Excerpts from Events

Taking off the mask [06:08 min] Giovanna Tassi, the General Director of Ecuador Public Radio and Television, interviewed Ambassador of Peace Prem Rawat during one of his visits to Ecuador. In this excerpt, Prem Rawat speaks about how the message of peace has helped transform gang members in Ecuador, and the importance of each person seeing their own inner beauty.

Virtual World [06:06 min] There is this place but it's not really a place, it's virtual. And in this place, everything is virtual. It's not real, it's virtual. And you can create an alter personality of yourself. You can fly, and you can do all the things that you always wanted to do, but could never do. But virtually. Not really, virtually. When you fly in this virtual place, you don't actually feel like you are flying.
But, here is the fun part. In this virtual place people buy apartments. Make houses. Buy clothes for their avatar. That's what they are called, "Avatar". And in this virtual place when you buy the apartment, it's a virtual apartment but you pay for it in non-virtual money. It's not like play-money. No,no. It's real Euros, real Dollars, real Rupees. People meet in this virtual place and get married.
I am here this evening, I am telling you this. And I bring you a message. That message that ran true for Kabir, for Meera, for Sahjo, for so many, about reality. On one hand, a message says, that what you are looking for is inside of you. On one hand the world is making a complete idiot out of you.
Don't you think that has to be this virtual thing that you pay in real money for, the biggest trickster game ever invented. Because if you paid with virtual money, it's not, it's a game. And I should be telling you, you should choose. You should choose reality over this.
What are we? Who are we? What is our core? This is the day and age where we need to know this more than I believe any other time. Otherwise our choices would be virtual and consequences will be real. Consequences are never virtual, unfortunately. And choices made would have been virtual. Make believe.
So, who are you? What are you? What is your forte? What do you do the best? What is your real potential? What is this life?

Two Ants [06:05 min] I will tell you a story. Once two ants met and one ant lived on a hill, that was made out of sugar, the other ant lived on a hill made out of salt. They met, "I live on the sugar hill." "Sugar hill- what is sugar?" "Oh, it is this wonderful sweet tasting hill." "Oh, I have never heard of that, I am from the salt hill, salt you know, its salty, you eat it, you get thirsty. This sweet stuff sounds pretty good." So, the ant from the sugar hill said, "Why don’t you come over one day and taste it, see do you like it." So, the ant decided, it is a pretty good idea, new taste. They decided on a date, the date came. The salt ant was on its way. "I am going to this sugar hill. What if I do not like it. What if it is terrible. Then I will be hungry. I know what I am gonna do, I am gonna carry some salt with me. In case I do not like the sugar, I will have the salt." It put some of the salt in its mouth, took off, and arrived. "Oh, I can’t wait to taste the sugar, where is it?" "Here, taste it." Ant put the sugar in the mouth, chewed on a little bit. "This is like salt." "Is it?" "Yes, there is no difference. You call it sugar here, we call it salt. I mean it is the same thing." So, the other ant said, "I do not think so, open your mouth, let me take a look." Sure enough there at the back of the mouth, there is this salt and it took out the salt. "Now taste it." "Unbelievable. So different. So amazing. So incredible. Love this stuff. I am moving."
All this was not to be had the salt remained in the mouth. Thats why clean the table. Clean the plate and taste this. As it should be tasted. Not mixed with something else. Taste this, so you will know what its flavour is. Thats all. This is not a blend. This is about you. This is not about your accomplishments. This is about you, you being alive. I know one thing and this is so simple, its almost ridiculously simple and it is, the coming and going of this breath, is the most amazing thing happening in your life.

Life [06:02 min] Prem Rawat talks about his perspective on life, analogizing to playing a piano.
If you want to look at life, look at it this way. That it's a bunch of layers. Only one sheet is real. The rest are just translucent overlays on top of that one real sheet.

What I do, is I ask people to lift those layers one by one and see that they're only the layers. Every layer is changeable. The only thing that doesn't change is the basic fundamental layer on which everything is developed. Life too is very much like those layers- We've got our relationships, friends, jobs, this and that; pretty soon getting caught in all of these layers that we forget what the main sheet is- what it is about.

Some pianos come with 88 keys. Lowest note- highest note. All songs played on that piano will be contained between those notes. If artist goes beyond those 88- nothing! Doesn't matter how good he is. If someone says "Press all 88 keys at once, and it will play every single song that can be played on the piano". Technically it's true. But it will not sound beautiful, it will have no emotions. A song is not just about playing the key, but the silence in between. That's what defines the song.

In this life, if you take all these notes and mash them together and say "yeah, everything is fine. I'm playing the song." You're sadly mistaken- there's no song. If life doesn't seem quite right, you are not mistaken- It's not being played right. It's about the sequence, the silence, the harmony. This is what constitutes a song. It beings with your existence, your life, your clarity, your song. You playing the song, not some hired artist playing it for you. It is your enjoyment of that song that means everything.

Is there something worth appreciating? [06:00 min] When we go to a restaurant and your bread is not warm, you say to the waiter "I would appreciate if you could bring me warm bread"
We use appreciate for every small thing, say if someone brings you glass of water, you go: "I appreciate that!"

