Maharaji in Fort Lauderdale PWK-019 July 2007-07-01

Maharaji in Fort Lauderdale July 01, 2007 morning
The Art of Being Thankful PWK-019

So, I see everyone got a better night's sleep. (laughter) Again, we have this chance to just talk a little bit about Knowledge, talk a little bit about this life, because you know, in getting distracted with all the things that happen and sometimes that bombardment is constant, day and night, and we get, there we are, we're And then, the focus shifts. The focus shifts from that one simple reality to all the problems that have to be solved, all the dreams that have to be realized, and the effort, the time, it goes towards those things.

And whenever there has been a Master, the Master has said, what is your real dream? What is your real dream? That's an incredibly good question, because so many of the dreams that we pursue, they're not our dreams. They are the dreams of this world. The world has said, this is how you should be. The world has said, this is good, and then, this is how I want to be, because this is how the world has said I should be. There's that word, one word that is used quite a bit for me, controversial. And in the beginning, when I first came to the West, this is the word that they used, almost synonymous with my name, controversial, controversial, controversial. And it used to irritate me, well, what is this controversial, you know? So, one day, I looked up the word controversial, and it said, somebody who walks on the other road, not the same road as everybody else, another road. And I said, perfect. That's exactly right. That's what I want. Because the road that we walk on, we never question it. Why am I here? What am I doing here? Why am I walking this road? Where am I going? What do I want in my life? And people have excuses for everything, and one of the excuses, if you think like that, you're selfish.

I have a very simple definition for selfish. If you do something at another person's expense, that's selfish. But if it doesn't involve anybody else, it has nothing to do with anyone else, it's not selfish. It's as simple as that. If I'm riding a bus, I'm occupying a seat, all the seats are full, I see somebody who needs to sit down, because they're maybe old, they're frail, they look tired, or simply that they need to sit down, and I stay seated, maybe I'm selfish. But if the bus is empty, I'm the only human being besides the driver in that bus, and there's 43 seats, is that selfish? If I have to use the bathroom, I mean here, this is where it gets tricky, see? All those people who claim selfish, selfish, selfish, selfish. You have been standing in a line to use the bathroom. You have to go, that's why you're there. And you go in the bathroom, you know there's all these people behind you, who need to use the bathroom. What do you do? What do you do? What do you do? You use it. They'll get their turn, you use it, because you have to go. They have to go, you have to go, everybody is basically the same way. And all of a sudden the mention of selfishness disappears. And there may be somebody who has to go worse than you, but they're going to have to wait in line. All of a sudden there's a total justification, there's an understanding, there's a whole thing. Because there is a need. Fundamental needs. Fundamental needs do not constitute, fundamental needs do not constitute selfishness. Fundamental needs. If I'm sleepy, and there's all these people are awake, is it selfish for me to go to sleep? Yesterday people were falling asleep in here. God, they agree with me, finally. It's okay.

So, true contentment, is that a fundamental need or not? This goes back to that same thing, what do you want? Leave religion out of this, because as soon as you go there, it's going to get very convoluted. Most religions, in fact all religions, on one hand tell you that who you are looking for is inside of you, and then they'd say, you have to get there. If you want to get to God, this is how you do it. But if God's already inside of you, why are you running around doing all this stuff? No, idea is, God lives in heaven, oh by the way, God is omnipresent, but he lives in heaven. When he stops running around being everywhere, at the same time, he retires and he goes to heaven. That's where his pad is.

And hell is a place you want to go, because it's nasty. And in religion, hell is what is talked about. Heaven, very little description of heaven. Pictures of heaven, very simplistic, clouds, a little light, and the famous one of course is the big gate. Now why would you need to have a gate in heaven? Whether it is to keep people in, or keep the unwanted out. But how do the unwanted get so close to heaven in the first place, that they are by the gate? And if everybody has to come to heaven to be judged, then really hell starts for a lot of people right from heaven. Because there they are, really close to it, and then their book is looked at, and you did that wrong, and you got that one wrong, and you really blew that one, off you go. And most people get up, most preachers get up, and they preach you what? About hell. Hell has been, when you look at the paintings, I mean it is right down to the last detail. The hand getting chopped off, the fire coming out, you being boiled in oil. It is like this guy, he dies, he goes to hell. And the devil is taking him, the Satan is taking him on a tour.

