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Your Peace

Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Prem Rawat:

People talk about world peace; people look at me like, “Okay, tell us about world peace, and fix all the problems.” And I’m like, “No, I can’t fix any problems—because the way it works is, at first, you find your peace. First, you find your peace—and then, make peace with the world—and then you will have world peace.”

And whether or not there is world peace, at least you need to make peace with yourself. Because that’s the fundamental step.

So, before you can even begin to tackle the job of making peace with yourself, the question is, “Who are you? What are you?” What are we all about? What are our fundamental basics? And one thing that we all share in common—that we all want to be content. We want to be happy; we want to feel good.

It doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s this state of being in which we find ourselves to be us, and we are happy with it. It isn’t built upon ideas and theories and philosophies and all of this stuff—but just that you feel good. You feel good! Because you feel good and you feel good from the inside, not psychologically.

That you indeed have a strength—and, talk about emotion.... When do we become emotionally strong? We can only become emotionally strong when we’re strong within ourselves.

Otherwise, emotions eat us apart: “Does my friend like me; does my dad like me; does my mom like me?” And then we just run the game of seeking approval—approval from this world, approval from our friends, approval from our parents, approval, approval, approval, approval, approval—and in this process of finding approval we uproot ourselves.

And then? We’re lost. Having everything, and we’re lost. The goodness that resides in us becomes dormant.

It’s very simple. If you take a field—if you take a field and leave it be, don’t do anything to it, what do you suppose is going to happen? Things will grow—but what will grow is weeds. And maybe somebody, seeing that there are weeds growing; nobody is using the land, they will start to throw trash in there too. And the situation of the land will deteriorate.

However, even going through this whole process of being dumped on, weeds growing, has that land ever lost its potential for growing beautiful flowers, pure beautiful vegetables, or a beautiful crop? No, that potential is still there—and how does the potential return? The potential returns as soon as somebody starts to take care of it, take out the weeds.

People don’t want to know themselves. People don’t want to understand who they are. And when I say “who you are,” it’s not about your personality. It’s not about your likes and dislikes. It’s not about your ideas—it’s not even about your dreams.

You see, because your dreams are going to change. Your dreams are going to change! Your ideas are going to change; your circumstances are going to change—but who truly you are, you are not going to change.

Your body is going to change. The way you look at your body is going to change. Your stamina is going to change. Your friends are going to change. What you think is hip is going to change—your fashion is going to change. But who you truly are is not going to change.

So I say to you, that “Who are you?” Fifty percent bad. (Sorry.) Exactly fifty percent—not forty-nine/fifty-one—exactly fifty percent, you’re really bad. That’s the bad news. The good news is, fifty percent? Good. Very good. Amazingly good, incredibly good.

What do you think of that? “Fifty percent bad; fifty percent good.” Because the fear is in you, and that’s the bad—and courage is in you; that’s the good. Confusion is in you, and that is the bad, and clarity is in you, and that is the good. War is in you; that is the bad, and peace is in you; that is the good.

In you. Your fear comes wherever you go. Your disappointment comes wherever you go—it’s just always there. You book one seat on the airplane? They’re all over you.

But—knowing yourself is understanding not only the bad, but understanding the good. Because most people, when they would talk to me sometimes, they say, “You know, I get angry very easily.” They have understood their bad—but they have not understood their good.

Because I have to point out to them that “If you can get angry, that means you have something else too—and that is, forgiveness, joy, is also there.” When I say, “Know yourself,” that’s exactly what I mean—you know your bad; you haven’t felt your good yet—but it’s there.

I want you to understand that it is there. And you can get in touch with it. You don’t need to get in touch with your bad—because you are very familiar with it, right? But are you familiar with the good?

Whenever a circumstance needs it, you can summon the bad just like this, right? How long does it take you to get disappointed? Just like that!

Let me tell you something. In this life, understanding and knowing that the good is in you—and not accepting the failure.... This is the core; this is the foundation of emotional strength, physical strength, mental strength. Clarity—that’s what clarity is: “The good in you and the bad in you, both are there wherever you go.”

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, has to be in life, to perpetuate the good, the kindness, the generosity. The clarity.

Generosity isn’t giving money out to people. Generosity existed before money was invented. Generosity begins with being generous with the kindness that you have. Kindness. Understanding that every human being on the face of this earth is just like you—nobody is better and nobody is worse.

There is a possibility here in this life—and this is the real possibility. And the possibility is—like against all odds, you learnt how to walk, failed, but never accepted a failure....

It’s up to you. That’s my suggestion. That’s what living this life without accepting the failures is about—to consciously make a choice. To understand that the possibility of peace is here with you—always has been, always will be—that the peace is inside of you, even as you walk this world.

Whatever you do and wherever you go and whatever happens and how dire the circumstances are, the peace is still inside of you.

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Onscreen text:

Prem Rawat in conversation With Peace Day Founder Jeremy Gilley

Visible onscreen, book title:

Peace Is Possible

PREM RAWAT

Jeremy Gilley:

You know, is peace a kind of a universal language, right—[PR: Umm-hmm, right.] because of course, it could be different in Italian and it could be different in Japanese or in French or in German or in English, whatever—Arabic. [PR: Umm.]

Is, is peace—you know, can it be talked about in one way; do you see what I mean? [PR: Yeah.] Is there any differentiation between, you know, cultures, in relation to the essence of peace?

Prem Rawat:

Not so much the cultures, but the human beings themselves. Everybody has different-colored glasses. So when you mention the word “peace,” they have their own definition of what peace is.

So, if somebody’s in a country where it’s, food is the problem, then it’s like, “Okay, if everybody had food we would have peace.” If somebody is in a war-torn situation like Syria or Iraq or so many other places, “that’s peace.” [JG: And, yeah.] But you have to get—you have to establish that, and get beyond that to really define and talk about what peace really is.

