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Even when you’re confused, just know the clarity is right there! It’s right there! Not—you don’t have to go get it from anywhere. It’s right there with you. You’re in darkness? Not a problem! Light is right around the corner! And always remember that ... always remember that.

When everything gets dark in your life, know the light is right there. All you need to do is go “Oh! Okay.” It’s there.

This is who you are. This is who you are. This is a human being.

-Prem Rawat

It’s about you—it’s about your story. Fulfillment is a feeling, not the quantity of food. It is not about how many glasses of water you drank, but is your thirst quenched or not? It is not whether you were in bed for twelve hours or not, but how much sleep did you get? You’ll understand that one, right?

It is not about the lectures that tell you, “You are free; you are free; you are free,” that will set you free. How free do you feel?

And this is what I say to the inmates: “It’s up to you! It’s up to you!” Everybody is behind some wall; everybody is behind some bar. The only difference is the color of the bars, the shape of the bars, and the material that they are made out of.

Some are made out of metal; some are made out of concepts, ideas, right here. But they’re bars—and they hold you back. They will not let you be free.

Do you want to be free? Good question—“Do you want to be free?” [Individual, male.: Yes!] First understand. Before you set off on a journey to be free, understand what’s holding you back! Why are you not free? All these ideas you have about things that are not yours—that were just, cct, ppbt! Poukh, chu-chu-chu, boomf! And you went, “Thank you.”

Somebody came, opened the head, poured it in, “Dah, dah, you’re good.”

Some apes, they look at themselves—they can’t recognize. So, dogs are like that too! They look at themselves in the mirror and they go, “What’s that!? Arrrrrrrgh!”

You have the ability to go, “Ah! That’s, that’s me!” And the scientists say, that is one of the human attributes! Why stop there? Know the self! This is what Socrates was talking about, “Know the self!” If that’s you, looking in the mirror, you can say, “That is me,” then knowing yourself, that is the human attribute that makes you who you are.

– Prem Rawat

There would be quite a case to be made if there was no clarity! There would be quite a case to be made if there was no joy. There would be quite a case to be made if there was no understanding. There would be quite a case to be made if there was no compassion. Because this world then would be very empty, very empty.

But there is compassion—and it’s in you. How much? Limitless. As much as you need. All you have to do is use it. How much love is in you? How much love do you think there is in you? Oh, my God! That you could never measure it. All you have to do is use it! And when you use it? Multiplies. It’ll never ever go down.

Unfortunately this is true for anger, too! How much anger is in you? Oh, my God, no limit! And more you use it? Tank will be full all the time. It’s not like if you got angry, angry, angry, angry, you would use up your anger. You won’t! You can never use it up.

You can never use up kindness. More kind you are more kindness there will be. This is—this is who you are! This is what it is like to be a human. And that heaven, and that hell? Well, when you are in heaven, you’re not in hell! And when you are in hell, you’re not in heaven.

And of course, you know, I ask all the religions—I say, “Okay, whatever you teach people, where heaven is, where hell is, fine. But just do one thing. Just do one thing. It won’t change anything in your religion—just do one thing. Declare ... that ‘If you want to go to heaven ... then first you have to make heaven here.’ That’s all. [applause] That’s all.”

Your life evolves every second. And if you’re not evolving with it, there’s going to be disharmony; there’s going to be discord; there’s going to be a separation. That’s how it is. Whether you are young, whether you are old—you’re changing! And of course, you’re allergic to changing. You don’t want to change! Why don’t you want to change? Because you think you’re perfect. I know some of you laughed.

And the trouble is, deep down inside, you think you are perfect—way, way, way, way, way deep inside. You make no mistakes, really. Now, in your perfectness, you are also humble enough—because you’re perfect, see—so you’re humble enough to accept that you are sometimes wrong, but not really.

So, telling the perfect one, “You’re changing,” is a bit of a strange news. It’s like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I’ve…”—you’ve heard that, right, “You’re always changing”? You’ve heard that. Do you believe it? No!

Why? Because you’re going to go home, and you’re going to do exactly what you do every single evening. Tomorrow you’re going to get up; it’s going to be a duplicate of one of the days in your life—and then one day, it won’t be duplicated.

When you will understand—not learn like a parrot—but understand the value of being alive, value of being… Do you know the value of being alive? How many of you do? Come on, raise your hand. Really? Really!? How many don’t? Okay, there are a few who don’t; there is hope for them. Very little hope for Mr. Perfect.

This is the infinite blessing. There is more joy in being alive than you can ever fathom. There is more happiness in being alive than you can ever realize. There is more clarity in being alive than you will ever, ever be able to gauge. And there is more peace in being alive than you can ever imagine.

– Prem Rawat

Forgiveness doesn’t mean accepting mediocrity, accepting the other person’s mistake. That’s not forgiveness. You know what forgiveness is?

The day you decide to move on. That’s forgiveness. You’re not going to be victimized by this person’s actions, but you want to move on—no more struggle, no more fighting.

When two things oppose each other, that’s a struggle. “Struggle”—because that person still has their hooks in you. And you’re trying to break free, and you’re not able to.

Forgiveness is the day you say, “No. I’m not going to have the struggle. I want to move on.” This is your strength. This is your real strength. And that’s the day you have forgiven. That’s the day you have forgiven.

– Prem Rawat