In this speech, Rawat proposes a simple experiment to discover a "solution" to the "problem" of life. "You know, you don't even have to be that smart if you just write down everything. All you have to do is, by process of elimination, say, "Well, we tried this and this really doesn't work all that efficiently. We have tried that and that doesn't work all that efficiently, so what's left?" What have we not tried in this life? Have we really given a chance to something so much more profound that is within our own self? Unfortunately for Rawat's thesis, hundreds of thousands if not millions of people have tried his solution - his so-called "Knowledge" - and already eliminated it. It turns out to be another cult religion led by an ignorant charlatan that for some people will provide a bit of a lift in life for a while but the great majority will either not believe it's worth a try or leave in disgust or in apathy after weeks, months or decades.
Rawat's education was cut short by the opportunity he had to got to the West and free himself from his mother's control. From around his 30th birthday he demonstrated in his speeches that he was picking up information about the world outside but the sources seem to have been television and other forms of popular culture. He states in this speech that "Sweden has the richest people on the face of this earth and has the highest number of suicides." Neither of these "facts" are true. They are urban myths and are as false as his claims for his "Knowledge".
Determine your priority
Maharaji / Madras, India
November 6, 1990
(Public Program)
I think you have already heard a lot of things. Maybe a lot of expectations have come and gone in your own head. You have been welcomed here this evening and I would like to welcome you, too. But the paradox is that I really don't want to welcome you, I want to welcome something inside of you. Because who you are and what you are, and what you can be and what you possess inside of you--what resides inside of you is so much more limitless than the limits that you--the other you--have placed on your very own self. And that is such a paradox that you are imprisoned by your own self. Nobody has imprisoned you. Nobody has put the handcuffs on you, except you yourself have managed to imprison your own self.
problems as merely
sysmptoms…and there
is a very big difference
between symptoms
and problems. If I
have got a rock in my
shoe and it's hurting
me, how many
aspirins should I
take? How many
doctors should I visit?
The Solution
And somehow, when you look at this world--Because I .am not here to try to offer solutions to the problems of this world, I only see amproblems as merely symptoms. They are not problems, they are symptoms and there is a very big difference between symptoms and problems. If I have got a rock in my shoe and it's- hurting me, how
36 Life Force - October-December 1990
many aspirins should I take? How many doctors should I visit? Or should I merely just stop, undo my shoe, shake the rock and I can very comfortably continue on my journey. And when I look at this world, and I look at human beings--I mean, human beings from everywhere and every human being, every single being I see an incredible potential. I see that you have the possibility. You have the possibility to be content. After all, you must remember, you are in the evolutionary ladder still evolving. Evolution is not finished yet. It has begun. It actually began for human beings not that long ago. In fact, there were a lot of dinosaurs running around on the face of this earth and God was kind enough to get rid of them before he created the human beings. Because it would have been a real clash. I don't know if human beings would have survived being trampled by the giant dinosaurs that existed at that time.
And we're still evolving. We are still evolving. And the thing that makes us so different is because we are supposed to be homo sapiens. Not just homo erectus-the fellow who could finally stand up-- that was homo erectus. You and I, in fact, belong to a species called homo sapiens. And the difference in the homo erectus and homo sapiens is this : that homo sapiens is, of course, homo eretus, plus has something up here, called the big brain. Can think. Can decipher. Can decide.. Can Feel. And most of all, can contemplate, We can contemplate, we can actually say,
human beings--I mean, human beings from
everywhere and every human being, every single
human being, I see an incredible potential. I see
that you have the possibility. You have the
possibility to be content.
"If I did this, this might happen." Now, that is an incredible power that we actually possess. But, what have we done with it? What have we done with it? What is going to work? Ultimately, what is going to work? There are countries that believe in democracy. There are countries that believe in communism. There are countries that have the financial structure as being socialists, other countries that believe in Capitalism. There are people who believe in kings, there are people who believe in
Life Force - October-December 1990 37
chance to something
so much more
profound that is
within our own self?
