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Individual 1: [male]

I feel grateful in life if I have a job where I can work with my heart....

Individual 2: [female]

It’s being thankful, thankful for things you have, and you just feel.

Individual 3: [male]

You can’t explain it, man, it just, you know, it’s a warm fuzzy feeling—like just being appreciative of what everyone has done for me, around me....

Individual 4: [male]

There’s definitely not enough gratitude in the world. And I feel like people who don’t feel gratitude are typically like, more sad and like, depressed and like, kind of grumpy and gloomy all the time....

Individual 5: [female]

Gratitude, actually, to me, is having a heart of appreciation—you’re not thankful because you’ve got everything. But you are thankful for that which you already have.

Prem Rawat:

True gratitude is felt when the heart is full. Gratitude has the power to transform you—because it fulfills you. It is not created by you, but emerges from you. And it is felt by the heart and expressed by the heart.

Continuing onscreen text:

PROJECT: GRATITUDE

Prem Rawat:

I’m so glad that I’m here—and have this opportunity to talk about something that’s very profound—very misinterpreted but nonetheless, very profound. And of course, I’m talking about gratitude. Now, why is it misinterpreted—because people say to themselves, “Oh, I should feel more thankful in my life.” But you don’t. That’s the fact. Should you; yes.

That’s like, you know, making a New Year’s resolution. But you don’t go through with it—because what will you do the next year? You need to keep that one going, so you can say, “Oh, yeah, yeah, this year I’ll do it; this year I’ll do it.” And this is how we work.

But true gratitude is not manufactured; it’s real. It comes from within you—when the things are right. (Not when they are wrong. When things are right.) So, what are the things that have to be right for the truest gratitude to flow from a human being? One of the things that has to happen is there has to be appreciation—but appreciation of what?

Interestingly enough, a few days ago, (it was at nighttime and I was up). And in my bathroom, I have a notepad. So, I wrote something on the notepad—and what I wrote was, “S-L-Y”—which of course, in English is “sly.” (Which is not such a nice word.) “S-L-Y.”

So, there it is—what does that mean? (“S-L-Y.”) And what had come to my mind that night was, “Someone loves you.” Just that, “Someone loves you.” So, instead of writing “Someone loves you,” (it was dark), I just wrote “S-L-Y.”

Now of course, who is this “someone”? (Immediately, “someone.”) Well, the “S” could go for “something.” It doesn’t have to be “someone,” it could also be “something loves you.”

It’s like, pointless—to even, even try to figure out who that “someone” is, because you don’t have the capacity to figure.... You can have an imagination, but your imagination will fall short of the reality of who that “someone” is.

So, knowing that is a futile attempt, I don’t even go there. “Hah, but ‘loves you!’” That’s good. And how do I know this? I know this because this gift of breath comes to me. I have been given an opportunity to be alive.

And it is merely looking at the gifts that I have been given.... And it’s taken a long time in my life, a long time in my life to realize the gifts that I have been given outweigh all the problems I have in my life.

So, I’m working my way towards getting to that point where you can appreciate, and once you can appreciate something, (right?), you can then have gratitude.

But when we come across our problem, we are so intrigued by that problem, and so willing to find a resolution to that problem that we blind ourselves to still, what is going on around us—that this breath still comes into me. That I still have an ocean of answers in me.

That I have an ocean of clarity in me. That I have an ocean of kindness in me. That I have an ocean of joy in me. That I have simplicity in my life. That I have light in me—these things, regardless of what is happening.

You see, in Australia it was the first time I talked about these two walls—and they’re like the big-time walls, right? The one wall you come out of—and then there is another wall you go through—and you’re gone. So, you come out of one wall and you’re here—and then there is the other wall. And then you hit that wall and you’re gone.

Where you go, nobody knows. You’d like to know. Because you’re so curious about everything—you like to know—like, if it’s going to make any difference. It isn’t. But you like to know.

Why are you not curious about the force—the force that keeps these two walls separated? They could have been like this—one after another, “Whhit, whhit, gone!” And they do. Sometimes that happens. But for you, this was pried open.

And people, I know, in certain stories—there are stories like this in India and of course, in the West as well—where the ocean was parted. This is more than the ocean parting. This is the two walls that would love to be just together—and they’ve been forced open. And the amount of force that it takes, amount of force that it takes to pry these two walls apart is immense!

And what is that force? It is expressed to you—that force that is so powerful, so powerful that it can separate those two walls—expresses itself to you in the most gentlest of ways you can imagine, as a breath coming in and going out. And so far that keeps happening, my friends, those two walls cannot touch each other—and that’s it.

What appreciation do you have of that? What appreciation do you have of that? Do you know the value of kindness in your life? Do you know the value of clarity in your life? Do you know the value of joy in your life?

