Rotary International Pre-Convention, 9th June 2006

Rawat's speeches were not written or prepared but they are certainly not unrehearsed. The speeches preceding his current one are the rehearsals and the speeches following evolve gradually using the same store of tales, premie gossip, clichés, life events, recent tv shows and stock phrases.

Prem was being given a pretty poor spot, a pre-convention speech to Rotoract, the junior Rotary International, but he was given a spot and the reason is in the introduction by a nice lady "The support provided by his Foundation has allowed distribution of many millions of free meals to people in need around the world. Not only is this Foundation involved in his initiatives, but in action for them hands-on. The money goes into the projects, as with Rotoract." By 2006 the Prem Rawat Foundation had distributed slightly over $1 million dollars.

BY 2006 Prem really hadn't learned how to tell a joke on stage yet. His audience had been premies for nearly 35 years and they laughed at ecery even remotely funny thing he said. I was often embarrassed hearing the recordings of premie laughter at the most inane and pathetic things He said. No amount of meditation (and I tried) could lower my taste in humour so low that I could find Guru Maharaj Ji funny or wise. Yet some of those very premies who laughed so embarrassingly were themselves funny and clever, although obviously not wise. So he died on stage at Malmo. It must also have been difficult for him, he hadn't spoken to an audience as young as the Rotoractorians since 1980 and didn't have that much experience talking to non-premies in an audience who were not surrounded by premies, 50 to 1. The "vibe" was missing. But they were polite and gave him undeserved applause at the end.

Rawat really let his anaphorism go a bit too far for a non-premie audience "The way you smile. The way you laugh. The way you look. The way you appreciate. The way you enjoy. The way you analyze. The way you question. The way you doubt. And the way you clarify."

There must have been some head scratching: "What I talk about you have, whether you decide to pursue it or not." He didn't talk about the techniques of meditation and the Keys, etc at a "public" speech but he really really hadn't given them any chance to understand what he was talking about pursuing. There were probably some in the audience that had studied philosophy. They would not have been able to see any parallel with their knowledge of Socratic philosophy and Rawat's Knowledge. There is none.

*** Lions don't live in the jungle. In India, lions live in the Gir Forest, a dry deciduous forest. In Africa they live on the savanna plains. ***

Rotary International Pre-Convention, 9th June 2006

Prem Rawat: Rotoract 2006

Hello everyone. Thank you for coming this evening. Let me begin with a little story. I know there's a lot of ideas of what I'm going to say and all that stuff. But the story goes something like this.

There was a lion. And he was feeling very good one morning. Chipper, happy. So he came out of his den. And he saw a poor little rabbit. And he immediately pounced on the rabbit. And he said, hey rabbit. Who is the king of the jungle? And the rabbit, shaking, terribly afraid, said, you are. This made the lion even more proud. More cocky. Just bouncing along. And he found a deer. And he jumped on the deer. And he said, so deer. Who is the king of the jungle? And the deer said, shaking, you are. Well now, the lion was feeling really, really good. He was the boss. He was the king. So he goes pouncing along, pouncing along. He finds an elephant. And he jumps on the elephant. And he says, elephant, who is the king of this jungle? And the elephant took the lion around its trunk. And pounded him on the ground. Again and again and again and again. Till the lion was basically senseless. Then he let go of the lion. The lion looked at the elephant. And said, don't get upset if you don't know the answer.

Sometimes in our lives, we get into definitions of things. We take other people's definitions for things. But we forget about one simple thing. And that one simple thing is you. [I know that a lot of you are going to say, wait, wait, wait, wait. Can't you see that, what's written back there? Service above self. I can see it. I can see it. But I can also see something else.] And what I am talking about is not what you can accomplish. And not what you can do. And not about your hopes and your dreams and your ideas. But you.