Jeremy Gilley:

Yeah, yeah—it’s very interesting, this, because I know exactly what you mean. Having traveled like you have, (I mean, it’s 133 countries)—or wherever, whatever it is, whatever the number is, [PR: Umm-hmm.] but we’re traveled a lot. And you’re absolutely right; the conversation of peace is completely different, you know, in each place.

And interestingly—you know, we’re sort of getting into technology now, and I know that you’re a great lover of technology; [PR: Umm-hmm.] I mean, that’s why—I spoke to you, the sort of, [PR: Yeah.] “the Jedi!” [PR: The Jedi.] You know, I mean, what you do, flying, filming, you know, writing—I mean it’s just, it’s inspirational.

But, I was sort of thinking that, you know, technology—sometimes I hear people say, “Oh, yeah, but, you don’t need to worry about what’s going on in the developed world; you need to be thinking about, you know, what’s going on in places where these conflicts are going.”

And I’m thinking to myself, “No, actually—no, they’re not—you’re not worried about food right now. And that, you know, you’ve got a roof over your head. We, who have the privilege of that situation, must be, really come involved. We, we’ve been given that gift and that opportunity to become involved.” Do you think along those lines sometimes?

Prem Rawat:

Yeah, I do. And because, one of the things I see is, the conflict that is happening in what we consider the “Third World countries” is actually initiated by the First World countries.

You know, it takes a lot of money and it takes a lot of technology to start a war these days. And that technology is not technology that was born in the Third World countries—it’s First World country technology that comes and starts, [JG: Umm-hmm.] you know, devastating people’s lives. [JG: Yeah.]

To me, the peace that I talk about—because, you know, “no war,” or “no this problem” or “no that problem”—these are results of something that is amiss inside us.

So, is there a reason why people go hungry? There is absolutely no logical reason—because the amount of food that is thrown away—every day, if it was gathered and handled properly....

Because the earth produces more food than is required, even at this stage of the game. But why are people going hungry, then—if there is more food than is necessary, and plenty to feed everybody, why are people...? It is not about food—it is about distribution, (as people start to hoard)—not food, but distribution of that food, then people start to become hungry.

So, I just see that so much, in the Western world.... And look at it, you know—are you really voting for lawmakers in the Western world? Because that’s what we’re told, “Oh, yeah, you know, vote for this person; they’re going to, yeah....”

But when they are elected, they go into their—it is the lobbyists who are creating the laws. [JG: And, yeah.] And what is being protected; not the people....

Will this change, should this change, can this change? I’m not a politician—but I know one thing. That there is enough goodness in every single human being on the face of this earth, that if that was brought out, if that was allowed to be nurtured, that there would be one simple thing that would happen—not sympathy, but empathy.

It would be the first time that the world will start to use knowledge wisely.

We are after accruing knowledge, but we don’t accrue wisdom. And so it’s like, in a cockpit, pilots know there is a checklist—all pilots know there is a checklist—but to use the checklist is wisdom.

And it’s the same thing. To accrue knowledge, (yeah, I mean), invent new things—like even the phones. And all of a sudden, when you don’t use the phone wisely, it can actually land you in the hospital; people have been killed because they were using their phone. [JG: Yeah. Yeah.]

So, to me, these are the little things that need to happen, and understanding yourself is the first primary step to peace.

Jeremy Gilley:

Umm, umm. Yeah, wow. I mean, I’m just—I mean, there are so many things that I’m thinking as I hear you talk. (And I’m sure, you know, people who are listening to it are, of course, we’re all thinking you’re inspiring us and provoking thoughts....)

When I saw you six years ago, I.... I mean, I was thinking about Peace Day; you know, you’re obviously thinking about Peace Is Possible. We’re talking; we’re trying to inspire; we’re trying to promote—we’re doing anything that we can—I mean, the incredible work that you’ve been doing in prisons for years, I mean, extraordinary....

There’s something that’s really, now, worrying, isn’t there—and that is the amount of time that we have left in terms of our resources, and the way in which we’ve treated this beautiful planet that we have, and....

More and more my conversations now, Prem, over the last, (I don’t know), five years, I would say—really in the last five years, particularly in the last couple—as I’ve spoken with people who are very, very knowledgeable, (I’ve ended up on a platform with them), they’ve said, “You know, 350 to 400 years left of human beings.” I mean—and they’re very, very knowledgeable people.

You know, you talk about the checklist? You know, we know the checklist. And with the wisdom, is there time? I mean, I am.... Also personal experiences in understanding human beings and what they say and what they do—I mean, I am concerned; I’m worried; I’m frightened and I’m sad.

Prem Rawat:

So, the analogy that comes to mind, hearing this is, your house is on fire—and you’re standing outside—you’re fine but [JG: Yeah.] your house is on fire.

So, you can stand there and you go, “Guess what, guys; my house is on fire.” Five minutes later, “You know what? My house is on fire.” [JG: Yeah.] Six minutes later: “My house is on fire. My house is on fire; my house is on fire; my house is on fire; my house is on—my, my house is burning down; my house is going to burn down; my house is going to burn down....”

And if you keep doing this, that’s exactly what’s going to happen—your house is going to burn down. [JG: Right, yeah.]

Because what you need to do—is grab a bucket; grab a hose—and don’t sit there and lecture about how the house is on fire. Do something about that fire!

And I’m just saying that because just very recently there was a huge fire where I live—and many, many houses, unfortunately, were devastated; my neighbor’s house was devastated.

But it takes a proactive approach to alter this, to change this scenario. And my thing is, we have the possibility to change it—but we have to stop looking at it as “we,” and we have to say, “Every single individual has to be empowered.”

We don’t, when we walk on a stage.... And it really needs to be, “I am here”—not “we are here”—“I am here on this stage. I want to tell you the possibility of what we, (collectively and as individuals) can do to change this scenario.”

