Maharaji at the Universal Forum of Cultures, Barcelona 2004-06-14

Maharaji at the Universal Forum of Cultures, Barcelona June 14 2004

Maharaji, as Prem Rawat is widely known, speaks to people around the world about the possibility of finding inner peace and contentment. He started addressing audiences when he was only 3 years old. At the age of 13, he was invited to speak in London and Los Angeles [as Guru Maharaj Ji, The Lord of the Universe]. Since then, he has presented his message to over 6.5 million people in more than 50 countries. Speaking at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, he recently said, The peace that we are looking for is already in the heart. It needs to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. His message is more than words. For those wishing to make peace a reality in their life, he offers inspiration and guidance. People listening to him express finding profound inspiration, a fresh perspective on life, and deep peace within themselves.

Dr. Páez, Chief Executive of the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona, noted that we usually hold governments or political organizations responsible for peace, and that we are accustomed to hearing about peace from a sociological or political point of view, as the absence of war. Maharaji, he said, talks about peace from a human perspective, and emphasizes the significance of every single human being in creating the necessary conditions for peace.

We have a very simple opportunity, a very simple message. A message that points back towards us. And before I had the opportunity to come here, I was speaking with Dr. Pezes, and we were talking about how important it is for each individual on the face of this Earth to understand their own responsibility for peace. So many people in this world are waiting for other people, other people to do something that will make peace come. But peace is a very different process. Peace is a process in which a person, a individual, a human being, accepts the responsibility of that peace, for that peace. Because peace is felt in the heart of every human being. This is the palette where the manifestation of peace takes place. This is the place, not on the outside, not the absence of war. So many people define peace as absence of a war. Which war? There is a war that happens between two countries. There is a war that takes place between two people. There is a war that doesn't even require two people. There is a war that takes place inside of a person. The war on the outside could be, maybe ceasefire could be negotiated, and maybe between two people you could negotiate an understanding. But even in the absence of those kinds of war, there is a war that takes place inside a human being. A much more ferocious war. Devastating.

The very elements, the very moments that are the foundations of a person. And so which war will it be that will become absent so that one day we could stand up and say, now there is peace. Because peace, for those people who have talked about peace, in earnest, have said that what you are looking for is within, inside of you. You are the source and you are the resource for the real peace on the face of this earth. It is the realization, and it is the understanding, and it is the challenge of feeling the peace in this life. Not being distracted by all the agendas, but accepting that agenda, understanding that agenda, that I have been given an opportunity to be alive.

To be alive. I exist. I am.

What does that mean? I will tell you what it means for most people on the face of this earth. Because we measure ourselves with a negative scale. Before we set up accomplishment, we measure ourselves to see what we do not have. There are so many people in this world who will come out and who will tell you all the things you do not know. Do not know all the things you have not accomplished. All the things you do not have. Every window of a shop dares to tell you what you have. Because if it started putting up objects that you did have, the purpose would be very much so defeated. And so in a world where everything is judged on a negative scale, how can you even begin to talk about peace when peace can only be judged on a positive scale? Because it is one of the things we do have. It is one of the things that we can have. And it is one of the things that is innate for every human being. And like a lit lamp on the darkest night, it is waiting to be discovered. Maybe we cannot create breath, but we have the potential to appreciate breath. Maybe we cannot create love, but we have a potential to be able to experience love. And when the sun is in that right place and the moon is in that right place, magic happens and the moon glows. When we too begin to look at our own possibilities, when we too begin to look at what we have been given and what potential that we do have, then we too in our lives begin to shine like that beautiful full moon. Because we, we, all of us have that potential. And it begins with those fundamental things of understanding not our differences, but our similarities.

Because right now, right now in this world, we look at people and we say, you are from that country, and you speak that language, and you do this, and you do that. And you know, I've seen some movies where people are in a survival situation. They're in the middle of a life raft in the middle of a Pacific Ocean somewhere, and you know what? They're not talking about, and you are from. Because all of a sudden, all the things that are unnecessary have been dropped in favor for what is necessary. Same thing has to happen in this life too. When there is a lot of things that are unnecessary, I am able to see the differences. And when I am placed in that one place where my priority is straight, I see not the differences, but I see the similarities. That you are alive, and I am alive. That you have a breath, that I have a breath. That you need understanding, that I need understanding. That I want to be happy as you want to be happy, and you want to find peace as I want to find peace. And you can experience peace as I can experience peace. And the peace also dwells in your heart as it does in mine. And peace is not something that sits on top of a mountain, but it resides right within inside of us.

