Maharaji, An Attitude of Gratitude 2005 E104

Words of Peace: Maharaji, An Attitude of Gratitude 2005 E104

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 Centre 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.

Really always a wonderful chance to come together in a setting hopefully that is void of our normal problems and just try to focus on what we need to focus on because for a lot of people gratitude is one of those things oh yeah that's nice to have let's talk about it in our culture we like to talk about things we believe in them we think they really have any value so far we can go and express in words what the value is supposed to be but when a person starts to really invite gratitude in their lives then you get a whole another sense of how to look at things you start to understand the simplicity you start to understand the gift that you have been given because it really is about that this is where it begins it begins with accepting what you have been given now this is not easy and the reason why it's not easy in my opinion is because the way we like to look at things it's not easy because in our culture in our understanding that what we are looking for is away from us it is all about acquiring not about discovery it is about what you have but what you can achieve your goals it is not about what you know but what you can know it is not about what you already have been given but what you should have and this is how we are I'm not passing judgment this is not about passing judgment this is not about saying well that's good and that's bad but when we begin to see that here you are I am we are we exist each one of you has been given so many things and amongst those one is life one is breath and just leave it at that get more complicated than that because gratitude isn't about how it should be how it could be gratitude isn't about changes gratitude is appreciating what already exists and feeling thankful for that because I see that in each human being there's darkness and there's light there's ignorance and there's Knowledge there's hate there's love there's sadness there's joy and then with all the inclusion of those things I mean the list goes on I mean this is not this is not like that's everything there's more than that but inclusive is the ability to choose that's also been given that ability and how are we using that ability to choose what are we choosing what do we choose every day and perhaps really the question should be what would be a good choice what would make this existence as sweet as it can be so that I can admire it to the fullest you know a lot of people when they hear this it's like well BAM okay give me the medicine let's fix it.

When I was … after the European tour, coming back to the West Coast, we were flying over Grand Canyon. And all of a sudden, it was a beautiful day. I know, 45,000 feet or something like that. I looked down. There it is, the Grand Canyon. I started looking at it, and looking at it, and looking at it, and looking at it. And it's beautiful. It's magnificent. But do you realize what happened there? And what it is, is the river has cut, and cut, and create these gorges that go so far down. But when it all started, and you know, when the water starts to first run, rocks are much stronger than the water. And they shape where the water is going to flow. But if the Grand Canyon is any indication of persistence, then the evidence suggests, very clearly, the water won. Water. One over rocks, the example of indestructibleness, hard as a rock. And it took it. By its persistence, and slowly, and slowly, and slowly, but surely, transformed it. The way it wanted, the way it wanted to flow, and that hard as a rock, gave in. Surrendered. Could not resist. you find that interesting? That that very substance that is so liquid, so flexible, on one hand, at the end of the day is inflexible. No. Rigid. Try making this saying, as rigid as water. And people will look at you like, you're an idiot. But no, there's a lot of wisdom to that.

There's a lot of wisdom to understanding that I have, in me, the light. The light. And I have the choice to choose that light. And somebody might say, well, what's wrong with darkness? Let's be non-judgmental for a minute and say, well, no, I know what's wrong with darkness. Maybe there's nothing wrong with darkness.

And from that being non-judgmental for a minute, let's come back to being practical for a second. I cannot operate in darkness. That's my limitation. That's my limitation. I can do a lot of things, but I need light. You're driving down the road at night. All of a sudden, headlights go out. You're paralyzed. We were coming to flying to India, back to India, and took off 1 AM from England. And we took off. And they had forecasted a big front just on the coast of the continent. So we crossed the channel. And I was a little concerned. You see some lightning here and there. That's not fun, especially at night. Yes, you have radar. Yes, you have storm scope. And storm scope is this instrument. It tells you where the lightning is and how much there is, and whether it's building or declining. Very good instrument to have. And with even all this equipment, very high tech radar, very high tech stuff, of all the years that I have flown, I want to see those things so I can get away from them safely as far as possible. And we were above it, just right. Must have been half an hour or so. Beautiful moon starts to come up. You can see. You can see at night, but you can't see. And I remember somebody even made the cockpit. Oh, this is nice. This is how prone we are to being able to see.