Have we ever given it
a chance? We have
talked about it We
have books about it.
politicians. Well, the fact of the matter is, none of it works. Political systems were started not that long ago. And it doesn't take anybody but with a slight amount of brain to say, "It's not that efficiently taking shape." So, what is going to work? Capitalism? Sweden has the richest people on the face of this earth and has the highest number of suicides. When I was there in Sweden, I went to open my window and I was really surprised because it only opened about two inches. And the reason was -- so that you wouldn't jump out of the window. So, which one is it going to be?
What is the solution? What works? Do human beings as a species work? And if not, then what is going to work? You know, you don't even have to be that smart if you just write down everything. All you have to do is, by process of elimination, say, "Well, we tried this and this really doesn't work all that efficiently.
We have tried that and that doesn't work all that efficiently, so what's left?" What have we not tried in this life? Have we really given a chance to something so much more profound that is within our own self? Have we ever given it a chance? We have talked about it. We have books about it. But let me tell you that if somebody came to you and said, "I am going to be travelling in this remote part of India at night." And you will say to him, perhaps, "Do you have a flashlight? A torch? Something to show you? Light up your way?" And he says, "Of course I do. I have this picture of the sun." And he pulls out a picture of the sun. And he says" "This was taken when the sun was the brightest and I'm going to take this with me and when it gets dark, I'll pull this picture out and bingo, It should be light." Right? Wrong. The sun can do it, not the picture. Because the picture is not the living experience. The picture is only a shadow. Only a reflection. It cannot do it.
Recognise The Gift
So then, what can? And that's where it becomes so simple. Because what has to happen? I was reading a very beautiful saying today. That even the sun and the moon don't shine on clouded water. In dirty water--in murky water--even the sun and the moon
38 Life Force - October-December 1990
clouded water. In dirty water--in murky water--
even the sun and the moon don't shine. The water
has to be clear and then the reflection that falls in
that water is also clear.
don't shine. The water has to be clear and then the reflection that falls in that water is also clear. My message to you is not based on religion; my message to you is not based on ideas; my message to you is not based on philosophy because I think that at the end of the day you cannot have a conversation with a thirsty man if you don't have water to offer to him. That at the end of the day, this thirsty man really cares about water. I mean, given a choice of a king--a super intellectual, the best politician and a beggar with a jug of water, who would you prefer to see in the middle of the desert if you are dying of thirst? The king? The politician? The doctor? Or somebody that has a jug of water? Because what is the king going to say?--"I will command that you should drink water." The politician will say, "I suggest you should drink water. Yes, we will make, you know, in our future plans, a canal to come through the desert." And the doctor is going to say, "Yea need water desperately, otherwise you are going to die."
And the beggar has nothing to say to you. Words need not be exchanged. The only thing that's really needed is that jug of water because that can take care of everything else. And that's the same way--that within you, within each human being, there is a heart. There is a heart. There is intellect. There is logic. This logic has to be trained. Untrained, it's very dull. But there is another logic.
And this other logic does not need to be trained. In fact, this and this are quite opposite. Just opposite of each other. This needs to be trained, this doesn't need to be trained. And have you in your life ever felt confusion? What is confusion? To me, it's very simple. When this goes one way and this goes the other way, you are in the middle. Like a big tug of war. And that causes ultimate confusion. You know that something inside of you is saying, "No. No." And something on the outside is saying, "But, I have this and I have this and I have this. And I have to make my decision and I have to do this." I mean, to me, it is so absurd.
Life Force - October-December 1990 39
Because this will say, "Hurry up." And this will say, "Take your time," You know? This will say, "Hurry up." What am I speeding up for? You know what's going to happen to me at the end of this life? I'm going to die just like every one of you. That's what at the end, so that's what I'm speeding up for. Who in their right mind wants to speed up for that? That's called suicide. But we all do. "Flurry up. Hurry up. Hurry up." Hurry up to what? Don't you know what's at the end? But today--today, you were given an incredible gift. When you woke up this morning--when you woke up this morning, you were given an incredible gift and the gift was called "life." The
not based on religion;
my message to you is
not based on ideas; my
message to you is not
based on philosophy
because I think that at
the end of the day you
cannot have a
conversation with a
thirsty man if you
don't have water to
offer to him.
gift was called "another day." And how did you spend your day? How did you do it? You did it like you have spent any other day. In fact, you hope and pray that tomorrow is also very similar to today. In fact, people go to great lengths to make sure nothing changes. That everything stays basically the same.
