Solitary Traveller, Maharaji, July 9 2006, Brighton U.K.
Fact Check: Lions don't live in the jungle. In India, lions live in the Gir Forest, a dry deciduous forest. In Africa they live on the savanna plains.
Maharaji quotes Kabir: There's a very beautiful saying by a 14th century poet, "that in the ocean there is a drop, everyone knows, but that there is a whole ocean residing within one drop, very few know"
Kabir was a poet of the 15th century and this is usually translated: "all know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop." Maharaji's version sounds better to me.
Maharaji moves from the long pauses of the portentious enlightened know-all to the flip cynicism of a wannabe LA noir private-eye. He screams and shouts and whissspers sibilantly, in the same sentence, in the same phrase, in the same syllable, almost.
It does not even take an effort and the breath comes into you - Rawat is a lazy sybarite who has a valet, servants and minions who cater to his every wish. He hates exercise and has spent most of his life obese and sickly. If he ever walked up a hill he would be panting and wheeezing and he'd quickly understand how breath takes an effort. Breathing is a physical process that we normally do unconsciously, we breathe, we are not breathed by some fictitious universal power.
- Maharaji is fascinated by "phenomena that people seem to overlook" - the concept that mood affects perception and outlook is commonplace and banal
- He has not come across anything called "the world." - That's because he's inside it, a small drop in the world and he's not the smartest guy in the room
- a feeling that has always been very gently nudging you towards fulfilment - Maharaji can only attract those people who are not fulfilled
- Oy vey! Will he never stop referring to the moon landing as if everyone is so proud of this "greatest accomplishment"
- Maharaji always tries to make people think of themselves as solitary, unique, alone, thirsting and that family and social life is of lesser importance to himself
- Is the breath a miracle? Or is the concept that breath is a miracle the oddity?
- He starts the Fable of the Nightingale, gets lost, then comes back with a love-song to the hi-tech cage
- The lion who thinks he's a sheep who attains instant realisation when he see his reflection in the pond
- It must be such a strong longing because we work so hard at making sure we don't listen to it - he wishes
- That's why I'm considered controversial - Maharaji is considered controversial because he's an obvious fake, a shyster, a cult leader on the downslope to death

Solitary Traveller, Maharaji, July 9 2006, Brighton U.K.
Thank you. This afternoon. I have much to say. I guess you have much to listen to then. But what I want to talk about is really very simple because it's about you. And I know that most of us think in the most complicated ways about ourselves, about what we are doing here, about what it is like before birth. What it is like after birth, what it is like after life. And the ideas abound. But if you can begin to understand your nature, who you are. Maybe there some simplification can begin to happen. People don't look at what our nature is. Simple as it is. It's worth observing. What our nature is? So let me tell you a little bit about it. Because this, I was talking about this in Amsterdam. I was there not too long ago. And then once I had said it, I started thinking about it, because it's not like I write my speeches. Whatever comes comes from the heart. So what did I start thinking about?
Why is it? Why is it that when you are content, you're kind. Why? When you are content, when you are happy, you actually become kind. You forgive. If somebody cuts in front of you. (waves nicely) When you are not content. When you are frustrated. Somebody does something and that's enough to shoot you over the moon. You're worried. Frustrated. Somebody cuts in front of you and you honk your horn. And I have seen people do all kinds of things. In fact, overtake you, get in front of you and then slam their brakes to teach you a lesson. And you know about this. You've heard many stories about road rage as it's called. But I'm not here to talk about road rage. I'm fascinated by this other phenomena that people seem to overlook. Then when you are content. Amazing things happen. You begin to smile and somebody says good morning to you. You don't sit there and go "What's so good about it?" You go "And a very good morning to you. How are you today?" The same person who never ever answered that one question. Whenever asked "How are you today?" Don't ask. All of a sudden when that person is content, they're going "I'm very well. Thank you. And how are you doing today?" Don't you find that curious? I do. It's not like I have a boring life that I find that very curious. Contentment. Peace. Joy. Fulfilled. When we have that we actually act and react to things totally differently. It's not the same when something is amiss. How we receive, how we talk, how we react, how we actually cope with problems. The child comes up and says, you know "Dad or mom. Can I have 5 pounds? I want to go and buy ice cream. Have 10 and while you're at it get me an ice cream too."
I mean it's like the whole world has changed. Outlook is different. Thing's are good. Bad is being dropped. Sun is shining even on a cloudy day. Rain, I love the rain. Flat tyre. No problem. No spare. Don't worry about it. Enjoy. Sit down. Watch the drops fall on the windshield. I know I'm carrying it way too far. But it is like that. Food's burned in the kitchen. No problem. Let's order pizza. Have fun.
