I don't know your name.
I don't know when you were born.

I don't know your occupation,
I don't know where you live.

So am I qualified
to tell you about yourself?

I'll try, because I am
no different than you,
and perhaps you have
the same aspiration that I do:

to be fulfilled; to be in peace;
to experience the ultimate
expression of life, called joy.

– Prem Rawat


Contents

INTRODUCTION 7

PART ONE
THE QUEST

THE QUESTIONS 14
TODAY WAS MADE FOR YOU 19
ATTEND YOUR OWN WEDDING 27
BOMBARDMENT 32
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS 37

PART TWO
THE RICHNESS

THE DANCE OF THE DROP 46
ARE YOU IGNORING THE OBVIOUS? 54
ARE YOU RICH? 62
THE THREE IDIOTS 70
NO ORDINARY BOX 74

PART THREE
THE FACTS

DON'T BELIEVE ME 82
THE CURE IS CONSCIOUSNESS 91
THE "YOU" YOU DIDN'T CHOOSE 97
HOW ARE YOU? 103
IN THE FEELING MACHINE 108
FACT OR FICTION? 113

PART FOUR
THE STRATEGY

SYMPTOMS OF CONFUSION 123
STRANGERS IN A STRANGE WORLD 131
WIN THE WAR 136
TIME TO CHANGE THE STRATEGY 146

ABOUT PREM RAWAT 157

CREDITS 161


I talk about peace

It's not about the world.
It's about individuals.
It's about every single human being.

Why are you alive?

You'll never know
the answer in words,
But you can feel it.

THE WHO AM I? WHY AM I HERE?
WHERE DID I COME FROM? WHERE AM I GOING?

Recognizing what it means
to be alive, you will
celebrate all life that has
ever danced on
the face of this earth.

I am part of that dirt.
This is where I came from,
and this is
where I will go:
to dirt.

The day you figure out
who you are,
you'll say, "I had it
in my pocket all the time."

I don't see anyone
who does not have the potential to
recognize and understand who they are.

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There are people who live by paper mills where the stench is horrible, but after a while they get used to it. They don't smell the stench anymore. So I have to ask myself the question: What have I gotten used to in my life?

Not knowing one's own self
should be intolerable.
And where can you go
to get away from yourself?

There is a place
where there is no chaos.
That place is inside you.

How do you know today was made for you?
Because a day will come
that will not be made for you.

A wedding takes place
when a human being is born.
It's a very special wedding
of the infinite and the finite.

THERE IS SOMEONE YOU CAN LIVE WITH
HAPPILY EVER AFTER. THAT ONE IS IN YOUR HEART.

If you want to be rich,
be generous.

If you want to be smart,
be simple.

If you want to be strong,
be kind.

Whatever you
are looking for
is inside of you.

We dream about
what we don't have,
because we have
forgotten our own
possibility.

TECHNOLOGY IS BOMBARDING US DAY AND NIGHT.
WANT TO BE BOMBARDED BY SOMETHING ELSE?

All the things that we think
are important
will one day turn around
and become
unimportant.

When everything goes
bye-bye,
you can't even
get out of the chair,
and the bathroom
seems far away.

Don't let another day go by
without being touched
by the magic inside you.

WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT WILL LEAD TO CLARITY ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ALIVE?

Every day there is a roll call.
And I want to say,
"Present!"

I don't know how it happened,
but I am here today.

What I have in my life
that is truly mine
is today.

Peace is a state
in which you understand
without questions.

When you turn within, you'll find the answer,
and the answer will not come in words.
You'll feel what you're doing here.

Peace for just one day
is not richness.

But peace in abundance,
every single day,
every moment:
that is being rich.

SEE YOUR LIFE THROUGH
THE EYES OF THAT
WHICH GAVE IT TO YOU.

Have you forgotten
your own beauty,
your own love,
your own passion

You, too, are a drop.
One little drop of kindness.

The first economic downturn
happened because of greed.
The second one, greed.
The third one, greed.

