sir, you always talk of filling life with the highest work possible, I want to know

00:08what exactly is that highest work you repeatedly refer to?

00:12We know of what is not high, right?

00:15When we are talking of filling our lives with the highest possible, that's actually not

00:23a constructive process.

00:26That's not actually a process of filling up.

00:31That's actually a process of draining out or emptying.

00:37Empty your life of what is not high.

00:40That's what I mean.

00:41So, you have to interpret my statement in negativa.

00:47When I say fill yourself up with the highest, what I actually mean is drain out the lowest.

00:56Getting it?

00:59Drain out the lowest.

01:00And don't you know what is low in your life?

01:03What is low in your life?

01:04Just a few examples.

01:08My life, gluttony.

01:11One of the things.

01:12I have a lot of other stuff as well.

01:16Instant gratification.

01:17Instant gratification.

01:18Pleasure.

01:19Yes.

01:20What else is low in life?

01:21Sleep.

01:22Fear.

01:23Yes.

01:25Yes.

01:26Fear.

01:27Come on.

01:28Let's fight it out.

01:32Fear is something that energizes me because it comes so often to terrify me.

01:38And when it comes, I say, right now, now is the time for a duel.

01:48I don't always win, obviously.

01:52But I try to give it a good fight.

01:57At least that much I am capable of, right?

02:00You too are capable of that.

02:01Are we different?

02:03Does fear come to you?

02:06It comes to me as well.

02:08Can you fight fear?

02:12That's what I try for.

02:14Simple.

02:15Drain out the lowest.

02:18If fear is the lowest, my duty in life is to at least not be knocked out in the first

02:29round.

02:30Come on.

02:31Deliver a few punches.

02:33Do something.

02:35Show that you are a human being, a man of some kind.

02:40Too difficult, is it?

02:46Impractical.

02:49Impractical.

02:52So, it is for, you know, young people, we have now grown a bit too old to hear of these

03:01things.

03:02Now is the time to retire and go into sannyas.

03:07Is that the reply?

03:10But I hear that from your faces.

03:13Too old?

03:19Do we have only young man here?

03:23Only one young man here?

03:34Come what may.

03:37If it's not something that adds dignity to life, let there be some steel within.

03:53Don't surrender easily.

03:55And when you don't surrender easily to things like fear, that is what is called spirituality.

04:05That's what is called real surrender.

04:07To not to surrender to the lowly things, that's what is spiritual surrender.

04:15Spiritual surrender does not mean you bow down to some imaginary God.

04:22It means I do not surrender to things like fear and temptation and stuff.

04:29No, I don't surrender.

04:35They come to me and what do they get from me?

04:44Allowed no, with a thundering punch, no.

04:48That's what my response is and that's what Vedanta is, allowed thundering no.

04:55Interestingly, the very method of Vedanta is called neti neti, no, not this, not this,

05:06not even this, no and that's the mark of a young person, a young boy, a young girl.

05:15He meets life with a great no and when you have no towards this usual kind of life, that's

05:24your resounding yes to real life.

05:29On the other hand, if you keep saying yes to all these things that you see around yourself,

05:35then you have said no to the real thing.

05:40You don't need to say yes to the real thing, that's not needed.

05:45Just keep saying no when needed.

05:48And as life is 99% things that are there in life deserve to be replied with a no.

05:58That should be your stock reply, no.

06:04And they don't always come to you with verbal temptations, they simply put a billboard in

06:11front of you, there is a highway and there will be five billboards, they must be replied

06:29to because they are proposing something to you.

06:34Are they not?

06:35What are they saying?

06:36They are saying, we propose happiness to you, buy our stuff and you will be happy.

06:44So stand there, look at the billboard and say no, no.

06:59Are you getting it?

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