A Fifty-Year Endeavor for Peace
Prem Rawat:
If somebody handed you a magic wand and said, “Here—here is the possibility. I give you this magic wand—this can make it possible for you to be fulfilled.” What would that mean to you? What would that mean to you? “That I give you a gift. And with this gift, (just like Aladdin’s lamp), with this gift, you don’t have to suffer anymore.” What would that mean to you?
That’s exactly what has happened. That’s what life means! Life isn’t this dreary thing that you have turned it into—it isn’t. It actually means receiving the most priceless gift again and again and again and again and again. And never, ever have to say, “That’s enough.”
All our life long, we’re enamored by our dreams. All our life long, we’re enamored by what people have told us. But we are never enamored by the call of our heart which says, “Be fulfilled. Experience peace. Experience joy. Experience that feeling that is within you. Not in your head, in you—that is always there, in good times and in bad. It is always there, regardless of your circumstances.”
Experience what it is to be alive. Because that’s your reality. That’s what makes you, you! This is who you are; this thing called “life” glues it all together. And as soon as that is gone, everything falls apart, and nothing is anymore….
If you introduce to me, the concept of heaven, the idea of heaven, I need to feel that heaven before I believe there is a thing called a heaven. No, we don’t do that. “Oh, yeah, and by the way, there is a heaven—and if you do good, you will go there. And if you do bad things, you will go to hell.”
And we already established poor Satan’s condition. He’s out of a job! Because the human beings have excelled him.
But what about heaven? Heaven is no more than that place where you can be content.
Many, many theories, many philosophies—why? Why so many theories? Why so many philosophies? Because they didn’t hit the mark. So then, another one, and another one, and another one, and another one. And do you think that will ever end? No.
The whole concept: “Somebody will come from the sky, (phshshhhhh), and fix everything.” Really? How long have you been waiting for this—whatever—to come? A few thousand years? Don’t you think that is beyond the reasonable limit of patience? I mean, really? Really?
If you went to the airport and you asked the information desk, “When does the flight take off?” “In a few thousand years.” I’m sure you’d be very pleased, right? “Wow, I can wait that long. I’ve been waiting for other things that long—not a problem; let me know!”
And what’s wrong with this picture? What’s wrong with this picture is, the light that you’re looking for is inside of you, and you’re trying to light things that are not ever going to light. But the light is in you! The wisdom is in you! The clarity is in you!
Do understand that these are the things that I am talking about—I’m not talking about creating these things; I’m not talking about bringing this thing; I’m not talking about you changing! You—do you get that? I’m not talking about you changing—because you don’t need to change! Because this is already inside of you!
I’m not talking about you changing your religion; it has nothing to do with religion. So what does it have something to do with? You!
Do you know what your nature is? Your nature, your real nature, is to be in peace. This is your real nature. Your real nature is to be content. Your real nature is to be in joy. That’s your real nature.
And you can go through all these journeys, but given the opportunity, this is what you want to come back to. This is where you will feel at home—because it is home. This is where you will feel complete, because it is complete. And that is what needs to take place. You need—you need to let your true nature happen. This is what you ache for; this is what you want.
And in all your efforts in the whole world, all the changes you make, it is to make that happen. But the question is, “Is it happening or not?”
When Socrates says, “Know thyself,” there is no mistake; it’s very clear. Do you know who you are? Do you know what your nature is? Do you know what your need is? Do you know yourself?
So, this is what it means to be aware, to be conscious, to say, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let me find this out. Let me feel this; let me experience this.”
I say to you, “Peace is inside of you.” Do you agree with me? [Audience: Yes.] Do you agree with me because I am saying it, or because you have felt it? [Individual: I’ve felt it.] Clear as mud, huh? That’s, that’s it. That’s the point; “just because I am saying it….” That’s—just because I am saying it doesn’t make it true. If you feel it, then it makes it true. That’s reality.
Because the real truth is the fact that you are alive. And when you understand that, absolutely, you will be set free—because it is the truth. This breath that comes into you is the most precious gift. The day you understand that, of course you will be set free—set free from all those weird chains that you bind yourself with.
To awaken, to be awake—not just from a sleep, but to be awake every single day. To see the obvious. To see, to comprehend what is real. To understand the meaning of “now.”
Because there are not too many people who are happy with themselves. They want to be something else; they want to be somebody else. And that’s such a tragedy. Because you’ve got to be happy with who you are—who you are.
The good news is, there is good in all of us. There is wonderful good in all of us. And regardless of how much bad happens, it does not reduce, deplete, subtract from the good in all of us.
Now, I know a lot of you have this saying: “What can little old me do? Nothing. Right, what can I do?” You know, don’t look at “what you can do.” Just be in peace. Would you consider that as one of the most powerful things that you can do? If we could just make that the fashion, it wouldn’t take so long. It wouldn’t take so long.