Maharaji: A Persistent Voice 2004 E161

Maharaji: Words of Peace A Persistent Voice 2004 E161

Maharaji, as Prem Rawat is widely known, speaks to people around the world about the possibility of finding inner peace and contentment. He started addressing audiences when he was only three years old. At the age of 13, he was invited to address audiences in London and Los Angeles [as Guru Maharaj Ji, The Lord of the Universe]. Since then, he has presented his message to over 6.5 million people in more than 50 countries. Speaking at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand, he recently said, the peace that we are looking for is already in the heart. It needs to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. Maharaji's message is more than words. People who listen to him express finding profound inspiration, a fresh perspective on life and peace within themselves.

We are here this evening to listen to what I have to say. But I always find myself in a bit of a precarious position. Because what I have to say, you already know. And therefore, I'm not here to tell you something new. But hopefully, to evoke that one beautiful, simple feeling, that one simple voice that has been so persistent in your life. Even though you may have done amazing amount of work to silence it, I'm going to undo all that. If you let me, that's what I want to do. Because in the lack of actually feeling peace, we have in our own way created a picture of peace. And this picture of peace differs for every person.

If you've got a noisy neighbor, and you go ask this person, well, what do you think peace is? Well, you can just stop that music next door, that would be peaceful. If you are in a store and you are over parked, your meter has run out and you're watching the parking attendant moving car to car to car to car to car. And you're looking at this picture and you want to go there and you want to do, you know, put the coins in. This person is already writing a ticket to you. And I know, I've seen people. It's like they're going, please, please. I mean, at that moment, if the Almighty was to just show up and say, what do you want? I'm afraid they'll say, can you get rid of this ticket? Because peace becomes this alternative to our problems. And then the definition becomes, I do not like my problems. Hence, if I had peace, I have to put up with my problems. But that's not what peace is.

Peace isn't that. Peace is that feeling inside that exists exactly the same for every single human being on the face of this earth. A thirst for a peace that has always existed in this world. In your life. Always. And the water to quench that thirst has also existed in your life. And it has always existed within you.

That's the peace I'm talking about. Not the solution to our problems. Not the wall that stands behind the reasons. Because we have our reasons. Some people say, nah, peace isn't going to happen. Because we have reasoned it out. Like a lot of people I meet in this world, and it's like, well, this is never going to happen for me. Why not? They've got their reasons. I was thinking about something. There are people in this life who give up. And of course, I've always said that we on this planet earth cannot live in a vacuum. So we need to fill the vacuum. When we give up, there is a vacuum. And we fill that vacuum with reasons. Reasons of why we can't do it. Reasons of why I cannot have peace in my life. Reasons of why this truth does not exist. Reasons, reasons, reasons, reasons, reasons. And some of them are so clever that they sound so good and legitimate that it is very, very hard to tell the difference.

But the only person who can tell the difference is the person who has not given up. Because to them, it is not a matter of the reason or how good a reason is. It is a matter of not giving up. Having that feeling in this life. Having that commitment in this life. Having that joy in this life. You see, those things may be called with different words, but they mean the same exact thing. And whether you call it joy, whether you call it peace, whether you call it happiness, whether you call it contentment, it is, all those names are for the same thing. Or, indeed, if you want to, you can even call it success. Because that's the society we live in. Success. I want to be successful. I'm not successful.

Reason why I'm not successful. And the world has a big listing, why you are not successful. I mean, why am I not successful? Because I have this, and I have that, and I have this, and I have that. But what I do have is headache, a bad dog, a terrible cat, and here come the reasons, the reasons, the reasons, the reasons. And we have become very good at coming up with new reasons. And I know what the latest reason is going to be, but there is going to be one. And that reason will take us away further and further from our determination. What am I glad about? I'm glad that I did not give up on my heart. And I'm glad that that feeling did not give up on me. You hear about all the ups and downs in this life, you know. If you're going to sail on water, sooner or later there are going to be waves. And the preparation that people want to make in their lives is to have no waves. Even if that means tying your boat to the dock for the rest of your life. I hate waves, I'm not going anywhere. This is acceptable. Rather than to prepare when the waves come, to tie down that is loose, and to be ready, and to make passage, and be. People want to win, but they know what the race is all about. So when you know what the race is about, but you are racing, you know where you're going to end up. What is the race all about? What are you racing towards? But I have found that there are a lot of races in town, and they all offer rewards. They do. But have you looked at what the rewards are? Have you read the fine print? Because these rewards, these awards that you will get, are not the ones you get to keep. You get your picture taken with it, but you actually get to keep it. That's all you get is a picture. You can hang on your wall and say, yeah, I won that.

And what I am talking about is that one reward, that one award, and that award that is called fulfillment, that is called peace, that is called joy. And if there is a race, that's the race I want to enter in. And if there is a race, that's the race I want to win. Because that is a race I know I can win. Because all I need to be, all I need to be is true to my heart, true to my thirst. True indeed to myself. Because I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that if they want peace in their life, they have to give up everything. This is not true. This is absolutely not true.

