Maharaji in Turin, PRE-005-D 2006-07-18

Maharaji in Turin, PRE-005-D, 18th July, 2006

Prem Rawat, widely known by the honorary title Maharaji, has been travelling the world for 40 years, bringing a unique message of peace. He gave his first public addresses at the age of 3, and by the age of 13 he was responding to invitations to speak in the United States and Great Britain [as Guru Maharaj Ji, The Lord of the Universe]. His message is from the heart. He speaks about the possibility for each person to find peace within, regardless of circumstances. Addressing a distinguished audience at the invitation of the United Nations Association of Malaysia, he recently said, Peace is a fundamental necessity and begins with each individual, and yes, peace is possible. Through the Prem Rawat Foundation, he also spearheads significant humanitarian initiatives [rubbish:: TPRF gives aid of $0.5 million p.a.] aimed at improving the lives of people most in need. From large cities to remote villages, millions of people around the world come to him for inspiration and guidance. Even as his audiences increase, Maharaji's message remains directed to each individual. If you are looking for fulfillment in peace, he says, the solution lies within. If that is what you want, I can help.

Thank you. Thank you and for this particular segment, this is the last event in Europe and I'm going to be going on towards India and deep Pacific and deep Indian Ocean, talking about something very, very fundamental. Each one of us, there's no exceptions to this, we judge our day, we judge our year and indeed we judge our lives by what has been accomplished. What happened today? Was it a good day? And people will say, yes, I accomplished this, I went there, I had to do this and I did that and yes, it was a good day. Or, no, I had problems, my tire, you know, went flat, my car broke down, this problem happened, that problem happened and so, no, it was not a good day. This is how it is. I'm not talking about right or wrong or good or bad. So it's not about that I'm here to pass judgment, but I'm merely pointing out that this is how it is. But how could it be? How could it be? What is really important? Is it really the breaking down of the car that can destroy a day? I agree that it is inconvenient. Things happen in people's lives and people go, I am ruined, I am destroyed and I want to point out that there's something happening in your life that is more important than all your accomplishments and it will always be greater than the sum of all your mistakes. All the mistakes, all your mistakes in a whole lifetime or up till now, put together, something is happening in your life that is negating all those mistakes. Doesn't matter. And do you know what that is? It is so simple.

It is so simple. It is the coming and the going of each (whispers) breath. This is the greatest, the most incredible miracle that you will ever witness.

I'm telling fortunes now, but they will never, no miracle in your life will be a miracle greater than the coming and going of each breath. And if you ever had a doubt that God exists or not, that that power exists or not, then each breath has a power in it to put that doubt to rest. When you feel alone, when you feel alone, somebody around 13th, 14th century said something very interesting. I came across it in India. Said something very interesting. Said patience, religion, friend and husband or wife, I'm adding that because the saying stops at wife, I'm adding the husband part. Same thing.

Their true value, their true value will become clear in times of trouble.

Because when a human being is surrounded by problems, by pain, by darkness, these are the things that go, you're on your own. Patience. How much patience do you really have? You know, I hear people go, oh, I am a very patient man. Oh yeah? We'll find out. In times of trouble, your patience, how patient are you really, will surface. Your religion. Ah, you didn't do that right. Out. Go away. You're a sinner. Move. Friends, you know, everything was fine when things were good, but now I know if I want to be with you. So, you know, please call me. I will call you. And life partner, whether it is husband or wife, this is what happens. You see it every day. This guy wrote this around 13th or 14th century. And to verify this, all you need to do is pick up the newspaper of today. Go to the society section and there it is. He left him. He, she left him. It didn't work out. This is gone. This is done. But there is something that even in this time, it doesn't leave you. It doesn't leave you. We are all creatures in this world. As human beings, we like it when people judge us. We really, really. We really. And there is one thing that never judges us. Good, bad, right, wrong. We are never judged.

What is it? Each breath that comes into. I mean, I can hear people in this audience going, what is this breath thing? What is this breath thing? You will know the day it starts to leave you. What is this breath thing? I'll explain.