We do have. We do have a great capacity to avoid problems. We do, providing we can see them. We're really quite flexible. And in our wisdom that we have been given, we like pain. And everything else necessary to try to avoid, what would bring that pain? What would bring that suffering? Provided, we can see. Feel the thirst. This is what I always say. You, you feel the thirst. And feel the thirst, and understand what it is for. What it's thirsting for. Understand that. A lot of people are afraid of that. Thirst. Does that mean I'll feel empty? No. No! This is not about feeling sad.

Oh my God, I'm thirsty. Because unless there's, you see, the thing is, that the body needs the water. It needs water! And the only way it can get you to drink the water is cause the thirst. It's a trick. It's really amazing. All of our body, many different ways, is hooked up to our brain. And you would think it would be easy, that it just inspired something in our brain, and the brain said, Hey, Dumbo, you are thirsty. Get up and go get water. It doesn't do that. Cause all these things existed before there was all the language. It hasn't figured out to trigger a voice alarm. It's not like you feel an itch and your thought goes, Hey, idiot, itch right there. No, it's just this hand gets the information, and it goes, finds the place, and starts itching, and that's it. And how long does it itch? Till it's gone. And if it comes back, you itch again. There isn't an emotional saga of, you feel the itch again and it's like, shame on you. You did not succeed the first time. There isn't this guilt thing. You must be such an idiot. You can't even make a good itch. No, it's no big deal.

Here it is. Do you have to think about it? No. Do you have to get into it? Do you have to philosophize about what this itch is all about? Oh my God. No. There it is. It's simple. And that is the same thing. The heart has a need. And everybody tries to verbalize that need. You know, books are full of it. Oh yes, the thirst is... To me, that thirst is as simple as this itch. That thirst is as simple as, when I need to sleep, I feel that beautiful relaxation start to happen. Hey. You know, and this is not a confession. But I have sat in an airplane, in the cockpit, and felt that. Of course, right after that, I go, OK, it's time to get out of here. Go take a nap, 10-minute nap, 20-minute nap. Get somebody else in the seat. Fine. But you're sitting there. The engines are just humming away. Oh my. You feel. You feel. And there is no such thing in your head that's going, well, wait a minute. You're not supposed to feel this. No fight. The fight is not needed.

The life has been given. And the beautiful journey of this breath comes and goes. That is a journey. If you could stop for a second and look what it means when that breath comes into you. And you will understand what eternity is all about. Eternity. All the lifetimes that have danced on the face of this earth have all played out the same tune. Same tune. Whether they were people that were worshipped, whether they were people who were thrown into dungeons, whether they were people who were good, whether they were people who were bad. No judgment. This bones and blood, skin, all coming together. And in this, in this little doll that has been made out of mud. A doll that has been made out of mud. And it moves. And it thinks. And it talks. And most importantly, it breathes. The breath comes. And with each breath, each, each breath comes the possibility of being fulfilled. Now what do you think fulfillment is? Because if you have in your mind any definition of fulfillment, cast this aside. Won't help you. Fulfillment is a feeling like no other feeling on the face of this earth. You know, I've always said, existence is like mortality and immortality as close as they can possibly come. They can't fuse together, they're opposite in nature. But in existence, in your existence, in my existence, these two have come as close as they can come. And believe me, that feeling of fulfillment is as close you will get to that infinite that resides within you. When? Gratitude reigns supreme. When in your life, this breath matters.

And what is that all about? Matters? Yes, matters. Because right now, everything else matters. Everything else. What people think about you, how you should be, what your likes are, what your dislikes are. And one of the biggest disease from the I-ism that is coming, is everybody should think like me. Why did they paint that yellow? I like that yellow. That's not true. I chose that color. But this is what people do. That should have been painted red. I think everybody should think my way. Everybody should think the same thing. If I think that today is too hot, it's too hot. If it's too cold, it's too cold. And what does that make you? It makes you a creature that has no control over what the focus in this life should be. That if you have the capacity in your life to enjoy that beautiful that is within you, then choose, and choose wisely, and choose that that will satisfy the thirst of your heart. Choose. Choose that light so you can see. Choose the love so you can feel. Choose the joy so you can be elated. Choose that gratitude so you may be mesmerized by the wonder, the wonder of this existence that you have. Come from a place of strength, not of weakness. Come from a place of strength. Why? Because you have a heart. Come from a place of clarity. Because you have felt your thirst. And there is no question that yes, there is a desire, a want to be fulfilled. And it is to be fulfilled by that beautiful joy that resides within me.

