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Prem Rawat:

Hello, everyone. I hope you’re doing well. I’ve been busy trying to get things ready. Pretty soon we should be announcing the Peace Education Program—and that, I’m looking forward to it.

But we are coming very close to chapter three of this coronavirus thing. It’s, I figured the chapter one was when it all started—and most countries were just gobsmacked of what’s going on; didn’t do anything.

And the second chapter was, you know, when they all jumped on it and started to finally take notice of it. And chapter three, kind of is coming out of it—and that’s, of course, been very, very interesting. And I do realize that that will open up the possibility for me to travel....

Of course, it’s going to provide its own challenges. I’m not going to have meetings in any way, shape, or form, where this coronavirus, COVID-19 could spread. So, that’s, you know, just looking at what can be done and how things can be done—but we’ll figure it out.

The main thing is for you to be focused on what really is happening. And what really is happening, by the way, is not this COVID-19 thing; it’s not this virus taking over. What’s really happening—that’s unique—it’s been happening for a while but it’s still unique.... And that is that you exist, that you’re alive.

What are you doing to address that? That’s the issue; that’s the question. Because in addressing that, a lot of things get put right. (“Get put right,” like what?) Like an immense amount of joy, immense amount of clarity, immense amount of understanding, immense amount of focus.

Because this existence, this “being alive” is more than just doing what the world has told you to do. You realize that you do what you do, not because you want to do it—but these are the customs, traditions, rules that you simply grew up with, and when you were a little child, you simply accepted them.

Your mother, father, told you “Do this, otherwise, go to your room.” And you decided after a while, “Room is no fun; I’ll cave in; I’ll do what my mom and dad want me to do.”

So, is that a bad thing? Is that a bad thing to cave into these rules and regulations? Of course not. We have to have some rules—we’re going to have rules. Even if your rule is not to follow those rules, that’s a rule. So, we’re going to—well, you’re going to end up with a rule anyways.

But there is another kind of rule that you need to pay attention to—and it’s not a rule, but it’s an opportunity. And the opportunity is that you’re alive. And that that means something. That that’s the unique thing. All this other stuff, it’s happened before. Nineteen-eighteen, Spanish flu, virus, Ebola. Many things, bird flu.

So, will there be more? Of course. Of course. Were there more before, that people didn’t, you know, get savvy to—of course. But what’s unique is, you are alive. And when is this going to happen again? Nobody knows. No one knows.

When are you going to come back? No one knows—could be millions of years, could be billions of years. But right now, here you are. You exist. And this is how it is.

The other day I came out and I was headed downstairs. And I looked up—and then I could see the stars, and I could see the moon—there was still a little bit of light; the sun was setting. It was beautiful.

And it just gave me a pause, just to think, “These heavenly bodies, these stars, these—the moon, everything out there, they have existed and seen....” And I don’t know if I can use the word, “seen.” Because I don’t think there is, you know, anybody out there looking at it and going, “Yeah, well, there it is,” so maybe “seen” isn’t the right word.

But they’ve been there as all these dramas played out. And geologically speaking, this is just that. Just that—just a second. Just a bat of an eye—and it’ll be over.

And in this “bat of an eye,” there you are. And in your life, in your existence, it isn’t about a “bat of an eye.” It is about you wanting, wanting something, wanting to be happy.

You know, I’m not going to go into what happiness is—but wanting to be happy, wanting to be content. And if we just remove the word “happiness” and just say, “Basically, you want to feel good.” That you don’t want to be worried—worried about tomorrow, about the consequences.

But you just want to feel alive, feel good. You want to be able to look at the moon, and admire its beauty and take it in. You want to look at that beautiful sunset, admire its beauty and take it in. And feel a part of it—because that same dirt that that moon is made from, that that sun is made from, you are made from.

And you want to be free; you want to be free from all the encumbrances you feel, all the weight that you feel on you. And if somehow, this life could be, not about tomorrow, but about today—about where I give action to my thoughts.... And when I take those thoughts and convert them into actions, now they become irreversible, unchangeable.

And I just want to feel good—that I lived for contentment, that I lived for happiness, for joy—that I lived for those reasons that are worth living! And I understood why I am here. That it wasn’t a mystery; that I didn’t live in this mystery, but I lived in clarity.

And it was obvious. Huh? “Obvious,” yeah, that’s the keyword, obvious. Not that somebody told me—and so I believed it: “I read it in a book, so I believe it.” No, it became obvious—clear. And then, living this life is (taah) so simple—becomes full of joy.

So, is that the way it is for me every day? No. All of those other things, all of those things of this: “What’s going to happen here; what’s going to happen here; who said that, person said that; oh, well, what’s this; what’s that...?”

But when I am not in that, and I have that moment of clarity.... You see, clarity isn’t about hours, and clarity isn’t about minutes, but a moment will do—because its consequences are long; the effects of that clarity are long.

That I can feel that I am alive, that I live. And I regard that feeling of being alive as the most precious feeling. That it’s important to me. That I understand that my little world revolves around that, of being alive. Then I know. Then I understand. Then it’s okay. Now I don’t have to look.... And I don’t have to drown in the sea of “why.”

“Why, why this; why that; why that; why that; why....” Because “why,” it—hey, when I was little, maybe it started off as “Why, why, why do I have to do this; why do I have to do that; why is the moon there, why is the sun there; why is the earth round; why is this; why the….”