Be happy to explain. Before you were born, before you were born, your parents found out they're going to have a baby. They were happy. Normal, you know. They were happy. Average, law of average. They were happy. And they of course discussed, is it going to be a boy or a girl? And sometimes in the discussion, this was said, no, no, it doesn't matter. But then either pink clothes were bought or blue clothes were bought. And there was expectations. I will have a beautiful daughter, and she will be beautiful, and she will write poetry, and she will ride horses. And all of this stuff. Or I'll have a son, and he will become a doctor, and he will become famous, and people will walk down the street and go, there goes doctor so-and-so, son of. And this went on and on and on and on and on, till it was time for you to come out. And when you came out, something happened.

Even though all these people were wondering, are you a boy or a girl, doctor or a lawyer, engineer or a pilot, that when you came out for a moment, everybody stopped because they wanted to know if you were breathing or not. Total focus. It only takes a little while for the total focus. Breathing? Breathing? Good. Not breathing? And the doctor picked you up, especially if you were not breathing, and whack. How many? Till you were breathing. How did he know you were breathing? Crying. This is how you came. This is in this world. Crying. But breathing. Then you had a life. You lived. You know, three things happen in life. One is birth. Second is living. And the third, you all know. You know. And then in the last time, when that comes, everybody waits. When they know that somebody is going, they all wait. You know for what? Gas. Till you've stopped breathing. Gone. This is the importance. This is your signature. This is your existence. This is the incredible miracle that unfolds. And now, I would like to talk a little bit about what each breath brings us. Each breath brings us the possibility of being fulfilled. Each breath brings us the possibility of being in peace.

I know that everyone has their idea of what peace is. When people hear the word peace, world peace, no more wars. Take a look at it from a different angle. ou will see real peace. Peace is something that manifests inside of human beings. What am I talking about? I will tell you what I'm talking about. I just recently received an email from people who have the gift of Knowledge of what I offer to people. Do you know from where? Lebanon and Haifa. From Israel and Lebanon. And what do you think these emails said? "Thank you. That's what they said. Thank you for what you have shown us." Even in the middle of the war, there's a gratitude for the peace that they feel inside of. You see, what I talk about is not just words. You have not come here to hear something new, because I have nothing new to say. Sorry, I. I have nothing new to say. Everything I say, you know. That's the funny thing. Your heart, your being, yourself has been saying this to you again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Be in peace. Be content. All I do is what your heart has been saying to you. I say it to you from the outside. Not from the inside of you, but from the outside. I am here telling you what you know. Not because it is bad, but because it is beautiful.

To be in peace is beautiful. To be in that contentment is beautiful. Look at this world. Look at this world. How many billions, and billions, and billions of dollars are spent to make people happy? And they're not happy, but how many billions are spent to make them happy? What is your nature? When you are content, you become automatically happy. You have to be made happy. You become happy automatically. When you are content, you become kind automatically. You know this. You know this. When you are feeling good inside, somebody comes to you and says, OK, I'm going to give you a parking ticket. And you go, OK. d then, thank you. When you are feeling good inside, your wife goes, I want a vacation and new purse. No problem. When you are feeling good inside, you have to be taught a lesson in kindness. You have to be taught a lesson in how to be just a human being. This is the nature. The very nature of you, that when you are content, when you are feeling good inside, all these things automatically, because you're feeling good. Now, you spend a lot of money, and you make a lot of effort to make all those things happen. So people actually go to psychologists and say, I have anger problems. I think I'm kind enough. I think I'm happy enough. And smile some more.

And then people write books of how to be kind. They say, imagine when you see another person, imagine it's you. And that's enough to drive you crazy. Because every time you see somebody else, you go, what am I doing there? No, they see. They have studied a lot. But they have not studied. you think it's curious that of all the things Socrates could have said, he says, know thyself. you find it curious? I do. Why does he say that? He could have said anything else. He said, if you want to leave this world, drink hemlock. OK, well, that's how he ended up leaving. He could have said, oh, no, no, you need to believe in the oracles from Delphi. He could have said anything. But what does he say? He says, know thyself.

