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Prem Rawat

First of all, do you, as a human being, understand who you are?

Do you even know?

Who are you?

You look at your face; you think that’s who you are. You look at your family; this is who you are. You look at your house; this is who you are.

You look at your business; this is who you are. Now let me tell you what I am talking about. I’m not talking about that.

What I’m talking about is the Divine. And as you are on the face of this Earth, one, you are in a body. And this body is made out of certain things. Those things will remain here; they’re part of this Earth. And they will be used for other things. No question about that. But in you is also a little bit of that Divine.

But that’s a wrong statement because the Divine cannot be chopped up into “a little bit or a lot.”

So, the Divine is in you in all the majesty of the Divine.

Now, comes the big question: “Who are you?

The shell? Or part of that Divine?”

If you’re part of the shell, you should be very concerned about how hot it’s going to be, how cold it’s going to be, how many laddoos will be served, how many, you know, whatever!

And what kind of rice is going to be cooked up there?

What kind of bread is it going to be; what kind of butter are they going to serve; is it going to be salted butter; is it going to be unsalted butter; low-fat butter; is it going to be high-fat butter; is it going to be, whatever!

If you’re on a diet. I wonder if you’re on a diet up there.

But which one are you?

If all you have recognized, being alive, is the outer shell...The outer shell has relations. The outer shell feels pain. The outer shell feels sorrow. The outer shell does everything you do. The outer shell says “Me and mine. You and yours.”

Can you imagine the Divine saying “me and mine”?

It’s not possible that something that is everywhere ...?

Nothing, nothing is without that Divine.

Nothing!

The “me and mine” disappears.

Prem Rawat

What's your little story? What's your little story?

The war there, the war there, this issue, that issue. "This is happening, that's happening, he's coming, that one is going."

"He's sick, he's feeling good, he's doing this, he's doing that," "I don't have enough money, I have too much money."

"I'm going to get this, I'm going to have this problem. I'm going to have that problem."

Did I cover everything? More or less?

In broad spectrum I could throw in a few individual things. The doctor said that my kidneys have got to come out.
Whatever you want to add or subtract from it. I've only got two days to live, give or take six months.

Whatever. Whatever.

Isn't that the story that keeps repeating in your life? This goes wrong, you fix it. That goes wrong, you fix it. Try to fix it, you pray you fix it.
And then these are your brave stories. Are they not?

"There I was, I didn't have a car, and I didn't know how I was going to get there, to the airport. And then all of a sudden, all of a sudden, this truck came, pulled over and said, "Do you need a ride?" And took me to the airport.

And you're proud of that.

That's your little miracle. That's your little miracle. That's your little miracle.

"Wow!"

And everybody you tell that story to, they're intrigued.

But here, this has been said, "Let me tell you a story that cannot be spoken. And if you don't understand it, you cannot recite, you cannot tell."

What is the story?

The story is, that in the human being is a little bit of the infinite. You think that tops your little stories?

Maybe not for you.

But in my book, that tops it.

Forget about all my problems, forget about all my accomplishments, forget about all the things that I have done that are good, forget about all the things that I have done that are bad, forget about all those things. Forget all my dreams, forget all my ambitions.

There is something else going on. There is a little bit of the infinite in me. But the key is that, that is in you.

In fact that's what makes you be alive.

We're lost. Why? Everything we look for on the outside—the goodness, outside. You will never find it. And that's what people are looking for. Peace on the outside—world, they don't want personal peace. They want world peace. And I tell them, “World doesn't need peace.”

The crows are perfectly happy; the squirrels are perfectly happy; mangoes are perfectly happy. And if there is somebody that is bothering the crows and the squirrel and the mango? It's you, us, nobody else, nothing else. You need peace.

But do you understand that necessity? Do you understand this need that you have to be in that part of yourself that is good, that is beautiful by nature, by design, by the very fact that yes, light is the opposite of darkness?

 Understand this relationship between darkness and light, and you will understand a lot in your life. Believe me, believe me. I started talking about peace when I was four years old. At nine years of age, my father passed away and I took over the responsibility of taking this message around the world. Since then, I have been doing this. I have talked to people; when I was young, people used to come to me and they would ask me these questions, and I would give them an answer, what I felt, what I understood. What I tell you today is so that you can benefit in your life, that this life that you have is the most precious thing there is. Nothing will be more precious than this life that you have. 