The problem happens—is, as soon as that “I” goes to “we”—as soon as it goes to “we,” people say, “He’ll fix it. He needs to change. I don’t need to change; I don’t need to fix it; I don’t have the problem.”

I’ve seen this; this is sixty years of experience talking, you know?

Jeremy Gilley:

Yeah. Yeah.

Prem Rawat:

And it can be changed. It can be changed, and it can be changed. It can be changed, and the reason why it can be changed is because this problem that we are addressing right now is created by human beings—and if it is created by human beings, they can reverse it too. [JG: Yeah.]

You know, this is—this is a gift that we are here—this planet, the beautiful ocean, the rivers, the forests, the butterflies, that every bit of it is spectacular. And what we have done is taken it and used it without understanding the consequences of our actions. This is a disease with human beings—we act like we know what the consequence will be—but we actually don’t.

And so we have done a lot of things that we thought are good—but we didn’t really understand what their consequences were. [JG: Yeah.] And now, those consequences are starting to surface. And they’re reversible; they can be reversed. Every scientist I listen to, that’s the good news about everything that they have to say at the end of it: “It can be reversed.”

Jeremy Gilley:

Right. So, yeah, I mean, but what we know and what you know, and what I’m listening to and what I’m hearing is that, you know, we’ve got to get to the individuals—whether it’s in that place where the rocks are, in the middle of absolutely nowhere—or whether it’s in New York City, or in London, Sydney, whatever.

We’ve got to, you know, we’ve got to try and engage, (haven’t we), that sense of individuals understanding that they, they are the ones who can change the world—and then, collectively, obviously, we can—you know, we can shift the level of consciousness around the fundamental issues that we face.

Prem Rawat:

And that’s all it takes. [JG: Yeah.] It’s, and you don’t have to push the box all the way. Just enough, [JG: Yeah.] just enough, and once it tips the balance? It’s fine.

Jeremy Gilley:

Yeah. I want—I just wanted to talk about three things, just to help me—and maybe it helps some others. Can you just talk to me a little bit about the importance of family?

And, you know, when I think about the world and I think about peace, I think about, you know, if my family—and if my family’s together and one.... And if we can do that on a global scale, then we’d sort of create world peace. Can you just tell me about the importance of us really holding ourselves together? (Talk to me a little bit about that.)

Prem Rawat:

Well, a family is that unit that’s a bumper in the front, so when a blow comes, it can soften it. [JG: Wow.] The family is the nourishing, nurturing, somebody who can understand when nobody else will understand you. More than your friends.... And obviously, somebody who can give you advice, even at the peril of your anger—and give you good advice.

A family is you in another form. It’s like, not just one flower, but a tree that flowers—that’s a family. [JG: Yeah.] And to me, to have that family, to have an understanding of that family, and not to berate that family, not to second that family, but to understand that that’s number one....

And look at nature; it’s not about just one flower. A plant will not just be satisfied with one flower—another one, another one, another one, another one, and before you know it, it’s a family.

And its mission, its job, its purpose, whatever it is in this world, will be fulfilled far greater and far more beautifully when it is flowering and there are a whole bunch of flowers on that plant, not just one flower.

Jeremy Gilley:

Yeah, amazing, amazing. And that, yeah, I mean, on Peace Day, 21st September, one of the things that we’ve always said is like, “Bring the....”

Somebody’s like, “You know, well, what can I do?” I’m like, “Well, you know, bring the family together.” You know, bring the family together; be one on that day, you know, with the sort of global family, and also the ones that we have. And so hopefully, we’ll see a lot of that, you know, going on, on the Day.

So, but a little bit about love. [PR: Umm-hmm-hmm.] Yeah, that’s like, you know—and I was sort of just thinking at the weekend, you know—I was with my little girl, and I, you know, I just sort of.... You know, I just adore her, right? My, my entire existence, like, nothing comes first, you know, like....

You know, when I’m with her, that’s, there’s no—it’s about Rose. It’s not about the work, right—and it has to, and it has to be that way for me and I love it. How do I contain it, you know? I mean, like, you know, I love her so much, [PR: Umm-hmm.] I kind of just sort of want to do everything....

I mean, have you ever sort of felt that? Have you, have you any sort of words of wisdom for us, you know, both in terms of personal relationships or with family relationships? When you love so much, you know, it can kind of almost sometimes be too much....

Prem Rawat:

It never is.

Jeremy Gilley:

It never is? Okay, great.

Prem Rawat:

It never can be. It can never be. [JG: Okay.] Stop thinking—start loving. [JG: Yeah.]

Don’t think about love. Feel the love in your life; it’s a gift. It always won’t be the same. It won’t. [JG: Yeah.] It changes. You will change—and one day you won’t be here. [JG.: Yeah.] So, love like there is no tomorrow. Stop thinking about what it all means; start loving.

If we did that, this world would be a different place today.

Jeremy Gilley:

Fantastic. And what about—and what about, (I mean, these are, yeah, these were big thoughts), but what about death? You know, I mean I, I’m getting—I’m now fifty years old. And I’m, you know, looking at my mum and dad, and I’m thinking, “Wow, you know, you guys are like, doing so well....”

But I think about, you know, not so long ago when I helped my mum say goodbye to her mum. I mean, and you know, is that the—is it the same as love—I mean, we just love...?

I mean, you know, it’s like, I look and I just, I, I get frightened. I think, “You know, and you guys are amazing in the support that you’ve given me and encouraged me,” and I’m just like—the idea of them not being around is a, just like....

Prem Rawat:

Will they, will they—is that what you’re afraid of, that they won’t be around?

