Prem Rawat's Teachings about Suffering - In His Own Words
'Suffering', its ubiquity and its relief has been a major part of Rawat's teachings. His use of the concept has changed considerably. During the early, and most successful for recruitment of followers, phase of his career until the end of 1973 he blithely preached that human suffering was universal but that His Knowledge relieved all human suffering easily and instantly. This agreed with Rawat's father and predecessor who mentioned 'suffering' many times in his book, Hans Yog Prakash and the book about him, Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj written by the President, DLM India, too many times to quote here. It was part of the Sant Mat tradition from which he came and, no doubt, part of the lives of the poor Indians amongst which Hans Rawat proselytised.
After a few years of practising Rawat's Knowledge, his wife discussed the suffering she, and other followers, experienced through not meditating. While rarely spoken about publicly this is a common refrain amongst his followers whose faith in the wonderful effects of Rawat's "Knowledge" has not been gained through their meditation but through belief in their Master's claims. See also Linda Pascotto, President, Prem Rawat Foundation, 2001. In 1978 Mrs Rawat reveals that not meditating is particularly prevalent at Rawat's mansion (there were many followers - unpaid servants and staff - living there) where being "spaced out", unconscious, "suffering from mind" and "crazy" are the norm.
By early 1978 Rawat was now teaching, very forcefully, that it was not enough to practice his Knowledge as part of one's life but one's whole life had to be part of Knowledge and that without complete belief, faith in Guru Maharaj Ji, devotion to him, praying to him, begging from him, worship of him and obedience to him the supposedly blissful effects of the practice of his Knowledge would not manifest in his followers' lives. This teaching publicly continued up until the renaming of Divine Light Mission to Élan Vital and the dissolution of the ashrams in the early 1980's. His public teaching has changed quite dramatically. He continues to speak of universal suffering and the ignorance he claims causes it and contrasts it with the joy he says is based upon the understanding and remembering of "the breath".

Shri Maharaj Ji (Prem Rawat's father and predecessor as Satguru), Delhi, India, August 7 1952
Moslem saints say that even if a breath goes without remembering God, it is a sin. St. Kabir also says that if you do not remember the Name of God now, you will have to face many hardships, and there will be nobody to
listen to your prayer. Everybody remembers God in distress; nobody does so in happiness. If one remembers God in happiness, he will not get any suffering. If one does not remember God while happy, nobody will listen
to his prayer while he is in distress.
Volume 2, Issue 2, And It Is Divine Magazine

Shri Maharaj Ji, ???a Nagar, Delhi, India, March 21 1955
Only the remembrance of the Holy Name of God can relieve you from all these miseries. All of the worldly attainments will be left here. For instance, the people who crossed over to India from Pakistan had to leave all their
possessions behind; similarly, at the time of leaving the world, everything will have to be left here. The refugees remembered God while escaping from Pakistan; had they continued to remember Him with the same enthusiasm
they could have been relieved of all sorts of miseries. But being engrossed in worldly comforts, they have again forgotten God. So they will have to suffer miseries again. Everybody remembers God while he is in
distress, but nobody remembers Him in prosperity. If one would remember Him in prosperity, there would be no need to face distress.
Saint Kabir says, "When one's body is steady, mind is concentrated and he observes silence. Such a moment cannot be paralleled even by an age." This stage is called the trance, and one realizes God only during the trance.
But nowadays people chant the tantras and mantras and rotate a rosary in their hand and their minds wander in different directions. It is not meditation or devotion. The devotion to God has been described as the brilliant
light which does not require a lamp, a wick or fuel to illumine it. In the Gita in Chapter 15 verse 6, speaking about the same Light it is said: "There the light of the sun, moon and fire does not shine." The same brilliant
Light has been described as Chanda and as Noor. The one in whose heart such a brilliant Light shines, does not have to suffer hardship even in a dream. In other words, bad dreams never come to him.
The Golden Age Number 8, Thursday, May 23, 1974

Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, Delhi, India, 18th November, 1963
From his birth to his death a man tries to attain constant happiness and hence to be immune from troubles and suffering. In most cases he does not succeed. Instead he continues to get himself tied up in doubts and
anxieties. His periods of happiness are only short-lived and true happiness, like the mirage, remains an illusion for him, but which nevertheless he continues to chase, wherever he thinks it can be found. Modern society
with all its good laws and civilisation, its scientific inventions and discoveries, its technological innovations and the conquest of nature, all represent attempts by mankind to find happiness. But we can see by looking
around us that their actual results are only unrest and unhappiness, anxiety and frustration. Real happiness has not been obtained, peace has not been found, and suffering has not been removed, instead the situation has
arisen when the very existence of the human race is threatened.
The Golden Age, May 1978, Number 45

