Recently, someone was asking for my help. He said that the fear, anger, and confusion in his life take up too much of his energy.
I told him, "It's simple. It is your choice. In your journey of life, get to the crossroads where you can really enjoy, because so often, you're going too fast and don't have time to choose which way you want to turn."
Whichever way the momentum is going, we go. Everything seems to be just going, going, going. Then what happens? Suffering happens. Pain happens. They are not welcome things in life. We find ourselves wondering, "Is this where I want to be?" We realize, "No. I don't want it to be like this. I don't want to be here. I want to feel joy."
If we want to get out of it, we can. Make the choice, because you have an option. A possibility is there for you. You don't have to be controlled by things you don't want. You can live this life and understand the value of your breath. In this life, being grateful, having the feeling of joy, is up to you. It's your journey. You determine the direction you want to go.
Sometimes we think, "I want that day back." We have one good day, and for the rest of our lives, we try to replicate that day. Every day holds a promise to be better than that day, but we miss it.
Accept whatever gift is being given today, because it is a gift. Receive it with great joy, and enjoy it. The day that we are looking for may come, and when it does, accept that, too.
The world teaches us to fear. Everything is fear. When we were little children, this is how our parents got us to do things, "Do this, otherwise this will happen to you." Then you go to school, and it's the same thing, "If you don't study, you will fail." And then the world just keeps after you, "Do this, otherwise this will happen; do this, otherwise this will happen."
In the world within, it's not like that. It is positive. Enjoy your life and be fulfilled. It's up to you. It's a beautiful journey, and it grows and grows and gets better and better and better. I don't know how that happens, but it does. Don't wonder how it's possible; just enjoy it.
Awakening is when you understand for yourself that you want your heart to be fulfilled. It's not so important when it happens, as long as it happens. When is never the issue. It may take a hundred years, but when you awaken, the ninety-nine years before are not lost. Whatever journey had to be taken, whatever had to happen, whatever it took—it happened.
No matter what happens, we can enjoy life. People give up. It's not over till it is. We can have joy till the last breath. This feeling is the only thing that will stretch to the last breath. Everything else breaks when you try to stretch it that much. But you can take this feeling to the last breath.
I can show you the place inside of you where you can dance. Dance. Dance in your heart and enjoy that dance. Enjoy this feeling. Enjoy this life. With an open heart, fulfill your life.
The heart has no limit to how much it can open, how much it can feel. There is no end to it.
Maharaji
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How many people compare themselves with others and say, "I wish I was like this. I wish I was like that. I wish I had this person's house, his car, his child, his wife." Why compare? How do you know he doesn't have problems? But we compare and measure. We want explanations.
You have a garden. Take care of your own garden. You've been taking care of other people's gardens, and the vermin have been eating yours. You can't have that. Take care. Prune. Don't let the weeds get out of hand. Take care of this beautiful garden, this beautiful life you've been given. How? By not finding fault with it, but accepting it. By not comparing it, but admiring it.
If you want to be in that joy, it's simple. Trade explanations for feeling and feel. Feel every day. It's not enough just to go through the motions. We have to get to the place of joy. Let your heart be fulfilled and appreciate what you have. The most fortunate person is the one who is in touch with that harmony and has understood it.
Problems will come. Everyone has problems. Problems have a very sophisticated system: They seek you out; they know where you are and how vulnerable you are. Have you ever noticed that the more vulnerable you are, the bigger your problem? They've got scanners that seek vulnerability. It doesn't matter how good a face you try to put on, "I'm fine, I have everything," it doesn't work. It really doesn't work.
The only thing that works is being able to enjoy the beauty within you. Will that make the problems go away? No. These problems have had billions of years to perfect themselves. They are far more evolved than we are. They've worked on mountains, oceans, bacteria, even dinosaurs. They're good. Can we flex a little muscle and make them go away? No. That won't happen. But we can go someplace where they can't come.
Feel that joy. Feel that simplicity. Feel that beauty within. Feel all that while you are living in this world, doing whatever you have to do. Be filled from the well within.
A lot of people say, "Don't journey through the desert." I never say that. I say, "Go through the desert, but take water with you because you will need it." It's not a matter of making the impossible possible; it is recognizing your own possibility. Contentment in your life is very possible. Recognize it. Understand it. Grow with it every day. There is room for growth. There are some things that never stop growing.
There is no limit to enjoyment. There is no limit to clarity, to joy, to the truest learning. There is no limit to understanding. You can never say, "I understand this too much." Ignorance has a limit, but what limit is there to understanding? Understand every day that there is a beauty you can fill yourself with again and again and again.
