Guru Maharaj Ji speaking to premies in Amsterdam, Holland, on 5 June 1976.

Dear premies,

We all come together for satsang and we all try to realize something. What we're trying to realize, what we're trying to understand, what we're all trying to experience in our lives is reality. At one point or another, we have all experienced that there is something in our lives which is empty. At that time, we come to a point where we really have to test everything out.

That point comes in our lives when we start to compare things, good and bad, good and bad, good and bad, good and bad. But what is good and what is bad? There is even a very famous saying, "One man's medicine is another man's poison." So one thing that is good can also become bad, and one thing that is bad can also become good. That happens. So first of all, we have to realize where good originates from. Because the absence of good is what is bad. But what is good? What is it? I mean, where does it even come from?

And as soon as we hit that point, we search for Knowledge, because then we have to understand what reality is. Then it goes beyond good and bad, it goes beyond small and big, it goes beyond all man's concepts, and he looks for truth. At that point he is searching for pure truth. He doesn't want puzzles, he doesn't want surprises, he doesn't want jokes in his life any more. He wants the truth and nothing but the truth. And when we come to that point, then we become a premie.

But really, this is what I've been saying throughout all my satsang on this tour: before we can even say that we are premies first of all, we have to look at ourselves. And I don't mean go to a mirror and look at ourselves, or look at ourselves in a video projector, but look at ourselves in the light of, are we really premies? Or are we just somebody who has a little card that says, "Mr. Joe Blow, member of Divine Light Mission", signed, "President". Are we just that, or in fact are we really premies? That is a very subtle, very small, but very meaningful question. The reason for that is, if we are just that card, then the card itself is a premie, because it says right on it, "This card is to certify …" It's almost as if the card is as good as you. There's no difference, if that is all you are.

But, if you are a premie, then you'll look at yourself and say, "Well, am I in fact doing satsang? Am I in fact hearing satsang? Or when I go to satsang, do I just sit there and say, 'Now wait a minute, that guy just said that word wrong,' or, 'That guy just didn't quite get his sentence through'." When we sit in satsang, do we do that, or do we really try to grasp the meaning of what is being said? Because they're two different things.

In one case, it's like when the teacher starts picking up such minute mistakes from the student's words and everything, that it frustrates the student, so then the student turns around and every time the teacher makes a mistake, he gets his hand up and says, "Oh, you held the chalk wrong." "Oh, you wrote the whole line crooked," "Oh, you didn't quite get that word

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off the blackboard." And then what happens is that there's no education there; it just turns into what's called nit-picking. I was just reading the "Divine Times" about Joe Anctil's satsang when he said that there are a lot of premies who do nit-picking, and I have no patience with that. But it's really true that sometimes we sit there and do that. The reason for that is because we're really not premies, because we limit being a premie to just a card. We're not really opening ourselves.

We have to understand, do we want truth, do we want reality; do we want to understand reality or don't we want to understand reality? There are a lot of things involved; it's not as simple as people think. After all, what are you going to do with reality? Once you find out what reality is, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to gift wrap it? Are you going to put it in your pocket? I mean, these are all the concepts that a man has to go through. What are you going to do with reality anyway? Are you going to put it in your ears and it's going to cut down the noise? Reality is something to realize, something to experience. In fact, reality only becomes an experience to us when we realize that what is around us is completely inconstant, that what is around us is not, in fact, reality, that reality exists somewhere else, that reality is something else. That's the difference.

For the premies who have realized this Knowledge, now you have to find a way to really plug it in. First it was, "Yeah, yeah, let's go get peace, man. Let's realize something beautiful." We just said that yes, we are missing something in our life, so let's just do it. But now that we have done it, we have to find a way to really plug ourselves in so that what we have realized will actually manifest for us. This is the role of every premie around the world, to be able to do satsang, service, and mediation, so we can, in fact, realize and plug ourselves in, so that the Knowledge will physically, very physically, manifest.

If a person has in fact realized peace, well, yes, he has realized Knowledge, so that is literally true. But if all he is doing all day long is picking fights with people, if everything he's doing is just completely crazy, you would say, "This person is not happy, this person does not have satisfaction, this person needs peace." Though he has peace inside, the difference is just that he is really not plugging himself into that reality, he is really not defining himself and really making the Knowledge manifest. Because as much effort as we put into Knowledge is what we will reap from it.

Knowledge is constant, Knowledge is always there, so just remember - and this is something we forget a lot of times -do meditation, do satsang, and do service. Knowledge is not going to come to our door, knock, and say, "Do you want me?" That is not the way it happens. Remember, if you recall when you were being given satsang, at the time when you had not yet received Knowledge, somebody must have told you that Knowledge is within inside of you. And so, Knowledge is always within inside of us. It's always perfect, it's always constant, and it's always infinite. It is we who are not constant, who are not perfect and who are not infinite. Therefore, we are the ones who have to plug into Knowledge, not Knowledge that has to plug into us, because it already has. Knowledge is already there. It's just that we have to develop ourselves, so that we can understand what Knowledge is, so that we can do it, so that in our lives Knowledge can then manifest.

