Maharaji: The Subject is Life 2003/4 E156

Maharaji: The Subject is Life (Compilation) 2004 E156

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 address audiences 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. Maharaji's message is more than words. People who listen to him express finding profound inspiration, a fresh perspective on life and peace within themselves.

The subject is only one and it's always the same. And the subject is life. I know so many people who like to hear about how we can get better at our business. How we can get better at our studies. And all those are there. But one subject that is not dealt with is the subject of life. To understand the subject of life, you have to understand what life is. Even our perspective of what life is, is so different than life itself. In our perspective, whatever happens in our life is life. But if you look at it, that's not true.

Look at a baby, a small child. The child breathes, it's living, doesn't have a job, doesn't recognize relatives, doesn't have any responsibilities. And even in that state of being, that child has a very specific goal. Has a very specific need. Has a very specific want. And then the child grows up. Slowly more and more responsibilities are added. Now there's school, now there's homework, now there's this, now there's that. And even through that stage of existence, of being, there's a very specific want, there's a very specific need. And then the child gets even older. More responsibilities are added on. More things have to be done. And even through that, there's a very specific want. There's a very specific need. And then as you get older, that child gets older. Even more responsibilities. And we call this awareness. As you take on more responsibilities, you recognize more people, and you recognize this is good and that's right, and this is what you should do and that's what you shouldn't do. That's recognized as more awareness, more responsibility. More responsibilities. And at this junction, everything starts to break down into formulas. This is what works for me, this doesn't work for me, this is what works for me, this doesn't work for me. And responsibilities keep getting added on. And even at this stage of life, there is a very specific want and a very specific need. And then after that, you're coming now much, much closer to the retirement. Now actually, a reverse trend begins. Now the responsibilities are being shed. All those responsibilities that you carried the rest of your life, they're being shed. And they're being converted to different kinds of responsibilities. And even in this stage of the game, there is a very specific want and a very specific need. And then of course, coming to the grand finale. And now, things work. Getting up, a simple act that you did thousands of times, getting up from a chair, it's not easy. Recognizing people, who are you? I think I know you. Your face looks familiar. And maybe things just boil down to taking care of the body, surviving day to day, no big plans. And in this stage of life, there are some very specific needs and very specific wants. And then of course, there is even that time when the last breath is being drawn upon. And even in that stage of the game, there is a specific want and a specific need.

If you can understand the analogy I just gave, of life, the different trends, the different things that happen, I kept saying, through each one of them, that there was a specific want and a specific need. So, let's address that. Nothing else. Let's not address your responsibilities. I'm sure that you can figure those out. Now let's address this specific want and specific need. What do you think this specific want and specific need could possibly be? What does a baby want? It doesn't know anything. It doesn't know the name of… It doesn't know to say, bring me toys. It doesn't know that yet. It's too small. It can't speak yet. No vowels. Just once in a while, ah! And that's it. And what is the need? The need is to be content. Feel hungry? Give a cry? Mother comes? Gives food? Satisfied? Quiet again? Go to sleep. That's amazing. This little baby that has never read a book, never heard a lecture, never seen a philosopher, knows all too well about being satisfied. About being content.

I mean, isn't that something we learn in our retirement? After we have been through it all? Of what contentment means? What it really means to be satisfied? we have to read books on this subject? we have to do our research? we have to go looking all over the place? we have to go climb the mountains of Himalaya? we have to go to all the holy places? we have to do all these things? How does this baby know? Pre-packaged. And it is sufficient. Even in the days when more and more responsibilities are being handed to us, isn't there a cry in the heart, in the heart, to want to be content?

So let me give you a little analogy. Ant. A little ant. A tiny little ant. Have you seen an ant? You've seen an ant. You've seen one ant. You've seen all ants. There they are, always going about their business, really busy. Off they go. They get a little disconcerned when you come along. You know, they know you might step on them or something. Then they just race off to their own little direction. A little ant. And they have to go places. They have to find food. They have to go places. But there's one thing that's really remarkable about an ant. And it's a very simple thing that's very remarkable about a little ant. This ant, this tiny little ant, may venture all over the place. And you must appreciate that your lawn is like a big, thick jungle forest for this little thing. And it goes. And it goes. And where it has to go, it doesn't even know sometimes, but it goes. But there's one thing very special. And that is, this ant knows how to get back home. It's very important. For this little ant, it's really, really, really important. Got to get back home. Think about that. Wherever it goes, whatever it's doing, whatever trail it's smelling, looking at the sun, taking its fixes, so that it can remember how to get back home.