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, and then by the time I get older, it—all that changes to “Why, why am I sad; why...?” See, it gets—from wondering what moon is like—and “why the moon...?”

Because somebody asked that—that’s, somebody asked that question. And it’s like, “The universe doesn’t care. Why am I here?” Why are you here; you don’t know? Because obviously, there is a reason. This much you must understand.

The person actually wrote, it’s like, you know, “The universe doesn’t care.” It’s not about the universe, my friend. It’s about you looking at the universe that matters. This is what has been made possible—not the universe looking at you, you looking at the universe.

This is what it’s about. Me being alive; you being alive. Us understanding our existence. This is the beautifulness, the beauty, the joy! Every day, to wake up to this possibility. Every day, wake up—to wake up! Because everything else that we associate with, everything else that we give as a “meaning to our lives” with, that’s not it. That’s not it.

Somebody once brought a very expensive car. And I said, “Oh, what a nice car you have.” (And I, I’m into cars; I like cars.) And that person said to me, “So, should I be driving one of these?” (It was a, rather an expensive car.) And I said, “You look good in it. Why not? Absolutely, if that’s what you want to do, do it.”

But it’s not about that. That’s not the reason why your life is important. Because you run a big business, that’s not the reason.... Is there a problem running a big business? No. It’s all about all of that that you do—but also do that that has become a possibility because you are alive on the face of this earth.

So, what is that? That is you, (not your kin, not your friend), but you filled with joy.

Yeah, somebody, it’s like, “Oh, yeah, you know...?” But I see people—and sometimes they’re devastated because they’ve lost everything they had. This one guy, a long time ago, came to me and he says, “Oh, I’ve got a problem.” And I said, just said, “But yes, what’s your problem?” And he said, you know, “I lost my business.”

I said, “Umm, tell me something. You were born with this business?” And he goes, “No, no, no, I built it up.” And I said, “I bet you learnt a lot, building it up, huh?” He goes, “Oh, yeah, I learnt a lot; I made a lot of mistakes.” So I said, “Good. You learnt a lot—now do it again. Do it again—build your business up—and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes; you will do it quicker.”

So, he looked at me like, you know, “Okay.” And I said, “But there’s something else. You think you are here for this business? That your happiness is associated with this business? It’s not.

“Your happiness has something to do with you, with your resources that are within you. And if you can find them—and you can find the joy that resides in you, then you can run your business—and you will not be looking for that one thing that your business can never give you. You will not be looking at this world for what this world can never give you.”

And that is, my friends, that clarity, that joy, that fulfillment. This world, there’s nothing.... I mean, the world can give you a lot of good things. Umm-umm, you know, ice cream is pretty good. Oh, and yeah, samosas, those are good. Pecan pie, that’s great.

But there’s something greater than all of that. And it is buried in every breath that you take, in your existence. When you look up to this universe with bewilderment, with fascination, with “Wow,” that’s what it’s all about. When you can turn to the universe within—and go, “Wow,” then you got it. Then you have it. Then that’s what it is all about.

That’s what true freedom is. Free—because you know the source of you, of your joy. Now you’re free to choose. Ah, you’re free to choose. And choose wisely, my friend. Choose that which you are made for.

Live your life in that joy that has been made possible because you are alive—just that, because you’re alive. Be fulfilled because you’re alive. See that clarity because you’re alive. Know that beauty because you are alive. And be free from the slavery of ignorance. Ignorance—that you don’t know what you have buried within you, not knowing all the treasures you carry within you.

Pretty soon the Peace Education Program is going to be ready, so that’s going to be coming on. Again, looking at all the countries that are going to start opening up, looking at the possibility of traveling....

And I want to—I want to come and see you all. And I want to look into your eyes—and I want to see your smile; I want to see your smiling eyes.... And that would be wonderful. And this is what I am looking forward to.

Of course, I have to do it judiciously; I don’t want anybody to get sick from this. And not, certainly, from my actions—I mean, still it is the same thing: “Don’t give it to anyone and don’t get it from anyone,” just to exercise that caution.

And, you know, and it’s not a big deal. We can do things if we know where to look for that joy inside of us. And that you could be busy being happy. How’s that; how’s that? In this life, in this world, you should always, always, always be busy being happy.

So, thank you very much. And I’ll talk to you soon. Take care; be well; be safe. Most importantly, be.

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

Practicing Kindness

Cuando el Desierto Florece

Author Event, Miami, USA

Prem Rawat:

Let me begin with this question, “Who are you?” You are a human being. What does it mean to be a human being?

Some of us have created an idyllic platform for us—and in this idyllic platform, we are perfect; we are a certain way. And in this platform, we are the wise one; we have answers to every question there is. A solution to every problem except ours. [Individual: And yeah, you’re right.]

No, and this is really true—we do. We can solve the world’s problem—tomorrow we can solve the world’s problem, but not ours. Only been around for six thousand years, and we think we’re the masters—that we know everything; we’ve got it pegged.

Then, all of a sudden, something happens—and we find ourselves incredibly vulnerable. The might disappears. The idyllic platform crumbles....

So, what I’m trying to say here is, are we just our ideas? Or is there another reality that exists here? Who are you? And what do you practice?

Every day that you go about doing whatever it is that you think you have to do.... You will wake up—at least, five days out of that week, you wake up—and you have to do things that you may not want to do.

