Maharaji: UK Tour August to December 1986

MAHARAJI'S 1986 TOUR OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND:

Extracts from various programs

UK NATIONAL CONVENTION

It begins by taking a look at our own selves. What exactly is it that we are pursuing? Everybody has their own particular idea, everybody has their own way to try to identify what we are looking for, and yet, left extremely simple, left alone, left to be, something very beautiful evolves.

The past two days I have been watching "The Living Planet", by David Attenborough. A fantastic documentary. And what he was saying was, "I haven't any idea how this ever came to be, and yet it's beautiful, it's perfect. It is what it is. It needs no explanation." And yet, throughout the video there is one explanation after another.

And maybe we do exactly the same thing. People sit down to talk about something that's infinite, and ultimately, after years and years of analysis, they will come to the simple fundamental conclusion that all they did was really quite useless because there is absolutely no way that you can figure out the infinite.

How many times does it have to happen before we see that in this life there is a time when all we can do is step back and let it happen, and watch, and admire, and be in a place where you can do that, where there can be a true admiration of what your life really is.

For so many of us, either we live in the past or we live in the future. We can't help it.

But there is a wall that separates us from the past. And there is a wall that separates us from the future.

In between these two walls, believe me, is a very narrow space. Very narrow. And there you are. Neither in the past nor in the future.

And these two walls travel. They are absolutely synchronised in the same exact fashion. So that the space between the past and the future remains totally constant. Non-changing, non-altering, stable constant and beautiful. That's the space you live in. Whether you like it or not, you live in there. That's called now.

If we can only in our lives recognise the preciousness of now. And let go of what we say is the past and what we say is the future. There is a very nice saying, "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Now is the only hard cash you have. So spend it wisely."

To me, that now is where Knowledge is.

You cannot take your pair of glasses and say, "I don't want these glasses. They hurt, so I will put them in a case." So you devise a method to leave your glasses in the case and have the two stems coming out the side, so you can put your glasses on while they are still in the case.

Now that's a bit extreme, isn't it? No, it's not extreme. It's common. It is what everybody does. You see everyone wearing their glasses that are supposed to clarify things in a case. Why? Because they think they need to be protected.

Now, of course, the big confusion is, "My God, my glasses have gone bad. I can't see through them anymore."

For us, it is an opportunity. It is a moment in our lives when we can take that step to see something which is truly brilliant. I am not talking about light, but life itself. Something that we can see and recognise. Not to sit there and question, but to recognise.

When we talk about the Knowledge, we think, "It's simple. All you have got to do is tell people everything you feel. And that's it." But they never take into account what the other person is going to feel. The other person may be saying, "My God, what's going on? I don't want any part of this."

What I really need to tell the other person is not what I feel. It's like taking my shoes. These are very comfortable shoes. Now if somebody says to me, "God, I wish I had a comfortable pair of shoes," I could say, "Ah, I do. I have a really comfortable pair of shoes. Try them."

The guy puts them on. Straight away his toes are crushed and his heels are bleeding. He will turn around to you and say, "What do you mean these are comfortable? Look what they have done to my feet."

The fact is they are comfortable for me. They are not necessarily comfortable for him. It's just different for different people, and we have to recognise that.

NOTTINGHAM

So many people I meet want to know what this world is all about, what life is all about. But when you start talking to them, you find they have their ideas already performed, already preset, about what this life is, about what being here means, about what's going to happen to them, and what you have to do to get to the other side, or whatever the ideas are.

For me, personally, it's a little bit different, in that maybe there is a time in one's life when one wants to sit down and think about something. Maybe you're going on a vacation, and it's a good idea to plan where you're going and what you're going to do once you get there. You think to yourself where are you going to get the brochures from, and once you've got the brochures you look at them and say, "I wonder which one is better."