You can have peace in your life, you can have peace in this existence, and you can have everything too. Because this peace that I am talking about already exists inside of you. That's another misconception people have. What do I have to do to get it? Because everything is get it. You have to go get it. Everything in this world is go get it. You want a husband? Go get a husband. You want a wife? You go get a wife. You want a friend? Go get a friend. You want a car? You go get a car. You want a companion? Go get a companion. Peace, you already have. So how do you go get it when you already have it? That's what people ask me. So how do I get it? You. You get it, do you? How do I get it? You get it because you already have it. Get it? Get that! That you already have it. This is not a process of creation. This is a process of discovery. This is a process of unfolding. This is a process of bringing out what was there.

We can go to the moon. We can put a person on the moon. But can't we make just this much headway towards individual peace? This peace that exists. Cannot we recognize this peace in our lives? Can we not allow this peace to manifest? And there's a bunch of misconceptions. Oh, after that, what is that? You won't be angry anymore? Is that how you tell you're in peace? You're not in anger anymore? You become like a vegetable? When the police officer gives you a ticket, you go, thank you. Peace isn't like that. Peace isn't. You are going to be human and you will stay very human. And you're not going to lose any traits of as such. But peace, just to know the priorities. The gratitude that I can carry in my heart. The possibilities that I can now see. That I didn't see before. That I can see a beauty in me. Not out there, but in me. That for me, there is a vision. And this vision is about my existence. And for the first time maybe in my life, I have a plan for this life. And it is not to climb Mount Everest. But it is to feel peace as much as I can. To feel serenity in my life as much as I can. That I have picked a race that I will win.

That finally, the prospect of going empty-handed from this world has been changed for me. That now I hold a prospect so dear that even though empty-handed I came, empty-handed I do not have to go. That in my life, I have picked up the challenge again, again, the very challenge that I had given up on. That once again, I want to see with clarity. And once again, in my life, I want to court clarity. That in my life, I understand the distinction between the noise that I want and the music that soothes me. That in my life, I am not tortured, tormented by the doubts and questions. That finally, I feel, I feel that this life is starting to become the most beautiful poem. And those things that I always wondered have come so close to me now that we're so far away. That the questions have turned into answers. That the doubt has been replaced by clarity. The darkness with light. And where I felt emptiness, I now feel gratitude. That's a transformation. That's a possibility. That's the promise. Every person's life holds. This is what you hold in your hand. This is that breath that comes and goes and it brings to you this possibility. This possibility. People have their reasons of, oh, that'll never work. People have their reasons of why that can never be. People have their reasons of, oh, look at all this confusion in this world. Look, it is not a question of the confusion in this world.

You see, it doesn't matter. I mean, when do you take a pill for a headache? When? When your neighbor has a headache? Tell me, you take the pill for the headache when you have the headache. Confusion in the world is not the issue here. The confusion within is the issue. People say, oh, but look at all the problems in the world. Yeah. Yeah. How about the problems in here? When you get a really nice carpet, and Indian carpets are made this way, they're made with knots. Knots. Thousands of knots. Each individual knot has to be there for it to be the way it is. What does it take to light a candle? A football field? Those lights.

A lit lamp. A lit lamp has the possibility to light other unlit lamps. But an unlit lamp has only one possibility. And you know what that is? An unlit lamp has the possibility to unlight the lit lamps. Or if it's willing, it can light itself if it is next to a lit lamp. It begins with us. It begins with us. In your life, let there be peace. In your life, let there be joy. Sometimes we look at the watch, you know, and it's round, so everything comes back. That's not a true representation of life. Life isn't like that. It doesn't come back. This is a one way never to repeat again. Never, never, never, never, ever to repeat again. Life isn't like a watch. It's like a lit lamp. And you're moving and you're moving and you're moving and you're moving. Swift is the river of time. Swift is this heart that wants to save every moment that it can. The thirst is within you.

The water that will quench the thirst is within you. Make peace a priority. What do I have to do? What is the first step I have to take? Make this life a priority. Make contentment a priority. Make this existence a priority. Begin with that. Make that thirst a priority in your life. And you will see things will begin to blossom. Spring will come in your life. You will find flowers where you never imagined they were ever possible that anything would grow. Even there, you will find the most tender, most delicate flowers you can possibly imagine. For even in the desert, little delicate flowers bloom. As harsh as it is, as harsh as it is. They will lie in wait for the rains. Rains of understanding. Let them fall. Rains of this priority of this existence. Let it fall and let each seed sprout and let each flower come. So that you, not me, not me or not your friend or not somebody else, but you may stand and gaze at this existence. This amazing beauty that lies in front of your eyes and rejoice. Feel good. Feel happy. Be. And then let that be for the rest of your life. That's the possibility.