I talk about something very simple. These days, when you open up a newspaper or take a look at television, there are so many things one can talk about. Peace is an issue; hunger is an issue; poverty is an issue; social unrest is an issue. One would think I should be speaking about one of these topics.
But what I speak about is something you already know. It isn't about the world; it's about you. As a human being, what you are looking for is inside of you. This is who we are.
People say human beings are not born with instruction manuals. They are. But their instruction manuals are automatic because the instruction is: be content. It becomes obvious from childhood, and it stays there till the day you die. You do what you do to be happy. Whether you call it happiness or tranquility or peace doesn't really matter. Call it anything you want, because it is not in the names. Names came later. That beauty came way before the name.
What is your truest and most sincere desire? I know. Do you know how I know? Not because some angel came and told me. Not because one day I was sleeping and somebody whispered it in my ear. I know because I feel the same desire. I, too, want to be in peace. That's when it feels good to me. I want to be happy because that's when it feels good to me.
What do you want? What do you want? You have heard everybody in your life make requests of you. What do you want—not just today—but what have you always wanted?
People want true love in their lives, and true love is inside of us. Experience it. Understand it. Live your life in simplicity because that's who you are. Be conscious of every day that is given to you because that day is never, ever going to come back. That which you think is yours but can be taken away by someone else is not really yours. And there is one thing that is within you that no one can take away from you. That's yours.
The passage of life can be very complicated. People say, "When it rains, we don't want to get wet, so let us get rid of the clouds." I say, "Carry an umbrella." Sooner or later, it's going to rain. And when it does, you're going to get wet. If you don't want to get wet, open your umbrella. You don't have to get wet. It's as simple as that. That's your reality.
If you want to understand that reality, look within you. People think peace is the end of war. No, because another one will start. The peace that I am talking about can be experienced in the middle of the war. This peace is in the heart of every human being day and night. It is not a lack of something. It is a peace that is there for everyone—educated or non‑educated, rich or poor.
There is a light burning inside of you. Do you really think you were sent in this world with a lamp that was not lit? No. That would be incredibly cruel. There is a lamp lit. And when it gets dark, you don't have to bump into things. Let there be light in your life, whoever you are.
Maharaji
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So many people are so busy trying to figure out what is good and what is bad. Someone once said that every being already knows what is good and bad. A fly knows what's good for it. It feels that flyswatter coming, and it lifts off. It doesn't sit there and say, "I wonder what this guy is really going to do? I bet you he's going to miss." It takes flight. If a bird feels threatened, it doesn't read a book to find out, "What are my chances statistically of getting hurt by this person?" Or think, "Let me figure out what the stars are like today." It takes flight.
There has always been the idea that the human being is superior. I don't know about that. You see the state of mankind: so much war, so much quibbling, so many opinions.So many more people are more educated now than ever, and we have more wars now than we ever had. More food is produced now, and there are more hungry people. There is more communication; the word "peace" is thrown around much more now, and there is less peace on this earth. It seems like somehow we forget our truest nature.
What is your specialty? What distinguishes you? The way I see it is we have become a very strange kind of problem-solver in our lives. The analogy is: Imagine a house, and outside that house is a tree. The tree touches the house, and the ants go up the tree, and from there, they go into the house. All of a sudden, there are ants everywhere, with plenty of food scattered everywhere for them to be able to eat.
Logically, one would say, "Just trim back the branches so that the ants don't have access to the house." But the way a human being would go about it in reality is not that. They will go out and buy little poison boxes. They will say, "Let's have electronic ant detectors and ultrasonic ant repellant. Let's discover which spectrum of light ants don't like, and let's invent a flying ant-killer robot. And let's come up with a kind of food that you can eat so when your skin exfoliates and the ants go to get it, they'll die." This may sound funny, but this is how the world approaches the problem.
All of a sudden, you've got hundreds of thousands of people going in their own direction trying to figure out how to get rid of the ants. Then somebody says, "Why don't you just trim back those branches?" And what will that person be told? "You're crazy. You're being too simplistic. You're impeding the progress of mankind! Here is an opportunity to really be on the forefront of the industry of ant destruction!" It sounds funny, but it's sad.
Trim back the branches in your life so that what you really want can happen. If you are looking for peace, that is a possibility.
It is for a limited time that we are here. Coming and going has to happen for every single human being. If you have found peace in your life, you can be in a place where you enjoy every day, every moment. This is what can distinguish you from being just caught up in the chores of every day. You can experience what it is really like to be alive.
