Where will you find enlightenment?

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

Acharya Prashant (AP): The thing is realization, enlightenment or sahajta, this is nothing objective, you don’t have to look at others, one cannot even know whether the other is realized or enlightened or not; that is not at all the way to go about it; because looking at the other you are still looking out at the world and trying to find enlightenment.

There you are saying a person in the world is enlightened, thereby, you are saying that enlightenment can be found in the world. Now, you are still doing the same thing which is the cause of misery, ‘always looking out’.

Looking out! ‘Ah! Is that fellow enlightened? Can a method lead to enlightenment? What will be the expression of enlightenment?’

Now, all these things, are they not mental activities? Will any of that remain if mental activity ceases?

So, when we are talking of liberation or freedom one must always be inward into his own mind and see what is going on there, not out somewhere; because out somewhere you will only project what is in here, but with the disadvantage that you will think that it is out there.

That out there is any way in here but appears deceptively outside so better rather just go in.