Maharaji, Potential for Peace 2005 E127

Prem Rawat: Words of Peace, Potential for Peace 2005 E127

Internationally renowned speaker Prem Rawat, also known as Maharaji, speaks to people around the world about the possibility of knowing inner peace and contentment. 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]. In 1972 he first visited Sydney, and two years later came to Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand. 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 listening to him express finding profound inspiration, a fresh perspective on life, and peace within themselves.

I have seen people in incredible pain. I have seen people in incredible joy. I have seen people who have been so lost they even know they're lost. And I have seen so many people. And wherever I go, and it doesn't matter whether they are sitting there watching the world go by, but I see that in each and every human being, always, always, there is that potential to be able to connect to that joy. This is something that we have been given and it is the most profound gift that there is.

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The second section is taken from a speech he made in Lisbon on the 7th July 2002

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.

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What is potential? Because what I have to say, and what I talk about, is not away from you. It is not on top of some mountain, or at the bottom of some ocean. But it is in the heart of each and every person in this world. So what is potential? When you realize that a long time ago, a long time ago, and I know who was the first one, looked at a stream, looked at a river, and said, look at all that water flowing, flowing, passing by. This is just one of my analogies. And somebody said, you know what, if we stuck a paddle wheel in this, I bet it would start turning. And if we could get that paddle wheel to go round and round, we could hook it up with a shaft or a belt, and it would really come in handy to grind all the wheat, to make it into flour. Then we wouldn't have to sit there and do it manually. This water flowing in this little stream has this power, it'll power the wheel. Now you realize that that potential always existed. Ever since the water has been flowing on the face of this earth, that potential has existed. But somebody took that wheel, that paddle wheel, stuck it in the water, got it to turn, stuck it with a shaft or a belt to the grinding stone, and presto, there it was. These two stones were turning, and you could pour your wheat in, and out would come the flour. That's just one analogy. The second analogy is the seed.

When you hold a seed in your hand, there is a potential, there is a possibility. And what is the possibility? Think about it. In that seed is a tree. In that tree, there are many, many more seeds. And in each one of those seeds is another tree. And in those trees, those thousands of trees, there are thousands more seeds, and thousands more trees. And pretty soon, you're looking at millions and millions, and indeed, you're looking at a forest. All by looking at a seed sitting in the palm of your hand. This is a possibility. Are you holding a forest? No. You're not holding a forest in the palm of your hand. You're only holding a seed, and the seed has that possibility. Now, how far is that forest from that seed that you're holding in the palm of your hand? Well, it's just a possibility. It could happen if that seed was sown. If it was watered. If it was taken care of. Then yes, it could become a tree. And yes, all that that I have described could happen. But unless it has been planted, how far is the forest? Well, it does not exist. So you see, what I'm trying to say here is this. A possibility is a possibility.

It's not a reality. It's just a possibility. And something has to happen to turn that possibility into a reality. And unless that thing happens, it's just a possibility. And as a possibility, what good is it? Well, you can write poems about it. You can write books about it. You can have seminars about it. You could draw sketches. You could come together and make cartoons about it. Because it's only a possibility. It's not a reality. And something has to happen to make it into a reality. Peace, then, is a possibility that is lying dormant in the heart of every single person. But it's only a possibility. Something has to happen to make it into a reality. Something has to happen. Something has to turn before that potential will be realized. So now people say, well, talk to me about peace. It's a nice thing. You should have it. Period.

Let's go home. Because when? It is merely a concept. Oh yeah, peace is a nice thing. Let's pat each other on the back, talk about peace. Peace has to be felt. Not once. Not twice. Not three times. But every day, every moment, that it's possible to feel it. And this is why I am here today talking to you. I'm not here to tell you just about the possibility. But I'm here to also talk about the very thing that can make this a reality in your life. That's the difference. I just go around saying, yeah, pat yourself on the back, everything is great, you know, da-da-da-da-da. And yeah, you know, you're just so blessed, and so everything is really wonderful, and you're so blessed you have everything you need inside of you. So go home and, you know, have a great time. It's called a pep talk. I go around giving pep talks. Because what good is a pep talk? To a thirsty person, what good is a pep talk? To a thirsty person in the desert, just imagine. There he is, dying of thirst, and you're saying, you know, I know a great place in London that has incredible water. And the other day I was at a water bar.

