Barcelona Introductory Event 2001-06-01 CD AC0726EN

Maharaji: Barcelona Introductory Event 2001-06-01 CD AC0726EN

Thank you. What I'm about to talk about this evening is really very, very simple. And the reason why it is simple is because life is simple.

Now to a lot of people that may sound like life isn't simple, it's complicated. But think, what is it that you call life? And what is life itself? Remember when you were just a baby? Maybe a long time ago, but you were once a baby. You didn't have a job, you didn't have your own family, you really didn't understand the concept of relatives. To you, you existed. And maybe you didn't even think about existence as existence. You were there. That's obvious, because you are here. Without all the protocols, without all the ideas, without all the mental judgment definitions of what existence was, you existed. Today, maybe it is hard for you to think about existence without thinking about it.

What is existence? But you once existed without thinking about existence. And if it's true, then existence is always, regardless of what is going on, what is happening in your life, what circumstances you have been surrounded by, existence is. And you have this incredible miracle that is taking place within you every single second. You know, this is a very different definition of life. Usually people come out and they say, you know, life and your job and your, you know, this problem and your responsibilities and your, this problem and your future prospect and your ideas and your room for growth and your, you know, what's going to happen tomorrow and a year from now, what your goals are. And here I am.

I go around the world and I talk about those things. I talk about only one thing. I talk about that breath. I talk about, not about your ideas, but about you. I talk not about who and what you should be, but your potential to understand that joy, that peace that dwells in your heart. Yes, I do the impossible. I peel the two things apart. Nobody in this world wants to peel the two things apart because everybody is like, no, no, this has to be glued. Your existence is what is happening in your life. And I'm saying, no, what is happening in your life is transitory. It will change. However, one thing you will always have as long as you're alive is your existence.

Good things will happen and bad things will happen. You have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. Good things will happen. Bad things will happen. And yet you will still have this thing called existence. Things will go your way and sometimes things will not go your way. But you will still have this thing called the existence. You all know. You've got your clothes on. You go back home. You're going to take them off. Some of you are wearing suits. You go to sleep in a suit. Very uncomfortable. As soon as the situation will permit, people will take off their tie, take off their jacket. Why? When does your suit become you? When does your tie become you? You know that there is a difference. And so it is, that there is everything else, and then there is the simplicity of this existence. And it is sweet. And it is beautiful. It's challenging. It's confronting. Why? Because it can only be accepted by the heart. Now, this is where a lot of people get very confused. It's like, huh? You mean I use my brain? You know, it's one of those things.

There was once a king and some far-distance ambassador came to his court to pay respect to the king, brought some mangoes as a gift. The king was there, courtiers were there, ambassador comes, sire, I have brought you some mangoes. The king says, what is a mango? I have, I know what a mango is. So he says to his courtiers, he says, please check this out. So one takes it, smells it, and goes, a mango is something with a strange smell, something I've never smelled before. And the king says, I understand. So the other one says, okay, I'll taste it. So he cuts it and he tastes it and he goes, I know, king, mango is something that smells like something I have never smelled before and tastes like something I have never tasted before, but it is sweet. And the king says, I still understand. And the other one says, well, it's yellow outside and it's yellow on the inside and it smells like something I've never smelled before. It feels kind of gushy, soft, and it tastes like something I have, like I have never tasted before, but it is sweet. And the king says, I still understand what a mango is. The ambassador, he took a mango, he cut it, he put it on a plate, and he gave it to the king and said, here, taste it. And the king tasted it and he goes, hmm, that's a mango. That's a mango.

We have the power to think. And sometimes we fail to understand its limitations. And it has limitations. Thinking is great. Thinking is wonderful. Thinking is very powerful. You know, they're trying to make faster and faster airplanes. Thinking is better than any airplane. You could be sitting in this hall, and within less than a tenth of a second, you could transport yourself all the way to Hawaii. And not only that, you have to go through customs, you have to go through immigrations, you have to check in your luggage, and no turbulence. Smooth. You're there. But tell me, with all this might through which you can think, all this might that you can transport yourself all over the place, all the things that are virtually impossible, but with thinking you can accomplish, when it comes to thirst, and you are thirsty, do you think just by thinking about water your thirst will go away? No. You need water. Pure and simple. You can think about water, that's fine. And maybe thinking will even lead you to the tap. That's fine. But there is still that act of taking that water and somehow getting it to your mouth and swallowing, drinking. And when that water reaches your body, then and only then will the thirst be. Nowadays, water industry has really taken off. There is water, water, water, bottled water of all different designer bottles, designer water. If we could only think and quench our thirst by thinking, all this industry would be out of a job. But that's not how it is. We need to drink.