But you can't stay in that place, reading brochure after brochure and thinking day after day where are you going to go, what is the best alternative. Because at some point in time you have to get on with the business of getting there. And to me, that part, of getting on with the business of getting there, is very important. It is a part that I think so many people miss out on. Not that they lack anything. People might say we lack wisdom but no, we have wisdom. People might say we don't have happiness, but that's not true. On the contrary, we have a lot of happiness. People say things aren't right, but things are very right.

We think about it, but what do we actually do to get on with the business of getting there? And how do we decide when we are there? It is not something we decide together, it is something where we have to resort to our own selves to know.

The truth is we are not lacking anything. We already have it. We have that essence, we have a magnificent Thing happening all the time within us. And maybe it doesn't need to be identified as anything else but life. It is life that allows us to sit in these chairs, that allows us to speak. If life was not here, none of this would be possible.

In one sense I've got all my problems, as we all have, but the fact is we zero in on what we see, we zero in on our problems, sometimes making more of them than they are. But behind our

problems is something else, life itself. That passes by, and we are unconscious of it. When we are facing death, they say life flashes by right in front of your eyes. But the fact of the matter is, life flashes by right in front of your eyes anyway, and we don't even know. I'm only trying to strip something away here, in one sense, and come to the basic and fundamental core. Not what you could do, that's not what I'm interested in, or how things could be. The only thing I'm interested in is just you, - yourself, - myself, and the need to take a look at myself, and look at who we are - what we are. It's easy to say this is my name, so this is who I am, and to relate all the things that we can do, thinking this is really me.

But wait a minute. That's all fantastic and great, but that is not what life is really composed of. Life allows us to do these things, but they are not the core, the essence. There is a basic and fundamental thing going on, and it's called "you are alive". There is an incredible festival taking place in everyone's life, and this festival is the festival of life. All we need is a recognition, an appreciation, an understanding of that. Why? Because that is what is constant. Because that is what brings every simple and beautiful joy to us. That, by every definition of the word, is a love which really hasn't been talked about and given a name to.

But it is there all the time and it is quite possible to experience it.

MANCHESTER

Let me just begin by saying that what I have come here to talk about this evening is something very simple. It is not an imaginary thing, it is not something we try to produce, but it's taking a look at something that already exists, that's already there.

Whoever we are, what we all try to strive for is exactly the same thing. It doesn't matter which country we come from Because when we go beyond our nationality and our groupings and look at ourselves fundamentally, what are we?

Or, putting it another way, perhaps our development, perhaps the direction we have taken in our lives, has excluded something. In the picture we have painted of how we would like our lives to be we have forgotten something. And perhaps that thing that we have forgotten is our own selves. We might know our friends and the people around us very well, but when it comes to ourselves we are constantly being surprised. It means there is an imbalance. Because we are searching for something in our lives, not some thing, but a certain quality, a being in touch with who I am.

For many people there is an idea that what we are is really no good, that we are incomplete. Instead, we project what we are not on to other things. Perhaps it used to be angels, and perhaps it is now Superman, someone who is a normal person like us but who is also Superman, someone who can do all the things we can't. But if we are able to look at what we really are, we might just say, "Wait a minute, there is something really wonderful here, there is something really incredible here, and it is me, it is just me. In me there is a preciousness". It's not that other people are going to admire us, but to know for our own self how wonderful is the gift that we have been given. That what we seek for in our life is not somewhere else, but right here.

It doesn't matter at all what name we give it, love, peace, tranquillity it's totally irrelevant. People say to me, "You don't mention the word God." But there's no need to mention the word God. Just because we don't mention God, it doesn't mean that he - or she, whatever we want to call it - is not there. There is an energy, there is a power that exists, and it is not our task to sit down and name it. It is fine to try and analyse things, after all we have an analyser up here. But what about the factor of appreciation? If we have no appreciation, then something is being missed out on.

I am not saying that we are lacking anything, just that we are missing out, that there is an incredible show, an incredible event taking place in our lives, and it's called life itself.