And so, what did you do with the most incredible gift? People say, "Be reasonable. Be responsible. You have to have a job to support yourself." I say, "Fine. You have a job to support yourself. But--but, What is your priority?" There was--not too long ago, actually, there was this crew. They were flying the airplane. The flight engineer felt thirsty, so he asked the captain, "Can I go back and get a glass of water?" He went back. Meanwhile, while he was back, the co-pilot said, "I would like to stretch my legs, " so he went back. The captain decided that he wanted to use the bathroom, so he got up and he went to the bathroom. There was nobody flying the airplane. Nobody. The auto-pilot was flying the airplane. There was no captain, no co-pilot, no flight engineer in any one of their seats. The airplane had an anti-terrorist door. That meant that you could not open it from the outside. It had to be opened from the inside of the cockpit. There was nobody in the cockpit. The away and the future which has yet to come.
40 Life Force - October-December 1990
door slammed shut, the captain, the co-pilot, and the flight engineer were in the back of the airplane. When they tried to get in, it wouldn't open because the keys to the door were in the captain's jacket which was hung in the cockpit. Now, you can understand the predicament. The predicament was incredible. Because all the passengers--all the passengers in the airplane could see the crew trying to get back into the cockpit and they couldn't. It finally took them something like 45 minutes with a crash ax to get through the door. You can imagine the joy of the passengers to see the captain and the co-pilot with a crash ax hammering through this airplane door while they are flying. And there's nobody in the cockpit. Priorities.
Never forget your priority
reasonable. Be
responsible. You have
to have a job to
support yourself" I
say, "Fine. You have
to have a job to
support yourself But--
but, what is your
priority?"
And because when the 'time came, the flight engineer said, "Glass of water." Hey--no problem in a glass of water. I'm thirsty, I need water. So he walked away. Co-pilot was sitting there. "I need to stretch my legs. My legs are hurting." Hey--there's no problem. And so then, the captain says, "Ah. I need to use the bathroom." What happened? What went wrong? Very simple. All three of them--all three of them forgot their priority. That's what went wrong. And when they finally got into the door, they were about two minutes from entering Libyan air space--withoutpermission. I mean, they would have been shot down.
So what I am trying to say to you is that there are tons of excuses that we can make in our lives and say, "Well, this has to happen. This has to happen. Because this is the norm." Right? What is the norm of this life? Do you know what the norm of this life is? You were born and one day, you will die. Nobody likes to talk about the subject of death. It's sad and it's terrible. But, there is nobody--nobody.The law says--and not the law of the government and not the law .of the land. But the law of the Creator says, "You will die. You have been born and you will die." Nothing can be done about it. People are trying. People want to live forever. They don't know why they are
Life Force - October-December 1990 41
Do you know what the norm of this life is?
You were born and one day, you will die.
living today, but they want to live forever. I don't know what they are going to do. They don't know what they can do now. They get to be 85 years old, they don't know what to do in the 85 years of their life, but they want to live forever. What is the reason? What is the life? What is this gift? What is this treasure? Am I--are you--really sitting in the front of a pool that has muddy water in it trying to see a clear reflection? Because if you want to see a clear reflection, then clear the water. Clear that water. Clear that perspective and make that priority clear in your life.
