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When it comes to theory, peace is a very complicated thing. I figured this out from pure deduction. I figured that it took a lot to put a man on the moon. It really did. It involved a lot of technology. And sure enough—on behalf of humanity—man was placed on the moon. But peace still eludes the world. So peace has to be really complicated—more complicated than going to the moon. If it's that complicated, I figured, then it's just like riding a bike—too complicated to explain. The only thing you can do is to inspire people to find the way to feel peace. And that begins with presenting the picture of a possibility.
Each person has a version of peace that applies to them. What is it? If you are a city dweller, you hear horns honking, sirens blaring, and everything going on all day and part of the night. Then on the weekend, when you go to that quiet little place and there are no sirens, you say, "Ah, this is so peaceful." That's not peace. Absence of sounds is not peace. Absence of taxicabs honking is not peace. Absence of screeching tires is not peace. But getting away from that situation seems peaceful. These are the individual variations of peace that people have.
If somebody has lost something precious to them, and they are going crazy thinking about it all the time, and you ask them, "What is your version of peace?" their answer will be, "If I found what I'm looking for, I would find myself in peace."
The resolution of conflict alone is not peace. You won't hear this other places. What you will hear is, "Peace is nice. We should all find it and get on with our lives." But it has to be very clear what it is we are looking for, because if somebody's version of peace is no more sirens, then it is a totally different thing.
So, what is real peace—peace that is common to every single human being on the face of this earth? The generic definition of peace is the absence of war, but there is a peace that has nothing to do with arguments and nothing to do with wars. There is a peace that resides in the heart of every human being on the face of this earth. There is a peace that is not temporary, not tied to politics, not found in the formulas of what the world thinks ought to be. It is not somebody's vision, but resides within the individual, whether they are rich or poor, good or bad, right or wrong—even in their darkest hour, even when they are surrounded by an ocean of confusion and doubt.
This peace is not the absence of anything. Real peace is the presence of something beautiful. Both peace and the thirst for it have been in the heart of every human being in every century and every civilization.
This is the good news: the thirst is within you, and the water that will quench that thirst is within you. The good news is that what you are looking for is within you and the means to get in touch with that is also within you. There is a reality that is so sweet—not buried in conflicts and pain, not buried in doubts and questions, but in fact dancing—dancing within every human being because you exist, because you are alive.
I propose that you take on that thirst. I propose that it is the sweetest and most wonderful thirst you have ever had in your life. That thirst is one of the noblest causes a human being can ever have. With all the things we can achieve in our lives, there is one more that is incredibly noble: we can be fulfilled.
A lot of people say, "Isn't that very selfish?" An extinguished lamp can never light anything. It can neither light the area around it, nor light another lamp. The prerequisite for either of these things is for the lamp to be lit.
Light your lamp. People say, "But if I light my lamp, then it'll go out." That is reality. It is going to go out, but while you have the chance, light it. Let there be fulfillment in your life. Let there be certainty in your life. Let there be clarity in your life.
You exist, and because you exist, you have the possibility of being fulfilled. It is incredibly simple—and simply profound. This is what existence is: this breath comes and this breath goes, and it comes again and it goes again. And I walk my life one step at a time.
A lot of people ask, "Tell us something that will give us peace. What can we do to get this peace?" We have a problem here. Usually when you hear about something nice, you want to go and get it. What I'm talking about, you already have. You already have peace inside of you. You don't have to go out somewhere and get it. You already have it. Discover it. Do you know what it is like to discover?
Look at this breath like you have never seen it before. Look at this life like you have never seen it before. Look at this existence like you have never looked at it before. Look at peace like you have never looked at it before. Look at this moment like you have never looked at it before.
Even in the middle of turmoil, peace exists. How does this affect this world? Do you know what this world is? It's a screen. You are the projector, and what you see as the world is just a big screen. So when you see things on the screen, don't look at the screen, look at the projector. That's where it's coming from. The display of the inner fight turns into the outer fight—it always has and always will. When there is tranquility inside, that is when peace begins. Peace here in my heart. That's the possibility.
How is it possible? I can help. Look around this world. If you are interested, search for peace. If you find it, good. And if you don't find it, look me up. I can help. This is what I do—I go around the world talking to people about peace. People say, "Nice words." And I say, "Do you want it? I can make it possible." How can I make it possible? I have that peace in my life. I am aware of that peace in my life. Does that mean I don't have problems? Of course not. I have problems. Does that mean I don't get angry anymore? Of course not. I get angry. Am I a vegetable? No. These are excuses: "If you have peace, then you'll completely change," or "You will have to change your religion." Why would you have to do that? Does your religion say you can't have peace? Of course it doesn't. Your communication to your God in your style, in your way, is beautiful. Why should that preclude the reality that peace lies in your heart? It's already there.
