New Delhi: Renowned Spiritual Teacher and founder of PrashantAdvait Foundation Acharya Prashant on Friday said that reservations are meant for the empowerment of the people. He also advised that any empowered person who is in position to help others should stop taking it and start helping others. Addressing a session on 'Ambedkar: The Champion of Social Justice' at Kirori Mal College, Acharya Prashant, when asked about reservation, said, "If truly empowerment has taken place then people themselves started to not take these advantages. Reservation is to empower and when empowerment truly happens then a person stop taking it and starts giving it." "I am talking about the section of society who has gotten the help and are in the situation where they can help others and now they stop taking the help, they prove that they are actually empowered now. But that doesn't mean people who still require help and empowerment shall not be given that because a few has gotten," he added. Speaking about religion, Acharya Prashant addressed issue of confining it in rituals and pushed for a more "eternal" definition. "There has been a problem with the definition of religion. We have been told what to eat, how to eat, what to wear, responsibilities of women and men. Working of the four varnas and people who are outside varna's. Religion is personal. If a religion is telling you what to do and what not to do, then it's not religion, it's a bundle of rituals. The rituals change in every decade. Religion should also not be seen in context of culture. Religion is something that addresses the eternal," Acharya Prashant said. Acharya Prashant pressed on the need to "declutter" religion from irrelevant things and focus more on what is essential. "Dividing humans is not religion. When the definition of religion is changed then the work that was to be done ages ago can be done. Religion needs to be decluttered. All irrelevant things need to be removed. And we need to save onlly what is essential for human. Religion's spiritual center is crushed under all other garbage. That garbage is needed to be removed," he said. When asked about B R Ambedkar choosing Buddhism over Atheism, he highlighted the need of religion in any person's life. He further added that Buddism is "strong in its philosophy", suggesting its curious nature is why Ambedkar chose Buddhism. "A human needs religion but the drama that happens in name of religion is not needed. It is a burden on somone's life. We all need true religion and it's required. Living in consciousness is called religiousity. It's simple. The base of a religion is philosophy. Buddhism is empowered becase it is strong in its philosophy. Any fake religious person would separate religion from philosophy and link it to tradition. When religion becomes a mask for selfishness, then there is nothing more sinful than religion. But Religion is the only thing that makes a person's life worth living," he said. "Dr Ambedkar never said leave religion, he said moved towards Buddhism. He researched a lot about Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, but eventually he pointed out to Buddhism. Because Buddhism is a religion of curiosity," he added. On Ambedkar's criticism of Manusmriti, Acharya Prashant said, "The question is that the book that you're referring to as religious text is even religious or not. Smriti by definition means that it is written by a human with their limited perspective. It has nothing in it which needs to be taken seriously. You cannot call it a religious text. Manusmriti was almost a reference text. Manusmriti was never implemented as a constitutional law. When britishers came, the Muslims had Sharia, so after lot of contemplation they picked up Manusmriti."