So when something inside is not fulfilled. Any little thing. And I'm not even going to go into that because that'll take forever. Plus, you know about it. Intolerable. If you concur even slightly with that bit of information. What do you think you ought to be doing in your life? The day you spend, every day that comes, what should you try? Try. That's the key word here. Try. What should you try to do? What should you buy or what should you court? What should you work on? What should you be aware of? The key word is try, to make some effort towards feeling that peace and feeling that contentment. In one's life. In one's existence and not the rationales because anybody can come up with a rationale. At an airport, when a flight is delayed, the passengers come up with a rationale of why the flight should not be delayed and the airline comes up with the rational why should be delayed. And it's usually war. Don't you know, we have to go and I'm waiting for this and I have to have this and not have this and the airlines "Sorry." The captain, the captain, evil captain has decided he doesn't want to take off and there's nothing we can do about it. Rationales. I don't have the time. I can't do this. I don't know how. Should that be counted as an excuse?
It's a very important question. There's a lot of people say, "Well, I plead ignorance. I don't know." Then I say to you, have you really listened to yourself? Not a voice going "Na na na na na." Just listen. To a feeling. A feeling, a feeling that is very gently and always has been very gently nudging you towards fulfilment. Contentment. Peace. The idea of peace did not start yesterday. Peace as being the mark to achieve. This goal was set a long long time ago. And I know that civilization is very proud of itself for all the things they have achieved but alas, on a threshold that was established a long time ago for all of humanity, has not been able to be accomplished. Going to the moon has been accomplished.
But peace has been ignored. And there are so many people in this world who, when they think about peace and they think about I mean whoever came up with the idea of world peace is the biggest disservice, because it took the burden of peace from us and put it to the world.
The mythical world. This myth called 'world.' I have travelled hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles, have not come across anything called "the world." Come across people. Angry people. Smart people. Not so smart people. Rich people. Poor people. World? Mythical. Where does it live? Where is it? What is it?
The peace is the responsibility and the charge of every single human being on the face of this earth. When it is that individual peace that needs to be sought and pampered. Acknowledge and achieved in this lifetime. This is what has to happen. When I'd say "Oh yeah, I talk about peace, these people go "There will never be peace." Why won't there be peace? Why? Because people always fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting. True. When they are discontent, that's exactly what happens. And when that discontentment is there, that happens in the home. Forget about outside, in the home that happens. All it takes is one grumpy member of the family to start the war. Could be Dad. Could be Mom. Could be the kid. I mean, it doesn't matter. One grumpy person and that's it. The war has started. So where is that contentment? That contentment. You know where it is. It is within you and you know that. You know that. You know a lot of things. And one of the things I pride myself of when I come and speak and people say "Well, I heard nothing new." I'm like good. Because this new business is hopeless. In the sake of the new the new the new the new the new, we have abandoned our own core, our very core of who we are.
You are a solitary traveller. Understand the nature of this travel, you will go far. Don't understand the nature of this traveller. You don't understand the nature of this traveller, you will get lost. Understand that this is the only journey that by default cannot go in a circle. You see what I am saying, in this journey, by default, you cannot go around in a circle. And what's the agent that doesn't allow you to go around in a circle? It's called time. Because even if you do, exactly the same thing that you did yesterday. If you do it today, it won't be yesterday. It'll be today and if tomorrow you plan to do exactly what you did today. It still won't be today. It will be tomorrow. Can't go around in circles. So if you can't go out in circles, where are you headed? Where are you headed? Where are you going? Where is this journey of life taking you? It's not such an intense question really. I know it sounds intense. "Ay yay yay." It's not so bad. You know, you know a lot, but you don't trust it. You know that there are two major events that happen. One is birth. Right? One is existence and you know the third one right? Any questions? Everybody knows and the certainty of it. And the certainty of it.
A river begins with a drop and it stops when it merges into the ocean. It's not about the drop and it's not about the merging. It's about the flow. That's when the river is river. Otherwise it's just a drop and then it becomes the ocean. How about the ocean? It's not about that drop. It's about the flow. This is when the river is in its own. This is when it takes. This is when it gives. This is when it turns. This is when it does all that it does. In this journey of life, you're flowing. You will give. You will take. Things will happen. This is the nature of it. Good will happen. Bad will happen. It's not about that. Oh people have got it way too much interlocked with good and bad. This is good. This is bad. This is good. This is bad. This is good. This is bad. And this river is going like, should I? Should I? Should I turn? River doesn't do that. It flows. It flows. People go "Well well. If that was the case, then wouldn't that be an incredibly antisocial behaviour. We're not talking about anti social behaviour. We're talking about a solitary journey of a human being. This does not affect ships. This does not affect docks. This doesn't affect does not affect dock workers. This does not affect cranes. This does not affect anything. This is about just you.