It is our effort. It's like, if you want to walk from here to that door, if you take only one step, that's how close you will be. And if you take two steps, that's how close you will be. And if you take three steps, then that's how close you will be. So how many steps you take is how close you will get to the door. You just have to keep on doing that until you get there, and it's your effort.

We have to make an approach from our side to get to something perfect. There is a gap, and that gap has to be filled. And that is where the whole process comes which we have to put together to fill the gap so we can walk across the gap and actually be one with Knowledge. That gap is filled by satsang, service, and meditation. All I can really say is that it's your effort, because if you want Knowledge to manifest in your life, if you really want to experience it, if you really want to understand it, then you'll have to try it.

So then we divide it into three segments to fill up the gap. It's like, to make cement, you need cement, a little stick, and water. Why do you need the stick? There's a purpose for it. And why do you need the cement? There's a purpose for it. Why do you need the water? There's a purpose for it. You have to take that cement, and you have to mix it just right so that it will in fact become solid for you, solid enough that you will be able to use it to build a bridge to cross over the gap. The better your ratio of materials, the better that strength, and the better you mix it, the more solid it's going to be.

So, there's satsang, service, and meditation. Meditation itself is the basis of the whole bridge. It's like, if we don't do meditation, then something is not going to be there and the thing that's not going to be there is the cement. We will have a stir stick and water and about all we will be able to do is take the stick and stir the water, but we will never be able to make a bridge.

And if you take the cement and the water but don't have a stir stick, then you will have to stir it by hand. When you do it by hand, a lot of people say, "Oh, Guru Maharaj Ji said the better we mix it, the better it's gonna be," so they start mixing it with their hands and they just keep on going, keep on going, keep on going until at one point they think it's all mixed right and they try to pull their hands out but they're stuck. It's all mixed so well that you can't even get your hands out. So, you really need all three things. Now, if you don't want to use a stir stick, you can get a big wagon and mix it in there. That's okay, so long as you mix it right. But those are the three things you need, satsang, service, and meditation. Service is like that stir stick, meditation is the cement, and satsang is the water. If you miss out on one of them, then you are really going to end up with a lot of problems.

That is why I'm going around and doing this tour, because I want premies to be clear about this. You know, there are a lot of concepts, there are a lot of rumours, there are a lot of things that happen. This Mission hardly needs any means of communication, because you can just take a premie in Denver, pull him to the side and tell him something, and boom! It's right across the world, just like that. But I want the premies to be clear about why there are all the channels, why there is the magazine, why there is the whole IHQ staff set up, and why I try to work with them. They try to work with me and everybody tries to work together so those channels will become clearer and clearer and clearer. So everything that is being said, everything that comes to you that is in fact coming

The Golden Age

through the proper channels is true.

What I'm trying to do, what is my idea and what has always been my idea, is that, yes, we will take the whole organisation and make an international staff. My idea was that, yes, I want to have a little button on a computer and as soon as I punch it from anywhere, it goes into one central computer and then it's fed all the way throughout the organisation, so that by the time it ends up in some other country, it doesn't mean something altogether different, so that it means exactly what I want it to mean. Because that was the problem that I was encountering with a lot of people. A lot of people would go, "Yes, Maharaj Ji has sent us here by his personal agya," though they never saw me. And to do this, and to do that, they would just get into a big jumble and poof! After a little while it would be a nice mess. But now, everything is just getting clear, everything is just getting really better.

What does the organisation consist of? Premies. And what is it for? It's for the premies. So until we're strong inside of us, somehow a whole complete cycle is not going to take place. It's like, if there is a very neat organisation all set up, but if the premies are confused all around the world, then that organisation will be no good, because all the premies are confused. And if all the premies are clear, but the organisation set up is wrong, then that's no good, because what's going to happen is that, yes, all the premies are trying very hard, but there's nothing really happening.

So it's all growing, it's all on the run. Everything is going as fast as it was before, except for rumours and just a bunch of jokes that a lot of premies throw around for kicks. I don't know why. Sometimes I hear these rumours and it's like, "Who said that? Wait a minute, I didn't say that." It was as if I would ask for a glass of water, and I would end up with a Fanta or a Coca-cola. It would just go from one person to the other, "Oh, Guru Maharaj Ji wants something." First it was, "Guru Maharaj Ji wants water." Then the other person would say, "Oh Guru Maharaj Ji wants something to drink. Get him a Coca-cola."