Get up in the morning—and it’s like, “Aaaagggh.” [Individual: And yeah, that’s right; we do that.] That’s why you....

See, it’s not about “what,” it’s about “why”—why do you have snooze function? What is this snooze function: “snooze?” Well, this snooze function is that when you actually do wake up, you’re not ready to wake up. And you would like “five more minutes.”

“Five more minutes”—and five more minutes, and five more minutes, and five more minutes, and you finally come across somebody you love and you are spending a little time with them—and “five more minutes....” My goodness, is your life all about that five more minutes? Is that what you are practicing? If that’s what you’re practicing, how are you ever going to be healthy?

Wellbeing—“well being”—but the “being” doesn’t know how to be. Forget about the “well.” At this point, the well is just a hole in the ground with the water at the bottom.

But when the being understands who the being is, then the process of the “well being” begins, and the well isn’t a hole in the ground with the water at the bottom. It means to thrive, to be that being that can thrive. Not somebody who is absolutely begging for “five more minutes.”

Okay, now I want to talk about “what is a human being”—because this is the most wonderful subject. So, what a human being actually is, believe it or not, (even though you do have that little “tail” thing), but besides that, you have something else; you have a heart. And in this heart, you have an ocean.

And you have the ocean of serenity. You have wisdom unparalleled. You have generosity, unbelievable. You have kindness that is fathomless. This too is you.

That you are alive is the greatest gift. It is also the gift that is given to the gorilla; it is also the gift that is given to the whale; it is also the gift that is given to all the monkeys—but you are that one monkey that can truly appreciate this gift and have gratitude in return.

This is what makes you special; this is what makes you different—not the lack of the furry little tail—that this is what makes you different. You have the possibility.... Now, a dog is very thankful for a bone. You can be thankful for being alive.

How amazing! You can be thankful for this breath; you can be thankful for this gift of understanding that you have. Question is, is that what you want in your life? Does that form the basis in your existence, of what you call “wellbeing”—true wellbeing?

I am offering here, a possibility, (even though it’s only through words at this point in time), but I am offering this possibility of being in gratitude, of being thankful every single day. For what? For being alive. For this breath.

And to discover all your treasures, the treasures that you have within you. I’m not talking about some abstract concept here. I’m talking about experiencing something real every single day in your life—in getting in touch with yourself, not in some idea, but this heart that you have.

What do you know of your heart? Who has taught you how to listen to the whisper of the heart? Do you know how to dance to the song that your heart sings to you every single day? Do you know how to respond to your heart? Do you know...? Do you know how to be sincere? Or is it an art—is sincerity an art that you have forgotten?

Then let me remind you that in the realm of your heart, there is such a thing as sincerity. That this is a beautiful reality. That it’s a beautiful saga that you are alive. The best thing that’ll ever happen to you, ever happen to you, is happening every day that you are alive.

It’s not winning a lottery ticket—sorry, it’s not. I know, I’m.... Some of you have that dream, “Oh, yeah, I’ll win the lottery ticket.” No, it’s not the lottery ticket. It’s being alive.

From all that is on this earth, to emerge, to be.... And to put it in context, you won’t always be here.

A long time ago I mentioned, there are the two walls. And you, we—this, to explain life: “the two walls”—and you come out of one wall. (It’s called “being born.”) And then you go, “Tik-tik-tik-tik, tik-tik-tik-tik,” and then you disappear in through the other wall—and that’s called “going bye-bye.” (You may have other words for it, but....)

And I know that you have heard the word “journey,” “life is a journey.” Right? I don’t know about “journey-werney.” But I know one thing—between that wall that I came through and that other wall that I have to go through, there is a road. And I must walk that road. I must walk that—I don’t have a choice. And that road is entirely made out of time.

But one thing I noticed about time, that it is totally impartial. I have never seen anything as impartial as time. Doesn’t care. I’m miserable? Same rate. Doesn’t care. I’m really happy? Doesn’t care. I’ve done something wrong? It doesn’t care. I’ve done something right? It doesn’t care. Just “keep moving, moving, moving, moving, moving.”

So, time is impartial. The road is impartial. The two walls are totally impartial; they don’t really care. Seems to me, on this journey you are.... On this road from that wall to that wall, the only thing I’ve got is this clarity. The only thing I’ve got is this kindness—that are my friends. The only thing I’ve got is this thirst. The only thing that I’ve got is understanding. And the only thing that I’ve got is the joy that is in me.

And I guess, the best way to really put this—is if I’m not practicing those things—even though technically I can’t do this, I am doing it; it’s called “wasting my time.”

So—so, practice joy; practice clarity; practice understanding; practice kindness. The point would be that you have become, through that practice, through that understanding, someone who truly appreciates and understands what this life is. Then you deserve it. Then you don’t have to beg for that five minutes—and everything begins to change.

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

The Need for Peace

Volunteer Peace Corps RELA

Prem Rawat addresses RELA, the Volunteer Peace Corps organization which has over 3 million members in Malaysia.

Prem Rawat:

As a human being, I have a need—and the need is a need to be in peace. So when we forget our fundamentals, what happens? We become out of balance. I will give you a little story. (Stories are nice....)

So, there was an incredibly powerful magician, a sorcerer. And he had no children of his own, and his wife always asked him, “You know, somehow we could have a little child, it would be really nice.” But it didn’t happen.

