With Youth: You cannot acquire yourself from outside

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

Question (Q): Sir, what is the answer to the question, ‘Who Am I’?

Acharya Prashant (AP): ‘Who Am I? Am I this face that I show to this world? Am I my thoughts? What am I?

Let us have a very simple criterion for seeing, ‘Who I am?’ The criterion is, “Whatever I acquire from outside that I cannot be. Whatever I acquire, whatever I get that I cannot be. I must be that which acquires.” Are you getting it?

You have acquired your shirts, neckties, trousers from outside. Right? Can you be that? Several of you are wearing watches on your sleeves. Can you be this watch that is there on your arm? Remember, it is so close to your body. Your clothes are also very close to your body, but will you say, “I am my clothes”? Even though they are very close to your body, will you say that?

Listeners (L): No, Sir.

AP: You may have medical equipment implanted inside your body. Have you heard of a Pacemaker?

L: Yes, Sir.

AP: The pacemaker is implanted surgically very-very close to the heart to help it control abnormal heart rhythm. But will you say, “I am the pacemaker”? It is inside the body, but still will you…