Maharaji
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I go around the world and I ask people: What is inherent to you? You're a human being. You are alive. Let's put aside all the goods and bads and rights and wrongs for a minute. And let's just address you—you being on the face of this earth—because you being here is extremely unique.
Every one of us has been given an opportunity to feel contentment, to feel peace. Is there such a peace? Yes, there is. It is not just words. There is something that can truly take you inside and put you in touch with the reality that dances within you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That is your reality.
We have many aspirations, and they all lead to being content. That's why we have them. Good job, good career opportunities, good family, good this, good that. So that one day we can be content. But we never take that one action to be able to find the contentment we have already been given. People hand us formulas, and we accept them. I make no claims to you except what I have experienced myself: that when I was able to look within me, I found a simple reality.
People see the conflict in their life, but they never see that simplicity that is dancing in their life. And it is a shame to have lived and never experienced that, because that is what you are all about. Search for that peace in your life and find it, because you need to have that peace. Not because I say so, but because in your own heart you have felt the need for that peace.
In this one life you have, you have the opportunity to say, "Yes, it is important to me to feel that joy, that happiness, in my life. I want to be conscious every single moment." We are here, and that is the most incredible reason to celebrate. This celebration is not about your friends coming together, or having decorations in your house, or having cake and drinks and napkins.
In this celebration, you celebrate being alive. Only one other is invited to the party—the one who resides in your heart. In that most magnificent place, the purest of all places—your heart. Someone resides there who is your closest friend, there for you always. No cell phone required, no language required to communicate. All is there within you. Other parties have to end, but this one has the possibility of going on and on for the rest of your life.
Come as who you are, what you are. This is not about your baggage, your accomplishments, your goods and bads and rights and wrongs and the judgment of this world. Let it be. But in that freedom and with that understanding of true gratitude, come. Take the step toward your own destination.
Maharaji
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What I do is to remind people of something they already know. If you think about it, it is those things we know that we put aside. It is amazing how, in our lives, we save all that is good for last. Who came up with that idea?
Life is not like that. Life is a beautiful journey that takes place every day. It is calling you. It wants you to participate with it, not away from it—to actively accept every single gift placed before you every moment. Without judgment of good and bad, right and wrong.
In times of trouble, we forget the most important thing. The possibility of being in peace—am I saving it for last? If I am, a change of plans is required. I need to experience that peace every single day I am alive.
I go around the world talking about peace, and I have understood one thing: people don't even know what it is. Peace is not some abstract concept. Peace is a feeling; peace is real. It isn't about a flower giving off a blue hue. It is about a feeling inside of you.
Your life, your breath, your existence, is good. It has been given to you. Don't ever become suspicious of the giver of this breath and say, "I wonder why he gave me this breath? I wonder what his motive was?" The motive was kindness. Kindness.
We have forgotten what kindness is. Somebody replaces our tire, and we say that's kindness. We could have done it ourselves. Kindness is something beautiful. Kindness is exercised every single day as this breath comes into you, as your life unfolds. Belong. Be. Exist. Understand. Admire. Be filled with gratitude. If you're going to be filled with something—and most of us are full of something—it may as well be gratitude and understanding, because that will go a long way. It always does go a long way in making something wonderful happen.
You know that peace is beautiful, but now the time has come to actually feel that peace in your life. It's about us—the human beings on the face of this earth. We need peace.
There is the heart that inspires us, moves us for that peace, that clarity, that understanding in our lives. The heart has been telling us since childhood to be happy, to be content, to be fulfilled, and that is what is important. Somehow, through all the theory, we have said, "Peace, happiness—it is an important thing. I'll save it for last."
Please, don't do that. Begin, in your life, with the simple steps of understanding. This is your time to begin to understand, to start to realize that all you ever want, you have. You have freedom within you.
So what can I offer you when you already have all that you need within you? A mirror. What could I possibly give to someone who is truly beautiful? A mirror so they can see what I see every day.
Maharaji
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Not too long ago, I went to a funeral. At the cemetery, there were these little headstones: "Here lies. . ." I just had to stop. This isn't just a headstone; this is a history. There was a person who was alive. Good things happened and bad things happened. There were rough days and smooth days; there were confusing days and clear days. There were days that went this person's way and days that seemed so opposed to him. A journey was made.