So, that “someone” who loves you has given you these to use as you wish, as much as you wish. You think there is a limit to kindness? You think you will ever run out of kindness—ever? Can you technically run out of kindness; is it possible for you to run out of kindness? No! Is it possible for you to run out of joy? No!

But when those problems come, we choose sadness (in that self-pity) rather than the joy and still celebrating life, and still celebrating that these two walls are still pried apart.

When people talk to me, who know, who can smell the other wall—they can smell—and you can smell the other wall, by the way. It has a smell. And you can smell it; it’s in the air—it’s like, (sniff, sniff), nasty. It’s coming, as you get closer and closer and closer.

I say to them, “No matter what happens, remember this breath. Remember this is a gift.” A gift is not measured in quantity, by weight, by volume. A gift is measured in the generosity of the giver—that even this was made possible.

That inside of you resides this most amazing experience. Most—absolutely the most amazing experience, an experience of those very things, of that very power, of that very, (uhh, what can I say), that is prying the two walls apart. And all it requires is for you to know how to turn within and tap into it, just witnessing. Just witnessing.

And such is the power of this—such is the power of this that it leaves you with peace. Such is the power of this that it leaves you in that simple, profound joy.

And all of a sudden, slowly, everything starts to fall away. Everything doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is the ride itself, the ride with the breath—to slide with this breath, like those waves in the ocean, this breath coming in, this mighty force that has been made so gentle, holding apart those two walls: “I exist—and I appreciate my existence.”

And when, unencumbered—when, unencumbered! Unencumbered. When that question that I asked, “Who is that ‘someone,’” that has never been answered.... It has never been answered. And that question is still there. (I’m a human being. I have that question like you do.)

But I have ridden that board; I have ridden that moment called now. And now I got an answer—here’s the tricky part—I got an answer to a question that I hadn’t even asked. And I’m satisfied, even though that one question still remains unanswered.

And it’s okay; I’m full! I’m not full because of some thing, but I have found the fullness of my clarity in me. I have taken that plunge and dove in—and loved, and know....

I know I did not touch the bottom. And for as far as I could see, I saw clarity. There was no end. And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve taken a dive in the ocean of kindness—and I did not touch the bottom. I didn’t even try. And I was overwhelmed by its vastness.

I am full—because I have been shown the fullness of this life. This is what you should do too. I tell you this—I tell you this because if I can do it, you can do it.

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The Difference between Knowing and Believing

Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, USA

Prem Rawat:

Those people who say, “Well, I don’t need to hear about peace; everything is going fine in my life,” my message to you is “Figure out a way that all that, that is good in your life, that you’re enjoying in your life, is preserved—is protected so that you can have that for the rest of your life.”

And for those people who are struggling—and have been struggling, and trying to find a meaning, an excuse, some sanity in an insane situation, (“Why is this happening to me?”), to them, I would like to say that “You are filled with more hope, with more joy than you can ever imagine.”

And for me, the irony really is that being human and having that possibility of being fulfilled is so close. This is the platform; this is the stage where that happens—no other, none other. And this is the possibility for every human being—to be in that place where their heart sings and they listen. Not given to all the ideas....

And so—actually, let me finish my statement here. Because then, this is, you know, going on in my head and it was like, “Fear—talk—but yeah, you talked about fear....”

And I realized this morning, (it was around six forty-five AM), I realized that “more fear you have, more believing you do. Less fear you have, more knowing you do.” Maybe if you can begin to distinguish between knowing and believing, you can then start to get a clue of how much fear you actually have.

Because, because of the fear, you don’t want to know—so you believe. And believing is much easier—because there is no knowing involved. You can just let your imagination run wild. And, you know, two people....

See, that is the reason.... Because, truly if there is one God—right?—why would there be different religions? I mean, why? What would be the reason; what would be the necessity?

But the reality is, there is only one. But not in the realm of belief—in the realm of belief there are different ones. And in the realm of belief, these gods do different things. They say this; they say that; they say, “No, you can—yes, you can do that. No, you can’t do that. No, you just....”

And it’s all about rules. It’s all about rules. And if you go through these rules, then you will just—when you, especially when you die—you will go to this really great place. It’s called “heaven.” And that’s it.

I have two puppies, two little Pomeranians. And so, when I come—when they figure that I am in my office, they come and scratch at the door: “Let me in; let me in.” So I let ‘em in. They come in—and they look at me like, “Okay, what do you have for us?” So I have a big jar of treats, so I give it to them and they get very happy.

So, one of my tricks is, (because I’ve got to work; I’m not going to pay too much attention to them....) So, I take them outside; say, “Look what I’ve got for you,” and they get really excited. I mean, one starts to do a dance. And the other one is just like, “Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”

So I take them outside; I give them the treats.... And they’re blissed out—and they eat the treats and I can get back in my office. And everything is fine.

About forty minutes later, they’re scratching at my door again—and I open the door and they come into my office like, “We haven’t been here. Where is our treat?” It’s like, “Well, wait a minute; you just got it!”