The tragedy, the tragedy is to have this life and not know it, to have the wealth and not recognize it, to have the Divine and never find it. That's a tragedy. That's a tragedy. Looking for what you always had and you never found it because you didn't need to look–you needed to discover.

You have these eyes; these eyes see everybody else's eyes, don't they? But do they see themselves? These eyes can see everybody else's face but not yours. How come? Ah, but if you have a mirror, if you have a mirror, then these eyes can see you too. Then these eyes can see themselves as well.

And this begins with understanding that when you are in that darkness, when you are in that pain, when you are in that suffering, understand something: that joy, happiness, that beauty, that light is not far from you.

- Prem Rawat

Prem Rawat:

So many people before you – so many people before you considered it more important to be in touch with yourself, rather than with everybody else. This technology has changed your emphasis; you want to be in touch with everybody else; you don’t even know yourself. Now you’ve got a problem.

We are seeing; we are witnessing death of a human being – as human beings. That’s what makes this message more important than ever before: “Be in touch with yourself.” When you lose touch with yourself, panic. No, when you lose touch with other people, you start panicking. Don’t. When you lose, reverse it. What’s important? You are important.

There was never on the face of this Earth anyone like you. And never again on the face of this Earth will there ever be anyone like you. Never. Ever. Do you believe that? How many do? See, you doubt – some of you doubt what you shouldn’t doubt.

No, it’s really true. Will there be more? Yes! You probably will help procreate and produce them. Will they have sort of similar traits; probably. But nobody again will be like you. What does that mean? It means that that should mean something to you. “Man! I’ve got an important mission. I’ve got to make sure – I’ve got to absolutely make sure that Prem Rawat is fulfilled.”

You’ve got to make sure you are fulfilled. That should be your mission. You see the value of this message? As simple as it is, it is so profound. Because it’s the only one that says, “Be in touch with yourself. You matter.”

In this world of almost 8 billion people, do you matter? Yeah. And now it’s really going to take off. And before you know, it’s going to be billions more. But do you matter? Yeah. Do you matter? Yes. Should you have recognized the divine in you? Yes. Yes. Understand? Yes.

Not think. Not try to conjure up. Not try to believe what other people have to say, but experience for yourself.

There are three things – three things. There is this one that was, is and will be, called “the infinite,” everywhere – powerful! Gentle? Amazing. Gentle as a drop of water. As powerful to move mountains, literally – literally move mountains! Rage? Giant rivers. 

 And this that was, is and will be, does this. And will keep doing it. Will keep doing it to the end of time and beyond, the time and space you cannot even begin to imagine (because you are not very well equipped to imagine it). 

 So, there is that. Then there is you. What’s your qualification? You weren’t. You are – and you won’t be. That’s your qualification. 

 So, let’s say that at the left of you is the infinite, (was, is, will be). You’re in the middle: you weren’t; you are; you won’t be. And what is on the right of you? This world. And what’s the qualification of this world? 

 You want to listen to some wonderful people like Kabir? Like Guru Nanak? They say, “It wasn’t,” (and this’ll get you), “It isn’t! And it won’t be.” This is an illusion! It isn’t! So, left of you? “Was, is and will be.” Your qualification: “Wasn’t, is, won’t be.” And you are completely infatuated with “Wasn’t, isn’t and won’t be.” 

 And are you infatuated? Oh, yes, you are, very infatuated. You live for it from the morning till evening. So, what is this? What should you be infatuated with? (What does “infatuation” mean?!) All right; here is an example. 

You, one day, see a girl. Ladies, you see a man. And this man is just wonderful! Men, you see a girl; she’s wonderful! Your relationship goes on and on and on and on. And one day, the day comes when you’re going to meet the parents, meet the whole family.

 Of course, now when you, the lovers, meet, you give each other a really nice juicy kiss, as you, (you know), come together because, you know, you’re in love, right?! You think you’re going to do that to the girl’s father? Give him a juicy kiss across his lips? Or the girl, kissing the father-in-law, again, just like a really nice juicy kiss? No!

 You like the father; you like the brother; you like the mother; you like the sister because of whom? That person you are in love with. So, you’re infatuated with that person; you are connecting with that person. You are including the rest of the family only because of that person; the connection is still with that person. And the day that connection breaks? You will keep visiting that family? No.