And the Satan asks him, you know, what hell would you like? And he goes, what do you mean, what hell would I like? I said, well we have got an American hell there, we have got an Indian hell there, you know, we have got a Chinese hell over there, what hell would you like? He says, well, let me, let me look at them, and then I will decide. So he goes to the American hell, and says, what happens here? He says, well, you know, we just cut off your limbs, and then we throw them in these woks, and you are boiled in the soil, and really hot, hot fire, and you are boiled in the soil, then we put you back together, and do it all over again. Goes to the Chinese hell, and they say, well, what happens here? He says, well, same thing, you know, we have got these really sharp knives, we cut off all your limbs, we throw them in this wok with hot oil, and we boil you with really hot fire, and then we put you all back together, and do it all over again. And go to the Indian hell. So what do you do here? He says, well, same thing, you know, we have got these knives, we cut off your body parts, and then we throw you in this wok, and in this oil, hot, hot oil, and then fry you in there for a while, and then when it is all done, we put you back together, and do it all over again. And the guy looks around, and he sees that at the American hell, the line is very short. And the Chinese hell, the line is very short. And the Indian hell, the line is extremely long. And he says, how come? How come there is hardly anybody who wants to go to the American hell, hardly anybody wants to go to the Chinese hell, but all these people want to go to the Indian hell. He says, well, you know, Indian hell, there is a shortage of firewood, there is a shortage of oil, there is a shortage of knives.

So, that is where everybody wants to head. But in any case, incredible descriptions, incredible paintings. And hell, yes, that is where you want to go. And it is the most incredible scare tactic you can possibly imagine. And you know, the thing is, it works. People are scared. People are so scared, so scared, they want to do anything, anything different. They will gladly not listen to their own heart, gladly, because they are so afraid that if they change one thing, that's where they will go. Heaven is here. Hell is here. Without that light, without that clarity, it is dark. Without the warmth, without the warmth of that passion in this existence, it is so cold, so cold. It is hell. And everybody does a little make-believe. No, I'm not in hell. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm successful. I'm alright. And heaven is right here. Those who bathe every day in the light of clarity, those who bathe every day in the joy of that incredible serenity inside, those who have understood their passion, who have realized their passion, they are warm. And they live in that heaven every single day. This is it. What will happen next? What will happen next?

Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of years ago, there was, there is, and there will be, this ever-changing universe. A lot of nothing, a lot of void, and in that void, dust, dust, dirt, dust. And that dust came together, that dirt came together, created this vulnerable planet. And when it came together, it was hostile to every life you can imagine. Hot, strange, and as the time went on, it began to cool. And it cooled, and it cooled, and it cooled, and it cooled, and it cooled. And then bombardments of frozen water hit this earth, pelting, and pelting, and pelting, and pelting, and the oceans came about. And then, slowly it started to settle, and settle, and settle, and settle, and settle, till, on the surface of this planet, there could be life. Life. And then, it evolved, and it evolved, and it evolved, and it evolved, and it evolved, and it evolved, and it evolved, and here we are. What's going to happen? One day. It won't be just like one day. Like, not like, you know, just one day, but, because it's already happening. And this is what you have to appreciate, that it's already happening. The sun is getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Why? Because it's eating itself. It's fusion. This energy, as it gets hotter and hotter, it's eating into its own source, and as it does, it's getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and bigger. And one day, it'll get so hot, that no life will once again exist on the face of this earth. And one day, one day, this earth will, once again, become the dust that it was. Why am I telling you this? Why am I telling you this? I want to ruin your day. So, why am I telling you this? You, in your life, seek stability. I'm telling you, it's impossible. Change is afoot. Do you know that? It's almost like nothing to nothing. That's what's going to happen. If there was nothing, it will go back to being nothing.