And maybe, maybe the time has come that all of us, because it is the most noble gesture we can do for life, it is the most noble gesture for existence itself, when each one of us begins to recognize the possibility of peace in our lives. Not from someone else, but finding ourselves as the source and the resource. That we look to other people. Oh yes, maybe I will have peace when? No, peace now. Peace now. Not when all the trees will turn gray blue. No, I've heard too much of that. I have been hearing about peace and people talking about maybe this and maybe that and maybe when that will happen and maybe then that will happen, will it happen? Well, can you really afford to just be waiting for all of that? When do we open these eyes and see the simplicity of existence? When do we open these eyes and see no judgment in the way the breath comes into us? No judgment as we are allowed to be, to exist. Yes, I'm not here to say, well, there is no sorrow and there is no pain. There is sorrow. There is good in this world and there is bad in this world. There is joy in this world, there is pain in this world. And just like walking a street, we need to avoid what we like and be attracted to that which we want in our lives. What is important to you in your life? What is important to you in your existence? I ask these questions on your behalf. I say this to you because I hope you have asked these questions of yourself because they are important, very, very important questions.

What do I want? What does my heart want? Is it a dream? It cannot be a dream. Dreams only happen when you are asleep. This will only happen if we awaken. People say, but I've got too many responsibilities. Fine, but this is your responsibility too. And you may be fulfilling all the other ones and ignoring one very fundamental one. It cannot be. Let today be the day. Let today be the day when you take a step towards you in the truest and the most earnest fashion of looking for peace. Because the day you start looking for peace, believe me, peace will start looking for you. The day, the day you can start recognizing your potential, your potential will start recognizing you. This is how it works. This is how it works. The day you begin to make the effort to understand, understanding starts to look for you. And when you meet, it is wonderful.

When can I begin to start taking a look at myself and the resources that I already have? When can I begin to start acknowledging that I have been given this beautiful life? When can I begin to start acknowledging that in every breath that I take holds the promise for me to be fulfilled and to be content? When can I begin to say that peace is not that far from me, that it has been with me all my life? The desire to be in that peace has been with me all my life and the means to be in that peace has been with me all my life. Maybe it begins with something very fundamental and very simple, that I am not that incomplete, that I am complete, that for which I yearn, I have, and where I look, I need to look a little closer to me for the answers that I am looking for. And maybe for the first time in my life, I need to start having my own questions rather than the questions that have been handed down to me, that I need to look at my need, my need for peace, my need for that joy, my need to be, to be, and to be content.

In the desert lies a possibility waiting and waiting and waiting to bloom, and a single drop of rain can trigger that possibility. In the desert lies dormant the possibility of a very tender flower, and one drop of rain can trigger it to come to life, one drop. And it waits, not by complaining, not by putting up a sign, I'm waiting over here, but it waits, and it waits, and it waits, and it waits, as the nature would have it through these incredibly predictable random laws of nature.

That's an oxymoron, of course. But that's the way it is, that that rain comes, and when that rain comes, it brings not only what that plant needs, but what all other plants need. And when that rain comes, all those possibilities, one by one, individually, start to become real, real.

That is the same process that needs to happen in each one of our lives, that that understanding, that is what we need, the awareness, the opening of this eye, that there's a whole world here, and this is my time, my time to be fulfilled, my time to make this possibility happen, my time to bloom, my time to understand, my time to take the responsibility for this peace in my life. That so many days have gone by where I have looked at other people, other people, to make happen what I need, and today it is going to be me that is going to make happen what I need in my life. That when it comes to my peace in my life, I am ready to, and I am willing to, and I am able to stand on my own feet. It begins from that. It doesn't end there, but it begins from that. Too many days have gone by where people have looked at the world leaders, and the world leaders try, and they've been trying. Succeeding, that's another story.

When I understand something, what am I full of? Questions, questions, questions, questions, and questions. And when I understand something, what am I full of? Doubt, doubt, doubt, doubt. And the day I understand, just like that, no more questions, no more doubts. The day there is understanding, no more barriers, no more questions. The day there is understanding, something wonderful begins to happen. And the day that there is an understanding in our lives that peace is possible, no more questions, no more doubts, but yes, it is possible. What you are looking for is within, inside of you. You are the source. You are the source for the thirst, and you are the well in which the sweetest of the water resides. In you is the thirst, and in you is the means to quench the thirst. Begin by accepting that possibility in your life. That's where it begins. That's where your answer lies. That is where your answer lies. You have the question, and you have had the question for a long time. Now it is time to get the answer, and get on with your life, and get on with this existence in joy, in harmony, in understanding, and to enjoy the rest of this life. Every day, to enjoy the rest of this life. Because if there ever was a gift, this is the gift.

Because if there ever was a time, this is the time. If ever there was an opportunity, then this is the opportunity. And this is what my message is. From you, it begins. From each one of you, it begins. And it will be the effort of everyone on the face of this earth, which will make peace possible. Us. Each one of us. After all, wherever you go, whatever you do, your heart will not leave you alone, because it alone holds the quest for peace. You cannot run from that. You cannot evade that. Be sincere to this existence. Be sincere to today. Be sincere, sincere to tomorrow. Tomorrow, as it comes and unfolds itself into today. All those promises, all those promises will only come together in today, not in tomorrow. Tomorrow is just an idea. Today is how all tomorrows have to manifest. And in today, find your reality. In today, find your courage. And in today, find the possibility of being in peace, being in joy, being in that reality that you want, that you are, that needs to be. So, thank you very much for coming and listening to my message. And thank you. And find that peace in your life. Thank you very much and good night.