Jeremy Gilley:

Yeah, I think it is, a little bit. Sometimes I look at them and I think, “Well, what would I do when I have the moments that are tough—and I would ring my mum or I’d ring my dad and go, ‘Hey...?’” You know, and it’s like, “Yeah, you’re there; you’re there.” And I worry about sometimes, that they’ll not be there.

Prem Rawat:

Well, you won’t ever lose them. They live in you—and they will always live in you. You’ll never lose them. So far you’re alive, they will live inside of you. [JG: Yes....]

It’s just like the moon and earth. That moon was born of the earth. It is no longer part of the earth, but it is always part of the earth. It influences. That wisdom that they gave you when you called them in times of trouble, that’s in you. That’s not going away.

That, that’ll—it’s, don’t worry about death, because death is automatic; you don’t have to make an appointment; you don’t have to go see anybody—no, no, it comes.

Don’t be in fear of losing what you will not lose—because they will be in you. Genetically, you are a part—you’re just like a moon. You came from them. You will orbit. They will be there for you—in your memories, they will laugh; they will dance; they will tell you things; they—but it’s a wonderful thing, human beings.

And no fear, no fear. Take that energy that you use to be afraid, to be concerned—and use it just to love. Love them like there’s no tomorrow. And then they’ll be closer to you than you realize.

Jeremy Gilley:

Wow, yeah. It’s a beautiful thought—thank you, Prem. It’s amazing to see you again.

Prem Rawat:

Good to see you too, Jeremy.

Jeremy Gilley:

Okay. Thank you.

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Onscreen text:

Finding Your Inner Strength

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Visible onscreen, sign:

#peaceispossible

Prem Rawat:

I’d like to tell you a story. In the old tradition, the way learning happened is those students who wanted to learn something would find a teacher—the teacher would sit down and tell them. Books did not exist; tradition was oral—and a lot of the teachers really didn’t want to write it down because they said “Writing it down would not allow it to be current.”

But this provided a beautiful background in which discussions happened and wonderful things happened. And so there was this wonderful teacher, and he wanted to drive a point home to his students. So, one day he got a glass of water—and he says, “How much do you think this glass of water weighs?”

And the students being students, started to, you know, take their guesses: “Oh, it weighs, you know, twenty ounces, this, this, you know, half a pound, or this,” or whatever, whatever came to their mind.

And he said, “Well, you know, it’s only a glass of water; it’s not that much, right?” And it’s like, “Yeah, it’s only a glass of water.” “So well, do you think—is it a big problem to hold this glass of water?” They said, “No, it’s not a big problem to hold this glass of water. It doesn’t weigh that much....”

He said, “But for how long? Because if you keep holding it with your arm stretched out—the same glass of water, without adding any more water to it—guess what will happen? It’ll keep getting heavier and heavier, and heavier, and heavier, not because of the water, but because your arm will start to get tired, and more tired, and more tired—and there will come a time when you won’t be able to hold the same glass of water.”

That’s the story. But what does it mean for you? You look at a problem in your life—and you say, “I’ll deal with it later. I, I can take care of it; I—it’s okay; it’s okay, I can, I can deal with it.”

And you’re holding onto it—and it’s getting heavier and heavier, and heavier, and heavier, and heavier—till that same—without the problem becoming any different, you can’t hang onto it. You can’t hold it anymore. What do you have to do? What is the solution? It’s very simple; put it down. Put it down. Let it go.

In our life, too, we are so impacted by all these problems that we get—and what’s wrong about that—that truly, the fundamental human nature is not to be in anger. The fundamental human nature is not to be in confusion; the fundamental human nature is not to be in darkness—the fundamental human nature is to enjoy.

To feel gratitude every day of your life, to understand its preciousness, to understand the value of this breath that you have been given—this is the blessing. This is the reality—for you, this is the reality.

I always say it; there are two walls—and you came through one wall—the day you were born, you came through one wall. Now you are alive; you keep going, keep going, keep going, and you’re going to hit the other wall. And when you do, you’ll disappear, “whitchew”; gone through it. Where to? Nobody knows; they’re still trying to figure it out.

Then comes the whole complex saga: “Heaven—are you going to go to hell; are you going to go there,” and everybody has their definitions on it, “And this will be this way; this will be this way; this will....”

I’m not here to argue it; I’m not here to change your mind about it; I’m not here to say “That’s not the way it is.” All I’m saying—is that it’s also possible that this time that you have between the two walls, you can also create your heaven here, now—that’s all.

So let me tell you that these problems that you deal with are like that glass of water—put it down. Give it a break. That’s not what your life is for. Open your eyes and see. Understand—not just imagine, but understand. To see the beautiful reality of existence, for you. For you.

The day you understand about the richness of your existence, after that you will never be poor—never, never! Because that is priceless. Priceless.

The day you understand your strength—this is what I was talking about before. The day you understand your strength, you will realize that indeed, you can move the mountains—not the physical mountains, your mountains.

Your mountain is the darkness. Now having said that, I want to tell you something else. From darkness to light there is a clear path. From pain to joy there is a clear path—find it; don’t look at the obstacles; don’t look at your problems. Everybody has learnt in this world to look at problems. “What do you do?” “I talk about peace.” “Oh, there can’t be any peace in this world.”

Oh, yes, there can, if you know how to find the path.... Not the problems—not the problems. Not the obstacles and the overwhelming, being overwhelmed by the obstacles, but find that clear path and just stay with it—and you can achieve incredible results in your life.

Simple. Simple. But again, it’s a question of the habit. You have become so good at recognizing problems—that when solutions come, you can’t see them. Solutions come—and you can’t see them.

What habits have you given yourself? And, why...? Look, I’m not a psychologist; I am not a person who goes around giving advice of how families should be. That’s not—that’s none of what I can do.

But why am I telling you this? I’m telling you this—is because maybe one day, just one day, not being shy to say “I love you” to the ones you love—one day, one day you’ll be able to look at yourself and say “I love you.” And that day, I guarantee you your life will change.

