Prem Rawat in Cusco 11th June 2013

An Ocean in the Drop

In 2013, Prem Rawat visited the ancient city of Cusco, Peru for the first time.

To begin his visit he was warmly received by the Mayor of Cusco in a Welcome Ceremony.

Thank you. Mr Mayor, distinguished guests. First of all I would like to thank you all for this generosity which is very beautiful, the gifts you have bestowed upon me and the honour that you have to bestowed upon me. I'm very happy to have come to Cusco and I've been reading a little bit about the history and this was the capital of the Inca empire and Inca empire was nothing small. It was very, very large with incredible innovations, incredible technology for that time and people who really understood and wanted to be one with nature. To bring the message of peace among such a setting, for the people because even then, peace was important and today peace is even more important as we are busy with our lives, as our responsibilities, trying to have prosperity. We cannot afford to overlook the very fundamental things that our ancestors worked for. And that is to have peace. Not conceptual peace but real peace because one thing was understood that when there was real peace then real prosperity could come. People could flourish. People could flourish.

Civilization could go forward and even though we live in modern society and modern technology, those fundamental things have not changed. They ate food when they got hungry. We need food when we get hungry today. Clean water was important for them then, clean water is important for us now. When they got tired, they needed to sleep. When we get tired, we need to sleep and sometimes the confusion comes, that we are different but we are not. And so with great joy and great honour personally for me, to bring this message of peace and to know that the receptivity for it in this area is phenomenal. Because people understand that, in some ways life is simple here and people want to look at themselves, understand their potential and this is the message that I take to people and fundamentally the core of the message is "What you are looking for is inside of you." Not something that has to be imported, not something you have to wait for. What you're looking for is inside of you. Sometimes we forget to fly. It's not that we have to reinvent wings but we have to cut the ropes that hold us back and once that is cut, flight comes naturally. To fly. To soar. To be free. To be free in person's own being and to find that strength and to find that beauty and indeed find the peace.

So once again I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, top of my heart, left of my heart, right of my heart for your incredible generosity and this incredible welcome. It is not so much that you welcome me but you truly welcome the message that I represent and anyone who is looking for peace, understands peace, is interested in peace, is a real friend of mine. So thank you very much.

Prem Rawat was also invited to be the keynote speaker at an event that took place in the modern Municipality Convention Center.

Thank you. Thank you. Mr Mayor, authorities, distinguished guests. Um it's a great honour to be in Cusco and Mr Mayor as you can see, I'm wearing the pen that you very graciously gave to me the day before yesterday. To be her and of course, the subject is peace. Now when you start to ask the obvious questions," Isn't peace good for us? Isn't that what we really want?" At the beginning of this year, I was having an interview and all of a sudden, of course, the interviewer, very good friend of mine was asking me questions and then all of a sudden I turned to him and I asked him a question. And the question was, "Why do you want peace? Do you want peace?" and of course he said "Yes." And I said, "Why? Why do you want peace?" So, of course he gave a wonderful answer but the issue is "Where are we at? What is going on in this world?" When we look at the society, one cannot help but see that there is something is wrong. Why?

Well, the crime rate in this world ha ha ha has been steadily growing. Growing ha ha ha at 30%. In the United States of America, this is hard to fathom. In the United States of America the prison population has increased in the recent years 790%. It's not a joke. One of the richest countries on the face of this earth. Globally 30%. So then you look at it and you go "Hmmm what's wrong with our society? There are social leaders here. There are businessmen here and you all realised that through your businesses, you fulfil a need.

Now there was a time, long time ago. People were hunter-gatherers. No farming. Not much to protect. Not much to take care of. Fences were not really needed. And then a revolution took place in the human existence and this revolution was farming. Now everything changed. Now places had to be protected. The concepts of cities, the concepts of roads, the concepts of everything that we have today. We can reflect the birth of those things to us being able to farm and hence fulfilling needs amongst ourselves, for ourselves. Societies. And then we look at the societies and we say, "Well, something is wrong."

Of course, I must tell you one thing. I do recognise that there is good in this world. There are people like you who are interested in peace. But you see there's a problem and the problem is this. If one person has the flu and is sick and you surround him with 10 healthy people. The health of the ten healthy people will not cure the flu. But it'll be the other way around. The guy who has the flu will contaminate the 10 healthy people. So there is good. But there is bad. So when you have a problem you have to look at it closer and closer and closer. You know when you go to the doctor, he doesn't just look at you and go "Oh you look healthy" or "yeah you look sick." No. He hehas instruments to look right inside your ear. He has instruments to look right at your retina. He has instruments to take your temperature. He has instruments to study your heartbeat. Looks closer and closer and closer and closer.