Do you know what appreciation is? Do you have any idea what appreciation is?
Regardless of your age, this is one of the things that will not change- Appreciation! Even when you're 90 years old and you can't see so well. When your glasses are like binoculars!
The power of appreciation is not going to change. Hone in on it. Last year I was in Portland and I was coming back to the hotel after doing an event. I was looking out of the window, and there was this couple. For whatever reason, they were homeless and they laid down their bed in front of a shop. And she had biggest smile on her face. And I was like "Wow! You've lost everything. You're going to sleep outside and you're smiling!" - Appreciation!
Was that something she was looking forward too? to lose the home and sleep outside? Whatever the reason was- she was able to be happy and appreciate. That is the power of appreciation!

Is there something that is truly worth appreciating? And the answer is: Yes!
What is it? It is this moment in which this breath arrives. It is worth appreciating. The moment that you understand the simplicity of this existence, then it is worth appreciating. The moment you realize your desire to be fulfilled, then this is worth appreciating.
There is nothing you can do to remove the desire to be fulfilled. Nothing!
Your desire to be fulfilled.

Promise of Life [05:59 min] I'm not here to tell you what is right what is wrong. I'm not here to try to point out the problems of the world, because there are too many, it will take more than an evening. But you know, despite of all those things that are wrong in this world, there are somethings that are good. Really really good- all the ugliness that is in this world, there is something very very beautiful. All the mistakes that have been made in this world, there is one that is perfect- It's not a mistake. That perfection, that beauty, that right, is in you. And that is what I've come to talk about.

There are people who like to point out all the problems. And I'm glad in a way, that they do. But I think there should be some people who point out what is beautiful. Because this life that you have, despite of all the problems, is beautiful. And sometimes we forget the importance of being alive. Caught up in our troubles, turmoils, ideas, and concepts; we forget what we have been given. Look at the desert, the time to see the desert is not in summer, but when it rains. Because mysteriously even the desert holds in it, the promise of beautiful life; of delicate tender flowers. But it needs the rain. Without rain the rivers don't flow. Even though they hold their shape. That dry river waits, and patiently waits for it to rain. And once again, the water to flow through it. It is ready. It is ready. Who are we? What are we? Are we the sum of all these things that happen around us? Or is there something more? The sum of waking up in morning and realizing one's responsibilities? Or there is something inside each human being that wants to smile. That wants to be thankful, and feel gratitude- To feel the joy!

Kabir- No-nonsense, no philosophical mumbo-jumbo, straightforward poet [05:53 min] There are people are far more infatuated by only two questions

1. Where did I come from?
2. Where am I gonna go?

Then there is certain group of people who are much more attracted by the other two questions

3. Why am I here?
4. Who am I?

In your life you have to focus on which of these four questions, you really want answers to. Which ones? On the subject of first two, there's immense amount of speculations. And somehow the way the nature has it- you can't verify it. It's all hearsay. Whilst the other two question requires tremendous amount of consciousness and clarity and they deal with 'now'.

To put this in perspective I'm going to quote Kabir. My favorite no-nonsense, straightforward enlightened poet. No philosophical mumbo-jumbo. Kabir says:

Ram bulava bhejiya
diya Kabira roye
jo sukh saadhu sang mein
so baikunth na hoye

"God has sent me an invitation- the final call". And upon hearing this, knowing that he's going to die, Kabir starts to weep. For he says, the joy that I find in the company of this truth and in the company of the seekers of the truth. That joy is greater than the joy of heaven.

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.

No Blind Faith [05:46 min] One thing that I would like to mention to you is, you need to be fulfilled in your life. You need to have peace in your life. With me, or without me. It doesn't matter. It really does not matter. If I can help. Great! If I can't. Fine! That does not change the point. And the point is, you should be fulfilled. Thats the point. You should be in that peace, that is the point.
Logic will come, logic will change. But we are all human beings. This is what we are, this is who we are. I see rich and I see poor, and then all of a sudden, I just see people. I see educated and I see uneducated, and then all of a sudden, I see just people. Same thing, those eyes looking out to see something nice. Thats all. The ears yearning, to listen to something beautiful. This heart in everyone of us, yearning to be fulfilled.
One journey completed, one journey taken in surety. One journey made real. One life, at a time. You see, you are just like me. And I am just like you. We are both vulnerable in the same sense and we both desire the same thing, and so is our yearning, and so is our understanding, and so is our need. If we fundamentally recognize that need, then thats what it is all about.
What do I offer?
I offer knowledge.
How do you get it?
You listen and make sure that this is what you want. No blind faith. No blind faith here.

Coming and Going of Breath [05:41 min] You want to know how to recognize the miracle, then understand that today is the miracle, and tomorrow when it comes will be a miracle. Your breath is a miracle. If you don't know what you have, how will you know what is lost? You need to know what you have. And you have so much.

Path to inner peace begins with just that- opening your eyes, and looking. And seeing things as they are. Not how could it. Not how it should it. But as it is.

So much, so much goes on. So many ideas come. And you little boat is sailing down the river. I say to you "Captain, wake up!" This is not the time to dream my friend. Wake up. Look, look where you're going. If you don't, disaster is inevitable. Thats not what you need to have in your life. Everyday should be a celebration.

Have you ever seen a sunflower? A sunflower does not have GPS, or maps, or big instruments. But somehow this flower turns at night, and is ready for the sun. Will it be a cloudy day? Don't know, it's just ready. It's facing the right direction for the sun to come. And whether sun is visible or not, it just follows and follows the sun. All the clouds don't stop the sunflower. Because ultimately, its not the clouds that are permanent. It is the relationship with the sun. And the time comes, clouds clear. And once again the sunflower is tracking the sun.