You as a gift that you are, that you came into this world. I'm here to remind you of that one simple thing called the existence. Not what we do with the existence. But the existence itself. You are unique. You are incredibly unique. The way you smile. The way you laugh. The way you look. The way you appreciate. The way you enjoy. The way you analyze. The way you question. The way you doubt. And the way you clarify. There is no one. No one. On the face of this earth. That does it like you. And I'm here to talk about the importance of your existence.

Prem Rawat: Rotoract 2006

You will do many things. And hopefully being a part of the Rotary Club. You will do incredible things for humanity. And I commend you on that. I also want to help as much as I can. And that's why there is a foundation that was created to help people. And those who can, should provide that help. Because it is about us. It's about us living on the face of this earth. Us human beings. It isn't about governments. When we talk about peace on earth. I don't see it the responsibility of the governments to bring peace on earth. I see it the responsibility of individuals bringing peace on earth. Because peace on earth. Begins with individuals.

Somebody long time ago. Long, long time ago. Set a challenge for this world and said. Peace. Hasn't happened yet. Because what is the definition of peace? Absence of war. If we stop fighting, we'll be all in peace. No. A war raging within a self. Can be sometimes more deadly than one on battlefield. I'm talking about peace within each one. I'm talking about understanding the component of who you are. It was no mistake. That Socrates said. Know thyself. Know who you are. Understand who you are. Understand your nature. Be in peace. The peace that is within. Not a manufactured peace. Not a created peace. I'm not talking about that kind of peace. I'm talking about the peace that is inherent to every single human being on the face of this earth. Regardless of their circumstances. Peace that can be felt in the middle of a battlefield. Yes, that kind of peace. Irrespective of the circumstances. The peace that is in the heart of every human being. I'm not talking about creating something. I'm talking about discovering what already exists inside of you. You. Look at the beautiful, simple reality of today. That you exist. No more and no less.

Look at the reality. And the reality is beautiful. It is nothing to escape from. That you need to feel content. Irregardless of what is going on. You need to feel content. You need to feel whole. Yes, you are the building block of your existence. And if that first step is missing. The next, and the next, and the next, and the next are also going to be missing. Service above self. In my school we had laborare est orare. Work is worship. Big sign. I love to do things. I am not shy to work with my hands. I'm not shy to do somebody else's work. It is easy to understand service. And it is easy to understand above. But neither the service will be accomplished. Nor the above will be accomplished. If the self is not understood.

Prem Rawat: Rotoract 2006

What is the self? Don't shortchange the self. Don't shortchange the self. In the future there will be more. There will be more like you to help this world. And that would be grand. That would be wonderful. More people with open hearts. Wanting to help this world. And maybe the way you have to do things will change. Maybe new concepts will be evolved to fulfill your service. Above will be your ideal. But if there is never an understanding of the self. It will be hard to draw distinctions. I commend you. For your noble gesture to accomplish. What you have set out to accomplish. And at the same token. I also invite you to take a peek inside. To know what this existence is all about. There cannot be any sacrifice. Because no sacrifice is required. Sacrifice is not the necessity. When the feeling to help comes from the heart. One feels like nothing is being sacrificed. Because it is from a genuine place. That these feelings come. From a genuine place. To help. To exist.

The person who said "Know thy Self" idn't make it up to make your life more difficult. But there was something there. Some mystery. That could be solved. The humanity will face many many challenges yet to come. And one of the biggest challenges that will be in front of humanity. Is to find the peace. Within every single human being. That will be a challenge. Why do I say that? Because it has been up till now. An incredible challenge. Go to people and say "Yes I talk about peace." And they go "Peace is not possible." Here I am going "Peace is possible." People go "No, peace is not possible. Until there is this and until there is government. And until there is this thought. Peace is not possible." And I'm saying "That's not the peace I'm talking about. Maybe that peace is not possible. But the personal peace. The peace that you have inside of you. Is very possible. Has always been there."