Delhi, India, October 29 1966
Dear premies, today hundreds of thousands of people have asked for darshan. The Ramayana says that it's only through great good fortune that satsang can be attained. Satsang destroys all our sufferings effortlessly.
… Those who don't try to attend satsang during this lifetime will regret it later and will blame time, fate and God for their sufferings.
Divine Times, November 1979, Volume 8, Number 6

"Peace Bomb" speech, 8 November, 1970 in front of 1 million people at India Gate, Delhi
Give me your love, I will give you peace. Come to me, I will relieve you of your suffering. I am the source of peace in this world. All I ask of you is your love. All I ask is your trust. And what I can give you is
such peace as will never die. I declare I will establish peace in this world.
So, dear premies, receive this Knowledge, and those who have received this Knowledge must meditate and have Guru Maharaj Ji's darshan. He who learns to love Guru Maharaj Ji, Guru Maharaj Ji gives him peace. Subash Chandra
Bose used to say, "Give me your blood and I will give you independence." Likewise, I too have a slogan: give me your love and I will give you peace. Surrender the reins of your life unto me and I will give you such peace as
will never die. Come to me, and I will give you liberation. Place the reins of your life in my hands, and I will relieve you of your suffering. First, be capable of giving the reins of your life to me, then give
them. And if I do not give you peace, I will give them back to you.
The Golden Age November 1978 Number 49

Alta Loma Terrace, Hollywood, California, August 15 1971
He has come. And what does He do? He gives people such a technique, such a method, which is perfect, and gets them away from sufferings, the causes of sufferings of this world. …
God has created this whole Earth. He made enjoyment and sufferings, so many sufferings that they can't be easily settled down. They were incredible. Man had to suffer without this Knowledge so much, so much, so much, that it was impossible for him to bear the sufferings of this world. But then … You call God a form of kindness. He is kind. He took a form to refine this whole world, to make sufferings easier for His people. He wanted to go and do that work more and more Himself to make it easy, and first make more and more sufferings on His head, instead of anybody else's. God manifested Himself fully into a form. Not a part, but wholly into a form, to cure people from the disease of sufferings.
God is God. God was so cruel with you, bringing all sufferings. Now, Guru is kind. He is curing all those sufferings. Give your devotion to Him. Because you were searching, "God, God, God!" and just echo was coming and nothing else. But when Guru came, He said, "Okay, why are you suffering? Tell me your sufferings." He heard those; cured them.
Élan Vital, Volume II, Issue 1, Spring 1978

Boulder, Colorado, August 18 1971
We all are filled with doubts and so many things. Now when we go to Perfect Master, we have that Knowledge which when we place our minds into that Knowledge, it's like the car wash. But in these car washes, people take a
cloth and then wipe the water off. In this "mind wash," everything is automatic. If you just place your mind into that Knowledge, into that Truth which Satguru reveals, your soul will be liberated and your mind will be
away from your suffering which it has to face now.
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 4, Winter 1979

Boulder, Colorado, August 18 1971
See, reincarnation means that a realized soul, which is one at a time, comes and reveals that Truth to people. Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Kabir, Nanak, Guru Govind Singh … and also Christ - and there are many. They are all
called incarnations. They come to give this Knowledge to people so that they may be done with all the sufferings of this world. Like Krishna says, "When there will be a decline in the true religion, I will come to save
it and form one religion." Which he did. And "religion" means realization. "Religion" has started from a word "realization."
Élan Vital, Volume IV, Issue 1, Spring 1980

Boulder, Colorado, August 28 1971
God created sufferings. But He couldn't bear it when He saw how the people were suffering on this plane. He Himself created suffering, but when He looked, when He peeped through, He saw that all the people were
suffering. He couldn't bear that. For we are His sons and He is our Father, and it is impossible for our Father to bear it when we are suffering. And He came onto this Earth to protect us.
I don't know why people don't want to take it! I am not selling it. I am not saying, "Give me money." I am not selling it for money. And it is something of benefit for people. Whose fault is this? Mine? Or people's? It is
not my fault. Because I am shouting over loudspeakers. I'm shouting on amplifiers and people aren't listening to me. I am doing as much as I can, out of my ability. But people aren't listening to me. I will go. And when all
people will be on one side of the court of God and the judge will place the whole record of people before God and read in that that they were uninitiated, without Knowledge, unqualified and imperfect, God will say, "Weren't
you given this Knowledge?" And people will say, "No, Sir." But remember, the tape recorder is on and I will take the same tape recorder and play it before God and tell Him, "Yes, this is it." And a movie is being made. I
will show it to God. I will say, "This is it. I was telling people, but they weren't listening to me." And then, no verdict. Because there are no laws there and no question of verdict. You'll be straightaway sent to
8,400,000 sufferings, where you have to suffer, suffer, and suffer.
Élan Vital, Volume IV, Issue 3, Fall 1980

