Excerpts from Events
Magnificent Monk [04:06 min]
The good news is "What you are looking for, is inside of you". This is the best news. If a mother loses her child, her fear is that something bad might happen. If someone informs her just this much- your child is fine. This alone is sufficient for that mother to feel calm. The journey to peace is not a solemn one. The journey to peace is full of enthusiasm and newness and discovery and openness and feeling beautiful. Some people say, to find peace you need to join monastery- No. If you want to find peace, go inside this monastery (pointing to the heart). Search if you need to, and if you don't find- look within. If you need way to look within, look me up!
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!
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.
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.
Because You Are Alive [06:12 min]
Because you are alive, you will make a voyage and what will this voyage be like, no one knows, you are given a vessel, this human body and by the very fact that it exists, it will make a voyage, it will go truly where no one has been before. All the logic and reasoning precludes reality. And reality is what you have to deal with every single day. Even though you do the same job every day, No two days are alike. Every day is different. It is not just a question of good and bad. It is a question of how you view that. How do you make this voyage, how does it happen? Who are you and what is the purpose of this voyage?
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.
Do you feel blessed? [04:45 min]
In India, I got this email from this person and he said, there is this couple in South India and the guy’s wife is dying of cancer, so they would like to see you. So, we worked it out. It was a young couple, a very young couple, and I walked into the room where they were sitting. And believe me I could’nt figure out who it was, that was sick. She looked just radiant. And her grandmother was sitting on one side, her husband was sitting there, and she was sitting, and I was like, "Who is it?". The doctors had said time-out. Yet I remember her face, because she was still filled with so much hope and so much joy. And it reminded me of the flower that I had seen coming out of the rock.The audacity - Why should you be so happy, why should you be so hopeful. Don’t you know what the doctors are saying? But there was a thankfulness, for having knowledge. For having been alive, for having this gift. And a hope, not formulated in some concrete numbers. But whatever will happen will be fine.
This I must tell you is a powerful thing. Why here, why are you using your time and energy to sprout here, go down further south, it’s better. But no, this is it. This is the place. When that flower sprouts from that rock, in the middle of the most incredibly barren land. What that flower is saying, "This is the place to be. Regardless of the consequences. And I am here and here I’ll grow, and it happens."
Hope, but hope cannot be the first thing. Knowing, understanding, and then that brings the truest hope. Let it be like that, the truest hope. Not in, "This is the specific result I want.", but in, "It will be fine." That there is indeed a blessing in my life. "Do you feel blessed?"
Blessed you are, the only thing missing, is for you to know it.
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.
Where the story begins! [03:59 min]
Where does this journey begin? Where does the story begin? It begins with you. Because this is about that sweet simplicity. How would like your story to begin?
Do you want you want your story to begin "Once upon a time" or would you like your story to begin "Once there is! Living- breathing- most unique person, on the face of this earth". There is no one like you. No one can smile like you.
It is the joy, the gratitude, the expression that makes you unique!
Passion- the ultimate love [04:26 min]
I have been observing how people use words, and there has been a shift for sure. "love- like". Where the word should be "like", people start using "love". And those are just words, and what difference does it make? When you say- I love my car- and people start believing that they love their car. You can’t really "love" your car. You can only "like" your car. People say- I just Love gardening! That's my passion. Okay, that's your hobby and you like it. But it isn’t that if you are dying, you will say- No, no I need to be in garden, don't take me to hospital!
When I want to be passionate about something, it needs to be truly real- not just figment of imagination. So what is it- that's truly real, amazing, incredible, not imagination? Not only it does have to be real, but it has to be amazing. Then- to unleash! Passion is not one of the things that you generate. Passion is something you only unleash. You just open the gates, and it comes pouring in.
Every human being has a capacity to love. I am not just talking of love, I am talking of the ultimate love. All the things put in front of it may inspire some amount of love. But the right thing placed in front of it- would make it dynamically explode! Infinite passion- this is every single human being’s capacity.