With youth: Attention is independent of action

Acharya Prashant
2 min readMay 8, 2023

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

Questioner (Q): Sir, as you said that if the person is free he will be joyful, he is joyful in every task he is doing. So, how will he choose the task?

Acharya Prashant (AP): No, he will not feel joy in every task he is doing, the joy is irrespective of the task.

Listener 1 (L1): So how will he choose the task then?

AP: How are you asking this question? How am I replying to this question?

Did I know what question will you ask? Still there is a response. It appears that there is a choice of words which is being used, my hand is moving, there is certain answer coming to you. Why am I choosing? When I am saying something to you, you are nodding. How are you nodding?

By just being attentive. That’s how he will choose, by observing, by being attentive.

L1: Sir external influences are there.

AP: External variables will be present, but not as influences, but not as masters. Someone has asked about the role of thought. We said, ‘It is a useful servant.’

So he can still walk, and walk on the earth. He will not walk into the river to die. He knows where to walk, but that walking the trail that he makes for himself, that will be his own.

His own understanding.

Getting it?

His joy is not dependent upon what he is doing.

Just as your attention is not dependent on what you are doing, just as this light (referring to a light source in the room ) is not dependent upon where it is falling. Wherever it is falling, it is illuminating. Same is attention. Is this light dependent on what it is falling? It is just falling on lots of things and wherever it is falling, the place is getting illuminated.

You are welcome to learn more about Acharya Prashant and his literature. You can also contact the Foundation directly.

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