Will there be more?
Of course there will.
There's no shortage
of greed in this world.

WHAT IS THE OBVIOUS?
THAT YOU ARE ALIVE. THAT YOU ARE
UNIQUE. THAT WHAT YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR IS INSIDE YOU.

How much humility
do we need?
Just enough to get along
with ourselves.

The gardener says to the flowers,
"Will you please bloom?"

If you can't get along with
yourself,
you can't get along with
anybody.

You are the angel
that can set yourself free;
to fly, to be, to exist.

How could we ignore
a voice that is so strong
inside every human being,
calling us
to be fulfilled?

People ask, "Where should I search?"
Here's a clue: in you is the only place
You have never looked.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE
THAT IS PRECIOUS,
AND IN ABUNDANCE?
IT'S NOT MONEY, AND
IT'S NOT DIAMONDS.

Being confused is easy.
All you have to do is
listen to everyone.

Life is a bunch of layers.
You can lift them,
one by one,
and see the only layer
that doesn't change.

A light that creates the road
is an illusion.
Light should only do one thing:
illuminate what is already
there.

Stand not on imagination, but on reality.
Find that reality in our life and experience it.

WE CALL THEM IDIOTS. BUT THE REASON WE LAUGH AT THEM
IS BECAUSE WE SEE A FAMILIARITY.

It's a simple question:
When something is important,
do you believe or
do you want to know?

When you are in
the moment called now,
you know you are okay.
You are home!

THERE ARE MORE THAN SEVEN BILLION
BOXES ON THIS EARTH.
SO WHAT IS THE VALUE OF SUCH A BOX?

The value of this box
can only be measured
by knowing
what's in it.

It begins with your breath.
It ends with your breath.
You should know that.

As long as you live, the divine is
occupying this box.
And that is not an ordinary thing.

Will this earth be gone one day?
Fact or fiction? Fact: it'll be gone.

Will the sun be gone?
Fact or fiction? It'll be gone.

Should you know yourself?
Fact or fiction? Fact!

THE INFINITE IN YOU IS REAL.
KNOW IT. DON'T JUST BELIEVE IN IT.

The world has become
"Me-me-me,
me-me-me."

Not a river anymore!

The day you listen
to your heart,
you will not hear a long list,
just a call to be fulfilled.
To be in real joy.

You work so you can eat,
so you can have a place
where you can live.

And yet you don't understand
what it means to be alive.

If you became like that: "I've got to know!"
You would be filled with peace.
But don't believe this.
Know it for ourself.

THERE IS A DEADLY DISEASE, AND ONCE YOU GET IT,
IT'S REALLY HARD TO KICK.

Do you understand the
dynamics of a single day?
Of one lifetime? Of every
breath? Of existence?

Maybe the first little
amoebas
and bacteria
were aliens that came from
outer space.

Maybe, but you are
still alive
courtesy of the breath.

You can have peace, because peace is in you.
Hate is in you, love is in you.
Clarity is in you, confusion is in you.
The mortal is in you, the immortal is in you.

THE PART OF US WHICH NEITHER WE NOR OUR
PARENTS HAVE SHAPED IS REALLY FASCINATING.

The power that
keeps me alive
resides within me.

And I never said, "Okay.
You can live here."

There is a sadness
not expressed in tears,
but in restlessness.

Whatever you do the most in
your life you are going to get
good at.

So you must be good at
something. What is it?

You were given breath. You were given existence.
You were given consciousness.
You were given love. You were given joy.

BEFORE YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION,
YOU NEED TO ANSWER "WHO ARE YOU?"

Nobody in the whole world
is void of the joy
that bubbles from the heart.

You are the spring of peace.

He didn't say, "Guess
who you are" or
"Imagine who you are."

He said, "Know who you are."

Every day you look in the mirror,
and not once do you
consider yourself a miracle.

You've got a problem.
The miracle doesn't recognize
the miracle.

When your heart is full of gratitude and peace
there are no words to describe how you are.
If somebody says,
"How are you?" just smile!