Last night, we were having an event in Goa. It was a very beautiful event. A lot of people were there. We were talking about it.Mahatmaji was saying a very simple story. A very simple story. He said there were people looking in a pond and they saw a necklace. And everybody kept jumping and trying to get the necklace. And everybody would swear up and down that they could see the necklace. And they said, "This must be some kind of an absurd trick" Because every time they jumped into the water, the necklace disappeared, until a saint came along. And said, "Wait a minute. The necklace that you want is not there--look up. It's hanging from the branch. You're jumping after the shadow. Don't jump after the shadow. Look up and recognize. Look within. Open your own eyes. Open your heart." And people say, "How? Homo sapiens. Definitely have acquired a trick to ask the most complicated questions. That's about it. The answers? Homo sapiens, in fact, think that if anything is simple, it must not be worth anything.
You know, a few months ago, there was an article in the newspaper. Somebody went shopping in this market where they sold antiques. So, this guy picked up a paper weight or something like that for just a few dollars. Nothing. A paper weight. Old, used paper weight. Now. What that paper weight was not a paper weight. It was a big uncut diamond. A real uncut diamond. And it was worth millions of dollars. And he picked it up for just a few dollars. I say to you, if you can go back in that market and just understand the predicament of the guy who is selling it: "This is only worth 50 cents. But I'm going to make some money. I will say it's
42 Life Force - October-December 1990
worth 5 rupees." And he's happy. Can you imagine? He is happy. Are you going to sell something that is worth 50 paisas for 5 rupees? He is going to realize how much profit? Almost 500 percent. I mean, he is going to make a killing. The guy who sees the uncut diamond--can you understand his predicament? 5 rupees? For a diamond that is worth millions? Can you imagine his joy? I mean--and the amazing thing is, they are both elated, right? This guy--he is elated because he is making a 500 percent profit. And the guy who is buying the diamond--he is elated because he is buying it for--I mean, I can see--his blood pressure must have been sky high. Like, "Please God. Just--here is 5 rupees, you know, give me the diamond and sign the receipt. , It's mine." But can you then imagine--and this guy walks away--he probably didn't say a thing. He walks away with this
forever, They don't
know why they are
living today, but they
want to live forever. I
don't know what they
are going to do. They
don't know what they
can do now.
diamond. And this guy walks away with his 5 rupees and they are probably like, "Ha, ha, ha!" You know? But can you imagine the next day when the story came out in the newspaper? Can you imagine the guy who sold the diamond for 5 rupees? I mean, this didn't happen in India. It really did happen in America. It was amazing. It was absolutely amazing.
The wisest person
And this is what I have to say, too. That maybe--maybe if somebody comes to you and says, "Okay. You know. Tomrrow, you will pass away." There was this joke--It's like, this doctor has this patient. And he knew that the patient was going to die and so, all the tests were done and finally, the doctor got hold of the patient. And the doctor said to the patient--you know, "How am I doing doctor?" the patient said. And the doctor said, "Well, I have some good news for you and I have some bad news for you. So which one are you going to want first?" And the patient said, "Well, doctor, give me the good news first." And the doctor said, "Well, you are gong to live for two days." He said, "So, what's the bad news?" He says, "For a day and a half, I have been trying to get hold of you". So, the good news is, you are going to live for two days. The bad news is, for a
Life Force - October-December 1990 43
day and a half the doctor has been trying to get hold of you, so you've only got about a half day left. So, which one? What is obvious is obvious. But in this life--you know, I have said this many times. I have said, "The wisest person--if you want to know who is the wisest person--is the guy who knows he is dying and he's got five minutes left." He is wise. He is really wise. Because if his children came to him and said, "Father, I have just crashed your car." The answer would be, "No problem, my son. It's yours." You know? "It's yours. You can have it." The wife comes to you and says, "By the way, I'm leaving you." And you say, "Have a happy life." Fine. No problem. Five minutes left, right? The tax collector comes and says, "By the way, you have back taxes you haven't paid." "Take them. Take whatever you want. I'm going. I'm leaving." I mean, wisdom. Talk about invincible. Invincible. That's what you would be. But the fact of the matter is, you are invincible now. Now.