So, it—that makes me laugh every time, because they come to me and look at me like, “You haven’t given us any treat today.” And it’s like, “Well, I just gave it to you.” But they don’t remember; they don’t remember.

So if they don’t remember, what’s the point?—of the good and the bad? And off people go—in the business of believing. In the business of believing—that is a business. That is a business. And the business is you sell your beliefs to other people. You make them buy it.

What’s the alternative? Knowing. What’s knowing all about? Wow. You don’t sit there and talk about God—you feel God. You don’t lecture on God. You don’t lecture on God; you help people turn inside and feel the Divine that resides within them. You don’t write books about believing; you write books about helping people to get to understand knowing.

I went to do an interview—and before the interview, of course, we have a meet and greet. So, the person who was going to interview came out, sat down and talked a little bit—and then we went into the interview room, sat down, and the interview began.

It became very obvious that this person had never heard answers like that before. Because everything about this person started to change. And at one point, I talked about God; I used the word “God.” “Do you know God?”

I said, “Wrong question.” “What’s the right question?” “Have you felt God?”

“Know God” is not a happening thing if you’re using your brain. Because that, where it comes to imagination, you can’t imagine. Unimaginable—so don’t even go there; don’t even try.

So, she says, “Have you felt God?” I said, “Yes.” “Is there a God?” I said, “Yes.” “How do you know?” So I said to her; I said, “Every time you breathe, you’re being blessed by the Divine. That’s how you know the Divine.”

Never heard that before. Eyes filled up with tears. And in a fraction of a second, this person got a little view into what life is all about, feeling, living, accepting this blessing. Feeling fortunate. Not believing you’re fortunate; feeling fortunate. Feeling alive. Disconnecting from the results of the wishes, and observing and delighting in the reality.

And when you begin to accept it, you then really become so alive that you understand what life is. That’s what life is.

To understand this for a fraction of a time is not enough. This knowing must happen every day. This knowing must happen, and this celebration.... So, “party,” right? This party—when the human being embraces that blessing and the gift of life becomes obvious, this is the party, and it’s called “gratitude.”

Gratitude—is when you go beyond words because the words are not sufficient—when the heart is full, when there is a joy because there is an understanding, because you know, (not believe); you know; you see; it’s obvious.... And your life has changed.

In that moment, again—again, the riches of existence, of clarity, of wisdom, of understanding become yours. And this is a wealth that nobody can take from you.

Do you know what the wealth of wisdom is? Even if somebody tried to steal it from you—and you let them have it, do you think you would have any less? Wow. Kindness—if somebody stole kindness from you, you think you would have any less?

You can give of kindness from you to every single person on the face of this earth, 7.6 billion people—and you would be missing nothing. You will still have all the kindness you had before. And you could multiply that by a billion times—and you would still have it. And nothing would be missing.

This is how much kindness every one of you has—but do you use it? Oh, you are very good at using your judgment.... You are very good at using your judgment with everyone! But kindness...? So, what is the point of having this incredible wealth called “kindness,” and live like a pauper for the rest of your life? What’s the point?

People say to me, “I wish I had clarity like you.” And I’m like, “But you do.” You think there’s something special about me? I’m made out of the same things you are. I’m made out of the same things you are. I follow the same rules on this existence, of this earth, that you do. And if I can, in my life, say to myself that feeling this blessing should be a priority, why can’t you?

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Finding Peace Within

Prem speaks to prisoners at Tires Prison, Lisbon, Portugal

Prem Rawat:

I would like to tell you a story, because you are interested in peace. Peace isn’t something that you create—war is something you create. Peace is already inside of you. The process of reaching the peace is to undo all the obstacles that you have placed between you and the peace.

So, to understand that. (All the noises and all the things that go on up here, “Boom-boom-boom-boom, boom-boom-boom-boom” all day long....) To understand that you are alive—you are here. And it’s a big challenge.

We grow up. We make a mistake—and we say, “Oh! I’m a failure.” But when you were a baby you made a mistake, but you never said, “I am a failure.” This is the difference.

And who taught us that we are a failure? People said, “Oh, you are a failure”—we said, “Oh, I am a failure.” We learnt that. We learnt it from the world—we learnt, we learnt, we learnt, we learnt, we learnt, we learnt—and today I am here to tell you “unlearn, unlearn, unlearn” because when you were a baby you were much smarter.

You were in touch with your needs. When you felt hungry, you let your mother know. You did not look at the clock and say, “Is it lunchtime? Is it dinnertime? Is it this time; is it that time?” And we are all caught in it. We don’t realize—we don’t realize in this life, the power of who you are.

And as a human being, in you, you have compassion; you have passion. You have kindness. You have understanding. You have serenity. You have wisdom. And most importantly, you have peace inside of you. This is what a human being is.