This is an edited version of his speech that was published by Elan Vital

Barcelona - audience So often peace is defined as the absence of war. There is war that happens between two countries. There is war that takes place between two people. There is war that doesn't even require two people; it takes place inside of a person. For a war on the outside, maybe a cease-fire can be negotiated. Between two people, maybe an understanding can be negotiated. But even in the absence of those kinds of wars, there is a war that takes place inside a human being-a much more ferocious war that devastates the very elements that are the foundation of a person. Which of these wars will become absent so that one day we can stand up and say, "Now there is peace"?

Those people who have talked about peace in earnest have said, "What you are looking for is within you. You are the source and you are the resource for peace on the face of this earth." This is the realization, the understanding, and the challenge of feeling peace in this life-not being distracted by all our agendas, but accepting and understanding the agenda we have been given with the opportunity to be alive.

Maybe we cannot create breath, but we have the potential to appreciate breath. Maybe we cannot create love, but we have the potential to experience love. When we begin to look at our own possibilities, at what we have been given and what potential we do have, we can also begin to shine in our lives, just like that beautiful full moon. All of us have that potential. It begins with fundamental understandings. It begins with understanding our similarities, not our differences.

Right now in this world, we look at what country people are from, what language they speak, what they do. In a survival situation where, let's say, people are in a life raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean somewhere, they're not talking about where they are from. Anything that is unnecessary is dropped in favor of what is necessary to survive. It is necessary to collect water, to stay away from the hostile elements, and to have food.

With all our differences, we're not that different. Our quests are similar. The need for peace is not created by a document. It is created by a fundamental desire innate to all human beings, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful. It is that innate desire that has, throughout history, pushed us again and again to find peace. The want, the concept, the idea of peace did not start this year or last year or the year before.

Audience Peace is so fundamental that, for as long as people have been on the face of the earth, this is what they have looked forward to. This is what they have wanted.

The precedence for peace has to begin somewhere; it cannot just be ignored. There is plenty of precedence for ignoring peace, and it has brought so much misery. It is incumbent upon us to have the strength to say, "Peace today, not tomorrow." It would be sad if another generation were to go by ignoring the very basic and fundamental call to have peace on this earth.

This is a vessel and we are its inhabitants. We have the possibility of making a difference. I am not telling anyone what to do so there will be peace. I am saying, "Whatever it takes, let us have peace. Whatever it takes." If we can go to the moon, we surely should be able to figure that out. Why does it have to be such a mystery? Why is it that, when it comes to going to the moon, nobody has a problem, but when it comes to having peace, everybody has their own opinion? Why can't we put aside our differences? Why can't we put aside our opinions for the sake of peace? What is so wrong with peace? What is so bad about having peace?

Maharaji - Barcelona Is it a dream? It cannot be. Dreams only happen when you're asleep. Peace will only happen if we awaken. People say, "I have too many responsibilities." But this is your responsibility, too. You may be fulfilling all the other ones and ignoring this very fundamental one. Let today be the day when you take a step toward yourself in the truest and most earnest way of looking for peace. The day you start looking for peace, peace will start looking for you. The day you start recognizing your potential, your potential will start recognizing you. This is how it works.

Whatever it takes, find that peace, and for the rest of your life, enjoy that beautiful peace that has been lying in wait within you. It begins with you. You are the source. You are the source for the thirst, and you are the well in which the sweetest water resides. Within you are both the thirst and the means to quench it. Begin by accepting this possibility in your life. That is where your answer lies. You have had the question for a long time. Now it is time to get the answer and get on with your life-in joy, in harmony, and with understanding. Now is the time to begin to enjoy the rest of your life.

Enjoy every day for the rest of your life. If there ever was a gift, this is the gift. If there ever was a time, this is the time. If ever there was an opportunity, then this is the opportunity. This is my message.

It begins with each one of you. It will be everyone's effort that will make peace possible-each one of us. And yes, peace is very, very possible. I see the possibility, and you need to see it, too.

After all, wherever you go and whatever you do, your heart will not leave you alone because it, alone, holds the quest for peace. You cannot run from it. You cannot evade it. Be sincere toward this existence. Be sincere toward today. Be sincere toward tomorrow as it comes and unfolds itself into today. All those promises will only come together today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is just an idea. Today is when all tomorrows manifest. In today, find your reality; in today, find your courage. And today, find the possibility of being in peace, being in joy, being in the reality that you are.ank you very much. And it's been a great honor and a privilege to speak here to you tonight.

Thank you.