"What is this life like? It is not the pieces of gold you did not pick up that will make you wealthy; it is the ones that you did. It is not the moments you lost that will bring you gain; it is the moments you captured.
Every day we look at what we don't have. Life is not about lost opportunities. It is about the opportunity taken. A painting is not about the strokes that were not there; it is about the strokes that were. A picture is not about all the things that are not on film; it is about what was there when the shutter opened. And for us, it is not about the days that have been swept under the bridge. It is about the days that are coming that we can gather in our bucket.
If you can understand just this much - that what you have matters - your whole outlook on life can change. Then it can become a gift because it is based on what you do have, not what you don't have.
My prediction is that there are some incredibly good times coming. Incredibly good times. And I'm going to try as hard as I can to prepare you for them. Because if it is true that what counts is what you have, not what you don't, then you have to be ready for those times because when they come, you have to save them.
What will those good days be? Will they be the fulfillment of some concept? Of course not.
When fulfillment happens, it is based upon something real. And it transcends even our wildest dreams. Sometimes it is as subtle as a flute playing in the distance. And we listen. Something gets stirred and something is fulfilled. Sometimes it is as big as the world itself or as small as a little speck of dust blowing in the wind. It is not what it is that matters. All that matters is what it brings. And that is coming your way. How do I know? Because it has come before. And it will come again, and again, and again. Be ready."
Maharaji
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
The world today is too busy trying to change the outside and not the inside, and it has failed century after century, after century, after century.
There are people who speak of doomsday. And I chuckle. I laugh. And there are people who say it will go on forever. And I laugh. Why? Because this is my time. This is my field. We all have problems. Little problems, big problems and severe problems. Problems come and they shake us.
But the clarity you need is to know that there is all this, and then there is you, within. Don't weigh the you within with the you of the outside. The you of the outside is transitory. It will come, it will go; it will come, it will go.
Try to understand.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
Tomorrow, the sun rises, and you get this opportunity to do it right. To learn something. To learn what is important. To learn what this gift is. To learn what it means. Learning is not bad. Learning is not terrible. To understand, to truly make my stairway to heaven. Every day, let me add another step or two, or three, or four. And let me walk. Because every time I do, I get a little closer to my heaven. To my reality. To my simplicity. To my gift. To my honor. To my dignity. It's when I understand, in that simplest of places-that's my dignity. When I have understood, I'm dignified. When I accept this breath and thank, I am honored. I'm honored.
This is my pride. This is my joy.
This moment, this life, this existence, this gift has been given. And it is from the simplest of places that you have to approach it because it is simplicity at its best. That's what Knowledge is.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
Remember when you were learning how to ride a bike? And you were told, "Pedal, pedal, pedal. Look straight ahead." Did anybody talk to you about that feeling when it clicks?
It's a weird process because who do you doubt first? Yourself? Never. The first person in the line of fire, the first person to be doubted, is the person who is saying, "Pedal, pedal, pedal." "This guy doesn't know. Have you done this before? Have you taught somebody before? By the way, can you ride a bike?"
And then, one day, you learn how to ride the bike. And all of a sudden, you have a new understanding, which is not about pedaling. Neither is it about looking straight ahead. But it is something else, and nobody told you. And you found it all by yourself. Because the process, you realize, is of acceptance. The process is simple. You accept it. Any one of those doubts and frustrations could have stopped you.
What about life? What about Knowledge? Is there an acceptance? Is there an understanding? To go on, to move. The Master says, "Go within, and accept." And you go, "I wonder if he knows what he's talking about. Oh, my God, does he know about my problems? Does he know about all the things I have to put up with? All I hear him say is, 'Go within, and accept.'"
Because that is all there is.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
The importance of the heart in the presence of such a cunning mind is all-important as it is the center. And it is the only thing that it really doesn't like. It likes everything else. I mean, it is not fazed by the thought of heaven, it is not fazed by the thought of hell. Boiling water, boiling oil - no problem.
But Knowledge. "What? Knowledge? Nah." It's the only thing that even touches its goose. Nothing else. Doesn't question anything else. It questions Knowledge. Because Knowledge addresses that simplicity.
As this breath comes, fills you, truth comes and touches you. There is your truth. Perfection comes and touches you. There is your perfection. You know, for that moment - for that moment, you are bridged to the infinite. That's it. Otherwise, two very opposite things will stay there.
That which wasn't, is, will follow its course, and won't be. And that which was, and is, will follow its course, and will be. These are two rivers: the infinite and the finite. And they'll come that close. And that's Knowledge.
That which wasn't, and which is, will follow its course. And its course is set. It's course is set not to be. And that which was, and which is, will follow its course. And it is set. It will be. And this - the "is" and the "is" together - is where life is. It's the possibility.