 That’s what’s got to happen here. That’s what’s got to happen here! Your connection should be to that one that was, is and will be, always, because that’s the one you’re going to spend the most time with! When you were not here, that’s where you were! Now you are here! And when you go away, that’s where you’re going to be!

 What a magnificent description of the infinite: “Was, is and will be.” And then? Everything comes together. Life comes together. Joy comes together. You see the irrelevance of what is irrelevant, and you see the relevance of what is relevant. That’s how life has to be. 

 That’s what life is all about! You, dancing on the stage of life. You, expressing in your heart, the gratitude! Every day, every moment that you’re alive, those three things that I talk about, “Know yourself. Live your life consciously. And to have a heart filled with gratitude” – this can be for you! Then you have made the choice, the right choice.

MC and host: [Sara Powell]
I just want to get straight stuck in if I may. Something that we’ve had a couple of questions about, and something that really spoke to me from what you said, was “the noise”—that chatter that is constantly there. And I wondered, “What’s the best strategy for coping with it? How do we quieten it down, the noise?”

Prem Rawat:
Well, these are the questions you have sent—I mean, over 200 questions came in—and some of you who have, probably, cell phones that are from different countries, probably are still coming in through, you know, because they go round robin, yeah....

MC:
Yeah, you’ll be getting them till Wednesday, yeah!

Prem Rawat:
And, yeah, exactly. So, the question is, where does this noise come from? I mean, who is the perpetuator of this noise; who is the generator of this noise, and where is the stage that it ultimately plays out on?

So, the stage where it ultimately plays out on is you! But where does it come from? Well, it is something that started a long, long time ago, right from your parents.

Because, whose voices are there? They are included too, and the friends are included, and the boss, and the friends, and the friends of the friends, and the, everybody who has two-cents-worth of advice, and it just gets recorded,

But then the question becomes, “Why did it get recorded? Who had the record button pushed in?” Right? And we allow this to happen. We don’t think we have a choice. Because we don’t live our lives by that tactile feel.

I was watching a show where they were showing this person who was challenged with the sight. And as he moved around the room, he had to feel everything—and where it was and how it was—and there were no assumptions.

And we, the ones who have eyes, are most likely to have that chair pulled out from underneath us or even miss the chair. But not this man, because he knows he has to have that feel. Every step that he takes in his life is taken deliberately. Not just, “Uh, let me see what’s over there.” Do we live our lives like that?

You know, and maybe the noise is a consequence of living a very unconscious life. That if there was a conscious life, then you would say, “Okay! Since I have a tape recorder....” Don’t fault the tape recorder, by the way. That’s really good that you have a tape recorder. It’s the content of the tape recorder that’s bad.

“So, can I put in nice stuff? If I’m going to have noise, let me have some really lovely noise, something that inspires me, something that gives me courage....” Because we all need courage. That’s why courage is there—hmm—because we need it!

Because in life, the mountains that you have to sometimes cross, that we have created for ourselves, are no ordinary hills. Mind you, they are indeed mountains of extraordinary proportions, and it requires nothing shy of courage to even take on the challenge to do so.

So, you know, this is, in a way, what I do. Because, you look at the Peace Education Program—and when it goes to the prisons, their voice, their tape recorder is going, “I am here, and it’s the fault of that person, and that person, and that person, and that person.”

And they go through the Peace Education Program, and they start to realize, “Hey, look at yourself.” And when they do, then they realize that they are standing at a threshold where they can change.

And it is no mistake or an accident that people who go through the Peace Education Program—at least, the inmates who go through the Peace Education Program—have the lowest rate of return back into the prisons.

So, we’re not inmates, are we? I mean, we’re not in a prison system, are we? The prison system you are currently in.... The other prison system, they’ll get out after two years, three years, four years, five years. The prison system you are in, you don’t get to get out till you die—sorry. Huh! You’re in for life.

Folks, it’s really time to start creating your heaven, because there are no options here. The wall is there—and there are no options! And getting rid of that noise and putting the nice noise on is up to you. It truly is—because you’re the one who is doing it: who’s buying into this noise and keeps: “Ah, push play again, please.” And, you know, and has it on “repeat,” so it just keeps repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating.

Life has the possibility of creating your own playlist—your playlist that you like. Do you want to accept that challenge? You know, the issue isn’t just the noise. We can replace it with something beautiful, something wonderful, something you like. Not what I like—you like! Because I want to create my playlist of something I like. You create your playlist, something you like.

- Prem Rawat