On Advait Vedanta: Religion is the way back to that which was never lost

The following excerpt is from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

One who is not perturbed by misfortune, who is beyond comfort, attachment, and fear, who considers gold as dust; he neither speaks ill of others nor feels elated by praise and shuns greed, attachments, and arrogance. He is indifferent to ecstasy and tragedy, is not affected by honors or humiliations. He renounces expectations and greed. He is neither attached to worldliness nor lets senses and anger affect him. In such a person resides God.

~ Guru Tegh Bahadur

Questioner (Q): If this description appeared in a so-called self-development book, there would probably be steps given as to how to reach this ideal human state. In a spiritual context, however, based on what I have learned in camps and through videos so far, the self would not be even playing a part in this ideal human, nor is this ideal human being something to strive for. This state seems like some kind of a side effect of…