One day the sorcerer was walking down the road, and he came across a little mouse. And this little mouse had been hurt. So he picked up the little mouse and he put it in his hand. Evoking his powers he turned the little mouse into a beautiful little girl.

And he took the little girl to his wife and said, “You know you keep asking me to have a, ‘bring a baby, bring a baby’—well, today I have. And here is this beautiful baby girl for you.”

She fell in love with the baby girl; he fell in love with the baby girl. And with great due diligence, they raised this daughter, taking care, giving her incredible education—and she was incredibly gifted. When she had grown up, she was not only very pretty but very wise, very educated, very beautifully-natured.

So, one day the sorcerer turned to her and said, “My dear, you have reached the age of getting married. Who would you like to get married to?” She thought about it and she said, “Well, what are the possibilities?” So the sorcerer said, “Okay, I will go and take the proposal to different people and whatever they say, I’ll tell you.”

So he went to the mighty mountain. And he said to the mighty mountain, “Would you like to marry my daughter?” And the mighty mountain said, “Oh my God, I have been watching her; she’s so beautiful; she’s so smart; she’s so kind; she’s so wonderful. I would love to have her as my wife.”

So he brought the proposal to the daughter: “Daughter dear, the mountain would love to marry you—and he’s powerful; he’s strong. Would you like that?” And she said, “Nooo, not really.”

Went to the ocean; proposed to the ocean, and the ocean went, “Oh, yes, I have seen her; she’s gorgeous. I would love to marry her.” Brought back the proposal to the daughter: “No, I don’t want to marry the ocean.”

Went to the king. And the king said, “Oh! I see; I have heard of her beauty; I would love to marry her.” “Would you like to marry the king? You will live like a princess for the rest of your life.” She said, “Nooo, I don’t want to marry the king.” “The prince,” “the emperor,” all these proposals were brought but she said, “No. No. No. No. No.”

So now the sorcerer was like, “Well, who, you know—I have brought you these proposals; they’re incredible proposals. And you have rejected all of them. So, is there anyone, anyone you want to marry?” And just then a little mouse happened to run by. And she looked at him and says, “Yeah, that!”

And the sorcerer realized that she, who she was.... Even though he had changed her into a human being and educated her and everything, but she hadn’t forgotten who she was; her nature was still the same. Through all the different things, the nature did not change.

And when she saw the handsome little mouse, that was far more attractive to her than the mountain and the king and the prince and emperor and the ocean and everything else. Because that was in her nature.

So, the point of the story is, we live in this world—technology has changed; so many things have changed—but we are still human beings. We are still human beings. And the issue here is, “What is a human being?”

When I ask this question around the world, you would think every human being would tell you exactly what a human being is, right? That’s not true. Human beings have forgotten who they are. And not only have they forgotten who they are, but what are their true needs? What is it?

You have to understand the difference between “need” and “want.” Need is something without which you cannot exist. That’s your need. (You need air; you need warmth; you need food; you need water.)

Television is your want. Without air you will die. If you don’t watch television, you won’t die. But, but, in our society.... In our society, we mentally have changed so much that we think, “If I don’t get to see TV, I will die.”

And I will give them all the value; I will give them all the importance, as the world gives importance to all that we do—but we do not give importance to what we truly understand.

So, when somebody like me comes and wants to talk about peace, I think it’s really sad. Because I shouldn’t be talking about peace. That should be already known to people—that peace is a necessity, and without peace, you cannot have happiness, and without that happiness, (and health, and money), you cannot have prosperity. Prosperity isn’t just one thing.

And for us on the face of this earth, the challenge is to get in touch with what we fundamentally are. Not of who we want to be. Because this is what we have gotten lost in.

And it’s the same thing with peace. People think they have to bring peace from somewhere else. People say to me, “I am searching for peace”—and I say, “Then you won’t find it.” [Individual: Yeah, you’re right about that.] Why won’t you find it if you’re searching for peace? Because you already have it.

You can search wherever you want to search. Because the assumption is, “Peace is not in you.” And that’s what inspires the search. But the assumption is wrong because peace is in you.

The good is in you; the bad is in you. The right is in you; the wrong is in you. People say—people say, “There is so much bad going on in this world. How is that possible?” I say, “Yes. There is bad going on in this world. But in every human being, there is the good too—and that has not been nurtured; that has not been watered; that has not been taken care of.”

So that’s the situation with the world—but what about you? We are human beings. And we are not all about money—but we are about kindness; we are about generosity; we are about love; we are about feeling; we are about understanding. And these are the gifts that you can give, not only to yourself, not only to your fellow human beings, but to your family and to anyone you want.

And the beautiful thing about the gift of generosity, the gift of love, the gift of kindness, the gift of understanding is, the more you give, the more you can give because it’ll only increase, not decrease.

Money is not like that. More money you give, less it’ll be for you. So that’s why everybody tries to keep it. But the gift of understanding, the gift of love, the more you share, the more you will have.

Peace begins with you. Simple as that, peace begins with you—you understanding who you are. It is no mistake what Socrates said, “Know thyself.” To know who you are.

So, this is all I wanted to really say because there’s going to be question and answers too.

Individual: [male]

I suspect that there is a relationship between all these problems that we’re talking about and peace. And maybe you can tell us how they affect each other?