Not what we project outside—killing each other, telling lies, doing this, doing that—that’s not a human being! In fact, a human being is someone who is full of kindness, full of compassion, full of understanding, full of life. This is who a human being is.

And if you want to become the most powerful, all you have to do is become a human being. Because there you will find answers to your problems. They’re there! So far this breath comes into you, you have everything. You have everything.

I was just in three of the prisons in South Africa—I went to Malmesbury Prison; I went to Zonderwater and I went to Pretoria Prison. And I tell the inmates, “You are here. You are told, ‘You cannot go there; you cannot go there; you cannot go there; you cannot go there.’ What is the difference between the outside...?”

You walk outside, and what does it say? “Stop.” “Now you can go. No, stop. Now you turn left; no you cannot turn right; no you cannot go there; no you cannot have this; no you cannot do this; no you cannot do that.”

And then the bars. The biggest bars are not the metal bars. To cut the metal bars, all you need is a file—is a saw. But the bars you have here that imprison you, what do you—how do you cut those? There are people out there that are technically “free”—but they don’t feel free. They don’t feel free.

I have a friend from England—and England, of course, voted on a referendum to get out of the Euro, the EU. So I joke with him, (because he’s British), “Why? Why?”

You think that’s going to solve the problem? By changing the color of your car, it’s going to solve the problem? If you run out of gas: “Change the color of the car. Change the tires.” You think that’s going to solve the problem?

What is the problem? The problem is that people are not in touch with themselves, who they are—what their potential is, what they can bring, how they can be as a country, how can they be as a global citizen, how they can be on the face of this earth—so what is this opportunity called “life”?

And I see the whole world has been incarcerated behind the bars of divisions and ignorance. That they have peace inside of them, but they don’t know how to get to it. They know how to make a bomb—they know how to make a bomb; they know how to make a gun, but they don’t know how to get to peace inside. This is problematic. This is problematic.

This breath is a blessing to each one of you. Your life began with this breath. When you were born, people looked at: “Breathing—or not breathing?” They didn’t care about “boy, girl, this, that.” “Breathing—not breathing?”

And because you were breathing, you could go home. What allowed you to go home, if you were born in a hospital, was this breath. What allowed you to stay home, when, if you were born at home was this breath. Do you understand the value of this breath? Do you? Because you need to. You really, really need to.

This is a gift being given to you every single day—even here! Even here. This is your opportunity....

One simple thing, if you could do—try—and that would be, “Think first, then do.” If you could think first, and do, you wouldn’t be here. Not thinking—even for one second, not thinking and doing first, (not thinking), now you have a long time to think.

Choices that you made put you in here; choices that you make will get you out of here; choices that you make will keep you out of here. And choices you have to make.

You don’t have to try to be good—because good you are. Goodness is in you. Nobody can take that away from you. Kindness, passion, compassion, clarity—serenity, nobody can take that away from you. You have that in you.

I’m going to tell you one last story—it’s very short—and I’m going to tell you this story because it has made a big difference in my life. So I want to share this story with you.

 There was a village, and there was a chief of the village. One day a little boy came to the chief, and said, “Chief, I have a question.” The chief said, “What?” He said, “Chief, why is it that some people are good sometimes—and those same people who are good sometimes are bad the other times?”

And the chief said, “Because every one of us has two wolves in us, a good wolf and a bad wolf.” So the boy thinks—and the boy says, “Chief, which one wins? The good wolf—or the bad wolf?” And the chief said, “Whichever one you feed.”

You have a good wolf; you have a bad wolf. Which wolf do you feed? Have you thought about that? When you feed the good wolf, you will feel good. When you feed the bad wolf, you will feel bad. Feed the good wolf. I have to remember it every day, “Feed the good wolf.”

There are people who would.... And I can say, “Oh, yeah, though, you know, it’s that person’s fault; it’s that person’s fault. That person is making me angry; that person is making me angry.” But I have to ask myself, “But which wolf did you just feed?”

So, remember that. And when you have realized that you have just fed the bad wolf, feed the good wolf.

And a lot of people are into, “Let’s kill the bad wolf.” Even if you kill the bad wolf, that’s not going to help the good wolf—because the good wolf needs to be fed. That’s the only thing that’s going to help the good wolf: “Feed the good wolf.”

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Your Real Strength

Prem meets with prisoners at Malmesbury Prison, Malmesbury, South Africa

Prem Rawat:

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, it’s an honor to have this opportunity to address you. And I will make it very simple—because I know this is one place you don’t want to be at. You want out.

But you’re here. And well, how can I help you in your life so that you can understand who you are? We have schools, universities, training how to learn languages, how to learn how to speak, how to learn how to write, how to do math. But there is no education in this world in how to be you. Nobody teaches you that.

You find yourself—circumstances are against you—you find things that are not going the right way. You end up being locked up—and what do you do? You blame everybody else: “He did that; he did that; he did that; he did that....” But first of all, you are responsible for what you do.