Do you know how to get back home? Because if you have mastered the art of going out, but not coming back, it's a half mastery. It's kind of a one-way experiment. And people do that. Make their list. This is what I want in my life. This is what will make me happy. This is what I need to have in my life. This is how it should be. Fine, go. Go wherever you have to go. Do whatever you have to do. I'm not the one who's going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. But a piece of good advice. Do you know how to get back home? Where is your home? Home! There's another kind of home. And this home is within you. And you carry it within you. Wherever you go. Do you know the address? Do you know how to get there? You know how to go out. You know everything about out there. Everything. Who lives there? What happens there? This should be this way. What about home? I'm asking questions. You have to answer them.

Maybe I can get you to think a little bit. In a different direction. And if I can do that, I'm doing good. Ask a little bit. Here I am. I'm alive. What does this mean? He talks about home. Where could be my home? What is my home really like? How much do I know about that? You are not your name. You are not your face. More than that, too many hats. Too many hats. Too many roles to play. I'm a father. I'm an uncle. I'm a friend. I'm a colleague. I'm an office worker. Let me remind you. There you were once about that big. The only thing you could say. Wah! So what happened to that one year old? What happened to that wah? There you go. Didn't die. You know that. Because you're here. Where did that little one go? I'll tell you. Still there. Still going wah.

There's only one focus. To be content. To be happy. To be satisfied. One focus. To be fulfilled. One focus. And you see, through all those years, that's all you have wanted. All you have wanted. When you were six months old, that's all you wanted. When you were one year old, that's all you wanted. When you were three years old, that's all you wanted. When you were 16, that's all you wanted. If it meant to go play that way, if it meant to dress up that way, if it meant to do this, if it meant to do that, you were going to do it because somehow, if it could bring you fulfillment, that was so important. So nothing has changed. Here you are. You're not like your age. And fulfillment is still important. And it'll be next year too. And it will be next year too. And it will be next year too. And for as long as you are, as long as you're going to live, this beautiful gift of breath will come in. So then, of course, the obvious question is, is there a necessity in my life to feel fulfilled? I cannot answer that. In my life, yes. In your life, I know. That's a question you have to ask yourself. In my life, yes, I have a need to feel in peace. In my life, yes, I have a need to be fulfilled. In my life, yes, I have a need to be satisfied in the most fundamental way. Not the satisfaction of somebody coming along and saying, this is your new mantra now. You're satisfied, you're satisfied, you're satisfied, you're satisfied, you're satisfied, you're satisfied, you're satisfied.

People say, what about all of this? That all the responsibilities that we have on the outside? I see a conflict. I see a conflict. Because the happiness you are looking for is the happiness within you for you. For you. As you are that person that is on the face of this earth. You came. You came. I know that it is maybe difficult for you to disassociate yourself from being a father, from being a mother, from being a sister, from being an uncle, from being this and being that, and being an officer, and being this and that, ta-da, ta-da, ta-da, ta-da, ta-da. But do for a second. For a second. That's not long. That you came. And the breath that comes into you, it's yours. It doesn't matter how charitable you may be, you cannot give it away. I can't say, well, here, you know, here's a few breaths of mine, here, as a gift to you. I can't do that. That comes into me. Brings me something. And leaves. And comes again. And leaves.

Till one day, it comes, it leaves, and it doesn't come again. And then what am I? Who am I? What do I become? People like to talk about this. Heavy, intense. go there. go there. It's like, we take a look at somebody's birthday. Somebody turns 10. Somebody turns 20. We bring a cake. We plant 10 candles or 20 candles on the cake. We hear blow them out. And you know what that is? Each one of those candles represents a year you've been alive. And what you're doing is you're symbolically blowing each one of the year away. Accepting the passage of all of those. It's done. Of course, you know how long you're going to be alive, so you can't put the extra candles. That birthday cake and blowing of the candle is about your vulnerability in this world. It is not about your strength. The illusion is the song that goes along with it. Because it's truly distracting. Truly distracting. It makes you think this is something special. But really all it is, is acceptance of all that's gone. And that'll never come back.

That is the nature. I'm talking about accepting this life. I'm talking about accepting this thirst. I'm talking about accepting the need in your life to be fulfilled. To be in joy not because somebody else has said now you are successful. Now you are happy. Now you are in joy. But coming from the very depths of your being saying yes, now I am happy. Yes, now I am fulfilled. And today I accept as a gift when I can begin to understand my nature. That my nature is to feel. Think is okay, but I need to feel. To imagine is okay, but I need to see. To have a dream is alright. But I need to have that reality fulfilled with my eyes open. Nothing wrong in dreaming. But fulfillment has to be the biggest part of it. When I can begin to accept today, when I can learn how to accept today, when I can understand that today is a gift because it was given to me. And without judgment, without judgment, without judgment, if I can accept today, then I have learned the very first step on the ladder to fulfilling myself. Then now I know that it means something to me that yes, I am going in that direction to be in peace.