I know. A lot of people have come to me who know that they are going to die. And they come and I saw one person. In fact, a long time ago, somebody gave me a letter. "You know, this person is passing away and they want to meet you." And I was afraid. It was like, "Well, what am I going to tell them?" You know? What am going to say? But what they had to say to me was so incredible. Because what they had to say to me was, "Thank you. Thank you for making this life so beautiful. Thank you for showing me what I always had." And that is the same way, my friends. Don't wait for the political system to become just right. Because there is no country that has one. , Don't wait for the taxes to come down because they won't. They can't. Inflation, it's called. Mathematically, it's impossible. What are you waiting for? What people wait for is, "I'll retire. Then--" Retire? What if life retires before you retire from life? What if there is a real ambiguity there? What are you going to do? Now is the moment. Now is the moment to make that priority. To turn within and say, "Yes. It matters to me. I want to be content in this life. It matters to me. I want to have--I want to have my heart filled with gratitude towards my Creator and not because somebody has told me it should be that way. But I want to feel the gratitude my own self." That's the difference. So many parents--so many parents. You know, one time I was talking to my wife. I said, "Isn't it incredible. The little child asks the question to his father, 'Father, what is God?' " And what does the father do? Starts telling him what is God. As though the father has met God face to face.
44 Life Force - October-December 1990
You know, one idiot is quite capable of breeding another idiot.
What is this gift?
What is this treasure?
If you want to see a
clear reflection, then
clear the water. Clear
that water. Clear that
perspective and make
that priority clear in
your life.
I said, "Why cannot the father turn to his son and say, "My son, search. And one day, you will find the asnswer to your question." Search. People don't do that. They are ready to open the cranium, pour the information, screw the cranium back on, "Now you know." Know what? Nothing. Because it doesn't work like that.But to know. People say, "Here is a prayer. Learn this prayer." I had to learn a prayer. I went to a Catholic school. I had to learn a prayer and I had to learn it. And I learned it and every morning I said it and I never understood a word of it. I fanatically recited that prayer. Very quickly. I mean, in our school, the pastor used to--One day, I heard this record and it was that prayer in song form and I said, "Oh, my God. These are the words that I have been reciting for some 7, 8 years?" I didn't even know them. And so, how can I feel that gratitude? I can only feel that gratitude if I can only understand what I have been given. And so, I am not trying to present a philosophical picture. This would be all philosophy were it not for a practical experience that is involved. That, yes, you can know. You see, that's the difference. I am not here to say, "Well, folks, it was nice of you to come here. Now, go back to your rat race." Because there is a saying, "Even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat." At the end of it, you are still a rat. You don't transform into anything else.
Student of life
What I am saying is that you have that capacity. Think about it. Think about it and if you want to know, come and ask questions. A lot of people say, "Give it to me right now." No, no. Look. As old and untraditional as this may sound in this modern age, I am talking about a real relationship that has to exist between a student and a teacher. You know, I like modern things, but here is a tradition I think, that was formedfor right reasons. And the reasons still are valid today. If you want to transfer water from one bucket to the other bucket, you know what
Life Force - October-December 1990 45
has to be done? One bucket has to be lower, one bucket has to be higher and that's how gravity works. Gravity goes downwards. Flows downwards, not upwards. You come, you think about it and if you are willing to become a student--Now, student of what? Student of life. If you are willing to become a student of life, then I can help you become a student of this life. Because why and how? How is this possible? Because I, myself, am a student of this life. I am a student, too. Within me, also a seed ws planted. And today, I am thankful because that seed is flourishing. You see, the Master exposes the possibility. How does the Master expose the possibility? It's so beautiful. Because when you walk toward the Master with one seed in your hand, the Master says, "You have a forest in the palm of your hand." The cynical guy--the idiot -- says, "Hey. There's nothing in that seed." And it's true, there is nothing in that seed. Is there a tree in that seed? Really? Is there a tree? Is there an oak tree in an acorn? Is there really a palm treee in a coconut? Really? Then let's split one open and see where it is. In fact, you can do that. You can split a coconut open and you won't find one. But is there? Yes. Of course there is. Of course there is. And so, what does the Master do? The Master says, "No, my friend. You don't have one tree -- you have a forest." He shows the possibility. Because from that one seed will come one tree and that one tree will have many seeds and when those seeds are sown, they'll have many more trees and many more and many more and many more.