What is the difference between this headstone and me? Am I more than a headstone with a name, some dates, and a few messages chiseled on it? Isn't life more than that?
Isn't it that there is this thing called existence that rises above it all? Above all the good and bad, right and wrong - all the judgments? Isn't it that there is a kindness to be here? That this is a special moment called being alive? How much do I recognize this moment? What am I concerned about today? All the things that will happen? Am I the least bit concerned about something that is finer than the finest hair - that cannot be measured in width, height, or weight - and is the only difference between me and that headstone? Do you know what it is? It is this breath that comes in and out of you. That is the difference.
You cannot take a picture of it, paint it, make a statue of it; you cannot give it, buy it, trade it, or sell it. And it makes all the difference that you are. Because it comes, you are Mr. So-and-So, Mrs. So-and-So, Miss So-and-So, Dr. So-and-So, Captain So-and-So, Professor So-and-So. And because it comes, you have the capability to understand, to question, to reason, to observe, and to learn. Thanks to this gift of breath.
People say, "I'm a father, a mother." You're a human being. We don't see human beings; we see everything else. I'm talking about the presence, the beauty that is within you. Through which you have everything, without which you have nothing. That is real. That is simplicity.
There is a peace, without which we would lose the very fabric of who we are. A peace that dances in the heart of everyone. That's the peace I am talking about. The reality. The beauty. The joy. The true peace - not an absence of something, but the very presence of something. That is what is possible, even in the middle of war. A peace that cannot be disturbed. That is real peace. And one that cannot be taken away - that is real freedom.
Begin to acknowledge this existence in the simplest way possible - to go within. Not from ideas, but from understanding. Not measuring with the scales of "I do not have," but understanding what you do have. What you have is right here within you, and it is everything. I mean everything. And it will be there to the very end.
For me, this is my opportunity. This is my time, my chance, because I am alive. My journey continues, and I learn. I love to learn. I love to understand. I'm thankful for every day. It's my privilege, my joy, my honor, to remind people - to go around the world and tell people about the possibility of being in peace.
Maharaji
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Every day that you exist, there is one wish from within that never changes—the wish to be content. No matter what you have gone through. No matter what you have had and not had. No matter what people have been in your life—loved ones who are there or have gone. With all the changes you have been through, that one inner desire to be fulfilled has never changed. And it will never change. You can count on that.
You have the ability to see; you have the ability to understand. Look at your life. Open your eyes. Open your heart. Open the gates of your understanding. It isn't a question of analysis. It's a question of observing what is. Understand what you have been given. You'll never be able to analyze it, but you can observe it. You can admire it. You can see its beauty, its simplicity.
If you're going to build your house, that is the place to lay your foundation. Don't lay your foundation in quicksand and then say, "What happened to my house?" Your house will be gone. Find that solid surface—the desire to be content. And build your house on that—as big as you want. Make big plans. Make it huge. It doesn't matter, because this is one ground that'll take anything you throw its way.
People think courage is required. It is, but what courage? Your ability to overcome your fear is your courage. There are thieves who have courage. Is that a good use of courage? There are people who climb buildings vertically. They overcome their fear. Is that what courage is? For what? There is an elevator. I can come up and down too.
This is how our world is set up. If somebody does something that most of us can't do, that's really special. Most people can talk, so if you hear somebody talking, it's not a big deal. But not all of us can sing, so if you hear somebody with a good voice, you think, "Wow! That's good." And it goes like that. If somebody went to the moon, you think, "Wow! You're really special; you went to the moon." Everybody wants to be special in their own way. They want to be different: "I can do something that nobody else can do."
But there is something that I can do and everybody else can do, too—that I can enjoy and everybody else can enjoy. I can find my satisfaction, my joy, my fulfillment in every breath. It is better than a song. It really is better than going to the moon. It is better than the best. And every human being on the face of this earth can accomplish that. That's what makes you special. Not just that you can sing, because one day you won't be able to sing.
Recently, I saw some old‑time singers. They were singing, but they were out of tune. I'm sure they were incredible once. When all that goes, what remains? There is a connection with something within that will be there till the very end. Then being old doesn't matter because the heart is full. Fill this existence with that. Fill your life with that beauty.
I've learned a number of things over the years, and one of them is that not much actually changes. There are people who love their life, but they still love to complain. They complain because this is what they have practiced, and they've gotten good at complaining. I just wish they would have gotten used to appreciating, to gratitude, and practiced that. It's really important.