Hampstead Town Hall, London, England, October 31, 1971
You are disciples now. You have received the shelter and now you are afraid of nothing in this world. You have received the shelter of such a thing, you are wearing a bullet-proof coat, such a coat that even when bullets
come to you they won't harm you. Egos come to you, they cannot touch you. So you are completely sheltered and completely protected. Don't, don't go out of the shelter. Always try to be in the shelter. Otherwise this ego is
ready; you cannot see the clouds of ego but you can feel the rain of ego. As soon as you go out of the shelter you are completely drowned in egos. And you must have received the terrible experiences of these things, of
egos, of suffering. How does suffering exist, do you know? Many people ask me, if God is good from where did evil come, and what is evil first of all? Evil is nothing. Evil is the ignorance of our mind.
Knowledge Kit

Raja Rawat, elder brother of Prem, Porchester Hall, London, W2., 5 Jan 1972
These incarnations have to take place from time to time. As Lord Krishna said, "When evil gets greater and greater and the devotees of God become less and less in quantity, then God incarnates because His devotees are
suffering and because he cannot bear to see them in pain. He comes to make His devotees happy. Even the evil men become His devotees, so everybody becomes a devotee and then they are happy."
Divine Light magazine Volume 2, Number 6, March 1973

Questions & Answers, Denver, Colorado, August 1 1972
Simply that's the question. Man is afraid of pain, suffering. Man is suffering now. That is why he is trying to get out of it. But he can't because he hasn't the proper boat to get out of it. He opens one door. He thinks
this is the way out. He goes into it and there is more suffering. When this energy comes into us and takes over all the parts of our body, then it vibrates, it makes everything alive, you see. And it acts on the breath
-- that's the main thing that makes us alive and that makes all things go. You understand? And when it goes away, that's death. When the existence is finished, that is death. The existence does not really finish when death
passes. Just goes and mixes back.
Élan Vital, Volume IV, Issue 2, Summer 1980

Prem Nagar, India, 16 November 1972
So now we have to understand that beyond all these egos lies one consciousness and this is consciousness of your real Self. What are you? You are not a pronoun, you are not any ego, you are beyond ego, you are beyond
doubt, you are beyond sufferings, you are beyond anything. Beyond anything lies your own consciousness which prevails in all human beings as well as all living creatures, whether they be dolphins, sharks, whales, dogs,
whatever they may be. There is one level of consciousness that prevails in every creature, every living creature, from a mosquito to the higher creatures, and the only difference is that a human being can realize that
consciousness, can take privilege of that consciousness.
Divine Light magazine Volume 2, Number 6, March, 1973

1971 / 1972?
Realized souls come to give this Knowledge so that all people may end all their sufferings. Krishna says, "When there will be a decline in true religion, I will come and form one religion, which is the Truth."
Religion means realization. You are following religions in order to get peace. If you can't find peace, search somewhere else. If you want to learn ABC from a book, and you are not learning ABC from that book, then leave
it. All human beings should be happy, but there are so many fights between religions. That is why the Perfect Master comes to form all people into one religion, which is realization of God. The master we choose should be
perfect.
Satguru Maharaj Ji booklet

Guru Puja, Alexandra Palace, London, July 13 1973
We read all these examples about these things receiving this perfect Knowledge and getting blissed out, but that's not it, because it does no good to us except it relaxes us for some time, because it's a story, we just feel
good. But we have to receive that salvation, otherwise there is suffering and suffering and suffering and suffering in this world. That which seems to be pleasure today can turn out to be suffering within no
time.
In the beginning of this world there was this Knowledge, and when man wanted to have peace he had to receive Knowledge. That's what he had to do. He had to get it from the Perfect Master. And now, in this 20th century, if
we want peace we still have to receive Knowledge. Now there might be many people who say "Why, why do we have to receive Knowledge to get peace?" You might say, what is this all going on? What is this Divine Light Mission?
It is just a trip. Mind you, come here, understand what's going on, and then you will be able to know what we tell you. Maybe you are not understanding, because this Knowledge is of course practical experience. That you
have to realize and only then you can understand this Knowledge. So now, I think the period has come when people have to receive this Knowledge. And people have to receive this Knowledge because there is so much crisis
going into this world. There is so much suffering in this world, and there is only one solution to it
The Golden Age Number 9, July 6 - July 27, 1974

DUO Proclamation 1974
Whereas, the one universal belief of all people hold to be true, is the belief in life itself; and yet due to ignorance of the aim of human life, the world continues to be filled with misery; and Whereas, even with the
advancements of the technologically expanding twentieth century, humanity has continually failed in all efforts to find a solution to misery and suffering; and Whereas, Knowledge of the aim of human life is being
revealed to all people of the world by the living Perfect Master and spiritual head of Divine Light Mission, Paramhans Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj, thus eliminating the cause of ignorance and misery;
Therefore, the people who have experienced the Knowledge of Shri Sant Ji Maharaj, with full awareness of the difficulties of living without knowing the aim of human life, are compelled to reach out to the rest of the
struggling humanity to spread the solution to strife and suffering by a commitment to work in all fields of endeavour for the elevation of humanity, manifesting an exemplary alternative to be known as the Divine United
Organisation or D.U.O. -- Guru Maharaj Ji
The Golden Age, No. 4, Thursday, April 24, 1974