Peace, joy, and true happiness is not a subject of thinking. It must be felt. You cannot just say, well, I'm happy. Why am I happy? Well, I have a nice car and I have a very good dog. My kids are good in school. My wife is a great cook. I'm happy. Or I should be happy. Am I happy? Oh, I must be happy. Let me look at this wonderful dog. Who wouldn't be happy if they had a dog like that? I have good kids. I must be happy. Once again, we're trying to apply formulas to what we call is the real joy, the real happiness, the real truth, the reality, the reality that only the heart can recognize when it is so. And that's why every one of you having a heart is no mistake.

The Creator in incredible wisdom placed a mind and placed a heart in everyone. Knowing what the mind couldn't touch, the heart can do it. And it is from that place that you can begin to understand the simplicity of this existence, of what a gift it is to be alive.

To be, to exist, to understand, to know, to feel. We have felt sadness and we like it. We have felt pain and we like it. Have you felt that joy? And when you do, you like it. You have to be that judge. For me, my message to people, you have been given a gift. I can show you a way to get in touch with that gift. The gift that you have. Not ideas, not philosophies. This is not about coming here and going, okay, so give me something to think about. How about if I tell you the simplest of all truths? Will you be able to understand what that is? The simplest of all truths, you are alive. And that is the greatest news on the face of this earth.

That's the truth too. That you exist. That the miracle of this breath comes into you every second. And fills you and touches you. Ever wondered if there is a God? There it is. The most incredible evidence of that power that comes and touches you and fulfills you. That. That is your truth. That is your reality.

Will you be like this always? No. Once you were young, you have aged and you will age. Not a problem. Yes. Yes, it happens. What you could do six months ago, you may not be able to do six months later. Yes, it happens. Maybe you could walk ten miles. When you were young, you get a little older, maybe five miles. After that, maybe three miles. After that, two miles. After that, you get up, you're happy.

It's not the issue. Everybody gets surprised. Everybody gets, oh my God, you know, I can't see what I used to be able to see. Surprise? Surprise? Have you not seen your parents go through that? Not seen your relatives go through that? Of course. There are no surprises. The biggest surprise we place in front of ourselves is not accepting what we have been given.

You put a fish in a tank, a new fish in a tank. And the first thing is swim, swim, swim, swim, swim. And boom. It yet doesn't know. See, it's used to what? Being able to swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, swim. Maybe it was in a river, maybe it was in an ocean. It could swim for hours, no problem. It has not yet accepted the fact that it is in a little tank. And it sees a reflection, and it's its own reflection. And it swims, swims, swims, swims, swims, boom. Surprise! And then it turns around, it's a little stunned. And then swims, swims, swims, swims, swims, boom.

Surprise. So many have addressed this very issue. Why not accept what you have been given? Accept the joy of each breath. What? My breath can be joyful? Yes. Yes. What? In me? Is the solution? Yes. What? In me? Is the answer? Yes. Where are the questions? Not in you. Outside of you. And in you are the answers. Look outside, you will find the questions, but not the answers. Look within, you won't find the questions, but the answers. Strange. Strange. But true. Simple. But very effective. Because within you.

And I'm not the first one saying this. I'm merely repeating what has been said many, many, many times before. Within you is the solution. Know thyself. You. Now, I'm not going to get into trying to define what it means to know yourself, because you are the one who has to be the judge of knowing when you have known yourself.