Prem Rawat:

Well, unfortunately, the sun doesn’t know about the night. Darkness doesn’t know about the light; light doesn’t know about the darkness. If peace was related to these problems, peace would have had no chance. But it rides above these problems. And it has nothing to do with these problems—because these problems will come and go. They will come and they will go.

People have problems—people have problems, they forgot to charge their cell phone. Three hundred years ago, people didn’t have that problem. So, we don’t understand, every time we solve a problem we create a new one.

But to me, thank God, problems are on one level and peace is on another level. And the peace doesn’t, isn’t going to touch our problems, and the—thank God that these problems are not going to touch peace. It’ll be. It’ll preserve its purity. It will preserve its purity.

This is like water. You can make water really, really dirty—but it’ll find a way to purify itself. This is the quality of water. It cannot be burnt! You try to burn water? It will evaporate—become steam, gone. Into the air, adiabatic cooling—you’ll see a cloud. The cloud will turn into a thunderstorm; it’ll purify the water and it will rain. It can purify itself. That’s its quality.

And if you knew yourself, you would realize that you don’t have to be in the cesspool of problems—that you are not your problems. You are somebody else; you are something else—and your problems are on a totally different level.

Unconsciousness will bring problems. Consciousness will remove problems. And peace will be dancing in the heart of every human being, waiting to be invited to show—because peace will be mankind’s finest achievement—not going to the moon or Mars. But peace will be the finest achievement of mankind.

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

Antonio Mateus

RTP JOURNALIST

Prem Rawat

AMBASSADOR OF PEACE

Antonio Mateus:

Well, you’ve been for fifty years now, spreading the peace word, the peace message around the world....

Prem Rawat:

Yeah, I started going there in ’78....

Onscreen text:

MARIA ROSAS

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Prem Rawat & Antonio Mateus

ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS

Antonio Mateus:

What is not working?

Prem Rawat:

Well, it works. Spreading of the message actually works—it makes a profound difference in people’s life. What doesn’t work is all the systems that are there in this world that I see are failing people—but people just keep believing in those things instead of understanding themselves....

You know, and I was in South Africa—and it was really amazing. Because people would—I was talking about peace and I was taking calls. And people were saying, “It’s not possible.”

Because one gentleman said, you know, “When I have a young daughter and she doesn’t see the difference in the black, white—she just plays with everybody, enjoys her time.” But this is something that is learnt.

And he said, “But peace is not really possible.” And I said, “Well, hang on. If this is a learnt behavior then we can unlearn it. You know, and why do we keep learning it and passing it on? Unlearn it; understand that every human being on the face of this earth is the same.”

We all have problems. Our problems are not new. Nobody has new problems. Somebody before us had exactly the same problem, felt exactly the same way—and here we are in this time, in this moment, repeating what has been repeated again and again and again.

When do we break out of that cycle? And when do we accept, “Here I am. I am alive. I’m here. I have good in me; I have bad in me”?

And so, once we start to break this habit that we have found ourselves in, I think we will see a new day—and have a new appreciation for the message that I have. Because I am not the only one with this message. This message has echoed for centuries across the world—starting from Socrates, “Know thyself.”

And even before that, “That there is something that is to be understood about each human being.” [Antonio: Umm.] And so, every human being really has fifty percent good, fifty percent bad. And if they have only nurtured the bad, then that’s what’s going to be prevalent. And if they nurture the good, then that’s what’s going to be prevalent.

And we have to understand that. We can’t start putting everything in a box. All our lives, well, that’s what we do—we put things in a box. We see a guy with a big scar on his face: dangerous. He could be the sweetest person on the face of this earth. But that’s not what we see; we see the scar.

We see somebody is tall; somebody is stronger than us; somebody is weaker than us. I mean, every day, every day: “Box, box, box, box.”

We’re human beings; we’re on the face of this earth. We’re not better than a lion. We’re not better than a giraffe. A giraffe can do things we can’t do; a lion can do things we can’t do. A lion has one advantage over us. He’s ferocious, strong—but when he is full, he will go, and not be aggressive, lie down and take it easy. We, when we are full, keep on being greedy.

To make war costs a lot of money. War isn’t free. It takes weapons; it takes training of the weapons; it takes a lot of effort to get into a war. For peace, you don’t have to do anything. It doesn’t cost any money—you don’t have to do really, anything—just let human beings be; give everybody some elbow room—and let the kindness be there. And things will work.

But all of this stuff that we have got going on—the terror, the fear, it has always been played upon, on us. You know, the fear of heaven and the fear of hell. Actually, “the allurement of heaven,” I should say, and the fear of hell: “You do this; you will go to hell.” “Go?” Go where?

What is hell? When you’re not in heaven—that’s hell. And when you’re in heaven? What is happening? You are in light—you’re in an understanding of yourself. You have perpetuated kindness. You have perpetuated the courage instead of fear. You have perpetuated knowledge instead of ignorance. You love clarity. You think first and do later....

Because most of the world does first and thinks later. I mean, when I go to people who have been incarcerated in these institutions, this is what I tell them. I said, “Remember? You did first and now you’re thinking. And you’re going to be thinking for a long time.” [Antonio: Umm.]

But if you would have just thought first—and then acted, you wouldn’t be here, sitting here, thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking.

So, you know, the possibilities are there—but why are we not perpetuating kindness; why are we not perpetuating understanding, and why are we not perpetuating the elements that are going to see us through the problems that we have?

