Ones likely to misinterpret a religious book are the followers of it

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

Acharya Prashant (AP): Anybody who provokes imagination is only pushing you further into the mental quagmire. Spirituality is about calming down of imagination. It is about silence. It is not about more theories, more fancy dreams, more beautiful visions.

Spirituality is not a well dressed up adult;

rather spirituality is a naked child.

Listener (L): Sir what do you think about those who read the spiritual books just for fun?

AP: Yes you can read them for fun. See, there is no obligation to talk in spiritual terms at all times. I only have an issue with those who present things of the mind as spiritual. If someone wants to write something that he dreamt of, some fiction — he is most welcome. But if he says, ‘No, this is spiritual fiction’, then I have an issue with that. And there is a lot of spiritual fiction being sold these days, just too much of it.

L: Sir, when we keep on reading books of spirituality and there are different theories in each of them, then does that take us away from the truth?

AP: Don’t read books for the sake of seeking instead read books because they are wonderful.

Don’t read books for the sake of seeking; instead, read books because they are wonderful.

Don’t go to books to search for an answer.

Go to books just as one goes to a friend.

One doesn’t go to a friend to search for something. One goes to a friend because the company of a friend is a peaceful company.

Do not search for anything in books. You’ll only get what you bring to the books. If you go to a book searching for something you’ll only get what you have brought to the book. The book will not offer you anything new.

L: Can we read the books of spiritual fiction just for entertainment?

AP: As long as you know that this is just entertainment, entertain yourself.

There is nothing wrong with that. There are so many nonsensical movies one watches precisely because they are nonsensical. In…