Just you in this breath. It comes into you and fulfils you. That's all. That's all. It's about the kindness that you have been given that you do not see as a miracle. Ah, that is so unfortunate. That is so unfortunate that you do not see this existence as a miracle till it is too late. Change it. Bad habit. Bad idea. Do something. Change it. Start to witness. Not call an oddity a miracle. Hey, bad. That's what people do when the milk starts to come out of the stone. People go "A miracle." You know, you know that's crazy. That's crazy. You know why it's crazy? I'll tell you why it's crazy. So far it is not in your home that it is happening. You're home that it is happening. Isn't somebody else's home or somewhere else? It's a miracle. If it is in your home call the exorcist. (laughter) It's a matter of convenience. What is a miracle? Oddity.
Here is the most normal thing that happens. The most incredible normal thing. The thing that does not even take an effort and the breath comes in to you. And it fills you. What? What? What fills you with life. Didn't that exist? You can drink. You can see. You can admire. You can touch. You can feel. You can analyse. You can laugh. You can cry. 0h all of those things. You can be a Dad and you can be a Mom. You can be a brother. You can be a sister. You can be whatever you are. You know, courtesy of. Breath. Life. Incredible miracle. Unbelievable. Comes and it comes and it comes and it comes. What? Can you capture it? It's essence. Can you capture it as a moment? Feel it. Can you be fulfilled by it? Can you be fulfilled by the answer? The answer is yes. Can the peace that exists within you. Really. Don't go thinking I have to make this. I have to create this. I have to manufacture this. There is a mine somewhere that I have to detect and get to. No, no, no. But the peace that is already within you, can you feel that peace? And the answer is yes. That's the good news. What you are looking for is within you. That's the good news. Know thy self. That's good advice. Excellent advice rolled out a long time ago. Know thy self. Cause in knowing who you really are. Not in your nature. Am I angry? Am I kind? Am I? No no, you are kindness. People spent thousands of dollars trying to alter their behaviour and yet it is so easy. Be content and your behaviour automatically alters. Outlook good. Positive. Free. Real. Emptiness. The hope on the way. Emptiness, the song stops.
Don't you know that story of nightingale? The bird. The Chinese emperor. He loved the song so much that when he got the mechanical bird, it was like, this is it. Got rid of the real one, brought in the mechanical one. Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing. One day the bird broke. The bird broke and the king longed longed longed to hear the song again. Longing. But it's a longing in your heart that has always been there. What is the longing in your heart that has always, always, always. What have you longed for? What have you really wanted? What have you really wanted? Oh not the little glitzy present but what have you really wanted? How do I know the answer to this question? What you have always wanted is to be content. What you have always wanted, always wanted, to feel good. Feel good inside. Always want it back. How do I know? Have I been reading your diaries? No. Have I been bugging your home? No. How do I know? Easy. Because I'm like you are. Your aspirations and my aspirations are not any different. I too, long to be content. I too you want to feel free. I too want to feel peace in my life. I too know my agenda that every day I need to make a little effort, to court contentment in my life. Same. Same. Not any different ideas. It's the same.
Get in touch with that longing that you have so hard been working so hard to ignore. Or when we work so hard to ignore that longing. It must be such a strong longing because we work so hard at making sure we don't listen to it. God forbid us a moment of quiet. What we might hear? A moment. A moment. And when it is perfectly beautiful, quiet, a comment has to be made. "Oh, it's so quiet." And what is the biggest punishment? Solitary confinement. Be all by yourself. I will talk. That would be a reward. Finally you get to be all by yourself. "Oh thank you." But it's like "Oh no, but me with me. Me with me. Oh God forbid. How many days? Me with me." And if I cannot cannot understand me with me. If I cannot understand the idea of me being with me. Me actually being comfortable with myself. Then I missed something. Then this traveller. Is going somewhere. It's not pleasant. And when it is not pleasant there is a justification for why it is not pleasant.