These problems that we have are not problems that somebody dropped on us, on our laps. These are problems that we have created. All the problems that you see are problems that we actually have created.

The good thing about that is, since we created them, we can undo them. That possibility exists. But it takes consciousness; it takes courage; it takes understanding; it takes clarity to do that.

Antonio Mateus:

Along these fifty years, you met so many world leaders—that you lost count, for sure. How would you evaluate? Most of them have that sense of wisdom—or you are not very positive about that evaluation?

Prem Rawat:

I remember one person—but he was not a leader; he was a farmer.

Antonio Mateus:

You remember one...?

Prem Rawat:

If somebody said to me, “In your fifty years, (other than your father, your family, your friends, or people that, you know, you keep talking with, and so on), who did you meet that you only met once—once, that you still remember? For a brief period of time—but you still remember?” It’ll be this farmer.

I was driving in India. They had packed the lunch; they forgot water. So, we had the lunch and now, even thirstier—and it was really hot outside.

So we saw a farmer, ‘side of the road—and he was throwing this bag, (it’s made out of skin), into the water and then pulling it up and watering his plants. And we went up to him. And we said, “Can we have some water?”

And he was so kind. He said, “Of course, of course,” and he gave us water. And he said, “Come! Come—I have a little hut over there—and I have some dry bread and some pickles, (this is all I have), but please, I want to offer this to you.”

His kindness. His kindness—I mean, there I am in a car.... Obviously, I’m better-dressed than him—but his kindness. That he knew that I am a human being too—that I may be hungry—and he offers me whatever he has.

Obviously, it takes him hard work to get even that little bread and make the little pickles.... But he gives freely of what I would consider was probably the most valuable thing to him—but he gives freely—[Antonio: Umm.] generosity.

I was very young when this happened—and I have never forgotten. And when I talk about him, I see him. I know he’s dead now—he was old then—but he will never die because he lives here. He’s alive; he’s well.

And I travel the world and I see how kind.... When that good is there, how kind, how beautiful it can be.

Antonio Mateus:

Mmm. So, “If I dedicate my life making people around me happy, I will have much better chances of being happy than if I try to be happy myself”—do you subscribe to that philosophy?

Prem Rawat:

Well, we are dependent upon other people for certain kinds of happiness. I mean, this is true—when a father comes home and his children run up to him and say, “Papa, papa, papa, so great to see you, so great to love you”—your wife is waiting for you and she can say, “Oh, so glad to see you,” or your friends, “And so glad to see you.”

But a real happiness comes from you—your happiness really comes from you. It cannot.... Other people cannot be the catalysts for it. Because if other people are the only catalysts for that happiness and if they, for some reason, disappear, (for whatever the reason is), you will find yourself very lonely.

I always say this. You know, a man with crutches—say, they can’t walk properly or whatever—you have crutches. And you take away that person’s crutches—and that person will fall. You really have to learn how to stand on your own legs, not on crutches.

And trusting and doing everything outside, loving people, there’s nothing wrong with that—and accepting their love, there’s nothing wrong with that. But there has—there is a love inside of you for this time that you are here, that you’re alive—and you have to understand that love. You have to accept that love.

“You are alive”—this is your truth. [Antonio: Umm.] This is what’s really happening in your life. It’s not your business; it’s not your job; it’s not this.... You are alive. You were born—and you’re going to die.

Antonio Mateus:

But you have been, (as we mentioned), for half a century spreading the peace word, the message around the world. What tickles you?

Prem Rawat:

What tickles me—is my heart. It’s my heart. And what is a heart? That’s where the clarity resides; that’s where the courage in a human being resides; that’s where the Divine in a human being resides—that’s that place. It may be no physical place—but it is the combination of all that is good in me, the perpetuator of good in me.

Being alive is not complicated. Being happy is not complicated. Looking forward in your life, having courage, having hope, having beauty in your life is not complicated. It is not complicated. Having peace is not complicated.

It is war that is complicated. You have to feed greed; you have to feed unconsciousness; you have to create weapons; you have to create countries; you have to make rules; you have to make prisons; you have to have people who are important and people who are not so important. You have to do so much to get to the point of where we are today.

And if human beings can understand—they’re human; they have kindness in them; they have good in them.... And you don’t have to do anything; you don’t have to make weapons to have peace; you don’t have to create wars to have peace. You know, it’s simple—it’s all you have to do.

It’s like, there was a competition one time between the wind and the sun. The wind said, “I am more powerful.” The sun said, “Well, I am more powerful.” So they said, “We should have a competition.”

So the wind said, “Okay, I will go first. And the challenge is, there is this man walking on the road. Whoever can take off his jacket, make him take off his jacket, wins.”

So, the wind went first—it blew. It blew—and the guy hung onto his jacket even more. It blew stronger, and he hung onto his jacket even more. The wind blew even more, and he hung onto his jacket even more.

Finally, the wind gave up, looked at the sun: “It’s okay; your turn”—and the sun just shone. And it got warm. And the guy took off his jacket.

That, to me, is what we are about. It will happen. If that light comes into our lives, if we allow that light to shine, this is what will happen. It’s not complicated. It is really, really not complicated.

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The Possibility of Peace

Bunya International Seminar, Hiroshima, Japan

Prem Rawat:

What is this thing called a conflict that can possess a human being—to such an extent that mass devastation becomes acceptable? Now, let’s stop there; that’s pretty intense. After all, I’m here to talk about peace. I’m not here to scare you. So, let’s try to understand “What is this conflict?”