DUO Proclamation 1974
This is the organisation which is going to help the whole world to get out of misery and suffering. And I challenge this to the whole world, that by Divine United Organisation, and by the grace of Almighty Lord, and
the power of Knowledge, the bliss of the Knowledge, peace in the world can again be established, in the same way as people have dreamed of And the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth will be possible, and is possible if you
work together, with cooperation and in the manner of Divine United Organisation that I have explained to you. Everyone will have shelter, even a small ant, and then lions and goats will drink water in the same pool and will be satisfied.
The sayings of Guru Maharaj Ji, © Divine Light Mission 1974

Calcutta, India, April 23 1975
But we never understand how very fortunate the Kaliyuga is. Of course, nobody directly praises the Kaliyuga. But in this Kaliyuga, the Lord will incarnate with full power. Whoever he will be! That's the other
question. For this Kaliyuga, it's said that Kaliyuga is based on the Holy Name. By remembering the Holy Name, a man can cross the ocean of suffering and misery.
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 4, Winter 1979

Denver, Colorado, 8th July, 1975
This is what people should understand, if anything, and this is what people should do: you can do more service to humanity by realizing this Knowledge, propagating this Knowledge, giving people satsang about this Knowledge,
than by doing anything else. Even if you become emperor of this whole world! Because who is Guru Maharaj Ji? Guru Maharaj Ji is perfect. And this perfect Lord doesn't come down Himself one day, grab everybody by the throat,
and say, "You better realize Knowledge, otherwise I am going to chuck you out into hell." He doesn't do that. He even comes down into this world, bears that physical body, bears the pains, bears the suffering of this
physical planet, and gives Knowledge. But if you look at Him, He is the ultimate. He doesn't need to come into this world. He has got so much power, He could manifest Himself in front of everybody in this world and ask
everybody personally a question, He wouldn't even have to come down into this world. All He would have to do is come down out of the clouds and speak loud one day, and say, "People who are not going to receive Knowledge are
definitely going to hell." He never does that, because that's just the way it is.
The Golden Age Number 39, July 1977

Durga Ji (Marolyn Rawat nee Johnson), Hans Jayanti Festival, Orlando, Florida, 7 November 1975
By Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, we don't have to do that anymore. We know that that perfect place is within us, and we don't have to run all over this world trying to find it. It's right here within us all the time, right now.
No matter where we go, we can tune into this vibration that is our life source. And now we need to tell the rest of the world, "If you're suffering and if you're miserable …" - maybe some people don't see themselves
right now as suffering or miserable, but at some point in their life it's going to be like, "This isn't why I'm here. I can't find it." So we have to be really clear and ready to say, "Listen. I can help you, I think. I
can show you something. I can lead you to someone who can help you." If we're not even clear enough to do that, if we're so crazy ourselves, who's going to listen to us? So we have to get really clear. Maharaj Ji's said so
many times that we're his hands. He's one man. Because that's the way he chose to come, in one body. And yet he chose to have so many beautiful lovers, so many beautiful premies to do his work for him.
The Golden Age Number 25, January 1976

Durga Ji (Marolyn Rawat nee Johnson), Atlantic City, New Jersey, December 18 1976
One thing that really struck me today when I was reading it was that if we really want to love Guru Maharaj Ji more, the way to do that is through meditation. If we really want to experience the most beautiful, fantastic
experience in our lives - which is to me that most precious love - then it is to meditate, to practise Knowledge. And for me, sometimes that's really hard, and and I think it is for probably most all of us, because we tend
to make excuses: "Well, now is not the right time, I don't have x amount of time, I don't have an hour, so I'll just wait until I have an hour." I know I do that a lot. So sometimes I end up spacing the whole day, but
it's me who's suffering from it, because I'm not experiencing that most beautiful thing. I'm losing out.
Divine Times, November 1979, Volume 8, Number 6

November 1976
Guru Maharaj ji can then take this tool and make a tool from it, and Guru Maharaj Ji can use it for anything he wants. And it's like, there's only one reason, there's only one purpose that he has, and that is to spread the
Knowledge. To spread the word. That's his purpose. To bring humanity out of suffering. To provide them with peace, and love, and understanding that people need so bad.
The Frankfurt Conference

