One Thing I Can Change

Audience - Shrine Auditorium

It is not an impossible objective to have peace in this life. It is very, very possible. That's what we are here for—to learn, to grow, to understand, and to make peace a reality.

You are alive. Be alive. What is the basic wish that has been given to you? Listen to it. Listen to that need, then you can fulfill it. Understand what it is saying—how it is addressing you. But first, know what it is. What is the most important thing to you?

Unless the most basic and fundamental need is fulfilled, all the explanations and ideas about peace can be there, but what's the point?

There is a thirst for peace because that thirst can be quenched. If there was no way to quench it, we wouldn't feel the thirst. But there is a way to quench that thirst. Quench it. Fulfill this life. That's what is important. That's why we are here. We are here to take another step toward consciousness, toward clarity away from the fog.

Maharaji

I need to understand the passion of my heart. When the heart is filled with the most beautiful feeling, the thirst is quenched. Every moment matters. There doesn't have to be chaos. There is a simplicity, a joy. Life doesn't have to be questioned. There is an answer.

This is something that each one of us has to do. Who else can we rely on? You have to understand that this is your life, and you can make the joy and the beauty happen every day. It really is very easy.

A lot of people think it can only happen if they change the world around them. They think they have to change their children, and by the time they've almost gotten there, the child's moved out. Then they think, "What else can I change? I'll get a job that I really like." They finally find a job they really like, and then they realize what they really like is the days off from the job. Then they say, "Maybe what I need to do is retire."

Waiting—just think of all the things people are waiting for. You don't have to wait anymore. You don't have to change all those things around you. You can't anyway, because when you do try to change them, they'll try to change you. And when they do, you won't like it.

Audience

I realized I can't change everything, but there's one thing I can change. All I need to do is change my list of priorities. The change has to come from within. That's why I'm saying it's easy. You don't have to throw anything out, just rearrange. Of all those things that have taken priority, put the priority to be content at the very top. That's all.

Yes, you can be fulfilled. That's what's important. The greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of joy, the gift of peace. That is tops. And every step counts toward knowing the one thing you thirst for—that your life be fulfilled.

— Prem Rawat