DON'T JUST TALK
ABOUT IT.
GET WITH THE FEELING.
LET YOUR HEART
BE FILLED WITH
GRATITUDE.
NOTHING ELSE
IS GOOD ENOUGH.

There are a lot of beliefs.
But I know that what is
keeping this universe alive
is also in me,
keeping me alive.

One day my skin
becomes dust.

New things
are made out of it.

We don't see it,
but that's what's happening.

You open up one of those
slick, fancy magazines.
And you say,
"How come I don't look
like her?"

Your reality is right now.
And this reality is not about our dreams.

The fact is that every
human being, including me,
including you, wants to be
content.

Meditation is Bollox

What is the truth?
It is simple and it is
profound.

The truth is you are alive!

What do you have
that's truly yours?

Your existence.

Do you know
how to enjoy it?
Do you know
how to understand it?

You can know the reality that is shining within you.
Because it's fact, not fiction.

You should have peace.
You should have joy.
You should have contentment.

And if you don't
change the strategy.

Next time you see "You are here",
think about it.
Because you ARE here.

HOW MANY THINGS DO YOU KNOW,
AND HOW MANY THINGS DO YOU BELIEVE?
SCARY QUESTION.

We humans have forgotten
who we are.

And then what goes out the
window?

The humanity.
The value of life.

What are the symptoms
of confusion?

Confusion always leads to pain.
And we cannot tolerate pain.

"Dust to dust," they say.
The miracle is when the dust
is breathing. When it's alive.

When it's thinking.
When it loves.

You are dust that can love.
That can feel. That can sing.

You have been given ever thing you need.
You have the tools. Discover! Dig!
And you will find the treasure.
Because there is a treasure in you.

WE DISREGARD THE REALITY
THAT IS STARING US IN THE
FACE. COULD IT BE ANY
STRANGER THAN THAT?

One day you have
to move on.
Where will you go?
No one knows.

Your heart yearns to dance.
Your heart yearns to know.
Your heart yearns to feel.

And until it can,
it all seems very strange.

You don't know
who you are
That's why you
are a stranger

You find our home
when you are lost in fulfillment.
You begin to live when you are drowning in peace

IN YOUR LIFE
YOU HAVE
MANY BATTLES,
BUT ONLY ONE
WAR.
WHAT IS THIS
WAR?
AND HOW DO
YOU WIN IT?

Because of our arrogance
we fail to see that
in each human being
lies the source of peace.

In each human being
lies divinity, beauty,
the source of fulfillment.

What I am looking for,
what you are looking for,
is to find the connection
within ourselves.

Not to a face, but to a feeling
that is real, that is true.

One day changes his whole way
of thinking.

He says, "I want to find
something that is above and
beyond this fortunate business,
and poor business, and rich
business, and death business.

There must be something
better."

Yes, there is. And it's
inside of you.

It comes with every breath.

Feeling peace, not once, but ever day
that I am alive, is winning the war.

It is possible to know clearly
without any uncertainty
about your blessing
every day

To understand,
without doubt or question,
the value of the breath,
and to have come to a point
where your gratitude is
as sincere as possible
for a human being.

WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING
EVERYWHERE
EXCEPT WHERE IT IS.

Seventy percent water getting
dressed up and saying "Don't
I look pretty?"

And the other seventy
percent water whistling!

Try peace.
It won't cost
trillions of dollars.

And it is
what most people want.

They've had enough.

Will somebody listen to
them?

Come closer to ourself and you will be
amazed at what you can feel.

There are answers that dance within you
that don't even have questions.

You can live your life
surrounded by the beauty
that is within you.

A reality, every single day.
Not speculation, not
an idea, not a thought.
Not some imagination,
but every single day
honing the skill of being in
touch with the beauty
that resides inside you.

That's when you become complete.
That's when you become whole.
That's when you can dance,
you can understand,
you can care, you can share,
you can think, you can be conscious,
you can be aware
–not only for yourself,
but for the ones
around you.