Denver, Colorado, 20 February 1977
But Guru Maharaj Ji's a physical focal point where we can really concentrate, where we can really focus, and through that - through Guru Maharaj Ji everything can manifest for us. And that is the only reason why even Guru
Maharaj Ji comes in this world. Knowledge is always there, but Guru Maharaj Ji comes for us, because he provides that focal point in our lives. That is something we can communicate with, that is something we can see,
something we can perceive, something we can experience - and through that, Guru Maharaj Ji then weaves us into the experience of Knowledge - gently and slowly and beautifully - and then helps us. As by our ignorance we
untie ourselves from that weaving, Guru Maharaj Ji sews us back again - if you surrender to him, if we really let ourselves go at his feet. This is not a thing that has been from time immemorial there. There's been
ignorance in people - just forget about it. All that is the ignorance of people, and people have always suffered that ignorance.
The Golden Age, April 1977, Number 37

Guru Puja Festival, Miami Beach, Florida, July 29 1977
There are so many people in this world and they are suffering. And they keep on suffering. Why? Why are people suffering? And this was the great question Shri Maharaj Ji used to discuss or talk about. There are so
many people suffering. What is the real solution to these people suffering? Food? If they are suffering from food, naturally you would think, "Take them some food. Give them some food. They will be happy." But he
said, "No. You give them food today; they will need food tomorrow. Their happiness will only last that long, as long as they are satisfied from that food. And it's not really food that they are suffering from." Then, is it
clothing? Maybe because they don't have clothes they are suffering. No, it's not clothes. Because you can give them clothes now. Maybe six months or a year from now, their clothes will tear up; their agony, their
suffering will start up again. What is man really suffering from? We look at the symptoms of suffering. What suffering brings us is a lack of tranquility. Lack of knowing. Lack of understanding. Lack of food.
Lack of clothing. Lack of this. Lack of that. Those are symptoms! That is not the reason. That is not the cause. And by trying to just cure the symptom -- if you know that this is what you are trying to do, cure the symptom
and not the disease -- you're terminal. Because you can keep on curing the symptom, and the disease will persist and persist and persist till naturally one day you can't control the symptoms anymore. Look at this whole
Earth. Look at this whole world. Where is it at? More and more issues come up. More and more suffering comes up.
Élan Vital, Volume IV, Issue 2, Summer 1980

Wembley Hall, London, England, Friday, 3 March 1978
And of course, for the people who have made a sandwich out of Knowledge - Knowledge, Knowledge, mind - are very much suffering. Their ego is suffering. They are suffering because in their life Knowledge has a
purpose. They want to make Knowledge a part of their life: "Here Knowledge. Here, boy. Heel. Sit. Down." No. That's what a lot of people think is the way it's got to happen. They got a little leash on Knowledge, and you
sort of just chug it around wherever you want to go, and when you want to meditate, you go, "Stay." When you don't want to meditate, "Okay, boy, go." And everything just happens. But that's the greatest mistake. Because
Knowledge isn't going to become a part of our life. It's not like you got this incredible life and Knowledge just walks in and just plugs right in like an adapter or something. But this whole life, completely, has to become
a part of that Knowledge. This whole life has to merge in that Knowledge, not Knowledge just merging into our left pocket. And premies, that's the difference of understanding.
The Golden Age, May 1978, Number 45 and DLM publication 1978

Holi, Miami Beach, Florida, Thursday, 6 April 1978
By Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, in one second - really - in one second; and maybe even a second is too long - it gets answered to us, by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace. You just look at the mercy. You just look at the Grace. To be in
this world - to first of all put us there. And to put us there in a way where we won't just suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer. But to put us in a boat. And put us in that ocean and say, "Okay." Instead of just
putting us in that ocean without any boat, without anything, and just we are struggling and struggling and struggling and struggling, and then eventually drown, he puts us on a boat and he says, "Okay. Sail away, and I'm
right there." And to give us that opportunity just for one moment, just for one second, is good enough. Because we have to understand that. - Why do we have to understand that? I mean, then comes that question, "Okay. If
Guru Maharaj Ji is all merciful, if Guru Maharaj Ji is everything, then let it be! Let it go on. And let him do it."
The Golden Age, June/July 1978, Number 46 and DLM publication 1978 and Holi '78, DLM book

Miami/Florida, Sunday, April 9 1978
Because, in this world everything that everybody is into … they're suffering. They can put on as big a fake smile as they want. They know it, and at least I know it. They're suffering. They're really not
happy.
And that's why Guru Maharaj Ji is here. That is why we are so fortunate. And this is why I'm saying we are so fortunate. Because by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace we have been given that Knowledge. We have been given - World calls
us hypocrites. And yet I don't know of any more people out there that can qualify as being more hypocritical than the people out in this world who don't know what's going on, and still put up a smile. Here, there's no
matter of hypocrite. There is nobody being a hypocrite here. Everybody goes by that experience and that's the first thing that's told to everybody: "Experience it."
The Golden Age, June/July 1978, Number 46and Holi '78, DLM book