People say, what is Knowledge? Then I say, Knowledge is a mirror. What do you give? A mirror. A mirror for what? So you can see yourself. And people say, well, I have seen myself. I've seen myself in a mirror. No, no, no, no. You see even when you see yourself in a mirror. You see to see what is wrong. You wake up in the morning, you come in front of the mirror. Hmm. Maybe you shave in front of the mirror, you put on your shaving cream, and you're looking. Where did I miss? Where did I cut myself? We even have the art to be able to look into a mirror. That's art, too. To be able to see oneself without judgment. The world judges us, and we say, okay, judge away. We judge other people. And we like it. Gives us power, gives us the might.

Cool, great. But to see. To see.

When you see a sunset, what do you see? What do you see? An orange ball? Do you look at the colors? And you go, beautiful colors? When you see a sunrise, what do you see? Now, allow me to tell you, next time you see a sunset, check this out. Next time you see a sunset, look at the sunset, look at the sunset, and then remember, you're alive.

You exist. You. You. There is no one like you on the face of this earth. Only you. Do you know, you could give your ideas to someone, you could give your jacket to someone, you could give your watch to someone. You can never give your breath to another person. You can never give this life to another person. It's not possible to transplant that. It's unique. And every moment is unique.

And every day, there will be a sunset. And every day, there will be a sunrise. At least around the equator. They get too far north, six months, nothing. But around the equator, there will be a sunrise, there will be a sunset. And there will be people who will stand and they will admire the colors. And then there will be those people who will admire something else. Because they can see a little bit beyond the sun. They can see a little bit beyond the color. They can see a little bit beyond the blue. They can see themselves. They will see a forest, and they will see a little bit beyond the forest.

They'll see themselves. And they'll know that that is a gift, too, to be able to witness that, because they are alive. And they will be thankful. And they will allow their heart to be filled with gratitude. Gratitude. Thankfulness. Not obligatory thankfulness, but a thankfulness comes from within you. That you are thankful. Gratitude. To know. Not because somebody has whispered something in your ear, but you know.

To be thankful, not for the sunset, but for that breath that is allowing you to see the sunset. Because remember, there will be many, many, many sunsets, even after you're gone. Many. And you won't see them. There's something else going on that is allowing you to see the one that is taking place in front of you.

So yes, I quote scriptures. So yes, I talk about on and on, oh yes, this is true because it is written over there, or this is true because somebody said so. No. You must know.

Can I drink a glass of water for you and quench your thirst? Never. As I cannot quench your thirst by drinking water, you must drink the water yourself. And that's what it's about. For each person to know for themselves, to feel for themselves, and find that fulfillment. Why? Why? Ask your heart, not your mind. The mind will say, well, you need it.

It's okay. Get a better dog. Send the wife to a cooking school. More dishes. More happiness. Push the kids a little harder to get better grades. More pride. No. I would say all that, or none of that. It's irrelevant. The simplicity of accepting that gift every single day. This is what I'm talking about. What about this fast-paced world? The world's always too fast. Even a thousand years ago, it was too fast for people of that time. Ah, look what's happening. You have been given this time. With incredible consciousness. This is your ally. This is your friend. Consciousness. Because this is what you can be all about. To be conscious. Conscious of every moment that you have. What I'm talking about is more expensive than all the gold in this world. It's worth more than all the money put together in this world. You know, the sadness of the story is, the wealthiest always thought he was poor. Didn't know.

Buried within is a treasure of joy. Of contentment. Of happiness. Of love. Of understanding. Of clarity. Of consciousness. Of being aware. The joy of that clarity. Ah. Thank you for today. Thank you for right now. Thank you for this breath. Thank you for this life. Thank you. For this gift that I receive. We have set ourselves up. We have set ourselves up so that other things do not slip by us.

In case somebody calls, we have a machine. It's called the answering machine. So if we are not there, we want to miss our calls. So yes, this machine takes the calls. I'm not available right now. But please leave your name, number, and message. And I will get back to you as soon as I can. Do you have a machine like that for yourself? I want to miss a day. I want to miss an hour. I want to miss a second. Please remind me never to forget of what I have. Never to forget. Because that's one thing I cannot afford. Life is too short. I agree. And people work very hard to make it as long as they can. This is what people wish each other. I wish, you know, I hope you live forever. Ever is a long, long time. But may every day that you exist be fulfilled. Every day.