Maharaji
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Hopefully, we can let go of our problems, troubles, and tribulations, and focus on the one thing that this existence is all about—the one thing that pleases your heart.
We do so much in this world to comply. We are told, "You must comply—this is what being 'good' is." There is so much that we do that we know isn't real, but we do it because we need to comply. And we have a ton of justifications.
In the sea of unconsciousness, do we allow ourselves to be set adrift? What do we think about? What do we feel? What do we understand? Every day that we exist there is that movement of life inside of us. Everything begins with the fact that we have this existence, we have this life. This is not about creating. This is about understanding our assets.
When you hear the word "possibility," what does it mean to you? What is possible in your life? What would you like to happen? Think about it—what is it ultimately that you want? Some people say, "I would love to be rich." What are they trying to get? These are just interim bridges. People do many things for the "thrill" of it. Why can't a person achieve the same thrill by turning inside, finding the beautiful place within, and enjoying every moment?
True joy. When I say, "Enjoy your life," I'm not talking about a party. There is a fundamental enjoyment that lies within you. If you practice that, you will get good at it, and your life will change. If you find that your life is a bit like a cobblestone path going bump, bump, bump, this is no accident. Courtesy of you—you have placed the cobblestones.
People think, "No. Somebody else did it." "God placed the obstacles in my life. Now it is incumbent upon me to overcome them, and I'm having a hard time doing that. Why is God so cruel to have given me so many obstacles when other people don't have them?" Don't buy that.There is no shred of truth in that understanding. Everybody is born with their share of thorns and their share of flowers. The question is: what do you plant?
Sometimes when people are going through problems, I tell them the story of the phoenix. The phoenix is the mythical bird that rises from the ashes when everything is destroyed. But the spirit isn't destroyed. That's the most important thing. That power, that push, that want from the heart that drives a person toward contentment—when that is not destroyed, even if everything else is destroyed, the bird will rise. And it will be more powerful than ever.
Whatever you go through in your life, you have been blessed with an incredible spirit, an incredible power that drives you towards contentment. Let it rise. Trust in your ability to understand and truly trust in the reality of hope.
Do not mistake hope for wishful thinking. There is a real hope. That's why we exist. In the sea of impossibilities, we exist. And not only do we exist, we can think, we can feel. We have the ability to feel joy and fulfillment like nothing else. That's our forte. When your day is filled with confusion and doubt, there is something you can do about it: you can fill that time with joy and true understanding.
Maharaji
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What I have to talk about is really quite simple. It deals with one human being—one person, one individual, who breathes, thinks, wants to understand, wants to learn. Sometimes, in the pursuit of all that we pursue in this world, we forget about us. Who am I? Who are you? You are unique. There is no one like you. I cannot emphasize enough the uniqueness of every human being on the face of this earth.
Learning is a process that will happen for every single person. This is our nature. Learning will happen, but amongst all the things we learn, what is the most important thing to learn? Millions have come through these gates to learn, understand, and go on in their lives to be successful and prosperous. But there is one kind of prosperity that was talked about a very, very long time ago: Know thyself.
The idea of peace is not new. I've been talking about peace since I was a child, because I know that there is another face of peace. There is an idyllic face of peace that people paint in which nobody is fighting with anyone. But there is a face of peace that does not rely on boundaries. There is a face of peace that has nothing to do with obedience, nothing to do with your wishes. It is the face of peace that lies in the heart of every human being.
This is the possibility, the reality, that certain people have always envisioned: "Know thyself." The resource of the joy, the peace, you are looking for exists within you. You have the tools you need to accomplish the aspirations of your heart, regardless of all external circumstances.
Are you in peace? Are you content, not by thought, but by feeling? There cannot be a formula for peace: "I am content because I did this and I did that and therefore, everything is fine." It has to be a reality.
My message is not connected to a religion. My message is connected to getting in touch with your heart, to understanding the value and the preciousness of your existence. It is about addressing, rather than covering up, the fundamental needs that you have as a human being—needs that are the same for everyone.Maharaji
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Just recently, I told a little Chinese story that I heard. There was an archer who came to town, and he was an incredible marksman. He was showing off—shooting one arrow after another, right on target. A man standing in the back of the crowd, instead of cheering him, kept saying, "Ah, it's just a matter of practice, just a matter of practice."