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, 26 August 1978
Guru Maharaj Ji comes when that help is really, really, really, really needed. Guru Maharaj Ji does not throw you life saver when you jump off the boat. Okay? He only throws you one if you ask for it. It's not a given thing:
You just jump off the boat and Guru Maharaj Ji goes, "Here! Catch this." No! That's what you want to do. That's your wish. That's your desire. If you want to jump off the boat; you can jump off the boat. But then if for some
reason you very immediately realize that that was a mistake and that you really want to be on the boat, and then sincerely you say, "Help," then Guru Maharaj Ji does throw you the life saver, and does pull you out of that
water, does pull you out of that ocean, does pull you out of those miseries and sufferings and everything that we are indulged in.
The Golden Age, June/July 1978, Number 46

Hans Jayanti, Kissimmee, Florida, November 5 1978
But Guru Maharaj Ji says, "Listen! I can take you away from the evolution of life and death. I can take you away from the revolution of pain and suffering. I can take you away from the ferris wheel of all this
illusion! But only if you confide*** in me. Only if you have faith in me. Only if you have trust in me. And then I will take you away from this illusion."
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 1, Spring 1979

Durga Ji (Marolyn Rawat nee Johnson), Hans Jayanti, Kissimmee, Florida, November 10 1978
You know, I'll tell you something. I'll tell you something really beautiful, by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, and I hope that all of us can understand something by this. All of us at the residence really suffer from a lot of
mind. And sometimes we know we're suffering from it, and sometimes we don't. Or maybe we do but it's just like, "I have to be doing this now. It's for Guru Maharaj Ji. It's OK. It's cool. I can't meditate right now" -
whatever. And I'm sure we all go through this because we're all in the same boat. But sometimes things get really spaced out in Guru Maharaj Ji's own residence. And it's very painful when it really starts manifesting, when
things are so obvious. Because maybe it started out with a beautiful program, everybody's together, everybody's really in a beautiful place, making effort, really trying to re-dedicate our life. And then slowly, slowly,
slowly, slowly, slowly we just kind of get further and further away. And then these really crazy things start happening. In Maharaj Ji's own home. Really very unconscious things. Maybe to the world, the world would think,
those people are angels, they don't do anything. But we know. We know. We're not angels. We know the standard that Guru Maharaj Ji sets. And we can't fool ourselves any more, looking at the world and saying, "Well they
drink and they smoke and go to bars and they fight and they have wars. Look at me. I don't do any of that. I try to go to satsang and I try to do service and I do my little meditation. Look at me compared to them. I'm
really doing good." But we can't do that. I don't really know what happens, but we kind of get more out there and more out there and then these things start happening, and Guru Maharaj Ji gets very displeased and he'll say,
"Gee, what are these premies doing?" And he'll come to me and say, "What are these premies doing?" And I know, at least I feel, that I'm there too. I can't excuse myself. And so it's very, very painful. And maybe it's not
even painful to me sometimes. Oh yes, they are spaced out. And then sometimes, oh man, we really are spaced out.
The Golden Age, February 1979, Number 51

Hans Jayanti, Kissimmee, Florida, November 11 1978, afternoon
But what we really need in our lives, unless we get that -- what we really need in our lives, unless we really believe in that -- unless we have all our faith in that instead of in this materialistic world, I can't tell you
what's possible. There are possibly no words to say what is in fact possible. Because that Knowledge brings us the reality that we all seek. That Knowledge brings us the Truth that we all want. That Knowledge brings us who
we really are. And only the true realization, only by the Grace of Guru Maharaj Ji, is that possible. And so our key, obviously, is Guru Maharaj Ji. And that's where we have to have our faith. That's where we have to have
our trust. I mean, how incredible is it? How could it be more perfect than to have this world, to have the burning, to have the suffering and yet have a salvation out of it? Only by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace.
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 2, Summer 1979

Hans Jayanti, 1978, Kissimmee
I mean, there are no words to describe Shri Maharaj Ji. Obviously not. What he was, he was. How do you try to take imperfect words and try to stick them with perfectness? Literally impossible. … And I know that a lot of
times he would tell people, "Get out of here. Get out of here." People would think, "Oh Maharaj Ji, please don't do this. Please don't do that. Don't kick him out." And yet I know that by kicking that person out, he was
saving him millions and millions and millions of years of trouble. That was the amazing thing. But it was taking years and years and years of that person's suffering away.
Divine Times, November 1979, Volume 8, Number 6

Holi, Miami, 8th April 1979, afternoon
And Guru Maharaj Ji says, "Have faith in me now, and I will give you peace now. Meditate on this Knowledge now, and you will experience that Knowledge now." Really. Don't you feel that death - dying, leaving this body - is
a pretty big price to pay for heaven? After all, what is in heaven? Perfect peace? That's exactly what Guru Maharaj Ji promises you on this Earth. Full of Light? That's exactly what Guru Maharaj Ji promises you in this
world: no pain, no suffering. That's what Guru Maharaj Ji promises you in this world.
Divine Times, May/June 1979, Volume 8, Number 3