Learn, then learn from those words that point right back at you. You, you, you understand that you are absolutely unique, completely unique. There is no one like you. Now I know some wise old people are sitting there, those, you know, identical twins. even go there. even go there. Just because the word is used, identical. Even identical twins are not identical. They're not. They've been doing a lot of study for scanning the eye, for identification, and they're different. Their personalities are different. Maybe they like the same food, but their personalities are different. Difference. No one is like you. And when you bring, when you escort, when you welcome that true happiness, the true joy in your life, then you fill another vessel with what it is meant to contain.

This is what you were made for. I've seen those in museums, you know, they find all this pottery, put them up in museums. Oh, look, you know, this is, this is a pot. I have one of those old looking things in my office. Sits there. If somebody brought me one just like that, but it was new, I wouldn't put it in my office. Outside, put it in the garden. Many times I have looked at it and just wondered. Somebody bought this, made this, and used it. Maybe it held a light. Maybe it held water. But it was made, it was bought for something. And somehow, through the ages, this thing has survived. And it's in pure hell, because it holds nothing. This is its hell. It wasn't made to look pretty. It was made to look, what it was going to look like, but it was made to function. And this is what I have been saying, that you wear peace well.

You really look good in peace. I know there are people, spend thousands of dollars on their wardrobe and makeup and this and that, so they can look good. But a person in peace, amazing. To wear that joy, you look good. That's when you shine. That's when it makes sense. Otherwise, it doesn't matter who you are. Without that connection, you remain an empty vessel. When your life, you start to accept the possibility of being fulfilled, and this is something that has to be done every day, mind you. This is not a one-time deal. Oh yeah, it would be nice to be fulfilled. That's it. No. Every day. The resources that have been given to me, one of the greatest resources that is given to you every day is time. A repeated cycle. Okay, try it again. Try it again. Perfect. Perfect this. Try it again, and try it again, and try it again, and try it again, and try it again, and try it again.

Learn how to play this instrument. And as you play, enjoy. Enjoy playing it. Do you get the difference? There's one thing to enjoy the sound that's coming out of it. And there's another thing to actually enjoy just playing it. Just playing it. I'll give you an analogy. Sometimes you just start playing drums or something just on a table. The sound isn't that incredible, obviously. But you just simply enjoy doing that. Sometimes I see people playing drums on their steering wheel. There's not much noise that's going to come out of there. You simply enjoy doing that. Or even a better one.

You know how people play air guitar. And their favorite song is on, and there is no guitar. I mean, how are you going to produce sound out of this thing? But you just enjoy playing it. So much we are goal-oriented. And so much we throw away the essence of, yes, what will I accomplish today? Hey, just enjoy being alive. Just enjoy that. Enjoy this existence. Enjoy being aware, aware of this breath. Enjoy being aware of this life. Enjoy being aware of this thirst. And when you get to that point, it all begins slowly but surely to come together. Slowly but surely, without any effort, you begin to understand what gratitude is. Without any effort. You see, there should be, just as smooth as it can be, as effortless as it can be, as effortless as a bird flying in the air. Effortless. Effortless. Who you are, what you are, not your baggage, not your ideas caught up. I think it should be like that. I think it should be like that.

You know, I think I know the problem, because so much, so much is so simple, so simple. If you can understand that the heart wins not because of its power, the heart wins because of its persistence. And has it not persisted throughout? Same call, same beat, same voice, no nagging. Mind nags. I remember having very, very explicit experiences of this. I mean, I'm lying there and just trying to take a 10 minute nap, and some voice comes along and says, set the alarm clock, set the alarm clock, because you might sleep longer than 10 minutes. Logic comes in. Hard to argue, because in that moment, nobody is willing to say, oh, just shut up, you know, go to sleep, it's OK. No, set the clock. Just get up, find the alarm clock, set it. OK, now you can sleep. And you're lying there, oh yeah, I've set my alarm clock, let me sleep now. I wonder how many more minutes before that alarm clock goes off. And then, I bet it's about to go off any minute. And then, see if you can turn it off before it goes on. So wait a minute, you had me set the alarm clock so I could go to sleep, now you won't let me go to sleep, now that it is set.