Because you’re not loved by you; you’re judged by you. And I’m not talking about the wrong kind of love. I’m not talking about ego love; I’m not talking about, you know, “Yeah, I can do no wrong,” kind of love; that’s not the love I’m talking about.

True love: “I am in love with this breath—because it is a gift that I could not even ever imagine asking for.” Could you; could you? Could you ever, ever imagine asking for a gift like this breath? Could you? You would ask for a house; you would ask for a car; you would ask for a girlfriend; you would ask for a watch; you would ask for a shoe, or you would ask for a shirt—which you do.

Asking for a gift as incredible as the gift of this breath.... Understand and accept this incredible opportunity of life. Not be caught in some imagination, but see the reality, and see the reality, how beautiful it is. That this breath comes into you and it brings you life, and you are filled? And how beautiful it is.

And it’s not about that wall. That wall doesn’t win. I don’t want that wall to win. Because if I can understand the value, now, then I have defeated that wall. That even though this circus will pack up, but a heart will leave from this circus that will be full of gratitude.

Not empty. Not Alexander’s case, “Empty-handed you came and empty-handed you have to go.” “Empty-handed you came but empty-handed you don’t have to go.”

That when this heart is full of gratitude, when this heart has recognized, when this heart has understood the beauty of this incredible garden that I live in, of every day, the doors that open, the opportunities that come....

Hey, excuse me—I’m not telling you that’s the way it is for me every day. Do I get lost in my problems? Absolutely. Do I forget to put the glass down? Absolutely. But I need to keep making an effort to put the glass down.

Today, somebody came to me and said, “You know, could you talk about mindfulness,” (because I was talking about mindfulness at the Kind Malaysia event), “So would you talk about the, you know, the mindfulness...?” And I said, “Actually, there is a problem.” And I said, “The problem is....” So, I was talking to this person, talking to this person....

And I think I’ve coined a new word—and it’s not “mindfulness”—it’s “heartfulness.” Because I know what my mind is full of. I am very clear—well, I know what my mind is full of. So I know what my mind is full of—but I also am fortunate enough to know what my heart is full of.

And I want to be from that full heart, the heartfulness. Because that’s where I will recognize light, not the darkness. That’s where I’ll recognize compassion, not the anger. That’s where I will recognize clarity, not the confusion.

Because the problem is my mind doesn’t actually know about clarity, but it’s very clear on what confusion is. My mind doesn’t actually know about light, but it’s very clear on the darkness. And my mind doesn’t actually know about compassion, but it’s very clear on the anger, “and who you should be angry with.”

And my mind is very clear on what’s not going to work, half the time. But my heart is very clear on what is going to work. Heartfulness. In your life, heartfulness. Because that is the realm of going within and feeling who you really are. That is the fundamental step, the fundamental step to knowing yourself.

The rest? The grind goes on. You have come here—I thank you very much—you have come here; you have given me a chance to say what I wanted to say; you have listened to me; thank you. Will you remember it? Probably not. [Audience: Yeah.] And not most of it. But I must tell you that if you could implement just a little bit of what I have said, this can change your life—for the good.

This is an amazing pill; it’s called the “pill of clarity.” It is powerful. It is powerful. Those who have taken this have sung praises of, “How clear,” how that clarity brings that joy of the heart.

View all released episodes of "Lockdown" under the Series tab.

Onscreen text:

The Answer Within

Peace Is Possible Author Event, Manchester, UK

Prem Rawat:

What I want to talk about is the reality of us, of what it really means to be alive. Who are you? You pride yourself on being different; I can see, so many people are wearing just, different kinds of jackets and ties and have their hairdo differently—it’s not like you’re all looking the same from here.

But what if I was to tell you that all of you are going to go through this one thing—you came through one wall and you’re going to hit the other wall and you’re going to be gone.

I deal with this. People write to me. People want to talk to me. I just talked—I just saw a lady in France. She wrote to me, said, “I’m ninety-eight years old. I have been with you since 1972—and I just want to shake your hand.” So I said, “Sure.”

So, when I was in France I called her. I was—I have to say, I was shocked. I was shocked. She looked younger than me! And I’m like, I thought, you know, she’d be like, eighteen people holding her—no! Just.... Then she started to tell me her story.

For four years she was in the German concentration camp—lost her mother, lost her father there. Showed me her tattoo.... And a smile on her face. She said, “I knew there was something more”—that that horror, whatever that was, “That wasn’t it!”

You think having gratitude in this life is a small thing? Not for, “thankful for your job, not thankful for your car and your cat, your dog”—but to be thankful to be alive. My friends, I’m talking about “alive,” the difference, the difference....

The difference between you and I isn’t about coming through that wall and going to hit the second wall. It is what we make between the two walls, that’s what makes us different. That’s the difference between the devil and the angel.

Who are you? Who are you? In this equation of all those other people—who are you? You don’t know. You know them—but you don’t know you.

If you had to get a message across to you, how would you do it—seriously? If you had to get a message across to you, how would you do it? You cannot “self-SMS.” How would you do it? Your silly little device doesn’t know.

You need to tell yourself, “Be happy. Be content. Be in joy. Be in love.” Please, please send yourself this message. You need to send this message to yourself—you need it.

You need to tell yourself, “It’s okay.” You need to tell yourself, “Be thankful.” You need to tell yourself, “Be content.” You need to tell yourself, “Be in clarity.” You need to tell yourself, “Enjoy.” You need to tell yourself.

What’s your number? What’s your number? What’s your handle? What’s your dot-com? Do you have the email of “dot-heart”? Do you have the email that ends with “dot-wisdom”? You don’t—you don’t—and you need to.

This happened to me—in London. So, I’m stuck in the famous London traffic jam, compliments of progress. (I came to London in 1972; believe me, there weren’t traffic jams like that....)