I mean, you are talking about power of something here. Incredible. And so it is. So simple. So beautiful. That that oasis can also be true. Can also be established in your own heart. And you can drink. You can drink from your own fountain within. The amazing thing is, you may have
46 Life Force - October-December 1990
heard of Brahmanand. He said some amazing things quite a few hudred years ago. He said that within, there is this beautiful palace without any foundation. The blind man sees this palace and he describes how beautiful it is. Now, Brahmanand talks about a vision. A vision which a blind man sees. Brahmanand talks about a sound that a deaf person can hear. Brahmanand talks about a feeling inside that rises and descends. Is born and it dies. Brahmanand talks about an experience within that with an incredible ladder, a person without any feet can climb it and drink from the most incredible fountain and be satisfied.
True love
Not too long ago, I had a Knowledge session in Los Angeles. After the Knowledge session, one person said to me, he said, "I want to give you an apple." And I said, "Sure." I was expecting an apple. He brought me a little piece of paper. And on this little piece of paper, he had written a poem. And you know what? You know what's beautiful and amazing about this? He had never heard of Brahmanand, nor had he ever heard the bhajan that Brahmanand had written. But you know what this person had described in his little poem? The same thing that Brahmanand did. Because - because whoever you are -- whatever you are -- you can feel that feeling as well. And this is the crux of my message. Think about it. If you want -- if you want this feeling inside your life, come, ask. Hear some more and it will happen. If you don't want to have a thing to do with this, fine. But remember one thing: whether you receive this gift, whether you try to fill your heart with gratitude or not, whether you try to see a difference in your life or not, or maybe the only thing that matters to you is to become a chairman of the company that you work for. Maybe that's all that you care about. Maybe all you want is a quick method of alleviating all the pain. But just remember one thing. Whether it's pain, whether it's suffering, whether things are good, whether things are bad, whether things are going your way, whether things are not going your way you are still a gift. You are still a gift. And within you -- it doestn't matter when you are the poorest or when you are the richest -- but within you, there is the most incredible treasure and it always will be there. Always will be there. Whether you are young, whether you are old. Whether you are intelligent, whether you are really dumb. It doesn't matter. It will always be there. And know that you walk this earth with an incredibly amazing strength. That your Creator, my Creator has given us
Life Force - October-December 1990 47
political system to
become just right
Because there is no
country that has one
Don't wait for the
taxes to come down
because they won't.
They can't.
more than we can ever ask for. And that is the way it is. And it always will be and nobody and nothing can ever change that. Because that is the true expression of true love.
Love is not something that has to be branded. Love is not something that has to be displayed. Love is there. Love is there whether you are with the lover or not with the lover. The kind of love that only manifests when you are there with the other person is called lust, not love. Love is love. It is there no matter what happens. And that Creator has real love. Real love. Because even if you don't ever want to fill your heart with gratitude, even if you don't want to recognize that which is gifted to you, is still yours. It is not taken away. And that's real love. And walk with that love. Feel that love in your life. And enjoy. Enjoy this existence as much as you can. Because one day, my friends, everybody is going to get the same treatment. It's going to be, "Goodbye." Today everybody goes, "Ta ta," in India -- you know, goodbye? Well, there will be the final one. And after that, no more hello's and no more bye's. Everything just gets merged and you will be gone. And if you are under any illusion that that will not happen to you, you should look at yourself again in the mirror and you should look around and go look at a graveyard. And just look at those people. You know, everybody who has died before you has left you a message, by the way. And the message is, "What has happened to them is going to happen to you, too." Be wise. Be wise. Because there is no reason for desperation because you will die. But there is so much that you can have in this life. It doesn't matter how young you are or how old you are.
So thank you for listening to whatever I had to say. I hope you can absorb some of that because it is for you. It is for your benifit. It is a simple relation. I am human, you are human. From one human to another human. That there can be that transaction. There can be that feeling. And the rest is completely up to you. So thank you very much and good night.
48 Life Force - October-December 1990