Or it was dust, it'll go back to being dust, and in the middle, for an incredibly short period of time, it is how it is. Next time you see that blue sky, next time you see that sun, pay attention. Pay attention. It will not be like that. Next time you see a river, pay attention. One day, it won't be there. Next time you see the ocean, pay attention, because one day, it will not be there. When you look at yourself in the mirror, pay attention, because one day what you see will not be there. You like change? Sorry, you're changing. So is earth. So are the stars. So is the sun. So is the moon. So is everything else. Everything. Every flower, every grass, every cloud, every day is a change, and a change, and a change, and a change.

Many times when I have to do planning, when I'm doing tours in India or tours here, wherever, I need to look at sunset times. It's really fascinating, because I have to plot them. Change every day, and it's because we take the nearest minute, but if it were also taking seconds, it would be different. Every single day would be different. Sometimes you get two days, it's got the same, you know, 8.58, 8.58, but second-wise, it would be different. Every day, every day is different. Every year is different. Every life is different. Every existence is different. Your concerns, what you like, what bothers you, what you adore, what you look like, who your neighbor is, who your children are. Everything. Every human being. Infinite variation. And in this infinite variation, there's one constant. Life. It's touching you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you. And that in every human being, there's a heart. And in every human being, there's a want to know. And in every human being, there's a desire to be content. And this desire never changes. This desire to be content never, ever changes and never, ever will change till your last breath. Question is, question is, did you pay heed to that desire to be content or not? That's all. Simple. It's at the core of all of you, of every human being on the face of this earth.

We get convoluted. Oh, he's a criminal. He's a this, he's a that. It has taken me a long time to appreciate one thing, that all of us are the same, exactly the same. I was raised partly in India. And let me tell you, I mean, Indians are very sweet, especially if you go to India, meet them, and like, "Oh, namaste, namaste. Oh, yes, yes." But not behind the scenes. No, this is true. Not behind the scenes. Very different opinion. Very holy. So for me, it was a long climb out of that shell. No, everyone is the same. To be able to look, so I went to prison in India. I told that to my lawyer. I said, I'm going to prison. He goes, no, you're not. I said, yes, I am. So I went. And first they took me in the office because the director general of the prisons were there and he wanted to meet me.

He'd been, he'd been watching the DVDs. And there was this one guy, he was a prisoner too, and he was just beaming, beaming. And of course, you know, there was all the officers, so he had to make sure that he never got in the way. But then when he had a little chance, he says, oh, thank you so much for coming. I've been watching your events and thank you so much for coming. He did not have Knowledge. He was a human being. He was in prison, so he had done something wrong. He's already been judged. The judge has judged him, given him a sentence, and that's why he's in prison. So why should I do that again to him? Double jeopardy. Then I went in and all these prisoners. And, you know, there were people there with Knowledge, people who received Knowledge in prison. Aspirants were there. And of course, people who were not in prison but had come to help out with the event. I couldn't tell the difference. And then two of the people who had received Knowledge wanted to meet me because they had never met me before. So I called them backstage. No security. It's fine. Because that's who we are.

We are all human beings. And why do I say that? Not to undermine you, but to point out that because we are the same and what makes us the same is not our face, not our deeds, not our accomplishments, but what makes us the same is our yearning. We yearn for the same thing. We yearn. We yearn for the same thing. A lot of people might go, well, I have Knowledge now. I yearn for it. Oh, yes, you do. Yes, you do. Yes, you do. Just because you own a farm, that doesn't mean you get hungry. Hunger is hunger. Hunger attacks a farmer or somebody who doesn't even have a house or a bowl to eat from. Hunger is hunger. And how blessed, truly blessed are we that we have that yearning? That that's our propellant. That's what propels us to make it better and better and better and better and better. And it only becomes better. It only becomes better when this heart is full.