Most people, you talk to them about peace and they are like well, you know, peace is when you fight with a rock. That's peace. That's not just peace. That's a war. War is a consequence of something else. War is a consequence of something else because there isn't just that physical war, there is another war that happens and that is far more dangerous and that is the war that rages inside a human being. The thing is, in the war outside, I mean, eventually it will end. Either all the enemy will get killed or the attacking party will get killed. I mean, it will come to an end sooner or later. But the war inside, it can rage and rage and rage and rage and rage and rage and rage to no end inside In this world today, we have Department of War, Department of Defense. How about a Department of Peace? Not to be found. Because peace is just a good idea. I mean, let's not actually have it. Billions and billions and billions of dollars are spent on these arms. And, you know, when it comes time to collect the taxes, they boast about the accuracy of these weapons. And when they use it and they blow up half the wrong place and you wonder, well, I thought this was supposed to be this hyper-accurate stuff that could come through one window and leave through another window. What happened? It found the wrong window. Peace. his begins with each one of us. Each one of us feeling that thirst in our lives, feeling that need in our lives. So, who are you? Who are you? Who are you? This unique thing that we have that came into this earth.

And let me tell you about this unique thing that came into this earth. There's no one like you. No one. There is no one like you on the face of this earth. I know there's somebody going, well, twins are. No, not even twins. Not even twins. Because the way you smile, the way you think is incredibly unique to you. The way you desire peace, the way you want to be happy, the way you think fulfillment is, there's no one like you on the face of this earth. Now let me tell you something else. There will never be another one like you ever on the face of this earth. No one. No one. No one. This is how unique you are. This is how important it is for this vessel to be fulfilled. Therefore, it is so incumbent upon you to be fulfilled. That is why it is so important that this materialization of this flesh and blood that came on this earth did not go in waste. That it didn't just come and leave. That it came, it saw, it admired, it was fulfilled.

Because what I'm trying to say to you is that ultimately what you are dependent upon is not all the things you think you are dependent upon What you in fact are dependent upon, my friends, is this breath that comes in and goes out. This is really what you're dependent upon. And if it ever came to trade your cell phone or your computer or your new watch for your breath, you will gladly take it. Take it. This is what your Pillar is. This is your Foundation.

Does that evoke your curiosity? Evoke? Wow. A fascination? A fascination. Amazing. That this gift, the gift of life, is made available to us. And that is the fundamental place where we need to be to acknowledge and to understand this is who we are. This is what's happening in my life too. And I need to understand my gifts. I need to understand my blessings. I need to know how to receive. I need to know how to appreciate. I need to know how to acknowledge. And that is the clarity that I need to bring in my life.

Everything else I know changes. I have seen it change. Everything else I have seen come and go and I have seen it threaten to go and I have seen it get completely modified. But the only thing that has never changed inside of me is that need and that necessity of wanting to be fulfilled. I can live in odds with other people but I cannot live in odds with me. My consciousness when I am conscious focuses me to appreciate. My unconsciousness says to me, forget it. This is the routine. This is the routine. Follow the routine. We love controversy and life is not a controversy. It's a singularity. It's not a duality. It's singular. The breath doesn't say, should I come in? Shouldn't I come in? Should I? Shouldn't I? We judge ourselves, we weigh ourselves, we look at ourselves and we wonder, am I worth it? Am I a good person? Have I done this, this, this and this? Breath doesn't say, should I come in to you? Are you a good person? Have you been good today? Then it comes.

But we have to begin now is this trend in our lives to look for the answer and where will we find this? Within us. We have to begin the trend to look at the singularity that exists, not the duality. We have to start looking for the calmness instead of the storm. We have to start looking for the peace instead of the war. We have to start looking for the clarity instead of confusion. And all these wonderful things, where will we find them? Within us. That's where they are. That's where they reside. So I'm here to tell people that all your answers are within you. I'm here to tell people that that need that you have had in your life, that want that you have had in your life, the answer to that has always been inside of you. You look for the peace, then begin looking for the peace inside of you. And to me, people think peace is out there. To me, peace is in here. When there isn't peace in here, there will always be a war outside. It is the nature. It is the nature. I have never seen two people who are sleeping fight. Never. They may roll, and they might say things in their sleep, but I've never seen them fight. It's only when they're awake that they might fight.

To me, when you are in that place, when it's that contentment, when it's that reality, then there is that peace. Then there is that joy.