Excerpts from Events
Griffith University, Brisbane- Australia Honors & welcomes Prem Rawat [08:34 min]
Maharaji addressed a distinguished audience of faculty, students and guests at Griffith University. He was thanked by a leader from the Australian Institute for International Relations. Griffith University is committed to high standards of scholarship, innovation, internationalization, social justice, ethical standards and lifelong learning. It consistently ranks high among Good University Guides, with the Griffith Business School ranking 11 in 2006.
"A Good Detective" analogy by Prem Rawat [03:38 min]
Maharaji talks about the demands in life and how much effort it takes to make others happy, and emphasizes how important it is to find contentment and peace, as well. Now is the time to be fulfilled, he says; "This is your time to be happy."
Thirst and focus [02:39 min]
Prem Rawat speaking in Mexico City, MexicoLive your life with the thirst and focus, and you'll succeed in whatever you want. Find the water- the water that dwells within you. The answer that is waiting to be recognized.
You're looking for peace, and peace is looking for you! And what do you need to do? Be still; stop running around.
Surprise event at Malibu, California [04:13 min]
Do you have the ability to look at every day anew? Yes you do. Do you? No, so, whats the point? Do you have the ability to recognize the value of a moment? Do you? No. You are perfectly satisfied being frustated. You would rather talk about all those things that went wrong. It's a nice point of conversation with your friends, with your family. All the things that happen that are good, no one wants to talk about. It's not interesting. It's not interesting to talk about that you are alive. It's taken for granted, till you die.The opportunity has been given to you because you have the ability to recognize what is good. So, do so.
If life was a canvas and a bunch of colors, would you paint? If life was a drum, would you play? Would you? Or would you say, I do not know how to paint. Or would you say, I don't know how to play. Or would you say, I do not understand. Or would you say, I don't know how.
I don't know how, is an excuse because if you really don't know how, then you would find out how it takes to search, takes to see, takes to understand that tool that you have been given, the tool called life.
King Janak and Ashtavakra [06:44 min]
Maharaji quotes a story from Ramayana. The story of King Janak, who was father of Sita. Sita was married to Ram of Ayodhya. The story speaks about King Janak’s dream, following which he made a declaration to give away his kingdom as a prize to the person who could answer his question. Through these unfoldings, King Janak met his young master, Ashtavakra.There was a king. I'll abbreviate this. This is an Indian story. There is this king and he is dreaming. He is dreaming that he has lost his kingdom. He is dreaming that he has been defeated. He is dreaming that he is running into the jungle. He is dreaming that he is really hungry. The jungle is cold and wet. He comes across this hut. He knocks at the door and says, "Do you have anything to eat?" An old lady says, "I don't have anything to eat. But I have some rice and some lentils, I will give it to you. You can cook it and satisfy your hunger."
The wood is all wet. He gathers the wood, lights the fire. The smoke is running into his eyes. I mean its a mess. Finally he gets enough of fire going. He puts the pot on. He puts the little bit of lentils, he puts the little bit of rice. Boils it together. It is too hot for him to eat, so he takes a big leaf and puts it on the leaf, to cool down.
In the meanwhile, while he is waiting for it to cool down, two bulls come, fighting, and take what he has made, and plough it into the dirt. In this desperation, the king begins to weep. And he weeps and weeps. And the tears rolling down his eyes, wake him up. When the dreams sometimes get so intense, you wake up. So, he wakes up. He looks. There are the guards. His bed, beautiful bedroom. And he thinks to himself, "What is real? What I was just feeling, was that real? Or now, that I am lying here, is this real?"
So, he gets up in the morning, goes to his court and makes a declaration. "Whoever can answer my question, I will give him half my kingdom." People come. I am sure dream readers must have come. But, nobody could satisfy him.
Then this young master comes, and he says, "Are you ready to listen to me? So, if you are ready to listen to me. then listen king. Let me tell you. What you saw in your dream, was not real, because that was a dream. But when you thought you woke up, and what you saw was also a dream. Both are dreams.
Thats the point of it, that all that we consider to be real, is not. Then we have those, whom we feel, we are related to, our relatives. Then we have those, whom we feel we love, our loved ones. Are these real? Are these relations real?
There is a time, when all these relations come to an end. So, it is. The loved ones, there is a time, when no longer can they reciprocate this love. So, why am I talking to you about relations, love and all that good stuff? My point is, if you are going to have relations, have a relationship with something inside of you too. And if you are going to have loved ones, then find the love that is inside of you too. Because this is the one that transcends the limitations of this world. I hope you understand what I am trying to say.