Either we can go through it almost without noticing it, or we can admire it and enjoy it, every moment. The event is happening whether we appreciate it or not. Inside is an incredible beauty, and all I am saying is there is a way to experience it, a way that you can enjoy yourself. And we can all have it. Maybe to some people that's too simple, but I can't help it. It is as simple as that, because life is simple.

DUBLIN

If we were to paint a picture of our life, we would probably have difficulty finding out exactly where we were in it. There are so many things in there it would be easy to ask, "Where am I?"

Do I even exist in it, and when I do find this existence of mine, what recognition do I have of it? Do I compare it, do I label it? Do I say good, bad, right, wrong? They are what my labels are good, bad, I don't know - and everywhere I go I slap these labels on everything I see. And if I come to take a look at my own life, maybe I will be able to define it only in terms of these three labels.

But behind those three labels I think we all try to make ourselves feel whole, feel complete, feel good about what we do, or just feel good. I am not going to use the word happiness, because some people start off perfectly happy and make the choice to be sad, and others are perfectly miserable and make the choice to be happy. And they are happy. You say to them, "Goodness, the bottom of your ship really fell down." And they say, "I'm afloat. Don't worry about me. I'm swimming." And the others, who have a totally whole ship, are hanging from the rail going, "I'm drowning, I'm drowning, I'm drowning."

And, really, there is something we have all been given to work with, to help us feel a wholeness to help us feel good, not by anybody's definition, but because of a feeling that we feel inside ourselves that feels good. This is what it comes down to. This is how simple it is. No philosophies, no big ideas, no fancy terminology. But just you, experiencing something that feels good. Not right or wrong, just good.

And the good that I have found in my life is me, my life that I have been given. Not the label but the thing itself. If I can only see that, if I can only have a recognition of what I have been given …

Maybe I am making it sound too simple, but that is what it is. Life is not complicated. I am talking about the core, the central piece of the entire puzzle. When I am painting scenery I have to put a dot in the middle of the page. Why? To give me a point of perspective. And to me, we also need a dot. And not that we need it, we already have it. We just need to see it. I wasn't given that dot, I was shown it. So that I can focus, so that I can see my life in the right perspective, so that instead of living it unconsciously I can live it consciously, so that rather than not enjoy it I can enjoy it. And that is what I am able to offer.

There is a road we all walk - it is the road of life. And sometimes we have an idea - I'm not just talking about heaven and hell here, just take this example for what it's worth - that at the end of this road there awaits an incredible hotel, and if we just manage to keep walking, one day we'll make it and everything will be fine. And people have all these suitcases, and they all say, "By hook or by crook, I've just got to make it to that hotel."

But wait a minute. What about the road itself? What kind of a road is it? What's on each side? Is it not an exquisite road? Is it not a road filled on each side with the most beautiful blossoms, the most beautiful sights and fountains? And you can go and bathe and feel and drink and walk and enjoy every step that you take along the road.

Just recently I was in Italy with my family and we went to Florence to see the statue of David by Michaelangelo. It used to be in a piazza but it was becoming run down and for that particular statue they actually built the entire wing of a museum. And every step of the way there are more and more beautiful things.

But when you stand in front of David you couldn't care less about the building that they made for him, because David steals the show. It is absolutely superb. And this is my question. Am I walking along through millions and millions of these Davids, each more magnificent than the other, while my eyes are glued on the ceiling? Am I too busy looking at the floor and wondering how many other people have walked this path instead of looking around at the beauty around me? If I am doing that, what am I missing out on, instead of enjoying what there is to see, to feel?

And the most incredible thing that you can feel, that you can be with in this whole world, better than David, better than Raphael's paintings, is you. Always has been, always will be. And all that is being offered by me is one simple thing. A way, a means, to be able to experience you, just you. Not the labels. Not to walk the path of life with one hand in the pocket with the labels saying good, bad, I don't know, but just to be living this life consciously.