The archer thought a lot of himself and did not like this comment. He was expecting praise. So he went over to the man and said, "What do you mean, 'It's just a matter of practice'? Can you do what I can do?"
The man said, "No, but let me show you something." He used to sell oil, so he grabbed a bottle that had a very narrow tube at the opening and a large bowl at the bottom, took a big container of oil, and poured it through the little opening into the bottle, not spilling a drop. Then he looked at the archer and said, "Can you do that?"
The archer realized that, no, he hadn't had any practice doing that. So the man said, "I can't shoot arrows like you, but you can't pour oil like me. It's all a matter of practice."
The point of the story is: What do you practice? Whatever you practice, you'll get good at. If you practice complaining, you'll get very good at it. You will be able to complain about everything. When your friends are looking at the big harvest moon, everyone in awe of the beautiful evening, you'll be able to say, "Yes, but it's so dark!"
So what do you practice in your life? If you practice peace, you'll get very good at it. If you practice joy or happiness, you'll get very good at it. If you practice knowing yourself, you'll get very good at it. You will know who you are. When you begin to know yourself, you begin to realize what a gift you are and the value of every breath that you are being given.
What I offer is a way to connect to the beauty that is inside of you, not merely words. To stand on your own feet and judge for yourself whether you feel that peace, that joy, in your life or not.
This is not: "My Palm Pilot says I have had lunch, and therefore, my hunger is false." I don't believe in that. I believe in a very simple reality that I wasn't, I am, and I won't be. It doesn't make me sad that I won't be. It makes me very, very active in wanting to find out what is going on in my life in this moment. I don't have to take life in chunks of years, months, weeks, and decades. I can actually take it moment by moment. That is a gift.
I understand that fulfillment can be felt moment by moment. I don't have any control over time. I can't sit there and keep rolling the hand of my watch backwards. What I can do is accept my life as it is being offered to me, as it is unfolding for me.
It should be something that you have felt in your life that brings you joy, because this is how you have been made. You are partial to joy. It's a beautiful life, and it needs to be enjoyed to the fullest.Maharaji
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Every day is important. What will you do today? A lot of people like to sit down at the end of the day and say, "Let me figure out what I did today." That's a little too late.
You wake up in the morning and think, "What am I going to do?" Maybe there are ten thousand things you have to do, but remember one: today I'm going to be content, I'm going to be in peace, I'm going to be in joy. And then do whatever you have to do—all the chores you have, the sad things you may have to do, even the bad things you will have to put up with. But remember one thing: today, I'm going to be content.
You go through your journeys in life, and hopefully, you come out wiser—not lacking something, but with something. That's what this life has to be, because this is your life. Life is not about saying to somebody, "Look what you did to me."
You are the captain. This is your life. Enjoy every moment of it. It is incumbent upon you to facilitate that and never, ever—no matter what comes in your life—to forget it. You are unique. No one ever has or ever will be able to express the joy of this heart the way you do. Your hard times will pass, but the most important thing is your focus. When a person walks on a tightrope, through the entire journey from the beginning to the end, where is their focus? Are they thinking, "How much further do I have to go?" "How far have I been?" No. Their focus is on only one place: their balance. If their focus wavers, they will fall.
In our lives, we're walking a tightrope, too. Each day that goes by will never come back. It's gone. That makes some people sad. And some people say, "If that's really true, then every day is important." And it is. Every day is important.
Contentment has nothing to do with all those things that go on during the day. It really doesn't. When clarity isn't there and the focus isn't straight, everything matters—even red lights. "Look at this, I'm getting every single red light. Not one single green one." And when the clarity is there, it's another moment to remember something important.
This life is not about red lights and green lights or the bad things that happen. Regardless of all the bad, if there are more things that are good in your life, then it is good. So, for you, is it good or is it bad? There is one thing that tips the balance, and that's your clarity. If you are clear, then the sum of all the good things put together is better than the sum of all the bad things. And good it is.
A coconut floating in the ocean doesn't say, "How come there are waves?" It uses what it has been given. So, let there be waves. Probably the coconut gets to a point where it says, "The bigger the waves, the better, because that means I'll be thrown far inland." Everything switches; everything turns around. This is how we are meant to be.
There is a paradise within. You don't need to count all the problems. Just say, "There is all that, but in the middle of it all, there is something so beautiful, so real." And the real is more real than the fake is fake. Reality is incredible.Maharaji