A lot of people might go, I have Knowledge. I have the key. It doesn't count. I knew that would definitely ruffle some feathers. Doesn't count. Why? Because having the key and opening the lock are two different things. You have the key. You should be able to open the lock. But if you haven't opened the lock, what is the difference between not having the key and having the key? Because the lock remains locked. Instead of going inside and experiencing that beauty for yourself, it becomes another fight. It becomes another fight. Well, does this mean I'm going to go to heaven? Does this mean this? Does this mean this? Does this mean this? Knowledge is not about another fight. Knowledge is about ending the fights. Knowledge is about understanding that simplicity. Knowledge is about being in that joy. Not a fight. Not a war. Not about explanations. Not about explanations.

Not too long ago, I was talking with somebody. They had actually written me a note. I want to talk to you. This guy comes to where I live to help out every day. One day, it just was irking me. I was in the morning. I'm having my coffee. It was just irking me that I hadn't seen this guy. He asked me if I would see him. I wanted to see him. So I just marched off from my office, found him, and I said, yes, here I am. What do you want to talk to me about? He said, you know, I feel like my life is fulfilled. So I started talking to him. I said, you know, do you feel gratitude? He goes, oh yes, I feel gratitude. I said, why? He got it. You see, let me explain something to you. Either in your life, you live in the sea of questions, or you live in the sea of answers. Pick one. The rules are distinctly different. The sea of questions will provide you with many questions, but with no answers. The sea of answer will provide you with all the answers, but no questions. Are you, are you simple enough inside to live by the ocean of answers? Because it takes a profound simplicity to live there. Answer comes. Hmm. Beautiful. Wow. Now I know what I wasn't even looking for. I accept. I understand.

Listen, Kabir does not ask questions. In his writings, he doesn't ask questions. He offers answers. All the Masters, they offer answers. No questions. That's what happens when you live by the ocean of answers. No questions, but answers, answers, answers, answers, answers. And it takes an incredibly simple person to go, I got it. I got it. I understand. Then there are people who live in the sea of questions. Questions, questions, questions, questions, questions, questions, questions, questions, questions. No answers. Where do you live? What is your address? Okay. Where would you like to live? Where would you like to live? Because mind you, the sea of questions does not have answers. And there is no guarantee that if you have a question, you will get an answer. And in the sea of answers, there are no questions, and you have to have acceptance. You have to be strong enough to accept, strong. It takes strength. It takes strength. It takes strength to walk the path of life takes strength. To reject, to reject, any coward can do it. Any coward can do it. Do you have the strength to live in the ocean, by the ocean of the answers? This is what I told that guy. I said, look at Kabir. He didn't come up with questions. He's just got answers. A lot of people understand Kabir. A lot of people understand Meera. I'm talking about even in India. They understand. A lot of people in India go, no, this is all, I mean, this is not for me. What is not for you? Life is not for you? The yearning in your heart is not for you? Then who is it for? The want to be in that beautiful heaven is not for you? It is.

It is. Listen. Listen to your simplicity, not your questions. There's no guarantee the question will get you the answer. There's no guarantee. An answer is an answer. For me, in my life, I want answers. If for any reason I live by the sea of questions, I want to move. I want to move. Reasoning, trying to reason why you exist, trying to reason what Knowledge is, trying to reason what that thirst is. But feeling, feeling thankful every day is an art. And it takes a tremendous amount of strength. It's not for the weak. It takes strength. It takes a freshness every single day to welcome the possibility that today brings, that yesterday brought, the day before that brought, each one of them a gift. Each one of them a gift. What do you see in your life? Do you see that passion? Do you feel that passion? Because if you, you're missing out on something good. On the outside, nothing has to change.