And that is why "Know thy Self." Where does it begin? It begins with the simplest of understandings. To listen to what something simple is saying to you. Not about your responsibilities. But about the chance to be fulfilled. That the true sense of accomplishment is going to happen here. Not somewhere else. True sense of accomplishment. Be who you are. Carry out your noble causes. Be the knights. Be the knights. But wear the armour well. Wear the armour well. So you can succeed in your noble cause. So you can be all that you really really want. No limits. Success has nothing to do with age. Success has nothing to do with age.

Every day. Every single day. Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill others. Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill the responsibilities that are ahead of you. But it begins with you. What I talk about, you have. Whether you decide to pursue it or not. Search if you must. Do whatever it takes. To do whatever it takes to find that self. Find that self. Fulfill that self. So it may serve, and serve well. Be fulfilled. Be happy. One lifetime. One. One lifetime. And only one like you on the face of this earth. Fulfill this lifetime. Thank you very, very much, and a good evening to you.

Prem Rawat: Rotoract 2006

The following is a transcription of the video "Prem Rawat in Rotary Internation Malmo Sweden Part1.mp4" published on Youtube as Prem Rawat's Rotoract speech. You can see that the video was heavily edited.

Sometimes in our lives we get into definitions of things, we take other people's definitions for things, but we forget about one simple thing. And that one simple thing is you.

And what I am talking about is not what you can accomplish and not what you can do and not about your hopes and your dreams and your ideas, but you. You as a gift that you are, that you came into this world. I am here to remind you of that one simple thing called the existence.

Not what we do with the existence, but the existence itself. You are unique. And I am here to talk about the importance of your existence.

You will do many things and hopefully being a part of the Rotary Club, you will do incredible things for humanity. And I commend you on that. I also want to help as much as I can and that's why there is a foundation that was created to help people.

And those who can should provide that help. Because it is about us, it's about us living on the face of this earth, us human beings. It isn't about governments.

When we talk about peace on earth, I don't see it the responsibility of the governments to bring peace on earth. I see it the responsibility of individuals bringing peace on earth. Because peace on earth begins with individuals.

Somebody long time ago, long, long time ago set a challenge for this world and said peace. Hasn't happened yet. Because what is the definition of peace? Peace, absence of war.

If we stop fighting, we'll be all in peace. No. A war raging within a self can be sometimes more deadly than one on battlefield.

I'm talking about peace within each one of us. I'm talking about understanding the component of who you are. It was no mistake that Socrates said know thyself.

Know who you are. Understand who you are. Understand your nature.

Be in peace. The peace that is within.

Prem Rawat: Rotoract 2006

The following is the text published as Prem Rawat's Rotoract speech as published on The Young Peoples Initiative, ypi.net, now defunct. Its barely recognisable as the same speech.

Hello everyone, thank you for coming. Let me begin with a little story: There was a lion who was feeling very good one morning, very happy. He came out of his den, saw a little rabbit, immediately pounced on it, and said, "Who is the king of the jungle? And the rabbit, terribly afraid and shaking, said, "You are."

This made the lion even more proud. Bouncing along, he found a deer, jumped on it, and said, "Deer, who is the king of the jungle?" And the deer said, shaking, "You are."

Now the lion was feeling really, really good. He was the king. So he goes along, sees an elephant, jumps on it, and says, "Elephant, who is the king of this jungle?" The elephant spun the lion around his trunk, pounded him on the ground again and again till he was senseless, then let go of him. The lion looked at the elephant and said, "Don't get upset if you don't know the answer!"

Sometimes we accept other people's definitions of things, but forget about one simple thing, and that is you. What I am talking about is not what you can accomplish, not what you can do, not about your hopes, dreams, and ideas - but, you, as a gift that came into this world.

It was no mistake that Socrates said, "Know thyself." Know who you are. Understand who you are, your nature. Understand that if you do not feel peace, you may not be able to give it to anyone. If you want to quench the thirst of another, the least you need is water. The water of peace flows within you. The serenity of understanding flows through you - your life.