About Prem Rawat

Prem Rawat is a respected international speaker, attracting audiences from all walks of life. The honorary title "Ambassador of Peace" has been granted him by a number of governmental and academic institutions because of his ability to inspire audiences to see personal peace as a possibility for everyone.

As a speaker, Prem Rawat is both accessible and humorous, using stories, analogies, and even poetry to reach his diverse audience. At the same time he has an important message, that personal peace is a fundamental right for all.

He speaks from the heart, without script or rehearsal, bringing simplicity to important issues that people often find complex. His life's goal is to offer his message of peace to all seven billion of the world's population.

In pursuit of this goal, he maintains a challenging travel schedule, often flying over 100,000 nautical miles in a year. In 2012 alone he spoke to over 730,000 people at 102 live events worldwide. During that time, there were over a million downloads of his videos. He receives no recompense for his speaking engagements.

In addition to speaking in front of intimate audiences and vast crowds – sometimes exceeding 300,000 in India – he has been invited to speak at a number of important institutional venues and forums. These include the European Parlia-

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ment, the United Nations (UN), the Italian Senate, the parliament buildings of Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, the Young Presidents' Organization, and the Guildhall in London, as well as numerous universities across the world.

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITION

In November 2011, Prem was invited as keynote speaker and inspirer of the "Pledge to Peace" launched at the European Parliament, under the patronage of the First Vice-President, Gianni Pittella MEP The Pledge to Peace, a call to peaceful action, was the first of its kind ever presented at the European Union, and which 37 institutions signed. The pledge activities, announced on UN Peace Day each year, continue to develop momentum.

In 2012, Prem was awarded the Asia Pacific Brands Association's BrandLaureate Lifetime Achievement award, reserved for statesmen and individuals whose actions and work have positively impacted the lives of people and the world at large. Other recipients of this prestigious award include Nelson Mandela and Hillary Clinton.

In the spring of 2012 he was invited to launch the Third Festival of Peace in Brazil. This initiative, hosted by UNIPAZ (University of International Peace), which works towards world peace, involved more than one million people.

Speaking in a specially prepared video for the Nordic Peace Conference in Oslo, Prem emphasized the very real possibility of peace in our lifetime. He said, "There are people who are very greedy, there are people who don't care. But in my opinion, that is a minority. The majority of the people on the face of

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this earth want peace, and if this is true, then peace on earth is a very achievable objective. People say it's not going to happen. Well, let this time belong to those who believe it can happen, not to the ones who say it cannot."

In recognition of his profound impact on individuals and his contribution towards the world's understanding of peace, Prem has received many keys to cities and awards, and has been named an Ambassador of Peace four times – by UNIPAZ and three other governmental organizations.

BACKGROUND

Born in December 1957 in rural India to a prominent family, Prem left his native land at age 13 to travel to Europe and America, with the desire to bring his message to the world. His driving ideal was to present to every person, an optimistic vision of life, a vision of peace, both individually and collectively. This ideal continues as strongly today, some four decades later.

HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

In 2001, Prem Rawat created The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF), which addresses the fundamental human needs of food, water, and peace, so that people everywhere can live their lives with dignity, peace, and prosperity. In the 12 years since its inception, the Foundation has made 158 grants to assist people in need in 40 countries.

With TPRF's Peace Education Program, Prem has reached out to people in many walks of life. It has been particularly

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successful in prisons, helping those incarcerated to rehabilitate, experience hope, understanding, and self-worth. Prem has spoken at several of the 28 prisons where the program is currently running worldwide. The program is also now the subject of academic study due to its unusual success in reducing recidivism and in helping transform and give hope to those incarcerated.

PERSONAL

Prem Rawat embraces creativity and cutting-edge technology. He is an inventor, photographer and a highly accomplished pilot, with over 12,000 hours flying time, most of it spent flying himself to speaking engagements. He is married with four adult children and one grandchild.

CREDITS

EDITOR Ole Gr¨nbaum is an award-winning author, journalist and newspaper editor, living in Copenhagen, Denmark