And only those things need to change that you want to change. And I always say, in this world of change, what are you trying to hang on to? What? What is it that you're trying to not make change when it is changing? I mean, on the outside, when the skin starts to age, we try to put things in it, you know, fix it up so that it doesn't look old. Who are you kidding? What about your kidneys? What about your stomach? What about your heart? What about your lungs? What about your eyes? What about your ears? Huh? Huh? Hey, it's not funny anymore. You know, and it comes, and it comes all too early. My eyesight is still good. So it's a good show-off point. I can read that. Some people around me, I mean, they're just like, I can't read that with or without glasses. Doesn't matter. This is who we are. Be synced with your age. As you look aged, be as wise. Then age doesn't matter, because you have extracted the gold from the mine. But if you just look old and inside, zero, then this is all in vain. But it's how it is. To know. I'm not talking about trust. To know. To know. So important. To know. Knowledge. Know. The know-how. To know. To every day, take that time. Go inside. And feel. judge. judge.

One time I was in Delhi, I was talking to aspirants, whole room full of aspirants. It's about 5,000 people, it's about 3,000 people more than sitting here, 5,000 aspirants. And doing question and answers and one aspirant raised her hand, she said, "I feel," actually it was a person who had just received Knowledge, they were in there too. And she said, "I feel anything, I just received Knowledge and I feel anything." All the aspirants looked at her, looked at me, like, answer this. So I did, I said, "So why do you practice? If you feel anything, why do you practice?" She goes, "Oh no, no, no, no, I like it." I said, "What do you like?" She said, "Oh, it makes me feel very peaceful." I said, "Oh, what else was promised?" That's what it is. And of course, she got it, everybody else got it, and the aspirants were like, cool. Something got clarified for them.

So every day, go inside to feel that feeling, not judge it. Aren't you tired in your life yet of judging? When are you going to get tired of judging? That's what I want to know. Unfortunately, I know the answer to that. And the answer starts with an N. And it's not November. I mean, judge, judge, judge, judge. Knowledge comes, you judge. Master comes, you judge. This is judgment, this is, I have been on the receiving end of judgment all my life. Well, most of it. It's not over yet, so. People, when I was young, I would come out on stage, I would talk to people, and you know what people used to say? It's not him talking. They've got a tape recorder going, it's not him. He can't talk, he's too young. People came, people would come and see me.

One guy, he came to see me, he was in the army, and this is how he came. This was his attitude when he came to see me. He says, I know what is a little boy going to teach me, but maybe I can teach him a thing or two. So he used to sit there and pray to the light. There's a mantra, and he would say the mantra, you know, praying to the light. So I asked him, I said, you pray to the light? He goes, yes, absolutely I pray to the light. I said, have you seen it? He stopped. Then last year, in India, he was there, he was saying this. He was explaining or he was reiterating what happened to him. And he was saying that was it, it floored him. And he felt really small because it was a little boy flooring him. Because remember he had come to teach the little boy a thing or two. And the little boy said, have you seen it? And then the little boy said, so you're praying to something you have never seen. What could be the harm in seeing what you pray to? He dropped it. Became an aspirant. He received the gift of Knowledge. And I was just a little boy then, and I have seen him through my whole existence after that. And he still comes, he still does service. I know him very well. How beautiful, how beautiful is that?

When something is awakened, when something is accepted. Not judged. Not judging what it is. How was my experience? Let's share experience. I'll tell you mine, you tell me yours, and we'll see who's doing better. That's the stupidest thing. That's the stupidest thing. You can share the same bread. But what that bread tasted like to you, how can you share? There's a beautiful couplet. And it goes something like this, where it's like, The thing about the personal experience cannot be talked about. Because this is very much like a person who cannot speak eating candy. You can enjoy it, but he can't explain to you what it really tastes like. That is so true. There are things in life that can never be measured.

Can never be measured. And you should never even try to measure them. Be in that focus, because you have to focus. If you want to live this life, focus. be all over the place. Focus. Every day requires that you focus. Every moment requires that you focus. Make no mistake. Flying here. Took off. Want to head in the right direction. Not headed in the right direction. Do something. Do a 180. Head the way you need to go. Every deviation you make. Every deviation you make. Coming here, you know, we were pretty low, so we were going around the clouds here and there. But every deviation you make should be supportive of your destination. Supportive. I need to make the deviation. I will make the deviation. Because I want to stay alive. That's primary goal when you're flying. The primary goal isn't just to get somewhere. Primary goal is to be alive when you land. And ten minutes after that, too. Actually, quite a bit. But everything that is done is to support that. Focus. Focus in your life. Why? This is it, folks. Now, let me explain to you why I told you that story. It wasn't a story. It's the real thing of the dust coming together to make the earth.