This was a fad a few years ago. They used to have water bars. You walked in, they had all different kinds of water. And so you can talk about this. When the need is not present, you can talk about it. You can talk about it all you want when the need is not present. But when the need is present, it is not open to discussions. It is open to one thing and one thing only, and that is the very thing called fulfillment. Fulfilling that need. When you are not hungry, you can talk about what you would like to eat. Oh, this would be wonderful. Oh, that would be wonderful. Oh, that's incredible. Oh, that would be really nice. But when you are hungry, the refrigerator door opens, and whatever happens to be available, out it comes. Discussion will happen later. I must satisfy my hunger. And this is what you are about.

So then, of course, the obvious question is, is there a necessity in my life to feel fulfilled? I cannot answer that. In my life, yes. In your life, I know. That's a question you have to ask yourself. In my life, yes, I have a need to feel in peace. In my life, yes, I have a need to be fulfilled. In my life, yes, I have a need to be satisfied in the most fundamental way. What is it like to be in touch with yourself? Not in thought, but in feeling. Have I stumped you? When was the last time you truly were in touch with yourself? In feeling, not in thought. In feeling, I'm a pretty good person, you know. I try. I try. I haven't done everything perfect, but, you know, I try. I'm a good person. I'm not a bad person. I mean to harm anyone. No, not in thought. So who are you? Who are you? Who are you, this unique thing that came into this earth? And let me tell you about this unique thing that came into this earth. There's no one like you. No one. There is no one like you on the face of this earth. I know there's somebody going, well, twins are. No, not even twins. Not even twins. Because the way you smile, the way you think, is incredibly unique to you. The way you desire peace, the way you want to be happy, the way you think fulfillment is, there's no one like you on the face of this earth. Now let me tell you something else. There will never be another one like you ever on the face of this earth. No one. No one. No one. This is how unique you are. This is how important it is for this vessel to be fulfilled. The way you see, the way you smile, the way you laugh, and what you laugh at, and what makes you smile are the incredibly subtle nuances of your existence. And when you are fulfilled, the way you feel are the subtle, subtle textures of this life. Incredibly subtle. So subtle that only you would be able to tell what it is all about. Nothing else. Therefore, it is so incumbent upon you to be fulfilled. That is why it is so important that this materialization of this flesh and blood that came on this earth did not go in waste. That it didn't just come and leave, but it came, it saw, it admired, it was fulfilled, and then, and then, and then, and then.

Why do I need to go within? What will I find within? You need to feel. You need to begin to feel every step of the way. Not starting to take other people's words for it. But stand on your own feet and feel. Stand on your own feet and say yes or no. Stand on your own feet and say yes, I like it, no, I like it. Not because it's written somewhere. That cannot be the stamp of approval. You are alive. You read in a book, breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. You breathe. You're responding to something. Maybe there has been a million advances in this world, there will be a million more. I know there's a lot of people, I know why they say this, but they say this. Oh, I'm so glad I live in this century. The people are going to say that 20,000 years from now, if there's anything left of this earth. 20,000 years from now, they're going to say, well, I'm so glad I live in this century. Not in that old century where people used to have those little devices they put up to their ear to talk. People get very, well, I've done this. Remember one thing. There will always be another who will do it better than you. Every record gets broken. This is the rule.

This is your time. You're a part of this movie. You're a part of this journey. Many have come before you and many more will come after you. And things will be forgotten. Somebody will always do something better. Something, something, something, something, something, something, something. So who are you trying to outdo? There's only one thing you can do. This is one thing I say is that empty-handed we came. But empty-handed we have to go. We can fill this cup with a lot of joy. We can fill this life with a lot of joy. This is something I can do. This is something I can do. It doesn't matter if I'm young. It doesn't matter if I'm old.

When I was in India, I was watching this channel and the guy was saying, you know, he was giving a pep talk to all the young guys. And you've got to do it while you're still young because after you're old you won't be able to do it. I know what he was talking about, but… I said, you know, fulfillment of the heart sees no age. Sees no age. So be fulfilled. This is something everybody can do.