So, I’m sitting in the car and I see this man walking, and he’s got a stick—and so I realized that he couldn’t see; he was challenged, visually challenged, so he can’t see through his eyes, so he’s just using his cane. But I realized he was really clipping along. He was just, “Whshew, chu-chu-chu-chu-chu-chu-chu....”

And of course, I had nothing else to do except, sitting in the car, stuck in a traffic jam—and he would absolutely, completely pass us, and then we would catch up and I would start looking again; it’s like, “Wow. Man, he’s really moving. What’s he doing? How is he so sure?”

Then I realized, “Oh my God. This man is not looking for something, but one thing and one thing alone—he’s only looking for a clear path.” He doesn’t care about Westminster; he doesn’t care about the traffic jam here, the traffic jam there; he doesn’t care about the time on the Big Ben; he doesn’t care about all the pretty boats on the Thames.

All he cares about: “Is the path clear?” And not the whole path—just enough for him to pass, that’s how much he’s scanning with the stick. That’s all he cares about: “If that’s clear, keep walking.”

And then I realized, “Oh my God. He doesn’t care about the obstacles.” You would think he cares about the obstacles; he doesn’t care about the obstacles; he only cares about a clear path.

So when problems come in our life, do we look for a clear path—or do we look at “how we’re going to overcome the obstacle”? You don’t have to overcome the obstacle—if there is a mountain in front of you, figure out a way to go around it. And go around it. Don’t have to try to go, “Oh my God, how am I going to climb that mountain.”

I mean, is that what you do when you come across—you’re driving and there’s a huge building in front of you? Do you go, “But and, how am I going to drive through that building? And that’s, that’s really going to hurt my car—and me and, and, and everything....” No, you look left and right and you say, “Well, yeah, there’s a road; just go around it.”

Does that make sense? [Audience: Yeah.] Just today? [Audience: And yeah, that’s right.] Just today? No! You always knew this. And this is garnering wisdom; this is wisdom: “Don’t try to go over it; go around it.”

You have problems? You’re going to have problems. Of course, you’re going to have problems. Why are you going to have problems? Because you always try to go on top of the mountain. That’s why you’re going to have problems. I’m telling you, life is sweet—just go around.

Like that man, he taught me so much, taught me so much, just in that little time. Now, now I actually look forward to traffic jams in London. I can learn something—“Wow, what am I going to learn today, you know?” Because it’s going to happen....

They told me, “Oh, yeah, but oh, but it’s going to take two-and-a-half hours to, you know, go twelve miles.” I said, “No problem; let’s go!”

My friends, these are the possibilities. Are you ready to engage with the seed of clarity? Are you ready to engage with the seed of joy; are you ready to engage...? Because if you’re not, you need to send yourself a message—to be ready, and to do so. You need to send yourself a message.

And when that happens, imagine what you will have in your life. Imagine how beautiful that clarity is. That’s the power of light—“Turn on the light; turn on the light; turn on the light; turn on the light. Enough darkness.” And where does the light need to shine? In your neighbor’s yard—or yours? Try yours. That’s where it needs to shine—because there is a light inside of you. Discover, uncover.

This is what I help people do—those people who don’t know their number, I have a special software; I call it “Knowledge.” And it goes through and finds your number and it connects you to it. And it’s pretty good software; it’s very, very good software.

But even that software requires wisdom to use it, unfortunately. And me coming and going to all the places in the world, I am sharing my wisdom—because without that wisdom, it is very difficult to take and make proper use of Knowledge.

This is what I do. People listen to me and they go, “You make sense.” (Thank you; that’s what I do; that’s what I’ve been doing.) I was doing it since I was four years old—that’s my gift. That’s my gift. That’s my gift. And today, this is my gift to you.

View all released episodes of "Lockdown" under the Series tab.

Jacaranda Radio 94.2 FM

The Complimentary Breakfast with Rian van Heerden

Johannesburg, South Africa featuring Prem Rawat

Radio announcer:

This is The Complimentary Breakfast. Jacaranda FM.

Rian van Heerden:

It’s a huge pleasure to have Prem Rawat on the show this morning. He has been traveling and speaking to audiences about peace since he was a child.

Onscreen text:

RIAN VAN HEERDEN

Host, The Complimentary Breakfast

Rian van Heerden:

And he also said that “We all know what the symptoms look like, of this disease—it’s greed, war, selfishness, violence, and an increasing loss of trust. Peace is a real thing; peace resides in the heart of every human being. Peace has to emanate from each of us.”

Prem Rawat is with us. Good morning to you, sir.

Prem Rawat:

Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Onscreen text:

PREM RAWAT

International Speaker, Ambassador of Peace

Rian van Heerden:

You know, I know very few people that can engage an audience like you can. I watched the—just yesterday I was watching the Boston, Massachusetts chat. And you had profound things to say, and I think one of the most important things that I took from you is that we need to find out what makes us happy.

Prem Rawat:

Yes.

Rian van Heerden:

And what makes us all happy is the same thing, is it?

Prem Rawat:

Yes, it is. It’s the fundamental need. Peace is not a luxury. And peace is not a word. In fact, peace is a feeling.

And like hunger, like we need to sleep, like we need to eat, like we need to drink water, like we need to breathe air, we actually need peace in our lives. Because without that peace, our functioning breaks down; our basic thinking breaks down. Our perceptions break down. And we no longer can function as a human being, properly. And this is why peace is important in this world.

Onscreen text:

Real Peace

Prem Rawat in Langa, Cape Town, South Africa

Prem Rawat:

Who are we? What are we? What does it mean to be here on the face of this earth? What does it mean when this breath comes into you? What does it mean to be actually, alive?