An Interview with Guru Maharaj Ji, June 1979, Miami Magazine
How will you establish peace in this world?
Through Knowledge, which is the experience of one's real self and harmony with the ultimate, which is inside of all of us. When one can really understand the purpose of existence, then there is no doubt. All pain and
suffering from one's self disappears and hence the Kingdom of Heaven is established. It is tranquil and peaceful.
The Golden Age Special Introductory Issue Number 1, February 1980 and Something In You Heart Wants To
Know pamphlet and The Golden Age, July 1979, Number 54

Guru Puja, Miami Beach, Florida, Saturday, 21st July 1979
How can Guru Maharaj Ji listen to anybody's suffering? If we complain to Guru Maharaj Ji, then we are wrong. Because Guru Maharaj Ji has already offered the solution to us. How can you complain to Guru Maharaj Ji?
You know, the case is, Guru Maharaj Ji already has his hands out and is saying, "Come on in." How can you knock on a door that's already open? And yet in our imagination, in our dreams, there is a door. And that door is
locked. And you are doing everything right, but it's the other end - it's Guru Maharaj Ji - that's goofing everything up, because that's the way your mind has it figured out. Maybe Guru Maharaj Ji one day is going to come
around to every nine thousand or ten thousand seats in this auditorium and -bam! bam! bam! - kick everybody in the butt. We're going to stand up and fly, and it will be the ultimate thing, some cosmic experience. Something
similar to the beginning of the movie Who is Guru Maharaj Ji? - the psychedelic footage. All these lights and all these things happening. (In the original version of that movie, it was really something.) Our cosmic
experiences. What is cosmic? It's easy to look it up in the dictionary but it's kind of hard to attain it. Cosmic experience.
The Golden Age, October 1979, Number 55

New Orleans, Louisiana, October 22 1979
The suffering of mankind has been even before I think cancer ever came alive. The suffering has been from zillions and zillions and zillions of years back: the quest to know, the quest to understand. There has been
nobody - absolutely nobody except the devotees of the Perfect Master - who has been able to document that they had satisfaction. Oh yeah, there have been explorers and there have been scientists and they have created things
and discovered things and what have you. And yet only those who had the Grace of Guru Maharaj Ji, who had the blessing of Guru Maharaj Ji, have been ever satisfied.
Élan Vital, Volume IV, Issue 4, Winter 1980

Hans Jayanti, Kissimmee, Florida, November 8 1979, Evening
I don't know why but for some reason we always have this tendency to get lost. And always Guru Maharaj Ji has this tendency to find us. Guru Maharaj Ji says, "Don't keep getting lost again and again and again. Because
you're the one who is hurting yourself. You're the one who is going to get really hurt by this. You're the one who is really going to experience the misery and the suffering and the pain every time you get lost." So
why do it, when there is another option, when there is another way that you can save your skin, save your neck?
Élan Vital, Volume IV, Issue 1, Spring 1980

Sao Paulo, Brazil, January 30 1980
What is that? What is that? That is everywhere. That's in everything. It never changes. Things come, things go. But it never changes - always constant, always consistent, always real. There will be a time when the sun will
disappear. Definitely. Slowly and slowly - poof! There'll be a time when the Earth will stop. Definitely. And yet the power that created it - the sun, the moon, the Earth - that will never stop. And if we can just plug into
that source, if we can just plug into that power, then what are we? We go to the stage beyond liberation, beyond salvation, beyond everything and be in that permanent stage. If you call it happy, then it's happiness.
You call it peace, then it's peace. But whatever that thing, whatever the stage of that thing is that created this everything, that sustains everything - that stage is what we want to be in. Because it's motionless, it's
timeless. There is no sun; there is no moon, in that stage. There is no heat; there is no cold. There is no hunger; there is no thirst. There is no death and there is no birth. And it always is. When we plug into that,
then only will our sufferings be taken away. There is no political leader in this world that can come up with a solution to take those sufferings away.
Affinity, June 1980

Downpour Of The Holy Name - Base on a poem of Kabir, adapted by Mahatma Gurucharanand, recorded by One Foundation
No more suffering and pain, suffering and pain
No more suffering and pain, suffering and pain
With the downpour of the Holy Name
Divine Times, September/October 1977, Volume 7, Number 6 and Downpour CD, 1995
July, 2004
In your darkest hour there is a candle, and the candle is lit. If you want proof, take a breath. There is your proof. The candle is lit, and even in your darkest hour, you do not need to experience the darkness. Even in
those moments where there is pain and suffering, there is a place inside of you that dances and expresses joy. In the middle of sadness, there is joy. How appropriate.
The Voice of Maharaji Website downloaded 1st April 2012