Joy is there.
Maharaji
in Maharaji: Life, Maharaji: Peace | Digg it
It is not an impossible objective to have peace in this life. It is very, very possible. That's what we are here for—to learn, to grow, to understand, and to make peace a reality.
You are alive. Be alive. What is the basic wish that has been given to you? Listen to it. Listen to that need, then you can fulfill it. Understand what it is saying—how it is addressing you. But first, know what it is. What is the most important thing to you?
Unless the most basic and fundamental need is fulfilled, all the explanations and ideas about peace can be there, but what's the point?
There is a thirst for peace because that thirst can be quenched. If there was no way to quench it, we wouldn't feel the thirst. But there is a way to quench that thirst. Quench it. Fulfill this life. That's what is important. That's why we are here. We are here to take another step toward consciousness, toward clarity away from the fog.
I need to understand the passion of my heart. When the heart is filled with the most beautiful feeling, the thirst is quenched. Every moment matters. There doesn't have to be chaos. There is a simplicity, a joy. Life doesn't have to be questioned. There is an answer.
This is something that each one of us has to do. Who else can we rely on? You have to understand that this is your life, and you can make the joy and the beauty happen every day. It really is very easy.A lot of people think it can only happen if they change the world around them. They think they have to change their children, and by the time they've almost gotten there, the child's moved out. Then they think, "What else can I change? I'll get a job that I really like." They finally find a job they really like, and then they realize what they really like is the days off from the job. Then they say, "Maybe what I need to do is retire."
Waiting—just think of all the things people are waiting for. You don't have to wait anymore. You don't have to change all those things around you. You can't anyway, because when you do try to change them, they'll try to change you. And when they do, you won't like it.
I realized I can't change everything, but there's one thing I can change. All I need to do is change my list of priorities. The change has to come from within. That's why I'm saying it's easy. You don't have to throw anything out, just rearrange. Of all those things that have taken priority, put the priority to be content at the very top. That's all.
Yes, you can be fulfilled. That's what's important. The greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of joy, the gift of peace. That is tops. And every step counts toward knowing the one thing you thirst for—that your life be fulfilled.Maharaji
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Recently I was driving in very thick fog. We had to drive slowly because the fog was so dense, we couldn't see very far ahead. We were on a winding road going uphill, and soon the fog had completely shrouded everything from view. It was like soup. It reminded me of what happens to us. When the fog comes, it obscures our vision. It stops us from seeing what we need to see to proceed on this path of life.
This is important because we have but one life. This life is everything. It doesn't help to make comparisons between my life and other people's lives, or to compare today with yesterday. I exist. I am alive. I need to understand my own passion, what my heart is telling me—in each moment, to be quiet enough so I can begin to hear what my heart is trying to tell me.
The world is a big place. A lot is going on, and many things call to me: "Do this; do this; do this." Other things disguise themselves as fun, and they call to me too: "This is fun. Do this; do this; do this."
But my life, my time, my existence is not about fun. It is about feeling contentment. It is about feeling joy. These are the needs of every human being. These are our desires, above and beyond everything else. How cleverly they get disguised.
What is true accomplishment? What is true reality? What is beyond the fog? When I woke up the next morning, the fog had lifted, and it was the most gorgeous sunrise you could possibly imagine. The light was incredible. What a contrast it was from fog to clarity, from what I couldn't see to what I could see.
People talk about noise pollution and air pollution, but there is another pollution. It's called thought pollution. We are constantly being bombarded by thoughts. It is so easy to allow yourself to get sucked into that river, just going with the flow. "Yes. This is important; that's important."
Yet everything will change. Nothing is exempt from the touch of change. Time has watched Earth being made. It has watched it cool down and watched the oceans appear. It has infinite patience. It has watched everything change and change and change.
Somehow, the human being was created and given the ability to feel. Of all the things I can feel, I can feel joy; I can feel peace. And I have in this life the possibility of not being affected by all the changes.
Without a worry about tomorrow or yesterday, I can feel fulfilled. When that fulfillment is there, it is timeless. Everything else is bound by time.
Most fortunate are those who say, "What I need to do today is to be in peace." For them no explanation is needed. They understand the possibility that they can be content.
Life is not a conflict. It's this beauty that is dancing for you. Witness this most marvelous dance. Witness the surprise. Witness the most amazing thing that will ever be. In your day, whatever else you do, be fulfilled. It is possible.