You have in you, good—and you have in you, bad. You must understand that. How much good; how much bad? Exactly fifty percent. Not fifty-one/forty-nine—exactly half-good, half-bad. It’s up to you who you make friends with—the good or the bad. Who should you do this for? [Individual: Ourself.] Who should you do this for? For your family? [Individual: No.] Who should you do this for?

Okay, listen—you’ve got to answer this question. I’m not going forward.... [Individual: For yourself; you do it for yourself.] Okay, so one person said, “For themselves.” What about the rest of you?

Are you going to do it for yourself, or you’re going to—who are you going to do it for? [Audience: For yourself!] How can you be so confused about this? [Individuals: For yourself. For yourself!]

Has to be for you! Has to be for you—because you matter! You know why you matter? Do you have any idea why you matter? Because of other people?

Is it that all your life you have spent for other people? Compared yourself to other people, tried to win the respect of other people? And you did whatever you did for other people? Well, where are those other people? Are they with you? [Individuals: No.]

This is who you did it for—and they’re not even here! Mistake number one—when you don’t live your life for yourself, but live it for somebody else.

Who does this breath come into? You? It comes into you! Can you give a minute of your life to somebody else? [Audience: No!] If, if people could sell five minutes of their life, you think there would be anybody poor in this world? [Audience: No!] All the rich people would buy that and give them a lot of money.

But you can’t, not—you cannot even give one minute of your life. So, who are you living this life for? Life is living itself for you—and you are living it for somebody else.

When there is a hole in the pot—when there is a hole in the pot, there isn’t enough water in the ocean to fill that pot. Do you understand? [Audience: Yes.] You can put the whole ocean into it, all the seven seas—and they won’t fit in that pot because of a little hole. (This is not the size....)

What you have, you have been given. It began the day you took your first breath. What were you given that day? When you were born—and you took your first breath, what were you given; what do you think you were given—you were given an opportunity to be. To exist.

What does existence mean? What does existence mean? What good is a pot if it has a hole in it? You cannot say, “Oh, it’s not very big.” It doesn’t matter. It can be the size of a pencil and the ocean won’t fit in it. It can no longer hold anything.

You have an opportunity: you have the possibility of truly being alive—what does “alive” mean? What does “alive” mean? You have the possibility—but first, you—you, as a human being, have to be filled. And only when you are filled will you be able to help other people.

You want to be a good father? First, you have to be a good human being. You want to be a good brother? First, you have to be a good human being. And what does “good human being” mean? What does “good human being” mean? The good human being is the human being that understands what his heart is.

And what is the heart? Heart is where the courage resides; heart is where the wisdom resides; heart is where the clarity resides; heart is where the Divine resides—doesn’t need an address. (Some people don’t need an address.) Heart does not need an address. Heart just is a place that is inside of you.

And do you feel that? Do you feel that, the kindness in you? Every human being has the same amount of kindness as they have anger—as they have cruelty.

Two things are certain—the day you were born, and one day you have to go. And you can’t change that. You can’t change that—but every day between those two, you can. That’s what it means to be alive. That’s what it means to be a human being: the one who knows and understands “that every single day it’s up to you.” It’s up to you.

You look for peace? Where is peace? Yesterday a lady asked me this question, “You know, you speak of self-Knowledge. How do I get in touch with that? What do I have to do?” And I said, “That peace, that self-Knowledge is inside of you! Stop searching; start feeling.”

Peace is inside of you! And when you start to understand that you have a heart; when you start to understand that you are a human being; when you start to understand that you have this opportunity and that you are alive, you immediately are lifted from that hot, boiling soup—to where you say, what? “Thank you. Thank you; thank you for this life.”

You stop counting all the wrongs—and start counting the rights. How many rights have happened in your life—and how many wrongs have happened in your life? Do you know? Okay, let me put this in context for you.

I know there are quite a few bad things that have happened in your life—right? But every time you took a breath—that was good; that was right. It brought you life. Right? [Individual: Yes.]

So, now that you know that every breath that you took was right—how many rights have happened in your life?—and how many wrongs have happened in your life?

There have been a lot more rights in your life, and continue to go on—but are you aware? Are you understanding; are you going with it? Are you going with the right, or are you going with the wrong? Are you letting a little wrong stop all that that is right? And if that is the case, what’s going to happen?

You have to weigh the right and the wrong, good and the bad—you have to weigh. And there is a lot that is good. Embrace that. Understand that.

To understand—that for you, right now, something is keeping you alive. You don’t need to know its name—because something that is keeping you alive, and that thing that is keeping you alive is doing you a favor. Is giving you a gift.

When you receive a gift—and it is an important gift; it is a valuable gift, what do you do? Huh? [Individuals: You must treasure it. Treasure it.] Appreciate it? [Individuals: Yes.] Be thankful for it? Are you? [Individuals: Yes.]

