Practicing Kindness
Cuando el Desierto Florece
Author Event, Miami, USA
Prem Rawat:
Let me begin with this question, “Who are you?” You are a human being. What does it mean to be a human being?
Some of us have created an idyllic platform for us—and in this idyllic platform, we are perfect; we are a certain way. And in this platform, we are the wise one; we have answers to every question there is. A solution to every problem except ours. [Individual: And yeah, you’re right.]
No, and this is really true—we do. We can solve the world’s problem—tomorrow we can solve the world’s problem, but not ours. Only been around for six thousand years, and we think we’re the masters—that we know everything; we’ve got it pegged.
Then, all of a sudden, something happens—and we find ourselves incredibly vulnerable. The might disappears. The idyllic platform crumbles….
So, what I’m trying to say here is, are we just our ideas? Or is there another reality that exists here? Who are you? And what do you practice?
Every day that you go about doing whatever it is that you think you have to do…. You will wake up—at least, five days out of that week, you wake up—and you have to do things that you may not want to do.
Get up in the morning—and it’s like, “Aaaagggh.” [Individual: And yeah, that’s right; we do that.] That’s why you….
See, it’s not about “what,” it’s about “why”—why do you have snooze function? What is this snooze function: “snooze?” Well, this snooze function is that when you actually do wake up, you’re not ready to wake up. And you would like “five more minutes.”
“Five more minutes”—and five more minutes, and five more minutes, and five more minutes, and you finally come across somebody you love and you are spending a little time with them—and “five more minutes….” My goodness, is your life all about that five more minutes? Is that what you are practicing? If that’s what you’re practicing, how are you ever going to be healthy?
Wellbeing—“well being”—but the “being” doesn’t know how to be. Forget about the “well.” At this point, the well is just a hole in the ground with the water at the bottom.
But when the being understands who the being is, then the process of the “well being” begins, and the well isn’t a hole in the ground with the water at the bottom. It means to thrive, to be that being that can thrive. Not somebody who is absolutely begging for “five more minutes.”
Okay, now I want to talk about “what is a human being”—because this is the most wonderful subject. So, what a human being actually is, believe it or not, (even though you do have that little “tail” thing), but besides that, you have something else; you have a heart. And in this heart, you have an ocean.
And you have the ocean of serenity. You have wisdom unparalleled. You have generosity, unbelievable. You have kindness that is fathomless. This too is you.
That you are alive is the greatest gift. It is also the gift that is given to the gorilla; it is also the gift that is given to the whale; it is also the gift that is given to all the monkeys—but you are that one monkey that can truly appreciate this gift and have gratitude in return.
This is what makes you special; this is what makes you different—not the lack of the furry little tail—that this is what makes you different. You have the possibility…. Now, a dog is very thankful for a bone. You can be thankful for being alive.
How amazing! You can be thankful for this breath; you can be thankful for this gift of understanding that you have. Question is, is that what you want in your life? Does that form the basis in your existence, of what you call “wellbeing”—true wellbeing?
I am offering here, a possibility, (even though it’s only through words at this point in time), but I am offering this possibility of being in gratitude, of being thankful every single day. For what? For being alive. For this breath.
And to discover all your treasures, the treasures that you have within you. I’m not talking about some abstract concept here. I’m talking about experiencing something real every single day in your life—in getting in touch with yourself, not in some idea, but this heart that you have.
What do you know of your heart? Who has taught you how to listen to the whisper of the heart? Do you know how to dance to the song that your heart sings to you every single day? Do you know how to respond to your heart? Do you know…? Do you know how to be sincere? Or is it an art—is sincerity an art that you have forgotten?
Then let me remind you that in the realm of your heart, there is such a thing as sincerity. That this is a beautiful reality. That it’s a beautiful saga that you are alive. The best thing that’ll ever happen to you, ever happen to you, is happening every day that you are alive.
It’s not winning a lottery ticket—sorry, it’s not. I know, I’m…. Some of you have that dream, “Oh, yeah, I’ll win the lottery ticket.” No, it’s not the lottery ticket. It’s being alive.
From all that is on this earth, to emerge, to be…. And to put it in context, you won’t always be here.
A long time ago I mentioned, there are the two walls. And you, we—this, to explain life: “the two walls”—and you come out of one wall. (It’s called “being born.”) And then you go, “Tik-tik-tik-tik, tik-tik-tik-tik,” and then you disappear in through the other wall—and that’s called “going bye-bye.” (You may have other words for it, but….)
And I know that you have heard the word “journey,” “life is a journey.” Right? I don’t know about “journey-werney.” But I know one thing—between that wall that I came through and that other wall that I have to go through, there is a road. And I must walk that road. I must walk that—I don’t have a choice. And that road is entirely made out of time.
But one thing I noticed about time, that it is totally impartial. I have never seen anything as impartial as time. Doesn’t care. I’m miserable? Same rate. Doesn’t care. I’m really happy? Doesn’t care. I’ve done something wrong? It doesn’t care. I’ve done something right? It doesn’t care. Just “keep moving, moving, moving, moving, moving.”
So, time is impartial. The road is impartial. The two walls are totally impartial; they don’t really care. Seems to me, on this journey you are…. On this road from that wall to that wall, the only thing I’ve got is this clarity. The only thing I’ve got is this kindness—that are my friends. The only thing I’ve got is this thirst. The only thing that I’ve got is understanding. And the only thing that I’ve got is the joy that is in me.
And I guess, the best way to really put this—is if I’m not practicing those things—even though technically I can’t do this, I am doing it; it’s called “wasting my time.”
So—so, practice joy; practice clarity; practice understanding; practice kindness. The point would be that you have become, through that practice, through that understanding, someone who truly appreciates and understands what this life is. Then you deserve it. Then you don’t have to beg for that five minutes—and everything begins to change.