Part of Us

When I talk about peace, many people ask, "What peace?" They don't understand the peace I am talking about. I'm not talking about a peace that has to be manufactured. I'm talking about a peace that has always been within us ever since we were born and will always be within us for as long as we live, until our last breath.

I am talking about you—personally. You are the one who experiences joy. You are the one who experiences pain. You cannot give your pain to someone else. And the joy that you experience cannot be experienced by anyone else, no matter who that person is.

Everyone's joy in this world is different. Everyone's joy is individual. When you feel hungry, it's you who feels that feeling. When you eat, that fulfillment, that satisfaction, comes to you. Another person can think about it, but the experience of hunger being satisfied can only be had by the one who is hungry.

It's a question of appreciation. In ancient times, when cities were constructed, it was essential that they be near a lake or river where water was available, because people realized the value of water. Water was needed for farming, to make bread, to grow food. A person needs water to drink, to take a bath, to wash, to put out a fire. Because people understood the importance of water, they acknowledged it. I ask people, "Have you ever thought about the water of peace that you desperately need?"

Many people say that if you want peace you must go to a mountaintop and become a hermit. Others say you can't have peace because you have to fulfill your responsibilities.

I'm not talking about sacrificing anything. Someone said to me, "I have a family. I have children. If I leave them, they won't be able to do anything." I said, "You don't need to escape your responsibilities—look after them as well as you possibly can. However, within you is a treasure of peace. No matter what is happening, no matter how much pain there is in your life, don't forget that the peace you're looking for is within you—always. It will be within you till your last breath. What is needed is that we turn inside and discover it."

Everyone, at least once in their lifetime, has felt incomplete no matter how much they have. There are so many misconceptions that what we are looking for is not within us, that it is somewhere outside and we have to look for it there. But the thirst is within us, and the water to quench it is also within us. Peace is a part of us. If we are able to recognize our thirst and reach that peace, we will find that we are complete.

When you recognize your thirst, that thirst will lead you toward quenching it. Peace will always be within you. If you don't want it, it is still there within you. If you want it, then you can fulfill your life.