Karma. You must have done something wrong in your last lifetime. That's it. That's it. That would be akin to a police officer just stopping you and writing you a ticket for everything. Running a red light, speeding, parking. You go, "But I haven't run a red light." "Well, you will. You must have. So I'm giving you a ticket." Well, what is the point of making your life difficult if you don't need to learn from it. So you must have done something wrong. Now I was watching the documentary once and in this documentary the guy went up to some high person and he was told that in his last lifetime, he was an elephant. I was impressed. I was impressed. How did he know? I'm walking around like "Wow. So that's something else." He read his charts and figured out he was an elephant. And then it hit me. That is the most useless piece of information. (laughter) So what? What should I do? Go to my wife and say, "Honey, you can't sleep there. I was an elephant in my last life. I need the entire bed. What? What? What? What? Go to my cooks and say "Hey, don't put it on a plate. I was an elephant. I don't even eat like that. Forget about the knives. Forget about the forks. What? So I walk around. An elephant. It doesn't making any sense. What do I know now? This is what is going to help me. Not what I was. What do I know now? What do I know now? What am I now?
And I'll tell you what I am now. I am a human being. A seed that encapsulates within it, every dreamable possibility. That's who I am. That's who you are. And of all the possibilities that are possible in this seed. There is one that is incredibly special. In that possibility is the possibility of being able to feel peace.
There's a very beautiful saying by a 14th century poet, "that in the ocean there is a drop, everyone knows, but that there is a whole ocean residing within one drop, very few know" You're the drop. I'm the drop and within me in this drop. Is the entire ocean. I get to feel it. My character is a as a one little drop in an ocean. I have nothing. I'm nobody but something has happened. Something has happened. A whole ocean has come to reside in this little drop, not for long. It's not about the length. It's about this this ocean that is residing in this drop. The ocean of peace. The ocean of contentment. The ocean of reality. The infinite. Not time to define, to feel experience. Experience the heart. Experience the longing and to experience the longing being fulfilled. That's it. Not definitions. Not ideas. But by feeling. Who will be the judge of when you have peace? You. Who will be the judge that you have contentment? You. You. It should not be. It should never be "Oh now you have pushed the button. You're content. You have pushed the button of contentment. You must be content." No. You. Feeling! Feeling this life. Feeling this existence. Feeling that contentment. Feeling that kindness in your life. Feel that joy to awaken every day in this life. This is what it should be all about.
Otherwise the trade off is not fair, of the real nightingale to the mechanical one. One is the logically perhaps better. But what you are after my friends is not the logic of the mechanical bird, but it is the song that you are after. The song. The song. Do you hear the song in your life? To hear the song. Do you feel the song? It's not about the cage. It's about the bird. About the bird. Where's the bird? Cage is there. Cage is shining. It's polished every day. It's the best cage in town. It's polished and waxed and it's "Wow. Look at the cage" and yes, everybody will come along and say "That is the coolest cage I have ever seen. Chrome. Hydraulic doors. Look at those cool LEDs on this coolest cage." "Can I have a picture of your cage?" And you're like, "Yeah. look at my cage." And I'm the odd guy out in the crowd who says? "Where's the bird?" And most people don't like that. "Hey, everything was going great. People coming, taking pictures of this cage. This cage this cage is talked about. This cage is the coolest cage. What's with you?" What, the bird thing. (laughter) That's why I'm considered controversial. I don't go along the same flow. I say, "Well, this cage is useless. Where is the bird?" Remember why you got the cage? It was for the bird. Where's the bird? Where is that bird? Where is that bird? Where is that bird?
There's one little story that I've been telling everywhere. So I'm going to tell it here too. And it appropriately puts that little point in perspective. There was a lion and it had gotten a baby cub lion, gotten hurt one day for this farmer was walking by. Saw this baby cub and you know, out of his kindness he picked it up and brought it to health and then didn't know where to put it. So took it, put him in with the sheep and every day the lion would come out with the sheep and go back in with the sheep and it would kind of go grazing with the sheep and he grew up with the sheep. One day, a huge big lion came out of the jungle. Stood at the end of the pastures and roared. And when the lion roared all the sheep went scattering everywhere, afraid, hiding, and the little lion also started hiding. And the big lion saw the little lion, came up to the little lion and said, "What are you doing?" "Oh don't hurt me, don't don't eat me." "Eat you? You're a lion!". "Whatever. Don't eat me" "Don't you know who you are?" "So what? I know I'm a sheep." "I know you're not a sheep. You're a lion." "Whatever. But don't eat me." "Well just come with me." Took him to the pond, said "Look. Look, look who you are. You're not a sheep. Just because you graze with the sheep. You've grown up with the sheep. You think you are a sheep, but you're not a sheep. You're a lion. Know your true nature.