What is the price of life? You cannot sell it; you cannot give it away. Are you appreciating it? Are you thankful for it?

These are the opportunities. This is your strength—this is your real strength. Not some fancy ideas—I’m not here representing any religion to you. I’m not here to represent any religion—no philosophy. All this I say to you is from my personal experience.

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The Value of Knowing Yourself

Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, Pretoria, South Africa

Prem Rawat:

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to be here to talk to you. And what I have to say to you may come off as a little bit different. And the reason why it would be different—because I want to focus on you—not what you do. Not what you do—but on you. Because, who are you? What are you? First of all, you’re a human being—a human.

Now, I must preface that—most people think that human beings are no good. That’s why we have Superman, right? What created Superman? Because we don’t think human beings are worth anything.

I disagree! I disagree. We have in us good—and we have in us bad. This is how we were created. Through millions of years of evolution, this is how we are. There’s good in us; there is bad in us. What we have been given is the choice. Is the choice.

So, I’ll tell you a story. There was an encampment, and in this encampment, one day a little boy came to the chief—and said, “Chief, I have a question. And my question is, ‘Sometimes people are good. And the same people who are good, sometimes they’re bad. How can this be? I mean, either we are good or we are bad.’”

And the chief said, “No. Inside each one of us, there are two wolves—and these two wolves, one is a good wolf and one is a bad wolf. And both these wolves fight.” So, the boy thought—and he looked at the chief and he said, “Chief, which one wins?” And the chief said, “The one you feed. The one you feed gets strong.”

You like that story? [Audience: Yes.] Do you? [Audience: Yes.] You think it’s a nice story? Can I ask you a question? [Individuals: Yes.] Which wolf do you feed? [Individuals: And we have to think about that.] Which wolf do you feed? [Individuals: Which one—we thought about this.] Really? [Individuals: We thought about this, yes!]

I ask the same—I tell this story and I ask the question in front of thousands of people. Not just in prisons. People who are supposedly free—but they’re not.

Because they are incarcerated by the prison of fear, of doubt, of anger.... And they cannot break free. They cannot break free of that prison; they cannot break—the bars of fear are so strong that they cannot cut them; they cannot budge them. Doubt is so prevalent, so prevalent that they cannot even move. And this is the condition of the whole world.

You have to make a choice which wolf you are going to feed. When you become angry, which wolf did you just feed? [Individual: The bad one.] Good one or bad one? [Audience: The bad one.] When you become disappointed, which wolf did you just feed? [Individuals: The bad one.]

You know, they asked me today on the radio interview, “What are you going to say?” And I said, you know, one message is very, very simple for anybody in this world. Most of us in this world do—and then we think. Right? [Individuals: Yes.]

And that’s why you are here, thinking. Because you did—and now you’re sitting here thinking.

What you have to do—is you have to learn how to think—and then do. Are you making that habit? [Individual: We’re trying to, yes.]

You know, also, by the way—and this is not just for you. This is for the whole world; I say this to them too. Because there’s a whole world—first they do; then they think. Then they have the press conferences; then they have the debates; then they have everything else.

And what is happening in the world? What is happening in the world? People are destroying each other. Yesterday I had an event in Soweto—and I said to the people; I said, “The problem in this world, you know what the problem is?”

A few years back there was a scientist—he was an artist, scientist, and he wanted to do an experiment. So he bought a huge mirror, huge—and he put it in the jungle.

And when the gorilla came in front of the mirror, it freaked out. You know why it freaked out? Because he saw a gorilla! And this gorilla was big. This gorilla was strong. And every time this gorilla showed his teeth, so did the other one.

You know who the other gorilla was? It was him! But he could not recognize himself.

Socrates said, “Know thyself.” That’s the value of knowing yourself. When you growl, the growl you hear is of no one else but you.

So, everybody’s waiting for an angel to come—and what if I told you, “The angel has come”? And you know who that angel is? You.

I’m not talking about heaven and hell. I’m talking about now. There is—you are the angel that can save yourself.

And you know why you can save yourself—because you’re the most qualified to save yourself. Because you know exactly what’s going on, which wolf you just fed––and which wolf you have been feeding.

And the idea isn’t to beat the bad wolf. Beating the bad wolf is not going to feed the good wolf. You have to feed the good wolf, not feed the bad wolf—you don’t have to hit the bad wolf; you don’t have to beat him with a skin; you don’t have to try to skin him; you don’t have to try to bark at him—nothing.

Feed the good wolf—just, that’s all you have to do is feed the good wolf—so that that wolf can be strong.

This is your life. This is your life. You have been given this. Try giving your breath to somebody else. This is what I say: “If, if people could give their time of life to somebody else, nobody would be poor.” You know why? All the rich people would buy that—and give a lot of money for it.

But you can’t. This is yours. You can be a flower in God’s garden—a flower that looks beautiful, a flower that smells beautiful, a flower that enhances this—or you can be a weed. Which one do you want to be?