I am not here to tell you you need this in your life. I just want to tell you this is available. It doesn't cost anything. I don't charge because how much should I charge? Ten bucks isn't enough and neither is two million. The only thing is that people should want it, should have a desire for it, a love for it. How can you charge for the most priceless thing?

And what is that experience like? Well, it's there within you, within each individual, and all I am offering is a way to be able to tap into it.

BIRMINGHAM

In our society, in our age, in our understanding, what we see when we look in the mirror is unacceptable. It needs to be augmented. It needs to be more. We think we, as basic human beings on the fact of this earth, are really quite useless. That there is something different from us, and we need to get to that. The superman.

The superman is this person who can come and do and has everything that we lack. He can see through things. He can fly.

We have always reflected in our deities, in our beliefs, that which we miss, that which we don't have. To be able to see into the future. To be able to see into the past. To be able to know what we don't know. To be able to do those things that we are totally incapable of doing.

Let me relate this small story to you about Milton. He writes about something very beautiful. There is God, and he is explaining this earth to his angels. He says, "There it is. That is my most magnificent creation. Most magnificent. Perfect. This I have created so that they can sing my praises. They can sing glory to me."

But then you have Lucifer. He says, "No. There is no difference between you and me. We are both the same." In his pride, he forgets. But then he comes down to earth and his eyes fall upon the Creator's creation. Unique. In that moment, he is totally stunned, and he says, "You have truly outdone yourself this time. Magnificent." And he starts to sing the glory. "This is it. Perfect. Perfect in every single detail. Perfect in conception. Perfect in execution. Perfect. Beautiful."

I am not saying that you ought to believe this literally. But it's a lovely story, it's a lovely experience that Milton is relating, and I think it has an incredible amount of significance for us.

So on the one hand, you have the Creator looking upon the earth and saying, "This is perfect. This is the most."

And on the other hand, you have Lucifer saying, "Ah, most magnificent."

And then today, we have the same creation looking upon itself and saying, "This is garbage."

What a turn of events. That the Creator should be looking down upon it and saying, "Most magnificent". And that even the most cynical critic, Lucifer, should be saying, "Magnificent. Immaculate."

But that same creation, looking upon itself, says, "What's so special about us?"

All I am saying, and maybe this is really what Knowledge addresses, more than anything else, is that beyond all this good and bad and beyond all this right and wrong, if we just open one sheet and another sheet and another sheet, what you will find is you. Not caught up on the tug-of-wars of good and bads and right and wrongs. Not caught up from nine to five. Not caught up between that hot plate and the breakfast. Not caught up between the Saturdays and Sundays to decide if what you have done from Monday to Friday is justifiable or not.

But if you can go beyond, which you can, then what you will find is just you. Free. The true freedom. Yours to enjoy. Not caught up in a lot of ideas about how it should work. No analogies are needed to explain you to you at that time. You are just enjoying you in this life, and enjoying this precious, precious gift called life itself.

BRISTOL

There is an enjoyment to this life, and that's all I am offering. Free of charge. One lady in Vancouver actually asked me, "Why are you offering it free, why don't you charge for it? People will have more value for it if you charge."

But how can you put a price on something that is priceless? I am offering it for my reasons, and my reasons are that it brings me a great deal of joy, and I want to share it. To say, yes, there is an enjoyment in life, there is a sunrise every day within you, and it is shining.

And all I'm offering is the way to be able to access that experience. If you like it, fine; if you don't like it, fine. Nobody's pushing it. Life was not pushed on you. Nobody can push the experience of life on you. Does it sound ultra-fantastic? You be the judge. You are invited to be the judge. Because it's your life, it is your option, it is your choice; and it is choice, not chance, that determines destiny. We cannot change the wind, but we can adjust the sails; that's our prerogative. So this is being offered, and the choice to take it is yours.

If you don't want it now, maybe sometime in the future you will want to try it. So thank you very much for coming this evening and listening to what I have to say. Thank you very much.