A few days ago, I was in Australia—and where I was, we were talking about digging a hole—we needed to dig a hole. So I said to the architect; I said, “Oh!” (I was just joking. I was just—you know, I have.... I like humor; I like to laugh....)

So I said, “Oh, by the way, this hole is going to be really cheap. Because we already have a hole—a few miles away we already have a hole; all we need to do is bring that hole and put it here!” And I was laughing; the architect was laughing....

Then I started thinking, “Oh my God. How do you move a hole? Can you move a hole? Can you actually move a hole...?” So, here is the question: “A hole is, or isn’t?”

Is that that difficult of a question? “Is a hole, ‘is’ or ‘isn’t’?” [Audience: Isn’t.] Are you sure? [Inds: Definitely.] You are sure—you’re sure a hole isn’t?

But don’t we go, “There is a hole there”? (Be careful.) “There is a hole there.” So, if a hole isn’t, how can it be there? So, is a—what, well, excuse me, which one is it? Is it, “there is a hole,” or a, “not a hole”?

So, I think I have found a flaw in peoples’—the way people express. Right? There’s a flaw. We say, “There is a hole”—and we really have started to think of a hole as something that there is, when a hole is not! (I don’t know how to express this. The English language isn’t quite designed for this.)

So, just like the hole, we think anger is something. What if anger is a hole? What if confusion is a hole? What if conflict is a hole? Because if you’re trying to treat a hole as some thing, then my logic that I expressed to the architect would be correct; “This hole will be cheap because we already have one. We just bring the hole here and we’ll be done.”

So, we want peace? And we know, (this is what we have been told), “How we’re going to get peace? Stop the war.” But what if war is a hole? Nothing in itself—it’s a hole; it’s a—it is lacking something; it is a negative. It is not a positive; it is a negative. It cannot be manipulated; it cannot be moved; it cannot be changed. It’s an absence, not a presence.

Peace is presence. Absence of peace is war—and we are trying to get rid of war—and the only way you can get rid of war is not by trying to stop the wars. But it’s to bring the peace, because peace is; war isn’t!

So if our strategy is to try to manipulate a negative, we will never be successful. People go, “It is human nature to want to fight.” I disagree. It is not human nature to want to fight. It’s not true. In fact, if you look at history, there have been more times when people have not fought, than fought.

What is the state of the world today? There is more to eat than there ever has been. Over forty-five percent of the food produced is wasted—there is more food now than there ever has been, and there are still wars continuing—why? What creates this conflict? Aha—can’t manipulate the conflict because it is an absence.

In you, you have to realize—that in you lies the peace. What is peace? Is peace some idea? “Utopia,” is that what peace is? “Everybody will be dancing. Everybody will have flowers in their hair. Everybody will go like this: ‘Peace, peace.’ Nobody will argue. No problems in the parking lots.”

Is your vision of peace a utopia? Is it? If it is, you’re mistaken. Because what does “utopia” mean? Do you know what utopia means? Utopia comes from two words, ou, Greek, meaning, “not”—and topography, meaning “place.” Utopia actually means “no place.” It actually means “no place.” And so everybody has a dream about this place that doesn’t exist. That’s not peace.

So let me tell you what peace is. Peace is all that is good in you. Peace is the serenity in you. Peace is the kindness in you. Peace is the gentleness in you. Peace is the understanding in you. Peace is the appreciation in you. Peace is the light in your heart. Peace is the joy in you. Peace is the Divine in you. Peace is the acceptance of the blessing in you.

Peace is the coming and going of this breath in you. Peace is the beauty that you are.

You have woken up to your world—but you have not woken up to this one thing called “life.” You know everything about this world. You know it’s round; you know there is a sun; you know there is a moon; you know there are stars; you know there are oceans; you know about this world.

You also know there are wars; you also know there’s hunger; you also know there is famine; you also know there’s fire; you also know there are storms; you also know there are hurricanes; you also know there are typhoons.

You know about your world—but do you know about life? And life begins with this breath—breath—and in this life there’s the possibility of peace. In this life there is the possibility of understanding; in this life there is the possibility of knowing. There is the sun—that gives light, not eight, nine, ten, eleven hours a day—but day and night, that lights up your heart.

Wake up to the world of life. Wake up to the world of joy. Wake up to this inner beauty, this existence. This is the song you need to hear.

This song, the song of life, makes your heart dance. You feel good, not because of what you might get; you feel good, not because of what you have lost—but you feel good because what you understand you have been given is the greatest gift of all.

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Limitless Wisdom

Cuando el Desierto Florece

Author Event, Madrid, Spain

Prem Rawat:

Why should you know who you are? Because between that time that you are born and the time that you go, you’re going to try to be something. You’re going to try really hard to be something. And it’s not what you’re going to achieve that you’re going to really try for—but it is to be happy; it is to be content—you’re going to try really hard to be content.

I see that in tiny little babies; I see that in grown adults—everybody is going to try to be happy. Whatever makes them happy, they’re going to try.... And not only are they going to try, (like we all do), but we’re going to look towards the outside for our happiness.

But we will try. We will try to be content; we will try to be happy—and here is the irony. Sometimes we will succeed for a fraction of a moment—and then the rest of our lives, we’re going to try to repeat that moment, hoping we would get the same thing out of it again and again and again and again and again....

