Heaven Is Here

We are very, very fortunate to be alive. Do you understand that, or do you look at your existence and judge it by what is happening in your life? “I’m happy because. . .” How many of us do that? We all do. Even me. But that does not make it right.

I was lying in bed one night, trying to sleep, thinking, “Why did this go wrong? Why did that go wrong?” All of a sudden, something inside of me said, “Stop it. The most important thing that is happening is not all the things that are wrong. The most important thing that is happening is that this breath is coming into you.” Then I went to sleep.

Confusion—gone. Yes, that is the most important thing that is happening. All the things that are happening in your life can change, can go from good to bad to good to bad. But this should not change. Because if this changes, that’s really a bad day.

If you understand the importance of this existence, you can put away all the explanations because you don’t need them. The world is full of explanations. For years, people have tried to explain why bad things happen. It is still going on, and it will go on forever. Removing confusion is like trying to remove darkness. The only way to remove darkness is to bring in light. One tiny lamp will make the darkness go away.

When you understand that it is not about the good and bad, but about the ultimate good that has happened, there is clarity in your life. The light that you’re looking for is not far from you. It is within you. The joy that you are looking for is not far from you. It is within you.

If you want to see the reality, it takes a very different vision. Not, “Where? Where?” Here. Do you know how to turn within? Or are you standing at the airport waiting for your friend to come—who you don’t even know? You look at everyone. “Could it be him? Could it be him?” And this is what you do in your life, don’t you? “Could it be her? Could it be him? Is this it? Is today the day that I’ll find my reality? Is it here? Is it in India? Is it on top of a hill? Is it in this book? Is it in this movie? Is it you? Is it you?”

What does Truth look like? I can tell you. Next time you see your face in the mirror, look closely. Don’t look for defects; look for Truth. And when you see that person in the mirror, that’s what Truth looks like—you. Here lies Truth—in you.

What do you strive for every day, unknowingly? You don’t know what Truth looks like, so you think, “If I have my perfect coffee, I’ll be happy. My newspaper. My croissant. My baby. My friends. My job.” Do you know what an incredible amount of work you are putting in just to be a little bit happy, even for one minute?

This is how much you value happiness, how much you need joy. You will stand in a line for an hour to have one second of it. Anything. This is your drive. This is what inspires you every single day.

Do you know why a person says, “I want to forge my life”? So that he can be happy. Do you know why the little boy starts playing with his food? So he can be happy. Why do we look at a sunset, the sunrise, a star in the sky? To be amazed for a moment so we can be happy. Do you know that all that goes on in this world is because somebody thinks it’s going to make them happy? And does it?

Happiness is within you. We plant what we think peace is—definitions, ideas. But the opportunity I offer is to be able to go within and feel it. Not by thoughts, not by ideas, but from your heart, from a place that is real. That’s what it takes.

Something inside of you is saying, “Thank you for this life. Thank you for this breath.” And in that gratitude, see the unfolding of all the mysteries. There is no mystery. There is a simplicity. There is a reality waiting for the right seeker to come along who has the vision, who can see that simplicity, who is not afraid to be simple.

There are people who are afraid to be simple, because to them simplicity is worth nothing. Simplicity is everything. It’s the simplicity of feeling joy, of being alive, of wanting to be content. It is so innate for every human being. This is what everybody wants—to be fulfilled. You, too, in your way, want to be fulfilled. You, too, have the same cry.

Quench the thirst, and get thirsty again, and then quench the thirst. That’s how simple it is. I’m not here to tell you something new. The something that is very new you have—the breath that just came. That is the newest thing. And you just got it. And it left. And here comes a new one. And it just left. And here comes another one. I’m trying to point out the magic of that existence that’s there. That’s heaven. Heaven is here. Heaven is in your heart. That’s the truest heaven there is.