And the choices that you made got you in here. The choices you make will see you out of here—and the choices you make will keep you out of here.

I know a lot of you are very tough—and to you, it’s like, you know, somebody says something nice and you shake your head and you listen and you go.... “In here; out here,” ckchwkch! Am I wrong?

Because all your life, you have been right. It was the world that did you wrong, right? The world drove you to this, right? Well, that’s what you thought. And this is why you need to know yourself—that it has nothing to do with the world. It has something to do with you—of how you see it, how you perceive it, how you understand it.

What don’t you have? Do you not have wisdom in you? Yes, you do. Do you not have kindness in you? Yes, you do. When was the last time you exercised it? And on whom? On whom?

Your life that you have been given as a gift—why? Accept it. Give thanks to be alive. (It’s called “gratitude.”) What is gratitude? It’s not to say “thank you.” That’s something the world teaches us; I don’t know why. But they don’t teach us understanding gratitude; they just try to teach us to say just, “thank you.”

But what is gratitude? When somebody does something for you that makes you feel good—then that goodness that you feel, you take a little bit of that goodness and give it back in return. That’s gratitude.

There are three things that happen in a man’s life, (I mean, in a human being’s life). First is birth—it’s already happened. (Right? I hope. That’s why you are here.) That’s a big one. And there’s going to be another one at the end, and it’s called “death”—and it’s guaranteed. You don’t have to make an appointment. It will happen.

For millions of years, you were nothing—nothing. For millions of years, you will be nothing. This is the exception. Whilst you are alive it is the exception. Your job is to make this exception exceptional.

You want heaven? Make heaven here first. Make heaven here first! What is missing; why isn’t it heaven? Is the Divine not everywhere? Is the Divine not everywhere? Is the Divine not here? Is the Divine not in you? That’s the goodness. Ignorance is the bad wolf.

Feed knowledge; feed understanding—it’s up to you. It’s completely up to you. You have that power. Understand it. Peace is inside of you. Peace is inside of you—always has been; always will be.

Peace is not a word. Peace is a feeling. Peace comes when you understand you. Peace comes when you start feeding the good wolf. Peace comes when you understand that you are responsible for what happens in your life.

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

An Unopened Gift

Nottingham, UK

Prem Rawat:

In this life, there are many things, many issues—but there are also many gifts. And without accepting those gifts, without opening those gifts, this life would not be a life.

Human beings have a short memory. And even after the statues and the famous names, slowly but surely, surely and surely, they fade from the memory. As more and more of the past becomes irrelevant, it all starts to fade and you forget who they were. And once again, the field is ripe for the same mistakes to be played out again.

Do you know how many billions of people will work extremely hard to reach that line that says, “You are successful,” and fail? How many billions of people will dream about that arbitrary line that somebody has drawn that says, “Here is the ‘success’ line”—and they will fail, as they have in the past? Now, the question becomes, “Is that what life is—or is there something more?”

Is there a world of yours that you are unfamiliar with, your inner world in which you don’t strive for success but for happiness? In which you don’t strive for fame, but peace? In which you don’t strive for diplomas, but clarity? In which you don’t weigh and measure the accomplishments, but measure your existence by the gifts you have been already given?

Do you understand and see the value of this breath? Because this breath is the inner face of existence, so far you are concerned. So far you breathe, you are alive. Breath comes into you? All is good. Breath doesn’t come into you? All is not good.

It is the manifestation of life. No, we don’t see it that way. Then we do—when it’s too late. When it is too late! We’re lying in that bed: “The bed. The bed.” And the doctor ... is not looking optimistic.

And then the penny drops. Oh, boy, does the penny drop—and you have no idea how big that penny is when it drops. It is huge. And it drops with that “krdack, krdack, kullunk, kullunk, kuh-dunk!” And now you finally see your relationship with everything else.

Now, all of a sudden.... Because first, there is sorrow; there’s sadness—disbelief, anger, fear—at first. But now there is no point in getting angry—and you start to realize that; it’s like, powchkh, “What’s the point?” Nothing you can do about it.

And now all of a sudden, something else comes in—love. Love! You become the center of your life. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s the unopened gift! That’s the unopened gift!

Because you are not at the center of your life; everything else is. The morning you get up—the coffee you pour, and you grab your newspaper; your family is dancing around you; that “Dah, da-deh, da-deh, da-deh, dah-dah, dah, da-deh, dah, da, da-dah-dah....”

There are no “‘love you’s”; there are no “‘good morning’s”; there is just like, “So, what do you have to do today?” “Oh, well, ah-la-ah-la-ah-lah, I have to go there, yeah, you know....”

So, what do we do now? Well, we now change our strategy. That’s what we do. Because we’ve had the wrong strategy all along—we change our strategy. And what do we do? We hone in on every last drop of joy we can muster from this thing called “life.” No holds barred.