But this can all really happen effectively. There are a lot of premies who really want to see something happen, who really, really want to see something practically manifest. Well then, it can, and it can for you and it can for everybody. If you are clear, then everything can start becoming clear all around you. It really is based upon every premie. It might sound irrelevant, but it isn't. It's like if every premie's clear, the better it is for you, for everybody else and for me. It just becomes easier.

The job I have ahead of me is not just all potato chips, you know. It's a lot more. It's a job that I've taken over and I want to do it because in my life I've experienced that when people receive Knowledge, they become premies, and they become very happy. When I go out on the streets, watch t.v., or read newspapers, all I hear about is how this world is completely unhappy, how everything is just completely crumbling, how everything is just like war, war, war. One war ends, then another war begins; then that war ends, and another war begins. People say, "Oh, there was a first world war, and there was a second world war." But to me, it's always a world war, because somebody's fighting with somebody else all the time, all the time. And now the people say, "It's just like it's a big gimmick, it's just like a big joke, that it's always happening," but it's on the level of the whole earth that it is happening. And I want to live in an environment which is happy.

It's like, okay, in my house everybody has Knowledge, so it's really beautiful, but when I go out, everybody isn't beautiful. So, for both selfish and for non-selfish reasons, I just want to see everybody happy. Therefore, I've taken upon myself the job of making everybody happy. I have the solution for making everybody happy and that is Knowledge. Knowledge, in fact, can make people happy.

Sometimes it's very, very hard for people to believe that Knowledge can make people happy, just like that, poof! It's like, a car has four wheels on it, okay? But what if one wheel decides to go the other way? One wheel says, "No, no, I'm not gonna go this way, I wanna go there. This is where I come from." Or it's like, if you're driving in America and you have German tires on your car and all of a sudden the tyres decide to go to Germany, but you want to go to New York. It's just not going to be synchronised. So if you all are synchronised, if you all under stand, if you all are clear, then it can really be beautiful and it is getting very beautiful. ,

The reason why I'm saying this to you now is because everything is really beautiful, and everything is getting really clear, and if you're not clear, then you're going to miss out on a lot, because everything is really happening. So, all I can say is that if you want to realize that reality, if you want to realize that Knowledge, put your effort in now. And again, it goes back to the point that you have to really realize within inside of you how much you want it.

It's like that example I gave you. One person picks up the glasses, and says, "Gee, how do you see out of these things?" But the other person picks them up and says, "Now everything is clear." It's as simple as that. To one person it's all nothing, to another person, it's everything. Knowledge is what we have to understand, Knowledge is the answer, the solution, and if we're clear, if we're strong and if we're synchronised, all those things have to happen.

So try to understand what I'm saying. Maybe it's too much at one time, but just grasp it little by little. Remember, when you come to listen to satsang, come with an empty brain so that you can really, really understand what is being said, so you can really, really grasp what is being said, because that is for your benefit. Whatever benefit it does for me, I'm concerned about that, but it's limited to me, because we all are individuals. We're very, very limited individually. It's like, if I drink water, it's going to satisfy me, and that's the same way with satsang. When I give satsang, it's very beautiful, it's really beautiful for me, but you have to take advantage of it too. And when you do meditation, it's really beautiful for you.

There's really no set time for this life; it can go any time. And it's like, yes, this is a very beautiful life, yes, we are very fortunate, yes, look, the Creator has given us everything. Everything is at our disposal. This whole earth is at our disposal. Of course. by man's craziness, it's been divided, but it's all at our disposal: miles and miles and miles and miles and miles of beautiful ocean and forest, and it's cold and warm and hot and everything is there, everything is there. It's all very beautiful. But the only thing that isn't so guaranteed is life itself. Everything else is there, and while we have it, a lot of people think, "While we have it, why don't we just use it getting drunk? We should just use it up, just go out and eat, drink and be merry." But if you are really smart, if you're really wise, then you will realize. "Wait a minute, that's not what this life is for. This life is too

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meaningful, this life is too much to just be that, to just be something to waste on eat, drink and be merry. There is something that is meaningful in life, there is in fact, even something that this life has been given to us for."

This is what we all have to realize. A lot of times we forget this, because we've got it too easy, we really do. Even the people who stay completely drunk and lie down in the gutters, they've still got it too easy, because there's nobody standing on their heads saying, "I'm Mr. Death and I'm gonna get you any second." They're just there. We've all got it too easy. But as soon as somebody goes, "Knock knock," and you go, "Who is there?" "This is Mr. Death," then you don't go, "Death who?" Then it's like, "Oh-oh! Let's do something about it." But it's too late. Now is our chance, now is the opportunity to really get ourselves together. It's so beautiful that we have Knowledge, and for the people who don't have Knowledge, there is an opportunity to realize Knowledge. It's so beautiful to get our lives together, to really get this gift together in a way that it can be utilised in HIS service - that's capital H, capital I and capital S - HIS service. Because He has given us life, you know.