And to soak up, to understand, to guide - there is the heart, there is Knowledge, and there is the Master, and they'll hang onto that bridge, they will create that bridge. And then it goes its own way. And that's why it's simple. Because if that became complicated, that would be it.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
The main thing is - what are we here to do? What do I want to do with my life? This is my life. And I want to bring what I think is an incredibly powerful, beautiful message - a message about hope, about life, about being fulfilled. This is not about converting the world. This is as simple as a flower blooming.
A flower will bloom. It doesn't wait for you to show up to smell it. A flower blooms because it does. If you are fortunate enough to be able to smell it and partake of its beauty, that is your good fortune. A rose doesn't smell like a rose for you. It has another agenda. But if, in that process, you can fulfill yourself, go for it. You are alive. You will go through goods and bads, and then one day, you will be gone. However, there is a possibility. And the possibility is that living through all of those goods and bads, you can be fulfilled. I want to make this possibility available to people. Once they recognize they want to pursue that possibility, I want to be there for them. And when they want to receive this gift of Knowledge, I want to be there for them. And after they have received it, I still want to be there for them.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
Right now, right now, there are people in New York caught up in a traffic jam, honking their horns. Just think about it. There are people in California, just coming into the traffic jam. There are people, right now - at this moment - getting ready for bed.They've had their day. Was it a good day? Is it going to be a good day? We don't know. But just use your imagination a little bit. Right now, there is somebody who's lost. Doesn't know the directions. Right now, somewhere, there is a child waking up, getting ready to go to school, with all the, "I don't want to do this."
And somewhere, there is a person sitting in the middle of the jungle. Maybe there is somebody on a sailing vessel out in the middle of the ocean. There's somebody maybe flying 51,000 feet high. Maybe somebody is in a balloon. Maybe somebody somewhere is riding a horse. Maybe somebody somewhere is taking a walk.
And it doesn't matter where they are on the face of this earth, life has touched every one of them. Whether they're in the middle of the jungle, stuck in a traffic jam, in the middle of the ocean, 51,000 feet high or a hundred feet down in the ocean.
And somebody, somewhere, is taking their first breath. And somebody, somewhere, is taking their last breath.
The saga is unfolding. Like it will in another minute, and in another minute, and in another minute - and in another minute. And this drama, this incredibly intense drama, the struggle of life and death, life touching, life leaving, being, existence. All of this unfolds.
Where do you fit into it? Who are you? And here is the difference: you could say you are another one of those people caught in the drama of life. Or, you could say, "I am touched by the most divine. As I exist. As I am."
Do you know what the difference between those two is? The guy is still at 51,000 feet. He isn't coming down yet. The guy is still in the middle of the ocean, he is still there. The guy lost - he's still lost. And the guy caught in the traffic jam is going to be there for a while. But do you know what the difference is? Acceptance. If you don't accept, it means nothing. It doesn't matter how incredible it is, how marvelous it is, how beautiful it is. It doesn't mean anything if you don't accept.
But if you do, then that changes everything. Everything.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
If I were to say to someone - and I know this question has been asked before - "What if you were given a million dollars, what would you do?" You'd think about it, "I'd pay off my debts. I'd buy this, I'd buy that, I'd save a little, I'd do this, I'd do that…"
Because, for us, there is an importance to that million dollars. To a lot of people, it means freedom to be able to do what they want to do. But nonetheless, it is speculation, because that's how the question is set up. "What if you had…?" "What if somebody gave you…?" "What if…?"
But here, when we deal with this most precious thing that is worth billions, and more - that is priceless - the question isn't speculation: "What if you had life?" You have it. "What would you do? How would you use it?" It's a stunning question, because it's real. It's not a question that is asked too often. And yet, sincerely, what would our answer to that question be? Have we taken the time in this life to sit down and say, "Hm. I've got to think about that. I have been given a life."?
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
What tendency is this - to shy away from reality? What tendency is this to duck what is truth? What tendency is this to forget that one core, that one string, that makes this world what it is? What tendency is this to forget this magic brush that allows the green to be green, the blue to be blue, and the yellow to be yellow? Without this magic brush, I reckon it's just pitch dark. Yellows aren't yellows anymore; blues aren't blues. And greens certainly are not greens.
You know, the paradox isn't so paradoxical once you start to look at that simple thing. "I forget what is important." That's not a paradox. Somehow, I have made it a habit to forget my own existence, because I have given priority to everything else. Everything else matters more.
This is serious. When I am incapable of acknowledging what is really real, then there is a problem
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
by Maharaji
How do you want your story to end? What kind of ending would you like on your life story? It's up to you. The ending is not written yet. And it doesn't matter what's been written so far. Maybe it's good - Maybe it's bad - maybe it's boring - but the ending isn't written yet! That's cool, because you can shape it. You can shape it so you live happily ever after. That would be a very nice story.
Your pages are still blank. And that's what I mean by opportunity. It's simple, and it's beautiful. The opportunity isn't to correct what's happened in the past. The opportunity is to write the remaining pages.
in Maharaji: Life | Permalink