And I say to them, “Till this breath is coming into you, you are alive. And you have the license to squeeze it. So, do!” Usually, the family members are there—and I say to them, “Fill the bowl! Because that’s the only thing, the only thing you take with you. The only thing is the feeling of being full.”

And that’s why you have a heart—which lies there, an empty bowl, wishing to be filled. Wishing to be filled, filled with joy, filled with understanding. And the day you ask yourself that question, “Who am I?”—you have given yourself a gift. Because you have finally acknowledged, what? You!

And what about me? Who am I? Seventy percent water? And I can talk? Seventy percent water? And I can actually see things? Seventy percent water? And I can think? When was the last time water thinks? Does that come across the news? “We have thinking water.” And we have thinking water right here! So, who am I—this tourist that has to go one day? Who? What?

What is this life all about? Why do I want to be happy? I mean, well, what is this crazy thing? “I mean, well, I just want to be happy.” Even when I’m sad, I want to be happy. It’s not like when I’m happy, I want to be sad. (Then I’m crazy. Then I need to see a psychiatrist.)

But why is it, naturally, that when I am happy, I want to remain happy and when I am sad, I want to be happy? Clue? Sherlock Holmes, clue? What is the clue? That I am biased.

“Oh, but no human being is born with an instruction manual.” Maybe we don’t need it. Because the instruction manual is obvious.

Nobody goes to the church, nobody goes to the temple, nobody goes to the mosque to pray to God, “Too much happiness; please take it away; I can’t stand it.” Too much sadness? “Oh, please, too much sadness; take it away.” Too much happiness? Not a problem. Too much joy, not a problem. Too much clarity, not a problem.

So, if this is who you are, what have you done about it? If you are hungry, you need to eat! (Or do you need a scientific discourse?)

As you saw in that video, people come to see me—and that was a crowd of about 300,000—I’ve had more. Over 500,000 people—people could hardly hear me on the PA systems, and we had three rows of PA, (time-delayed and everything), but people in the back still couldn’t hear me.

So, what do I tell these people? I tell them, “One—you are very fortunate that you have life—gift number one.” “Umm, oh, oh, but-but it’s been so many problems; how can this be a gift?”

“Second gift: you can separate the problems from you. Gift number two. Gift number three—regardless of what happens, you can still feel contentment in your heart.”

Socrates said, “Know thyself.” Why? Why? I mean, why know yourself? Isn’t your name enough—on a, on a card? Isn’t it? Isn’t it?! But is that who you are? Somebody else had that name—and somebody else will have that name.

You! There’s a beautiful—and there are a lot of people from India here, so I’m going to say something in Hindi. So, (and I’ll translate it so nobody’ll be left out. I won’t translate it in Hindi; I’ll translate it in English; nobody will be left out.) This is about the gifts, the unopened gifts.

So, “[quotes poem in Hindi.] Within you are the magnificent gardens, magnificent jungles. And the gardener of this garden is also within you.” This is from Kabir. “[quotes poem in Hindi.] Within you are the seven seas, the seven oceans. And within you is the priceless star.” Ocean holds in it immense wealth; this is the metaphor of that immense wealth. (Within you!)

“[quotes poem in Hindi.] Within you....” (The “paras” is this mythical stone in India, that when you take this stone and touch it to metal, it’ll turn the metal into gold—the alchemist’s metal, the alchemist’s stone, the famous stone.)

“That that’s within you too, and the pearls are within you too, and the one who understands the value of these is also within you.” The appraiser is also within you. “[quotes poem in Hindi.] Within you resonates the silence. The silence. And within you springs the spring of hope, of joy, of knowledge, of wisdom.”

So, don’t underestimate me. When I say “an unopened gift,” don’t underestimate me. I am talking about the gift of all the gifts.

That peace that you seek is within you. The Divine that you seek is within you. The truth that you seek is within you. The clarity that you seek is within you.

People call Kabir a “mystic”—and that’s exactly who he is not. Like me, he’s tactile—no mystery, none whatsoever. The only problem is they don’t get him; I do. Because when I read these couplets from Kabir, you know what I say? “Yes. Yes!” Yes, my friends, these are the gifts you have in you. These are the gifts you have in you.

One more couplet of Kabir, just to put it in context: “[quotes poem in Hindi.] A drop resides in the ocean.” (Right? Many, many drops.) “[quotes in Hindi]. Everybody knows that. [quotes in Hindi.] A whole ocean is in a drop? Only a few know. [quotes in Hindi.] Only a few know.” With this, I’m going to wrap up! Because you are the drop in which the ocean resides.

Nobody understands destiny—but everybody believes it. What is destiny? Do you want to know what destiny is? I’ll tell you what destiny is. This is what destiny is: every human being has a gift. Every human being has a gift. Find your gift—and pursue it to no end. And when you do, that’s your destiny.