Feeling the Tranquility Within

Maharaji in studioThere is a richness within every human being. There is a possibility to feel peace within every human being—the peace that we were born with and that will be there for as long as we live.

Feeling is the most important thing. What a remarkable change it would be, not to be dependent upon the way things are in life for your happiness. You have something else—another possibility within you.

Imagine you're in a sailboat that's bobbing up and down with the waves. You hate going up and down. So you've tied a long flat board in front of the boat, and you're trying to slap down every wave. Obviously, it's not working, but there you are trying to flatten the waves, thinking that then you'll have a really nice journey in life.

Within you lies a very tranquil ocean. Sail there and you will feel the tranquility. Life should not be about just ideas and thoughts. Life should be about feeling—really feeling the tranquility within. Feel peace from your heart, not just, "I think I feel peaceful." Really feel peace, and be independent of all the outside circumstances for that peace, for that joy. It exists in your heart.

Feeling is real. Thoughts are created. They come and go; they change, disappear, and become totally invalid tomorrow. Feeling doesn't. It stays. Theories are great to read, but don't ever trade them for feeling, because you have to feel, too.

This is about your heart. You cannot fool your heart. You can fool your mind, and the mind can fool you, and it does. But the heart cannot be fooled, and the heart does not fool you.

So the heart has to be the judge, not the mind. A change of priorities has to occur. Simplicity. Feeling. Feel every step that you take. Feel every day that you live. It isn't just that a day comes and goes. It is that in this day you exist. Do you feel that? When that begins to change, understanding comes.

Here's a little story. One day a man was walking down the road, and he saw something shiny. He picked it up, looked at it, and thought, "This is a very sharp piece of glass. I'll toss it aside so that no one gets hurt." A few hours later a jeweler walked by and was also attracted by this shiny thing on the side of the road. He picked it up, examined it, and realized, "I am so fortunate. I've found an incredible diamond."

MaharajiWhen you're not ready to admire this life as it is, it's just a piece of glass. You take it and say, "It's nothing," and toss it. But there are those who learn how to recognize. They learn the value of life. They learn the feeling. They learn about understanding.

As human beings, we need to be in peace. People say, "Peace is not possible." To me, where there is a will, there is a way. Maybe the very first step just needs to be acknowledgment, seeing the possibility that life is not a piece of glass, but is, in fact, a diamond.

Life is not a joke. We've been given a very special gift. Maybe seeing that is the first step—a small step, but that's where it begins. Once the first step has been identified, you'll take all the rest of the steps, because what lies at the end is the fulfillment of a lifetime.

— Prem Rawat