In all that you are trying to understand, add one more - understanding about yourself. In all that you're trying to complete, complete one more. And besides all those you are trying to help, help one more person - you. You need to feel content regardless of what is going on. You need to feel whole. Yes, you are the building block of your existence. And if that first step is missing, the next and the next and the next will also be missing.

It is not impossible. It is not mysterious. It is not strange. And, indeed, it is not selfish. To unwrap a gift that has been given is not selfish. If I do something at the expense of others, that is selfish. But if I feel an itch and I scratch it, not at the expense of anyone else, it's not selfish. The gift has been given; the gift is you. Life has been given; it is in progress. Your understanding is there, your thirst is there, and the idea of peace is at hand.

I invite you to take a peek inside to know what this existence is all about. The person who said, "Know thyself," didn't make it up to make your life more difficult. But, there was something there, some mystery that could be solved. Humanity will face many, many challenges, and one of the biggest challenges is to find the peace that is within every single being. That has been an incredible challenge. People say, "Peace is not possible." But the personal peace - the peace that you have inside of you - is very possible and has always been there, and that is why it is said, "Know thyself."

It begins with the simplest of understandings, to listen to what something simple is saying to you. It's not about your responsibilities, but about the chance to be fulfilled. The want.

I remind people that what you are looking for is inside of you - not outside. Always has been and always will be. Even if you decide not to discover it, it will always be inside of you. Always. The answers will come from within, not from the outside. The true sense of accomplishment will happen here, not somewhere else. Be who you are.

Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill others. Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill the responsibilities that are ahead of you. But it begins with you. What I talk about, you have, whether you decide to pursue it or not. Search if you must. Do whatever it takes to find that self and fulfill that self, so you may serve and serve well. Be fulfilled. Be happy. One lifetime. And only one like you on the face of this earth. You are unique. Shine with that uniqueness.

When you were born - who were you? A doctor, perhaps? A lawyer? No. There was one little moment of time when you were born when everybody held their breath to see if you were taking yours. Until that breath had been taken, nobody cared if you were a boy or girl. Nobody cared about your aspirations. Nobody cared about anything but that breath.

Once we are born, we start understanding our responsibilities. We start understanding the good, the bad, the right, the wrong. I'm not here to discuss those things. That's up to you. Those are the decisions you have to make. I'm here to remind you about that one simple thing called existence. Not what we do with existence, but existence itself.

We judge life by its external components, but is life just external components? Is life a bunch of happenstances in one's existence? Or is life something greater? The sum of it is greater than all of those things put together. One life is greater than all the things that are happening in this world, because all the things in this world can be replicated again and again, but that one human being dancing on the face of this earth will never be replicated. I am here to talk about the importance of your existence.

You will do many things, and hopefully, you will do incredible things for humanity, and I commend you on that. I also want to help as much as I can. People in this world need some help. And those who can, should provide that help, because it is about us human beings - us. It isn't about governments. I don't see that it's the responsibility of governments to bring peace on earth. It's the responsibility of individuals because peace on earth begins with individuals.

Know who you are. Understand your nature. Understand that if you do not feel that peace, you may not be able to give it to anyone. If you want to quench the thirst of another, the least you need is water. The water of peace flows within you. The serenity of understanding flows through you - your life. If you want to understand what it is like to be alive, listen to what your request has been all along to be fulfilled.

Be in peace, the peace that is within - not a manufactured peace. The peace that is inherent to every single human being on the face of this earth regardless of their circumstances. The peace that can be felt in the middle of a battlefield. That kind of peace.

A discontented person cannot bring contentment to another. An incomplete person cannot bring completeness to another. And a person void of happiness cannot bring happiness to another.

The desire for peace is noble in nature, and an effort towards that peace is also noble in nature. Discover what already exists inside of you. Within you is an infinite ocean of peace. Within you is an infinite ocean of joy. Within you is an infinite ocean of the potential to succeed - the ocean of success.