The language of emotions || (2016)
Questioner: Is getting devoid of all emotions a part of feeling contented?
Acharya Prashant: Can you do that?
Why must we give importance to hypothetical questions? Can you really get rid of all emotions? And if you do, would that person be the same as this one? And if not, then why must this person ask an imaginary question about that person?
You live in emotions. What makes you so afraid or resentful of emotions? Do you even know what they are? A letter comes to you, in some alien language, would you tear it up and throw it away, because you cannot comprehend the language? Do you know French?
(Pointing to some other listener) You write a letter to him in French, what is he to do? “Oh! French! I don’t know this language.” (Gestures of the letter being torn)
Do you know the language of emotions? Do you know what they are telling you? Why don’t you read their language? Why don’t you listen to what the mind is saying through emotions? Why do you want to dismiss all emotions? I am not saying patronize emotions. I am just saying, first of all, know what something is, before doing anything about it. And is that not simply obvious?
What are emotions?
It’s an intense wave in the mind, powerful enough to have physical signs.
A little bit of disturbance in the mind, you call it anger or irritation; seismic waves in the mind! And your cheeks flush and your body starts shivering and then you say you are getting emotional, right? From where is the emotion drawing its energy? What is contained in your subconscious? Are emotions not a beautiful opportunity to learn from your mind?
Don’t you want to know why you got furious? Don’t you want to see what saddens you so much? We cannot often read the subtle language of the mind.
Emotions are gross, you cannot miss them; thoughts can be missed. Faint signs can be missed; emotions cannot be missed. You are weeping, you are crying hoarse — it’s impossible to miss. Or you are beating somebody up. Now, neither you nor that person can miss what is happening. If you miss, it will pain a lot.
So, emotions are a good opportunity, they speak very loudly — listen to them. And by listening to them, I do not mean, again, patronize them. I do not mean that you must supply more energy to them. I do not mean that you must take them as the Truth.
Of course, they are mental activities, but whatever they are, they tell something about the state of the mind.
Why not read the letter? Rather than asking questions like “Who am I?”, if you just pay attention to how you are behaving, how emotions are rising within you, you will see you know already everything about who you are.
Through your personality, nothing but the Truth expresses itself. If you have any dislike for yourself, then you are disliking the Truth. That does not mean that you must like yourself. Not disliking is sufficient.
There is hardly anybody who really likes himself. We are just too full of contempt towards ourselves. Even the ones who are called narcissists are really self-negators like everybody else.
See what is going on without condemnation, without feeling the need to correct it. There is nothing random that is going on.