What do we want? Do we want to overcome a problem or do we want to forge a road for the future? Do we want to take care of some issues—or do we want to create a highway to a future that encompasses every person? This is the decision that we have to make—as individuals, not as a society—but as each one of us, what do we want in our lives? What is important to us?

Peace, like the Council Member said, is very easy to say, very difficult to attain—why? If it is so difficult, if it is so impossible, why even have the concept of peace; why even have the idea of peace?

Because everybody, 7.5 billion people on the face of this earth, have their own idea of what peace is. That peace that you carry in your mind is not real peace. What you carry in your heart is the real peace—the peace that does not see a reason to be, but has existed since time immemorial for those people who have appreciated it and welcomed it in their lives.

Can peace be in the midst of a battlefield? What better place for it to be? Can peace be experienced in the middle of chaos? What better stage and contrast than that? And that is why the battles happen here, and the peace dances here. Two, in the same vessel, in the same person at the same time. How can this be? But it is.

How far is darkness away from light? Tell me, how far is darkness away from light? When you turn off light, how long does it take for the darkness to appear? Two minutes? Three minutes? Four minutes?

Or instantly? That’s the relationship of the darkness and light: light is never far from darkness, and darkness is never far from light—ever. All you have to do is be where that is, that you want to be.

You want the bad; you want to welcome the bad? Welcome the bad, and you will feel the bad, and it’ll influence your life and it’ll drag you down and it’ll make you depressed—and you will become, what? [Individual: Greedy.]

Is greed the mark of strength or weakness? Is greed the mark of strength or weakness—I ask you; what do you think? [Individual: Weakness, yeah.] Greed is a mark of weakness, not strength. Power struggle is a mark of weakness.

Have you seen Star Wars, the old one—and do you ever see that? Isn’t that the neatest scene, when the commandos are there? And the guy, Obi-Wan Kenobi just says, “You don’t need to check their papers,” and they go, “We don’t need to check, yeah, okay.” No guns needed. No weapons needed—strength!

Strength comes from the inner core of a human being. That’s where it resides. That’s where you have to go to be in touch with it.

And to me, I haven’t told this one story here, but I did tell it at the Book Launch and I told it at Malmesbury Prison that I was at—and I will tell you that story here, too.

Once upon a time there was a settlement, and in the settlement there was a chief. One day a young boy walked over to the chief—and it’s, “Chief, I have a question.” The chief said, “What?” He said, “I have a question; why are some people good sometimes—and the same people, bad the other times? Why are some people good sometimes, and the same people bad the other times?”

And the chief said, “Inside each one of us are two wolves, a good wolf and a bad wolf—and they fight.” So the boy said, “Chief, why do they fight?” And the chief said, “To get supremacy over you, to have command over you—this is why they fight.” So the boy thinks some more and says, “Chief, which wolf wins? Which wolf wins?” And the chief said, “The one you feed.”

What do you think? Do you like that story? [Audience: Yes. Yes, we do.] It has such a quick ending—and it gets you thinking: “Of course, whichever wolf I feed, that’s the wolf that’s going to win.”

Let me ask you, which wolf have you been feeding? Which wolf have you been feeding? You don’t have to answer me; just answer yourself—to yourself, honestly, “Which wolf have you been feeding?”

“I don’t want to feed the wrong wolf because if I feed the wrong wolf, I destroy my life! I destroy my time that will never come back—that will never come back, that will never change.” This is the decision that we have to make every single day: “What do you want in your life?”

Which wolf do you want to feed? From where do you want to come; do you want to come from your heart? From your wisdom? From your understanding? From your knowing? Or do you want to come with everything that everybody else has told you? This is what the Peace Education Program is all about—the Peace Education Program is about you, not about other people.

Everybody, wherever I go—I see people are totally enamored by other people: “What do other people think of me; what do other people think; they, that they like me, do they dislike me; what will they say? What about my society; what about my this, what about my that?” Is that what it is about?

Your life, the one you have been given—you as a human being, where do you count; where do you fit into this world? It took millions and millions and millions of years of evolution to put you on the face of this earth that you are here today—you think it’s a mistake? Do you think it was just like that? No, it took millions and millions of evolutions to put you on the face of this earth.

A breath comes in and a breath goes out and you find yourself alive. Your palette is virtually infinite! Of what you can feel, of what you can express, of what you can know, of what you can understand, of who you can be, there is no limit.

But this is the realm of the heart. This is the realm of the knowing. This is the realm of the people who have understood their dignity, and have no problem offering the dignity to others. They bond with a human being because they are alive and you are alive. Not because of the common interests; “Oh, you like music; I like music; we’re friends.”

No, “You are alive; I am alive; we are friends.” That’s the day this world’s going to change. That’s the day this world is going to change, not because “You speak this language and I speak this language; we are friends”—but because “You are alive and I am alive, we are friends.”

This is the possibility, if you want to accept. I am not here to preach to you. I have nothing to preach. I want to invoke some thoughts so you can think for yourself.

Because if you have ever felt your heart, you know what is important to you. If you have ever felt your life, you know what is important to you. And if you are truly here because you want peace in your life, you know that peace is not far from you—never has been, as it dances in the hearts of every single human being.

Whatever you do (or don’t do), don’t ever feed the wrong wolf. Because that wolf will win. This is not the story you want.

You have to forge your own story; nobody is going to forge a story for you. Nobody is going to forge your life; you have to forge your life. And that fire sometimes is nothing but disappointment—but even in that disappointment, that metal is turning and churning and transforming. That’s what transformation sometimes is. That’s what transformation sometimes is.

What happens? What happens when you take clay, earth, dirt, and mix it with water? This is what people don’t want on them. This is what people don’t want on them—and the car drives by and splashes water with dirt on it—it’s like, “Oh my God, I’m dirty; I’m dirty; I’m dirty.”