And some of us will end up filling our lives with disappointment—because we are looking for that contentment through our relationships; we’re looking for that contentment towards the country: “The country will give us that contentment. That, the leaders will give us the contentment; the relationships will give us the contentment.” And when we don’t find that contentment, we end up filling our lives with nothing but disappointment.

And here’s the irony. The irony is that if you only knew yourself, you would realize that you carry in you joy that has no limits. You carry in you the mine of contentment that has no end. You carry in you the lake of serenity that nobody yet has measured the bottom of. You carry in you a tree that gives so much shade—that underneath it, to sit down is the most restful thing a human being can do.

You carry in you a sun that has the warmth unparalleled—that on those cold days, to go within and bask in that sun and feel its warmth—and feel revived. You have in you the ocean of clarity. One dip and the dirt of confusion is washed away. This is who you are. This is who you are—and this is the possibility. That’s why I am here to tell you this.

Two things—I want to tell you this news. And here’s my point of it. What I want to tell you—I don’t want to tell you anything new; what I want to tell you is what you already know. And secondly, I want to tell it to you in a way so that it comes as news to you. That’s my challenge—that what I want to tell you, you already know—because you also have in you, unlimited wisdom.

So, in your life, in your existence, you have to feel the pain; you have to feel the joy. Something inside of you wants to feel happy, wants to feel content, rejects the idea of pain, rejects the idea of sorrow.

So then, who better to look towards, for the source of that joy, than you? The source that you carry everywhere you go? It doesn’t matter where you go in this world, the source you carry in you wherever you go?

That’s what this book is, trying to point to you—and give you some understanding of you, putting the emphasis on you! Because nobody else does. Everybody is; the emphasis is, “You must do this; you must do this. You must accomplish this; you must accomplish this; you must accomplish this.”

And I’m saying “First, let’s put the emphasis on you.” You are the foundation of this building called “you.” You are the foundation of this building called “you”—and when you are weak, so is this building. And when you are strong, so is this building.

Question: “Why does this building need to be strong?” Why does this building need to be strong—because earthquakes will come. Earthquakes will come; fire will come.

This morning I see the rain, rain, rain. Very nice—Madrid needs rain; all this area needs rain—and it’s been tinder-dry. And I’m looking at the rain, thinking about the rain, and I realize—and I still have more thinking to do about this—but water destroys everything man-made. Just, powkh, destroys it.

If the building gets wet on the inside? Forget it. Your electronics? Forget it. Water is a powerful destroyer. And it is also one of the most powerful creators—holds in it those two possibilities; it can destroy; it can create.

You, too have an immense possibility, the possibility of feeling life, of embracing life—of understanding the value of each breath that you take, the value of each day that you are alive, the value of each moment that you have.

And the day you begin to exercise, to practice the wisdom that you have within you, that’s the day you will be wise. And that’s the day you will understand the value of life, the value of being alive.

You do not judge yourself by what you have. You haven’t been taught that. You have not been taught to judge by what you have—you have been definitely taught to judge by what you don’t have. Everywhere. “I don’t have that. And I don’t have that. I don’t have that. I don’t have that. I don’t have that.”

I mean, can you imagine a storefront which has all the familiar things? No, they’re all things that nobody else has. “Oh. No, I don’t have that. Oh, I, yeah, I don’t have that—and I don’t have that, and I don’t have that, and I don’t have that, and I don’t have that.” And now here I come and I say to you, “Peace,” and you go, “Uh-uh, yeah, I don’t have that.”

But you do. You do! You have peace—inside of you! But you don’t know how to access it. You have wisdom inside of you, but you don’t know how to access it. You have love inside of you, but you don’t know how to access it. You have understanding inside of you, but you don’t know how to access it. You have kindness inside of you, but you don’t know how to access it.

You have forgotten that so much is so amazing—for you. That you come here on this earth, not alone, but with peace—that you come with hope, that you come with joy, that you come with understanding, that you come with wisdom. But these are the things that we don’t talk of, we don’t discuss....

What do we discuss? We discuss our problems. You know what’s wrong with discussing our problems, after a certain point? It doesn’t help. It doesn’t help.

If there is somebody and they’re sitting next to me on an airplane and their nose is broken—and I say to them, “Your nose is broken”—and they go, “I know. I know.” And then, fifteen minutes later, I say to them, “Hey, your nose is broken.” And they go, “Yeah, I know. I know.” And then fifteen minutes later, I go, “Hey, your nose is broken.”

After, I think, about ten times, this person is going to be looking for a new seat—because they will be convinced I’m crazy. Right? Don’t you think that would—you would find that obnoxious? And you would definitely entertain the fact that “This person may be cuckoo? Nuts? Keeps repeating, ‘Yeah, you, you know, your nose is broken. Your nose is broken.’”

If you went—if you’re in the airplane, and you, “kkch,” push the call button; the flight attendant comes and you say, “We’re flying.” And she goes, “I know. I know; we’re flying.” Few minutes later, “Ah-brring, brrung,” “We’re flying!”

But that’s what we do! Our expertise is to come up with a better way to express the problem—and still keep repeating it. What about the solution? And the solution, beautifully, lies inside of you.

That’s what, to me, this book fundamentally goes for. It does it in a very different way, using the stories, using the different analogies—but that’s its message: “That you have in you, what you are looking for.” And if you can understand that, your life will change.