To make… Do you know what I'm going to tell you? This business about keep coming back. You're born again and born again and born again. Folks, one day this earth won't be there to come back to. How does that grab you? One life. Make it count. That's all. That's all. And this isn't baloney. This isn't somebody just saying something. I can help you make it count. This is what I do. Make it count. Indians, they're not going to believe when I tell them it was dust and it's going to go back. Of course, the Indians believe that anybody ever landed on moon, either. Because moon is a god. And you land on God. So, that's how it is. Will you come again? One day this won't be here to come to. As human beings as we are, Homo sapiens. The two distinct people. Homo erectus, Homo sapiens. And so Neanderthals are here, too. No, it's true. Genetically, it's true. They're mixed. They're mixed. So there's part of us Neanderthals running around. Which explains a lot. When I saw that, it's like, bingo. A big light bulb went off. It's like, now I know. See, that's what happens when you live in the sea of answers. It's like, wow, okay, now that makes sense. So, some of us are just Homo erectus. We walk, we walk, walk, walk. Some of us, hopefully, are Homo sapiens. Try to understand something in this life. Try to make it count. It's important.

What is important? People want to be, they're women who want to be good mothers. When you are empty inside, how are you going to be a good mother? Can't be. Fathers who want to be good fathers, if you're empty inside, how are you going to be a good father? People think, you know, anger. One time, long time ago, we were going to enroll the kids in the school. And one of the things was, well, you know, we use punishment here and you have to give us a waiver that we can beat them up. I said, you give me a waiver, I beat you up. Then they have the saying, spare the rod, spoil the child. And at what point does that rule stop? It doesn't. It's not a child. That rod becomes a tank. That rod becomes a machine gun. And this is what they think will do it. On one hand, you go watch some of these channels and they're like, oh, and we have these weapons and they can just destroy. And, you know, we have these bombs and they can go on one window and come out the other. Well, how come there's so many coffins coming back from these wars? We've got these incredible weapons that'll destroy anything in sight. Why the body bags? Why the coffins? Wars. When do people of this earth say, no more wars? No more wars. Who will suffer? Who will suffer when that soldier comes back dead? Who will suffer? He's dead. His suffering is over. I'll tell you who will suffer. His mother will suffer. His father will suffer. His wife will suffer. Unless he was really bad. But she will suffer. The children will suffer. They didn't do anything wrong.

It's not their war, but they will suffer. How long? Lifetime. For the rest of their life, they will suffer. It's not fair. And war is never fair. No more war. Do you know where the war has to stop first? Within you, the war has to stop. How will problems be solved? The world leaders will be put in a ring. With gloves. Padded. Padded. So no harm comes. And they can fight it out. It's their war. They're the ones who say, well, I've got to attack them. Well, okay. Go right ahead. Why involve innocent people? Totally innocent people. And put the fear of death into everybody. Oh, if we do this, they will come and kill us all. So stupid. But the war happens here. Conflict is going on here. And when the opportunity presents, that conflict is transferred. No respect. No respect. No understanding. Garner that respect within yourself. Garner that understanding within yourself. A loud voice one day may just get through. A loud voice may one day just get through. War is not an option. Be in that beauty.

Be in that place. You know, be proud of your civilization. There have been many civilizations that were more advanced than you could possibly imagine. And have just disappeared. Gone. Gone. Look at those Egyptians with incredible technology building those pyramids. Gold, this, that, everything. Gone. Romans that almost conquered the world. And now you go to Rome and it's like traffic jam, traffic jam, traffic jam, traffic… They conquered the world? They can't even conquer their little Cinquecentas, you know, their little Fiats. They're running around everywhere. They conquered the world? Well, big part of it. Not pride. Nothing stays.

Nothing stays. The only thing is your life. Make it count.