If Spiritual understanding fails to change life

Following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner: Acharya Ji, why all this understanding has not brought about radical change in the way I operate? Why do I go back to my old patterns? Why being at a place of ‘not knowing’ is scary for the mind? Why does the mind fall back to it’s usual unconscious ways?

Why does spiritual understanding fail to bring a change in life?

Acharya Prashant: Alok (the questioner), I was driving yesterday and stopped at a place for tea. When I restarted the car, I found that it was not smoothly accelerating. And then I looked at the dashboard, and the dashboard quickly told me what was going on.

The handbrake was still pulled up, so obviously there was trouble. So now I know that the handbrake stands applied. I also know the complete history of what is happening. In a flash I could remember that when I parked the car, I pulled the handbrake.

All that could be known by way of knowledge or information about the hand brake, is known. I also happened to be a student of engineering so I know the way the brakes operate. I know which cylinder gets activated when I pull the brakes or jam the brakes, and what kind of effect does my action have upon the tires. In fact I am reasonably well-educated.