There Is Nothing Called A New Beginning

Listener: Can we begin from Nowhere?

Acharya Prashant: Can we begin from Nowhere?

L: Yes.

AP: Actually you always begin from somewhere. If you begin from nowhere, you also show no movement and you also do not go anywhere. Nowhere is not a point of beginning. All beginning implies a change in state. All beginning implies that there was no movement and then there is a movement. This movement you call as beginning. One is not moving, then one moves. And this change in state one call as the beginning — I have just begun.

In Nowhere, in that nothingness that you are terming as nowhere, there is no beginning and hence no end. And that’s a great relief. Remember, whatever begins is definitely going to end. And whatever is going to end always carries expectations and fear with it. Hence, a beginning is not really such a nice thing to have. We keep on saying, “Let’s begin. Let’s start. Let’s change. Let’s reform. Let’s improve.” All of which are names for just the same thing. The thing is Activity, “Let’s do something.”

Are we all not fascinated by the idea of changing, doing, improving, moving, reaching, attaining, achieving? All of these involve beginnings. All of these involve an apparent change in state. What is remarkable however is that, what we call as the mind, its nature is to keep changing? More correctly put its tendency its habit is to keep changing. When the very habit is to keep changing, what is new about another change?

And, since the habit itself is to be susceptible to change, whatever we call as change is not really change but the continuation of the habit, the continuation of the tendency. And can that continuation really then be anything different from what the mind has already and always been? That’s funny, because what the mind has been is exactly the reason, is exactly the cause and suffering that prompts one to seek change.

One seeks change because one is not satisfied.

One is attracted by new beginnings, because one is not quite alright with the state one is in, with the place one finds himself in. So, one says, “I need change. I need something else.” And all of that involves movement and activity. But, movement and activity is exactly what the mind has been…