Not too long ago, I was doing an event in Birmingham, just a couple of days ago, and I said something to the people. It was an audience that predominantly spoke Hindi, or so they thought, but they predominantly thought they spoke Hindi, and I was speaking in Hindi, and I told them something. Then, of course, I said I wouldn't dare say this, you know, in an event, but I think I will dare say it, only because I didn't say it. I didn't write this. This was written in the Indian Shastras before Christ, a long, long time ago, and what was written? The definition? Now, please, take it for what it is, you know. This other guy wrote it, so if you like it, he wrote it. If you do like it, you heard it from me. Anyways, this is what he wrote. He is drawing a distinction between Knowledge and non-Knowledge, what is not Knowledge and what is Knowledge, and the distinction is this,

that that which teaches you, shows you something of yourself, about you, about the Self, is Knowledge, and everything else is non-Knowledge.

This is a very big tablet to swallow. It is. I'm a pilot, and I'm sitting in an airplane at 45,000 feet. All this was created by non-Knowledge. What am I doing here? Computers, computers, and computers, but ultimately I understood something very simple about what he was trying to say, and what he was trying to say is that the truest definition of knowing, knowing Knowledge, knowing has to begin with knowing of the Self. You can have the most incredible map, the most incredible, most accurate map, but if you know where you are on that map, you cannot plot where you want to go on that map. This is what he is saying. Knowing the Knowledge of your destinations, but not knowing where you are, is not going to help you. Where are you? That's the first question. Where are you on this map?

That's why when you go to supermarkets, or go to shopping centers, they say you are here, and when I read that, you are here, and then walk away, I wonder if it still says you are here, because if I am here, and it says you are here, where am I in this beautiful garden of existence? Existence, amazing, amazing that I exist, amazing that you, you exist, you are unique, there is no one like you on the face of this earth, and there will be no one like you on the face of this earth again. See, this breath comes into you, and you can see, and you can feel, and you can admire, and you can smile, and you can laugh, and you can cry, and you can hug, and you can reject, and you can dance, and because this breath comes into you, you can stand still, still, and it continues to come, and when you are more still, it comes, and it goes, and when you're dancing, it still comes, and it goes, and when you're moving, it still comes, and it still goes, and with each one, each little wave of this breath, it brings you the possibility to be fulfilled, to be content, to be content, to be in peace, to understand, to enjoy this life, to look at this journey, not by failures, to look at this journey not by successes, but to look at this journey as it has been given as the most precious. That's what it is. The most precious gift that could possibly be given to a human being, and here it is. It is the sum of all desires fulfilled. It is everything that you have always wanted, and it is everything that you will ever want. This one place within you where there are no doubts, where there are no questions, where there's clarity, where there's understanding, where there is the celebration of life going on, and you are welcomed. You are welcomed to this place to come and participate, take part in that celebration of existence because you're the only one who can go there. No one else can go there. Only you can go there. Only you. It's made for you. For you.

The love, the love. We fall in love and we think, oh that's pretty good, that's pretty good, that's pretty good. No, no, no, no, no, no. Let me tell you about what love really is. Not to have a picture, nor to communicate by cards, where no gifts are needed. And the ultimate lover has built his house in the temple of your. Never for a second to be separated from you. Wherever you go, this love comes. This is love. Good times, there, bad times. Never a word of unkindness, never an inflection of disapproval. No judgment, not even for the blink of an eye. Good, bad, dressed, undressed, beautiful, ugly, all left behind. This is true. To give, to give, even that that is not received, that's giving. We think we know how to give. Oh, around Christmas we feel so proud. I've got the gift for you, I've got a gift for you, I've got a gift for you, I've got a gift for you. But this giver that is inside of you gives even when it is not received. Another one, another one. In the form of each breath, in the form of each second, in the form of each hour, in the form of each day, in the form of each week, in the form of each month, in the form of each year, the going continues. Give, give, give, give, give, even when no thank you is ever said. You want to know what rejection is? Then let me tell you about the ultimate rejection. As human beings, as human beings, we reject the ultimate ultimately because we wonder about the motives of the giver. We wonder about the motives of the giver. Why is he giving?