When he saw himself in the reflection, he goes "You're right. I'm not a sheep. I don't look like a sheep. I look like you. I'm a lion. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, buddy." "What are you thanking me for? I didn't do anything I just showed you who you are. "That's the same thing. Same thing. We too have been with the sheep way too long. Have you forgotten who we are? Who we are. Time is come to discover who we truly, truly, truly are. We're not. We're not the sheep. Roar! In that delight! In that gratitude. Roar! Because that's who you are. That's what you are. Somebody did not make you out of a cookie cutter. You realise that? I mean, if we had to make this many cookies as many people are on this earth, we would definitely use a cookie cutter. Then we would say "Handmade they are, (laughter) handcrafted." Someone. Something created all these people and no two are alike. No two are alike. Even twins. It looks very similar are not similar. That is getting fancy. That is getting so personal. Personal. to craft every single being with so much care.
Have you ever wondered what kind of a thank you or gratitude it takes to be able to address that kind of attention? Something to mull over. That is amazing amount of detail. Every day have that breath come. That is an amazing amount of detail. Every day have the hearts sing out the song that is never the same and always the same, is an amazing amount of detail. To take a drop of the ocean is an amazing amount of detail and to fill the drop with the ocean is an amazing amount of detail and this exactly what has happened. How do you say thank you? How do you begin to say thank you? How do you begin to feel that magic in your life? How do you begin to celebrate that kind, that kind of beauty? Wow. The answer. Look at that. (clenched hands over heart) Listen. Listen to that longing without fear. Don't be afraid. Listen to that. Listen to how sweet it is. Listen to how delicate it is. How strong it is. How persistent it is and it'll never step on your tongue. You know about your wishes, your desires. You might see a car. You might see a girl. You might see a dress. You might see a pen. You might see a suit. You might see a top. Whatever it is, and then you will "I want that. Oh, by now I want that." And somebody comes to you and "What do you want for your?" "I want that."
And that is all over you, all over your toes, all over everything you got. This is what you think of. This is what you think of and day night, everything. That longing is not like that Sweet. There. You listen. It comes forward. You stop listening. It fits back. That's beautiful. That is beauty. This is the expression of your life, of my life. The journey is afoot. It's taking shape. There are no wills, musts and shoulds. It is happening. You and I are the travellers and no one here has the luxury of saying "Hold. I'll just go in circles till I figure out where it is that I want to go." No. It's all started. Yes, it has begun, has begun. Great delight. Take every step of this journey. This is what Knowledge is all about. To know how to be able to access that inner peace. Knowledge. Knowledge of the self. Knowledge of the self. This is what I give. Only to those people who want it. People go "Like if it was so good. Just give it. Give it. Give it." You think by taking a handful of seeds and throwing it on some parking lot all the seats would germinate? Is the idea just to throw the seeds? That's how seeds germinate? No. That's not how seeds germinate?. Giving to those who want. not with doubt but with clarity. Not with curiosity. Not with curiosity. But with certainty. Who want to know. Who want to know.
To those, I give this and to those who don't want to know. I wish them all the luck. and I wish them a good journey in life and my advice to them is "Whatever you do, my friend, do it consciously." Not with the eyes closed, but with the eyes open. Do it consciously. One life. Get it right. There's only one life. Maybe many days. That's for practise, many days. But one life. Get it right. Get it right so you can get everyday right. Enjoy from the bottom of your heart. From the bottom of your heart. Enjoy every single day. That's priceless thing there. Every breath that comes into you. You cannot buy it. You cannot exchange it. You cannot give it. It's yours. Yeah. ???. Simple, incredibly simple.
I thank you very much for coming today, for listening to what I have to say. For a lot of people. It's like "Well there's nothing new." I'm glad. I'm really glad. You've always known that the answer is within you. Look within. Search. If you find it, great. If you don't find it, look me up. This is what I do. This is what I do. Go around places. Tell people about this. Because I know if there is going to be peace in this earth, it has to begin with every single one of us. Not about nations. It's not about highways and it's not about this and it's not about that but each one we are the lamps and each lamp has to be lit. That's what I'm doing, is it "Oh, that's an impossible task." Well before there were aeroplanes, it was really hard to fly. Then somebody said "I think we can fly. Let's build this contraption." Oh, what this person must have felt, on one hand there must have been incredible amount of certainty. On the other hand, there must have been like "Holy moly" (laughter) and then this person' flew and the world has not been the same. Things have changed. You are the same. You have not changed. You too want to fly in a space called within. For that you need very special. Wings, very special wings (applause) and those are the wings I give to those who want to fly in the inner space (applause) in the inner space. So thank you very much for coming this afternoon. You can still go back and make your football game (laughter) ha ha ha and uh just remember there's always a football match on somewhere. If it's not on the telly it's here it's going on. The only thing is who's going to win and who's going to lose. Maybe the time has come to call off the football match and to feel peace and tranquillity in this life. (applause) So thanks again and I wish you all the best. Bye bye.