Maharaji
in Maharaji: Life, Maharaji: Peace | Permalink
What is there that is really simple?
As we live our lives, there are many complexities. We have relationships. We have judgments—good, bad / right, wrong. Sometimes it seems we are going forward, and sometimes it seems we are going backwards. Some days are easy and some are tough. Looking through this complex window, it doesn't seem as though anything could be simple.
People ask me many questions about the complex: "Why is my life this way?" "If we have peace inside of us, why don't we already know it?" I ask them to stand back, take away all that is unnecessary, and just look at life, at existence. In this existence, breath comes: No judgment, no prerequisites. No forms to fill out, no queues to stand in. No waiting games, no dot.net or dot.com to log onto. It comes.
The life of being alive dances, plays out every day in the most serene, simple way possible. Every morning that comes, you are. You exist. Not through the avenues of this world, but just you—this face, this smile, this body, this breath, this heart, and this time.
People say, "What about all the problems? Aren't we all trying to find solutions to them? We don't have peace in this world, so we have to find a solution for that."
Here is an analogy. There is a person who was born and raised in a castle. It is a nice place, but one thing this person has never done is to look at their reflection. There is no mirror, no way to see their own reflection. Everything else is there: Great food is there, a nice bed, good entertainment. There is everything except a device like a mirror that they can stand in front of and look at their own reflection.
This person has a lot of dreams, but one thing that this person really wants to do is to become beautiful. In fact, this person is really beautiful—not only beautiful, but exquisitely beautiful. But every day this person laments, "Oh, I wish I could be beautiful," and there is no way they can see that they are.
This is my passion. I go around the world talking to people. I do not give written speeches. If you asked me what I was going to talk about before I began, I would have told you I had no idea except that I wanted to get in touch with my passion so that you could see yourself in a mirror. If you could, you would see how beautiful you are. You would see how incredibly beautiful you are. You would see that you have thousands of drawers filled with things that promise to make you look beautiful. That is what your whole life is about.
Beauty touches each one of us whether we like it or not, just like we have two legs whether we like it or not. You could make an argument for four legs so that you could run faster, or for two short and two long, but what you have is two.
You also have a quest. It is not a quest that you started, but a quest that was already started for you. It is a quest that says, "Peace." A quest that says, "Love." A quest that says, "Understanding." A quest that says, "Joy." This is not a quest for the joy that is on the outside, but for the joy that is on the inside. This quest is not for the peace that is on the outside, but for the peace that lies within. That's the good news. What you are looking for, you already have. The beauty that you are looking for, you already have.
When what is complex is removed, the beauty is there. Complexity is full of doubt. Doubt is like a virus. Should we learn to live with it? Or should we learn to understand the very thing inside that says, "You do not need to be in doubt; you can be in clarity." You have clarity because the clarity you want and need is within you.
Be free to meet yourself. There is no one else like you anywhere. Even twins see things differently. There is a difference in your smile and in what you smile at. The difference is the feeling of joy, the feeling of peace, the feeling of tranquility, and the way that you can express that in your own way to your own self—not to someone else. This is not about writing a book or a poem. The real poem is the one you say to yourself. The best book ever written is the book you write to yourself. It's clear. It does not need an introduction, or a preface, or footnotes. It is yours. Yours is the poem that sings out in your heart and awakens the joy. This is the greatest poem ever.
The day you start to understand the ocean of possibilities that exists within you is the day you take a step closer to your own life. The possibilities are endless. Endless. They are the possibilities of answers without questions. The world is full of questions without answers. The heart is full of answers without questions. You can accept those answers, not the answers that the world is trying to give.
The ultimate truth is not in words; it is in feeling. The ultimate reality plays out right in front of your eyes. You are here. This is the truth. You exist. You can feel, and you can understand, and you can be fulfilled.
Do you see why I have passion for this? It's so beautiful. Maybe you see how you and I are different. My skin, my face, and my hair all look a little different. Aside from that, we are alike. I wasn't, I am, and I won't be. The time when I wasn't doesn't count for me. The time when I won't be doesn't count either. What counts is: I am. Because I am, I have access to something, and I want to have that access every day of my life.
Take away what is complex, the shells and the wrappers, for here lies a gift that is so perfect it does not need to be wrapped. Take that challenge. There is no paper in the universe perfect enough to wrap this gift of life that you have been given. There is no bow that is pretty enough to do justice to what you have been given. The challenge in your life is to know you. The challenge in your life is to understand the beauty that lies within you and to have access to it whenever you want. That is the ultimate gift.
Maharaji