People say, I want to be cheated. You're cheated every day. You are. You go to the shopkeeper and you see something and you say, make me the best price. And the shopkeeper gives you a price and you go, no, no, you can do better than that. And he gives you another lower price. This problem's already here because he told you this was the best price and then you said, no, no, a little lower and he gave you another price. And then you said, okay, and you paid. That was not the best price. He's still making a profit. The first price he quoted you was he knew you were not going to pay. We get cheated and we go, thank you. And then we go and we say, oh, I bought this. I got a bargain. I got a bargain. I paid so little money for that. You got cheated. But you said, well done. And the shopkeeper is also laughing. The shopkeeper is also laughing and he's going, huh, these people, they think they can bargain.

This is the world we live in, my friends. This is the world we live in. Our formulas are what? If we want to have peace, let's have war. And all the intelligent people of this world go, good idea. Somehow it's okay. It is acceptable to kill in the name of peace. That's intelligence. Not in my book. That's stupidity. he idea of peace was not started yesterday. The idea of peace was started a long, long time ago. And that is the benchmark that was set that if you want to accomplish something in this world, accomplish peace. Man has gone to the moon, but hasn't brought peace on the face of this earth. There is something wrong. And there is a million explanations out there about why it is correct.

But there is no one explanation saying it's wrong. Nobody out there is going, you know what? That's just crazy. Even though it may sound incredibly intelligent, it's crazy. Because peace, my friends, begins with each one of. These are the lamps that have to get lit for there to be light in this world. We, each one of us has to experience that peace in our lives. Not in words, not in concepts, not in ideas, but in reality every single day. And the peace that I'm talking about is the peace that those people in Lebanon and Israel are experiencing in the middle of the rocket faults. And the peace that I'm talking about is the peace that people experience who have the gift of this Knowledge, who went to the Iraq war, who went to the Afghanistan war. And the freedom that I am talking about is the freedom that can be experienced in a prison. That's the real freedom. That the whole trappings of the prison cannot take that freedom from you. That is the real freedom. This is what is important.

What is the value? You are one. One. And everything else in this world is a zero. You are one and everything else in this world is a zero. Zero, just zero. Do some math. Place the zeros before one. One stays one, zero stays zero, nothing changes. How many zeros can you put before one? Before something will change. As many as you want, nothing will change. Now, now, put the zero after one. And you have a one anymore. You have ten. And put another zero and you have a hundred. Put another zero and you have a thousand. I mean you are going now. Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, million, trillion, zillion, every zero that you add after the Self escalates the value. Every zero that you add before the Self does nothing.

You are one. Everything in this world is a zero. Where are you putting your zeros? I will tell you where you are putting your zeros. You're putting your zeros before one. And then you say, but I have anything. Of course, you have anything. But I've got so many zeros. Yeah, but all those zeros are before the one. It's amazing, it's amazing. People think, people think that if they become rich, if they become successful, they will be happy. Not true. I used to have a friend. He was not happy. And definitely people around him were not happy. And he was rich. He was so rich that one time somebody told me he was so rich that he could buy a fleet of 747s and not even know if any money is missing. That's how rich he was. But was he happy? Nope. All his life, all his life, he put the zero before one. You want to be rich? There's a quick formula for it. And the secret of the day is put the zero after. Understand. Same thing what Socrates was saying, know thyself, put the one before the zero. misunderstand me. I'm not saying that to have peace in your life, you have to sacrifice everything. In fact, you. You know why? Because peace is in you. It's already there. You have to manufacture it. You have to buy it. You have to haul it. You have to rent it. It's in you. Simple. All you have to do is get to it. That's how simple it is.

And people say, well, what do you mean I have to get to it? Well, it's simple. Your eye sees everything. But if you want to see your eye, you need a mirror. I will see everything. See the hands. It'll see even the tip of the nose. It'll see the legs. It'll see the toes. But if you want to see the eye, it's not like you can take this one out and go. If you want to see the eye, you need a mirror. If you want to see your face, you need a mirror. And something that can put you in touch with what is within inside of you, I call Knowledge, because it is Knowledge of the Self. Put yourself first. People go, that's selfish. No, it's not. Sleeping in your bed is not selfish. Sleeping in somebody else's bed could be considered selfish. you realize this breath has been given to you? You cannot give it to someone. Even if you were the most charitable person in the universe. Take, take, take, take, take, take. I can't give this to anyone.

