MAHARAJ JIPrem Rawat (Prem Pal Singh Rawat) whose devotees call him Maharaji (meaning Ultimate Ruler) first came to attention in the West as Guru Maharaj Ji - the self-proclaimed Perfect Master and Lord of the Universe ridiculed in the media as a fat, squeaky-voiced God boy. He had inherited his titles and position as the Satguru, The True Revealer of Light and Spiritual Master of the Divine Light Mission, India (Divya Sandesh Parishad) when his father died in 1966. His father, Hans Rawat, was a successful Indian guru, self titled HRH (His Royal Highness) Yogiraj Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. As a child the youngest Rawat son was informally called Sant Ji, more formally Balyogeshwar ("Born King of the Yogis") and even more formally Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj. In the West Rawat dropped these more verbose titles in the early 1980's and instructed his followers to call him Maharaji. He has also changed the names of his organisations many times: Divine Light Mission (DLM), World Welfare Association (WWA), World Peace Corps (WPC) and Divine United Organisation (DUO) became Elan Vital in the early 1980's and in 2001 The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) was created and from 2010 his major orgs are Words Of Peace Global (WOPG) registered in Holland, Words of Peace International (WOPI) in the USA, HDSK (Human Development through Self Knowledge) in Great Britain and Raj Vidya Kender (Royal Knowledge Society) in India. He no longer claims to be an Incarnation of God but an internationally famous humanitarian leader and teacher of peace. He's neither.
The Golden Age
MAHARAJ JI
Guru Maharaj Ji has returned to his home in Malibu, California. The conferences begun in Denver with the directors of the Mission are continuing at Malibu.
DIRECTORS MEETING
Australian Community Directors will spend the last week in August in Sydney, meeting with the National staff and each other. Although there are some obvious points for discussion - such as the South Pacific Convention and community development - the week has not been planned out in a structured way. The main aim of the conference is simply to bring everyone together so that they can share their understanding and perspectives.
LETTER
Golden Age layout artist Tony Lunn recently received this letter from Graham Davies and Diane (Dizzy) Black, two Sydney premies travelling overseas.
Well Kids, we've made it to the UK AOK! Received your lovely letter some time ago in Denver and were completely stoked!!
Travelling is tough. Or so we've found. More and more Dizzy and I are learning, we have really become so aware of this world and the craziness that seems to motivate it. More and more it forces us inside to connect with the only thing that is real, that is always there completely dependable, a connection that will never break, a solid base to build your life upon. It's totally amazing how lost this world is. We've been completely shocked at many things, and often said, "Lets pack it in and get on home." Our minds saying, "Oh it'll be okay when we get to Denver," or when we get to Jamaica, London, Europe, (Australia?) We learn every time that no place is gonna be okay unless you're coming from that place.
Premies are "spaced out" all over this globe. I mean everywhere we've been.
So we'd say, "Oh it'll be great when we get to Jamaica, the premies will be cool and …" But man, everywhere people are asleep!! When the golden opportunity arises and I get a chance to give satsang I pray to Maharaj Ji to give me the words to shake them, to wake them just enough. It's like they're just into a trip, like Guru Maharaj Ji said in Denver, going to satsang, doing service and sitting not meditating. It's just become a ritual. But I spoke to David Lovejoy on the phone last week and the vibe is out that it's up to us all individually, not as a club or a "get it together" trip. Each person who wants to save this dying planet has got to get off his bum, stop saying, "Oh Maharaj Ji will work it out," and do it. As David put it, "The salvation army aren't bringing peace to the world, the Seventh Day Adventists aren't doing it, Jehovah's Witnessess aren't doing it and Divine Light Mission isn't doing it either, so who the hell is?" And we know that only we can.
London is very expensive and our money is running out fast so we'll be home before you can say, "Oh they're home." But really home is where the heart is and the heart is inside and that's the only place that doesn't disappoint you. It may sound as if we haven't been enjoying ourselves but we have - Maharaj Ji is really looking after us so much and everything is okay. We are in good health and love you all. So book us into the festival because we'll be home by then. Give our love to all and don't forget to remember!
(David Lovejoy is National Director of the Mission in England.)
2
Prem Rawat's "Knowledge" has three parts: regularly listening to his speeches, doing voluntary work for organisations serving him or donating money and daily meditation correctly practicing the four techniques he recommends. The techniques are so simple it's hard to see how they could be practiced incorrectly. First technique ("Divine Light") involves sticking your thumb and middle finger on your eyeballs (NB: with eyes closed) and your index finger between your eyebrows. Second technique: ("Heavenly Music") poking your thumbs into your ears and listening. Third technique: ("Holy Name") thinking about your breathing (NB: continue to breathe). Fourth technique: ("Nectar") curling your tongue backwards and tasting. Rawat's father taught slightly different techniques but either way it's difficult to see how these could produce the benefits claimed for them especially as Rawat claims His Knowledge is the only method of attaining real happiness and love in this life.