But somebody takes the same dirt and kneads it, and kneads it, and kneads it, and kneads it—and puts it on a wheel and turns it and churns it and makes it a beautiful earthenware....

And then takes that earthenware and puts it inside the kiln—and it goes through and it bakes. And when it comes out, the same dirt that got on your clothes for free, (and you freaked), now you are going to buy this earthenware. And it’s going to decorate your house.

This is transformation. This is transformation. And this is the same transformation that you have to allow, yourself, to happen.

Everybody in this whole world—I am not even going to say, “Langa” or I’m not even going to say “South Africa”—I am saying the whole world needs to unite!

The whole world needs to unite to take care of all the stupid problems in this world, so that we can forge a highway to the future, the future in which there is prosperity, peace, and dignity—in fact, first, dignity, peace, and then prosperity. That’s the way it needs to be—not just for today, but for generations and generations and generations yet to come.

View all released episodes of "Lockdown" under the Series tab.

Onscreen text:

The Hidden Possibility

Quando il Deserto Fiorisce

Author Event, Milan, Italy

Prem Rawat:

When we have determined we are in trouble, our demeanor is entirely different than when we think we have the whole world in the palm of our hands. And this is all we see—what is life for? “Oh! Make money, do this, do this, do this. Have fun....” I’m not saying it’s not. But there is another potential; there’s something else waiting.

When I talk about the desert blooming, it goes from the harshness of the desert, (harshness because the desert can be very harsh), from the barrenness of the desert, (the desert can be very barren), from the monotony of the desert, (a desert can be very monotonous)—to all of a sudden, there is this incredible possibility that is lying hidden....

That if that possibility was to come alive, that the desert becomes the most tender of places—from monotonous to a garden? From rejecter of life to attractor of life? Filled with butterflies and bees? From virtually no smell to the sweetest smell you can possibly imagine? From just that one color to the myriad of colors dancing? Hmm. How is that possible?

But it is. Because unbeknown to you, not in your visual scan, lying deep beneath that monotonous layer are seeds, seeds that through millions of years of evolution, (we’re not that old, by the way, as human beings on this planet Earth, as they are), they have learned this little trick. And the little trick is between patience and being ready.

So they’re ready—but they’re also patient. We don’t have—we have either one or the other. We’re not used to these two things simultaneously coexisting, but they do.

In this human being lie these seeds, this possibility like in the desert. And they all wait for one thing—the rain. And the rain, by the way, is the most infrequent thing that happens where a desert is involved—but, but it does. It does.

And because that’s what matters, they wait—ever-ready, ever-ready. And then, this they call a miracle—a miracle happens. And all of a sudden, the wind shifts. And the wind shifts—and every creature in that area gets ready for the rain.

And then the clouds begin to boom because of the lightning and the thunder: an announcement, “I am coming.” The humidity levels rise as the precursor. And this is the opportunity that those little seeds were waiting for.

Then it begins to rain. And when it does, the air is filled with the most beautiful fragrance. It is the fragrance of the drops of water hitting the parched earth, parched sand. And then the dance begins. This is the possibility that exists in your life too.

Not the judgments—like that story where one pot gets damaged and it sees itself worthless! But it is not worthless. It is not worthless. The human possibility is to rise above all of this—today people say, “But look at this world; it’s going crazy.” I agree it’s going crazy—and no disagreement from me.

So, it’s not about the craziness of the world; it is about the smallest drop of sanity that does exist in the heart of human beings. It is not about all the days that it doesn’t rain in the desert, but the day it does rain in the desert. When does that day come? It does come. When does it come? It comes more frequently than you realize.

It comes with every breath that you take. That rain comes with every breath that you take, when you are willing to look, to acknowledge, to understand—the day you can acknowledge, the day you can understand that anything is possible in your life.

That maybe it will take the effort of practice—practice. (Have I said anything wrong?) Practice. And the day you begin to practice consciousness, little by little, my friends, I am telling you, you will see a difference.

Have you ever seen a day begin? It begins! It’s dark—and then all of a sudden there is a faint little difference on the horizon, of light. There’s dark—and then there is a little pinkish-ness. And then it gets more, and more, and more, and more and more and more, and then it becomes very obvious where the sun’s going to rise, and then, boomf, there it is.

A day beginning, not with a flash, “Bah-dah!”—but “Ummmm-humm-hmm....” Then if the sun, the earth can be happy with this graceful beginning, little by little, why can’t you? Why can’t you? What are you looking for in your life, “Tah-dah”?

It’s not filling your mind alone that matters; it is also filling your heart. Filling your mind may bring you little plaques, may bring you recognition—but when the heart is full, it brings you this most wonderful thing and it’s called “gratitude”—when the heart is full.

Can you understand this possibility that I am talking about? This possibility of your desert blooming, this is peace, my friends, peace. This is peace.

Peace is not when people say, “Only one person slaps the other; the other person doesn’t return the slap.” That’s not peace. It is not about all of the world, but it is about setting right our own world. When this world, when your world is disturbed, then the whole world is disturbed. When this world, your world, is in balance, then the whole world can begin to fall in balance.

The dynamics of the hope, the dynamics of the reality, the dynamics of the life are the hidden possibilities. And to understand the beauty that truly is represented when the desert blooms—unimaginable, unimaginable—the greens, the yellows, the blues, the pinks, every hue you can imagine.

And when that is so prolific, something happens—something amazing happens. You can’t see the sand. It’s just, all you see is this, these flowers, these colors. Because the desert has gone and bloomed! The impossible has just happened. The impossible has just happened. Where there was nothing, now there is everything.

And it has attracted, sure enough—it has attracted the birds and the bees and the butterflies. Exquisite. All that appears barren is not so barren. All that, that appears so unfortunate is not unfortunate. All that appears to be so empty is not that empty. It’s not that empty. That’s your beauty; that’s your possibility.