Every day, may you be filled with unparalleled joy. May every day you understand this clarity and see through the clear eyes and clear vision with great consciousness all that you have been given. And not a single moment of your life should be a regret. That's a challenge. It's easier to climb a mountain. It is. It would be easier to copy, handwritten copy, all the books in the world. It would be easier to memorize Encyclopedia Britannica than to remember to be thankful for every moment that we have on the face of this earth. What a shame. Because when that last breath comes, then what do you do? Then what do you do? That's it. That's it. And it does come. You have to worry about it. You have to think about it. It comes. So be concerned about now. Not about yesterday. It's gone. Finished. It's finished with you. You may not be finished with it. It's finished with you. So let it go. And you may be ready for tomorrow, but tomorrow is not ready for you.

So there's only at one time when you exist. It's called now. Yet you worry about yesterday and tomorrow.

Wrong flight. It's like you live in Delhi, but you think you are in Washington. And you drive for hours and you get to a single place you're going. How are you going to get to where you want to go? You are in Delhi, and you think you're in Washington DC. All the lefts and the rights mean the same thing. So all your time is wasted thinking about yesterday. Oh my god, you know, it was terrible yesterday. Oh no, no. Or what's going to happen tomorrow? And you live in now. What a waste. What a waste. And what do you waste? Irrecoverable commodity. Irrecoverable commodity gets wasted. So find this now. It's in you.

This is what you are. This is what you're all about. This is what I offer. Is that mirror that way to be able to get in touch? What's my role in it? Long time ago I explained this to someone. You know, there is this plant. It generates electricity. And then this electricity goes through the wires, through the transformers, through big distribution transformers, more wires. And it goes and it goes and it goes and it goes and it goes and it goes. And then it goes to this bulb. And in the bulb there is a little tiny little piece of wire. Very little. But when the electricity goes through that little piece of wire, it lights up. I'm like that little piece of wire. I'm not the generating plant, and I'm not the wires. But when it's dark and you need to see, remember those two things.

When it's dark and you need to see, a bulb comes in handy. That's my part. So if you want to know of that thing, you can. This is what I do. I make that available. A lot of people go, well, it sounds good. Give it to me now. No. No, no, no. You work it out. You find your thirst first. Thirst first. Thirst first. take my words and say, oh yeah, that sounds good. No, no. You have to hear your own story. And when you do, you will know. And when you do, I'll be happy to show you the way inside. Oh yes, give me the key. Well, you know, find the door. A lot of people are like, give me the key, give me the key, give me the key. If you even know where the door is, what good is the key going to do? What are you going to do? Just go around, find anything and try to put a key in it? It doesn't work like that. Find the door. Maybe you shake it a little bit. See if it's really locked. Maybe it's not locked. It's locked. Look at the lock. Oh, it needs a key. Okay, I'm ready. Maharaji, give me the key. Then I give you the key. Then you know where to put the key. And then you go unlock the door.

Is this going to make you rich? No. Is it going to make your heart rich? Yes. Is this going to make you hyper intelligent? No. It'll make you more conscious. Whatever that's worth to you. So be it. I'm here. This is what I do. Go around the world. Giving people a lot of good news. A lot of good news. I like it. It is a lot of good news. There's a lot to celebrate. You know, stock markets went down a few months ago. Everybody was like, oh, my God. But I come to those people, too, and I say, by the way, guys, I know the stock market is down, but there's something to celebrate about. What? You are alive. And some people go, it'd be better to celebrate if our stocks were up, too. Stocks may go up. Stocks may go down. But alive you will be, rich or poor. For better or for worse. For rich or for poor. Your spouse is supposed to say that to you. Something has already made this promise to you. Already.

This breath has made this promise to you. Shouldn't you get to know it? For better or for worse. For rich or for poor. In sickness and in health. Yes. The only thing that by design will be there till your last moment. Nothing else. Nothing else. Think about it. I thank you for coming this evening. I hope you have enjoyed yourself. I enjoyed myself. And there's information available if you want to pursue it. If not, this is okay, too. Just remember you're alive. And next time you watch the sunset, just remember there's something more to that sunset than just the orange color and blue skies. That's good, too. Thank you very much, and good night.