And I cannot take it from somebody else. I'm gonna take your breath. You can't go up to somebody and say, give me your breath, otherwise I'll kill you. You can kill me, but you can't get my breath. It's yours. The temple in which your God resides within inside of you. You know who can go there? Only you. And you alone. Automatic. Nothing can happen. My advice always has been, you are alive. It is an incredible opportunity. Be fulfilled. Be fulfilled. In this moment called now, be fulfilled. How will you know if that is good or bad? Then ask your true Self whether that is good or bad. Because when you are fulfilled, when you are fulfilled, you become happy. I think there is a clue about this fulfillment stuff. you think so? I mean, God could have created it where if you became content, all of a sudden your arm fell off, your eyes swoll up, your teeth fell out. Then that would be a good clue. You do this. But you do this contentment stuff and you become happy? Hmm. You become kind? You become generous? You become unselfish? Unselfish? All because you became content? That's pretty good. That seems to be a solution to solve a lot of problems.

In your life, forget about the world, in your life, who doesn't want to have that heart of a child? The lightness of those steps, the understanding of now, not of tomorrow. With the understanding of tomorrow, we truly have burdened ourselves, not lightened ourselves. The more Knowledge, the other Knowledge, which was called non-Knowledge, the more non-Knowledge we have acquired, the further we have moved away from ourselves, and the further we move away from ourselves, further we move away from the basics of what we mean to be in this world, of what it is to be a human being on the face of this earth. The more we get away from ourselves, the more we are surrounded by destruction. All we have done is gotten good at making excuses for that destruction. Not coming up with solutions. Not coming up with solutions.

I'm not here to offer formulas to you. I'm not here to give you a bunch of words. But what I say, I am behind every single word that I say. I I can put you in touch with that peace that is within you. As hard as it may sound, as impossible as it may sound, it's happening right now. Somewhere in the world, somebody is being put in touch with that beauty that is inside of them. And it is no surprise that when a person feels that beauty inside of them, that the next set of words to come out are, thank you, thank you for letting me feel the peace inside of me. I say to people, search, look, look for peace. Wherever you find it, great! Because this is not about religion. This is not about, well, to follow this, will I have to leave my religion? No! Follow whatever religion you want. This is about finding the place within, inside of you that still remains untapped. Those who have the gift of Knowledge, my advice is, go in every day, experience and enjoy and celebrate this existence that is living. Those who have it, give it a thought. Because that thing that I'm talking about is already inside of you. You are sitting on a gold mine.

You're sitting on a gold mine and I know you beg every day. Oh, we do, we do. We all beg every day. It's not for money. It's for a little love, a little attention, a little understanding. We beg every day. A little love from our wives or husbands, a little respect, a little love from our children, a little understanding and kindness from our bosses. We beg and we're sitting on a gold mine. Is it okay to be a beggar? Fine, no problem. It's your life. That's the beauty of it. It's your life. And is it okay to find that place within? Of course. It's your life. Whatever you want. If you want that possibility, I'm here. If you want that possibility, the whole world is there. And what do I mean by that?

A farmer came across a lion, a baby lion, abandoned. He took the baby lion, took it home, nursed it, didn't know where to put it, put it in with the sheep. Every day the little lion used to come in with the sheep, go out with the sheep, graze with the sheep. This went on for years and years and years and years and years till one day a big lion came out of the forest and roared and all the sheep got scared and they started running around all over the place hiding. The big lion saw this other lion also trying to hide, came over to the lion and said, what are you doing? And the little lion said, eat me. Bah, eat me. And the lion said, what? I'm not going to eat you. What are you doing? You're not a sheep. You're a lion. And he said, bah, anything but. eat me. He said, come with me. Took him to the pond, said, look, look at who you are. And the little lion looked at his reflection and said, I am just like you are. And he said, that's right. You are a lion. Now you had started to think you were a sheep because you lived with the sheep. But you're not a sheep. You are a lion. There's a lot of sheep out there. And yes, we live with the sheep. And when we talk, we also go bah. I am here to tell you, you are no sheep. You are a lion. Awaken to that possibility and roar. Talk your true talk. Walk your true walk. Be who you really, really are. (appaluse)

So thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you for listening to me. And I hope whatever I have said, you give it a little thought. So thanks again and good night. Thank you.