So why don't we do the same thing? Since we see the sickness in the society why don't we look closer and closer and closer and closer. And if you do, what do you think you will find? You will find at the core of this societies, of this world. Human being. Not human beings, human being. An individual, a person like you. Like me. Wanting to be content. I know one thing and each one of you has experienced this. There's nobody exempt. When you feel good on the inside. Maybe it's just a beautiful day. Sun is shining. Temperature is right. Skies are blue. You don't have problems that day. You had a very good sleep. Very, very good sleep. Good coffee in the morning. Birds are singing. But besides that, you're content. You feel good from the inside. What happens to you? What happens? Have you ever thought about what happens? Amazing transformation starts to take place. You become kind, you become courteous. And even if a problem comes to you, you are able to deal with it. "Don't worry!" What do you - what is your advice? What is your advice to your son or to your wife? Your wife says, "Oh, I don't know if we have enough rice. I think the refrigerator is broken." And what is your advice? "Don't worry." Huh? Where did this come from? Where did this come from? Could it be? Could it be? Could - it - be - that - every - single - human - being - on - the - face - of - this - earth - is - capable - of being like that every day. (smattering of laughter) "Ohh my God. Ohh - my - god." I mean, can you imagine? Can you imagine that there is a level of courtesy and the traffic police is just standing there because everybody is giving way to everybody. "Good morning. What is this? You first okay." Could it could be. Could it be? Could it be that those people who terrorise us come in and say "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. Please. You practise my religion or you practise your religion. Please do so. I will practise mine and happiness to you. Long life to you. Prosperity to you." Could it be? Could it be? Does this possibility exist?

I was in Ecuador before I came to Peru. And one day I was looking for my little camera with was in his own case and I couldn't find it. So I'm like where is it? Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? So everybody started searching searching searching searching searching and they called the hire luggage van was hired and they said "Could you see if there is a little case there?" Few minutes later, the reply is "They found your camera." The guy who found it could have just easily gone. I didn't find it. He found it. He said "I would drive it over." It was hour and a half drive. I'll bring it. I mean my jaw was So there is goodness but that goodness does not manifest itself in the level of society, but it manifests itself on a very individual level, individual level. So all this to get to the individual. Who are you? Who are you? What are you? What are your needs? Think. You need food. Yes, you need air. You know, if you're really in good shape, maybe you can survive, some people do, maybe you can survive 3 minutes, 3 minutes without air. Maybe three days without water, three hours without the warmth. Three weeks without food. So yeah you need food. You need water. You need air. But what makes you complete? What makes you whole is when you are content on the inside. So what? What is this? It's a matter of perspective because we are looking for our answers on the outside when the answers lie on the inside.

It's story time. A man was very unhappy with his house He thought it was way too small. He had a farm and on this farm he had a house and he thought it was too small. Very unhappy. So he went to the wise man and says "I'm not very happy with my house." And so the wise man said "Well, tell me about your house. He was "There's a living room. There's a bedroom. There's a dining area, kitchen. But it's all too small. It's all too small." So the wise man said "Well, what animals do you have?" He says "Oh I have some ducks." The wise man said "Okay, take all the ducks you have and move them in the house. "I see, are you crazy? I'm telling you, it's already small and you want me to move the ducks in?" So, "Yes, yes, yes, yes. Move the ducks in and come back a week later and we see." So he moved the ducks in. A week later he goes to the wise man and he says "Ha ha ha, it's terrible. There's hardly any room to walk. Ducks everywhere." He says "Well, do you have anything else?" He goes "Yeah, I got 20 or 30 goats." The wise man said "Bring em in, into your house." "Are you crazy. I can't walk with the ducks and bring 30 goats in." "No, no. Do it. Come back a week later." Now it's really bad. Goats everywhere. Ducks everywhere. Week later goes back to the wise man and says "Oh it's really bad now. It's really terrible. Unlivable." "So well do you have anything else?" He says "Yeah, I have about 10 cows." He said "Bring them in. Bring them in. Bring them in." So week later he goes back. He says "Okay, I've had enough. It's horrible." Well okay, take out all the ducks. Take out all the goats and take out all the cows and come and tell me." And the man comes back with the biggest smile on his face is "Oh my house has so much room. (laughter) I cannot believe it. With the cows gone. With the ducks gone. With the goats gone. Now it's b-i-ig."

Do we appreciate what we have been given? Do we? Immediately what comes to mind? My job. What comes to mind? My family. What comes to mind? My house. There's something else you have been given. And what you have been given is this life. Is this existence. Do you appreciate that? To wake up in the morning, to wake up in the morning and understand that you are alive. I know many people are going. "Why that's ridiculous." Is it? Is it? Is it? Because if you weren't, could you be a father? Could you be a mother? If you were dead, could you? And what would your boyfriend think? Why would you-What would your girlfriend think? What would your children think? Could you run a business? No. You see all that you h-a-v-e is because you are alive. And if you don't appreciate that, then you are not appreciating the obvious. If you don't understand that the peace that you are looking for is inside of you, you will never find it.