To be happy [06:21 min]
The thirst is always there to be fulfilled and that is the real thirst. Those wants that I have in my life, that have not changed since I was a child. Do you know of those wants, do you know, what they are??
The promises, you made to yourself, to always fulfill those wants, have you kept them up? Have you looked?? Have you searched for that? that has always been within you?
You have searched outside but have you searched inside?? This is why this is so different, this is why my message is so different, because everybody points outside, I point inside. I say what you need, you already have
Who are you?? There is one part of you that always was, is and will be. One part of you that makes you, YOU. This (skin) could become a pumpkin, come back as eggplant, because it is just dirt, just dirt. Dirt will mix into dirt and next thing you know, it could be coming up as jackfruit tree, coming up as flower. It could be coming up as eggplant, could be coming up as banana. Actually it’s not much of a difference, because molecules are just molecules, but what makes you as you, is the union of the two the infinite and finite and come together. That one part of you, that always will be, will be, was, but wasn’t you and will be but it won’t be you, you, is those two have come together, and so far those two are together, possibility exists and of all the possibility, one of possibility that exists is that this finite machine can feel the infinity.
As close as they get, you feel. The feeling machine, this is what you have been given, feeling machine-it feels, feels and feels. This is what it does and not only does It feel, it does something else. When it feels something good, it likes it; it smiles, becomes content, and actually becomes happy. This is not me saying this; so many people have said this.
Plug this machine, you keep plugging it into the world, trying to happy just like walking around this world, try this, try that and you know brings happiness when it fizzles out it is gone. Hey instead of plugging into all these things, plug in to that infinite, that’s in you and it fireworks, bliss, contentment, joy, all become yours.
Know Thyself [04:49 min]
I'm always fascinated by Greece. I've been coming here for a long time. It's like being in a holy place. Coming from India; that's saying something! Why? There was somebody here, long long time ago, who stood up and said something incredibly simple yet profound- "Know Thyself". Socrates!
The Journey [05:52 min]
Where does this journey begin? Do you know? It's interesting. You know how to breathe, right? But I wonder if you know that this saga begins, this symphony begins, with the first breath in.
A Good news in this life [04:08 min]
I see in so many people, when they are young, there memory are not that many. Their hope stretch out almost forever. As they over there (older), Memories increase- hopes decrease. Till one day you find yourself with the very age looking all back, nothing in the front. I know I'm boring some of you young ones! That wont happen to me! It will- if you are lucky. What is it that you can see and you can't see. It's like a snail. Snail doesn't see us- coz we move very fast. To Flies, we are like snails! It's all relative. When you are young, time goes by slowly. These are little nuances of life that you have created for yourself. Above it flows the beautiful reality that is timeless. That's the thing that I talk about.
Does God Test? [06:41 min]
This is your nature, this is how you are. You have a mind, but you don’t think it is limited. You think it is unlimited. It is very limited. It can think of incredible things, but can it think of obvious things? Not always. Mind can dream about tomorrow. Mind can remember all those things that happened yesterday. But can mind actually help you live in the moment called now? It can’t. It’s not capable. Its job, to either go backwards or forward. Its job is not to think of what is now. It’s only one thing in you that can understand the moment called now and it is your heart. Not your mind. That’s why you have a heart. That one place from where questions don’t come but inspiration does. That one place from where reasoning doesn’t come but gratitude does. Gratitude and understanding that gratitude. Not reasoning. Mind likes to reason. Mind likes to gloat. Human beings like to gloat.What does God do? In India, people believe God does nothing but test, test, test, test! I ask you a question. The God who tests, does this God know what the result will be? No, you think about this.. okay. People say, God is testing me. So, if the God is testing, that will imply that the God does not know whether you will pass or fail. Because if he already knows, you will fail, what is the point of testing you? If God already knows you will pass, what is the point of testing you. But you think God tests you. If you think that God tests you, then this God that tests you doesn’t know and why would you like to be tested by a God that doesn’t know.
There is a big hole in this theory of "God tests you". God does not test you. You allow yourself to be tested. Who gives you the test? The society gives you the test, your friends give you the test, because they don’t know. Why would God want to test. What would be the reason. It is quite the contrary, that every human being is blessed. The blessing already exists. To understand this that the blessing already exists, thats why you need knowledge. Because nothing shows it clearer. Every day that you sit down to practice it, nothing shows it you clearer that the blessing has already been given to you. Nothing.