A lot of people talk about being selfish or non-selfish and this and that. But the thing is, if somebody came into your house and grabbed hold of your tape-recorder, sombody just comes in, breaks your door knob, grabs a hold of your tape-recorder and takes it away, what are you going to call him? Thief. Okay? Well, you know in England they don't have fences in their front yards, like in America. It's just all open and beautiful. Well, if somebody puts his lawnmower out there for a second, and somebody comes, grabs it and takes it away, what would you call him? Humanitarian? You'd call him a thief. And God has given us this life for our disposal, but we're just using it the way we want; we don't even heed to what He wants us to do with it. So what do we call ourselves? We say we're human beings, humanitarians. Well really, that's not the way it goes. It's much more involved than that, it's much more complicated than that. We really have to understand.

And then, of course, once we have done that, once we have really satisfied the motive of this life, then it really changes, because it doesn't mean we just sit in one room for the rest of our lives. No, then it all happens, it's all there. We still go out on the streets, we still go out and do things in the world, but it's all changed, because it all has a meaning behind it, it all has a theme behind it. Can you imagine trying to make a movie which has no theme to it? Or trying to write a story which has no theme to it? Can you imagine if you decide to make a movie, and you just sit in your car, turn on your camera, and look out through the windshield for three hours? Or you take a three hour car ride, so you make it three hours long, you bring it back home, cut off the ends, splice them together, put them on a projector, and say, "Here I have a feature film for you, ladies and gentlemen. It's a three-hour movie." Yes, of course, it's a feature film. It's featuring the windshield of the car and how it looks outside. But what is the real theme? Then you can do the same thing, but with a theme to it, showing a particular car or showing how the roads of somewhere looked. And, it can have a meaning to it. So that's the difference in our lives, that sometimes, when we don't have a meaning in our lives, we do a lot of things, but they're just sort of useless to us. It's like, we do them, but we don't really do them, and therefore there's no benefit. But when we realize the meaning of this life, and then we do it, then we do the exact same thing but it's different.

It's like, a lot of people clean streets, but why are they cleaning the street? Well, they are cleaning the street so that they can get paid. Well, why do they want to get paid? So they can go and get some food. Why do they want food? So they can go out and feed themselves. Why do they want to feed themselves? So they can live. Why do they want to live? I don't know. Why don't they just kick the bucket any day?

But then you can change it. Why is Mr. So & So cleaning the Street? Because he wants to get paid. Why does he want to get paid? Because he wants food. Why does he want food? So that he can live. Why does he want to live? So that he can serve his Lord. There's a vast change. One is, "I don't know." One ends with a question mark and one ends with an exclamation mark. And there's a vast difference.

If we have even had a glimpse of what reality is, then we are going to pick up that statement that has the exclamation mark at the end of it - and really implement it in our lives to serve our Lord. And if we have never glimpsed that reality, if nothing really exists for us, and we don't even want to see that reality, then we are just naturally going to pick something that ends with a question mark, because then life is going to stay like a question mark for us. And life is always a question mark, remember that, life is always a question mark. It's we who can unfold that question mark, it's we who can take a little rubber eraser and rub that question mark out, keep the bottom dot, just remove that curve and put a straighter one in there, and make it a nice exclamation mark. Then beauty and joy is in our life. It's we who can change it, because what man can do is unlimited.

Man could do everything; he could plow the surface of the earth, then he could drain all the water out of the ocean, then I guess he could start whipping all the air, cut all the trees, melt all the ice, take all the mountains in the world and turn them into statues … he could do a lot, really do a lot. And for man it's always a question mark, because there are too many things to do in this world. But then, it's so beautiful because, by the , by Knowledge and by the help of a Perfect Master, it can all really unfold and become something which is very beautiful. It's more beautiful than we can ever even try to imagine with our own limited concepts. It can really become beautiful, it can really manifest the way we would never have imagined it, and it's all up to us, it's all at our disposal, when we want to realize the true meaning of this life. It's just that simple and that beautiful. If we want to, we can; and if we don't want to, we just don't want to.

My job is to make you understand, to make you realize that there is a meaning, that there is a purpose for this life, there is a beauty that exists, and we can realize it, we can do it in this lifetime, so do it. Because once you do it, once you really understand, it all changes, it really does change. It all becomes beautiful. The dreams of man to be happy are realized. And then it really becomes a reality. What is now a man's concept of happiness, really, really manifests. So if you want to make your dreams come true, they can come true, by your own effort, by your own response to the Almighty, to that all-manifesting power that ever exists in this world.

What more can I say? It's all there. This is about all I should have said to begin with: it's all there. If you want it, take it.

If you don't want it, you don't want it. But it really is all there, for us to understand, for us to realize. Thank you very much and blessings to all the premies.