January, 2005
This is about hope. You have the possibility to enjoy each moment. Look at the trees and plants that you see around you. They are the ones that made it. They came from the wisdom of the seed that grew. There were other
seeds that didn't grow. They were in the same place as the trees you see, but they didn't take. You can be a seed that grows. The whole world around us is made from what grew, not what didn't. Don't pay attention to what
isn't. Pay attention to what is. So, what is? In the middle of our pain, our suffering, we have this life, this body. In the middle of all that, there is the breath that is coming in and out. We need to pay attention
to that, to what is, not to the time that has passed. That's gone.
The Voice of Maharaji Website

February, 2005
Whichever way the momentum is going, we go. Everything seems to be just going, going, going. Then what happens? Suffering happens. Pain happens. They are not welcome things in life. We find ourselves wondering, "Is
this where I want to be?" We realize, "No. I don't want it to be like this. I don't want to be here. I want to feel joy." If we want to get out of it, we can. Make the choice, because you have an option. A possibility is
there for you. You don't have to be controlled by things you don't want. You can live this life and understand the value of your breath. In this life, being grateful, having the feeling of joy, is up to you.
The Voice of Maharaji Website

June, 2006
We, too, lose who we are on the face of this earth. Your ability to feel joy is unique. This is your nature - a part of you. You have an aversion to suffering and an attraction to joy. Then find in your life the joy that
never ends, the joy that you cannot leave behind, the joy that you carry with you wherever you go.
The Voice of Maharaji Website

August, 2006
But when you are in pain, joy is really close. When you are confused, absolute clarity is not that far away. When you are lost, being found is very close. When you are suffering, relief is as close as it can be. And
in this world, the one that we are looking for is always within us - not where we think, but inside.
The Voice of Maharaji Website

May, 2007
You cannot explain what this existence means. It can only be felt. If you understand that, an entirely different door opens up to you. You begin to understand by feeling - not through explanations. You begin to understand
the preciousness of life, the joy, and the truest responsibility to be in gratitude to the most magnificent power that has made it possible for you to be alive. That's what it means to be alive. Not doubt. Not confusion.
Not pain, not suffering, not misery, not darkness. Not sorrow and lamenting and wishing. Being alive means to be crystal clear. You have imagined this entire existence and what it means. Day after day after day, this
monster that you have created could never survive except that you keep feeding it with explanations.
The Voice of Maharaji Website

November, 2007
First breath. Most amazing thing. Before that, you were blue. Then you took a breath, and the process of life started to unfold. Powerful. And another breath and another and another. The unfolding of the same power that
unfolds the universe is what just came and touched me, bringing me this gift of life. Bringing me every day, every moment, every star. This is a miracle. Every baby that is born is a miracle. We do not understand that,
and that's why we suffer. Having everything, we think we have nothing. Burdened by our problems, we hobble through life. Yet how beautiful it is in this moment. I cannot go back to yesterday, however hard I try. And no
matter how much I try, I cannot go to tomorrow. To me, that is supreme wisdom. Here I am in this moment, and here, everything is wonderful.
The Voice of Maharaji Website

July, 2008
By our unconsciousness, we allow greed, anger, and fear to overtake the sanity of being alive. If there is suffering on planet Earth, it is brought by the people, for the people. We are the ones that set the
expectation of how everything should be. "You should be like this, live for this long, look like this, look like that." Did God create the problems in this world? No. We did. It is about human beings. If you could just know
that this life is the chance to spend time with that which is the truest, unconditional love… This is the opportunity for every living being to spend time with the Beloved within, to feel gratitude for life and
rejoice.
The Voice of Maharaji Website
The And It is Divine magazines included the following proclamation in one form or another:
Dear Reader,
By the grace of Almighty Lord, we bring you the magazine And It Is Divine. You will find this magazine very different from others, because it shows not only the suffering of the world, but also a way out for all humanity.
There has never been a time when the Lord of Creation did not manifest Himself in human form, and come to this planet Earth to do away with evil and spread the True Knowledge. But history is a pendulum which is always in swing. There have been so many scriptures, but still people have never been able to understand Him.
Divine Light Mission wants to bring world peace by sharing the Knowledge which is within us by the grace of Almighty Lord. In this magazine, we hope to give information about the peace which lives within us, which Guru Maharaj Ji reveals.
And yes, He, Himself, Prem Rawat aka Sant Ji Maharaj, Prem Pal Singh Rawat, Maharaji, Guru Maharaj Ji, Balyogeshwar Param Sant Ji Maharaj was the manifestation of the 'Lord of Creation' and his signature was on every
print of this manifesto.
*** Prem Rawat's English was still quite poor in 1978 and here he appears to use 'confide' as a verb meaning "have confidence"