I see so many people trying, trying, trying. But I also see that in this journey of joy, that is in this journey of fulfillment, it's really beautiful when it is effortless, when it is just a gliding experience, when it just happens, not the fight. How long? How long? Can you fight? That which will win, let it. It has been persistent, let it win. All the logic, it changes. Your logic has changed. When you were young, it was different. When you were a teenager, it was different. When you passed that, it was different. When you passed that, it was different. I know where you're at now, but it will change too. All of it changes. Can you recognize that one voice that has never changed? Do you know what that voice is? Do you know what it is saying to you? Have you recognized those words all along? Do you care? Do you care? Do you care that you're alive? just answer that at random. Oh yeah, I care. How do you show it? Jumping out of the bed, here I go. Where are you going? I know. I've got my routine, I've got my pattern, here I go. Embarking into a sojourn that will leave you exhausted. Exhausted! To the point where you will be looking forward to coming and lying on the bed. Is that an accomplishment for a day? You tell me the value of each moment. Do you care how important is it to you that you waste to a point where you can think of nothing else but hitting the bed? That cannot possibly be constituted as something significant.

And when you begin to take the simple ownership of that opportunity that is being given to you, that's when gratitude really starts to make sense. Incredible gratitude. Thank you. Thank you. I had no idea. Such is the vastness of that peace. And such is the domain, such is the rule of that peace. The joy of this heart. And when you can accept that, what other words can possibly come out other than thank you for what has been given, for what has been shown, and for what has been received? That a door flies open that was locked for so long that a step gets taken through that threshold where no one had ever stepped before. No one. And today I walk through that door. Today I walk on my journey as if it were my home. That I have access. That I have the key. That I have the opportunity that whenever I want, I can unlock the world's most incredible mystery of each breath at any time I want. Just like that. Just like that. The mystery of each breath. What it has always meant. What it has always meant. And each moment, the mystery of each moment unlocked. Just like that. Just like that. For me to feel what it is like to be in that feeling of being fulfilled. Fulfilled. Thirst quenched. Where I begin to swim in the ocean of answers. I can't even think of the questions. I cannot think of the questions. I am reveling in answers. Such is that transformation. You, in some way, being here, are involved in this journey. So take this time that you are here, and like every day, renew, renew that commitment. Make again that process effortless. Once again, appreciation for those things that feel good to the heart. Once again, something becoming clear. Clearly simple. Clearly simple. Not simply clear, but clearly simple. We get so caught up in logistics that we forget to be inspired. But you know what? That happens to everyone every day.

You forget to be inspired by the coming of this day, by the coming of this gift that you have been given. You get so caught up, what am I going to do now? What am I going to do now? What is this? What is that? All I have to do is, oh, I have to do that. And you forget the coming of this day. What a beautiful opportunity it has been. As the sun sets, it goes through its changes, its process, to rise once again. And what a gift that is. And what a gift it was today. And what a gift it is as it is still being given, still being poured out. Take it all. Take it all. leave any of it behind. Shovel full. Take it all. Believe me, your pockets are big enough. Take it all. As much as you can. Who are you going to leave it for? Nobody walks on the same trail as you do. You have to leave it as a reminder.

You have to leave it as anything. Take it all. A heart that leaves full has done its worth. That's all that matters. That's all that matters. Not what you have accomplished. But the heart that leaves full has done its worth. And that's all that matters. For all this. Blood, bones, itch, brain, this and that. It all worked. It came together. It was used. Like it was supposed to be. Sometimes frivolously. Mostly wisely. And the job got done. Of the heart being fulfilled. And its worth has been accomplished. And that is the truest way. To be thankful for this existence.

There is no other way you can express the gratitude. Except by fulfilling. By filling that cup. Not sitting empty. But by filling that cup. You may have exquisite china in your house. Looks beautiful. But it truly looks beautiful. As it sits on your table. Filled. With tea or coffee or whatever it is. That you're taking from it. Its purpose is happening. Its purpose is happening. Otherwise. What's the difference in it and mud? Nothing. But not to sit. That's not why it was created. To be used. This is not about philosophy. This is about living every day. So. Thank you very much. Good night.