It doesn't matter how much you look. Search ha ha ha searching is not a matter of logging time. Searching is not a matter of saying to somebody "I have been searching for 80 years." In searching the question is did you find it? How long you searched doesn't matter, did you find it? If I am looking for something and I find it in 10 seconds. Is that okay? Or should I be looking for 80 years? and this is what is not obvious.

That there is good in every single human being. I take my message to prisons. And what happens? The transformation begins and people in prison begin to find hope. Hope in the most hopeless place. I mean, what do you hope for? What do you hope for in a prison? To get out. Nothing else you can hope for, if you're in the prison. But you're hoping isn't going to help because there is a date that is fixed. You are in for five years. 15 years. 20 years. Wait. But there is another kind of hope. And this hope has some has something to do with being in peace inside. Do you have a thirst? People ask me, you know, we live in the instant society. Instant. Instant. Don't we? When we have the hot water tap we go like this and "Is the hot water there yet, there yet, there yet, there yet." We get on an aeroplane on a 15 hour flight and our question is "When are we gonna get there? When are we gonna get there? When are we gonna?" If an airlines could fly you from Cusco to London in two minutes. "Aah." It'd be wonderful. Because we live in this instant society. You want love? I want love now! I want food now! But in this instant society, you want peace?" "Now? Now? Now?"

And so people ask me "So how do you get it? How do you get it? How do you get it?" And I say "Thirst, thirst, thirst. Do you feel the thirst for peace? Do you?" See thirst is something that will make you very focused. Very focused. When your thirst is just a little bit you will go "Hm tt'd be nice to have some water." Then there's the thirst grows and grows and grows and grows and grows and grows and grows. I mean if I was sitting here. I'm being you know very aware but if I got really, really thirsty, you think I wouldn't ask somebody "Can I have a glass of water?" Protocols aside. That's what thirst is. Thirst can cause you to look within you for the possibility that exist inside of you. Long time ago. What did Socrates say? Famous. Famous. Know! Thy! Self! Not somebody else. Know thy neighbour. Know thy dog. Know thy veterinarian. No thy doctor. No, know thy self. Because remember, that one thing that you want in this society exists. Not in the society, but on the individual level for all mankind. We look at the differences. We look at the differences.

Just very recently, it was very fascinating. I was, I had done an event in Patagonia and then the next thing you know, I am in Norway and we're flying in the helicopter, is a really far away place. So we're flying in the helicopter and I'm looking down and I'm seeing the source of the lakes. And what is the source? The source of the lakes. Little patch of ice. Melting. Joining with another patch of ice that is melting and ha. Some places it was nothing but just a few drops. A drop, a drop, a drop, a drop and then joining and joining and joining and joining and joining and joining. And then before you know it's a mighty lake and then from the mighty lake was the mighty waterfall springing forth. Wow.

Somebody said "There is a drop in the ocean. Everyone knows. We all know, there's many drops in the ocean. There's a drop in the ocean. Everyone knows. But that there is a ocean in the drop, only a few know. Do you know that you are that drop and in you is the ocean. Do you have this recognition? Because until you're do, peace is going to be an illusion for you. Illusion. "Heh. Heh. What did he say? Well, peace is in me? Hgh." No. Peace is in you. Peace is in you. You want better businesses? Strengthen the human being. You want better citizens. Strengthen the human beings that live in that country. We can all come together and we can praise things and we can come up with definitions and we can come up with ideas.

We can even come up with a song. A symbol. And we can all go around all saying peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace. There is, you know, not too far from here. There is a city called La Paz. Ha ha ha ha. You think just because it's called the La Paz there's peace there. So then we should name all the cities La Paz. But that's not how peace happens. Peace happens when you acquire the ability to look within inside of you. That's my very humbly, very, very humbly. I say this.

Oh yes. You know they say, ambassador of peace. Yeah, it's just a title. It's just a title. When my wife gets mad at me, I cannot say "Don't argue with me, I'm ambassador of peace." Can't say that. Sorry, it doesn't work at home. (applause)

But the day I forget I am a human being. That's what I am just like you. The day I forget who I am and my vulnerability, that is the day I become lost and the day I find my self, I find my humility and my strength both. I find them together. I find my humanity and I find my strength. Up till then we, you know, it is very very easy, you know, it's like you have a person somebody who's a celebrity and they've got big smile and this and that and then you know they have a court case so they're being sued or something bad and then you look at their face and they're like "Um." You forgot who you are. Don't forget, don't forget who you are. Find your strength, find your goodness in understanding who you are, everyday, but find the ocean in this drop. That's all, that's all I have to say. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you.