Maharaji
in Maharaji: Life, Maharaji: Peace | Digg it
Translated from Hindi
When I talk about peace, many people ask, "What peace?" They don't understand the peace I am talking about. I'm not talking about a peace that has to be manufactured. I'm talking about a peace that has always been within us ever since we were born and will always be within us for as long as we live, until our last breath.
I am talking about you—personally. You are the one who experiences joy. You are the one who experiences pain. You cannot give your pain to someone else. And the joy that you experience cannot be experienced by anyone else, no matter who that person is.
Everyone's joy in this world is different. Everyone's joy is individual. When you feel hungry, it's you who feels that feeling. When you eat, that fulfillment, that satisfaction, comes to you. Another person can think about it, but the experience of hunger being satisfied can only be had by the one who is hungry.
It's a question of appreciation. In ancient times, when cities were constructed, it was essential that they be near a lake or river where water was available, because people realized the value of water. Water was needed for farming, to make bread, to grow food. A person needs water to drink, to take a bath, to wash, to put out a fire. Because people understood the importance of water, they acknowledged it. I ask people, "Have you ever thought about the water of peace that you desperately need?"
Many people say that if you want peace you must go to a mountaintop and become a hermit. Others say you can't have peace because you have to fulfill your responsibilities.
I'm not talking about sacrificing anything. Someone said to me, "I have a family. I have children. If I leave them, they won't be able to do anything." I said, "You don't need to escape your responsibilities—look after them as well as you possibly can. However, within you is a treasure of peace. No matter what is happening, no matter how much pain there is in your life, don't forget that the peace you're looking for is within you—always. It will be within you till your last breath. What is needed is that we turn inside and discover it."
Everyone, at least once in their lifetime, has felt incomplete no matter how much they have. There are so many misconceptions that what we are looking for is not within us, that it is somewhere outside and we have to look for it there. But the thirst is within us, and the water to quench it is also within us. Peace is a part of us. If we are able to recognize our thirst and reach that peace, we will find that we are complete.
When you recognize your thirst, that thirst will lead you toward quenching it. Peace will always be within you. If you don't want it, it is still there within you. If you want it, then you can fulfill your life.
Maharaji
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Translated from Hindi
Almost everyone is looking for something, running after one thing or another. It can get really frantic. But the person who is longing for what the heart wants has everything. That person has no need to be sad. Good wishes come every day in every breath. The person who feels gratitude for that celebrates each breath, each moment.
Traditionally, we celebrate birthdays with a cake and candles. However old we are, we place that many candles. We get very excited to blow out the candles, but what is being represented? If you think about it, it is all the years that are gone that are being blown away. And it's not just one year that's gone, it's every day—every breath—that passed by. How many moments, how many breaths, have we saved and appreciated? What we lose, we lose for a lifetime. Those moments will never come back. And what we save, we save for a lifetime.
The whole world around us is made from what grew, not what didn't. Don't pay attention to what isn't. Pay attention to what is. So, what is? In the middle of our pain, our suffering, we have this life, this body. In the middle of all that, there is the breath that is coming in and out. We need to pay attention to that, to what is, not to the time that has passed. That's gone.
We don't have the time that hasn't come yet, either. We only have today. Tomorrow will come, and what will happen then? A breath will come and then another breath will come. The coming and going of this breath is the gift. It's not about what's gone; it's about appreciating this life, one breath at a time. It's about you—your life—not the life of the other people around you. It's just about you.
What is important is recognizing the gift you have. When you go to an airport or train station to meet someone, you wait until you recognize them before running up to greet them. Recognition is important. When there is no recognition of the heart's thirst to be fulfilled, what I am talking about doesn't make sense. When your heart starts to recognize that thirst, you can move toward joy in your life.
The greatest thing in life is that as human beings we can experience supreme joy. For people who want this joy, who want to fulfill their lives, there will be joy and more joy. Just relax and enjoy the journey of life.Maharaji
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Translated from Hindi
In our lives, an environment is created that directs our attention outward toward the entire world rather than toward us. When we go outside and see something we've never seen before, the first thought we have is, "What is this?" In India when something is happening somewhere, people just gather to see what is going on.
A human being can also point toward himself and say, "What is this?" This life—this time, this intellect, this heart—is an opportunity that we have. There are not too many people who look at that, who recognize that.
People love miracles, but when a cow eats green grass and gives white milk, it isn't considered a miracle. It would only be a miracle if the milk came out of a rock, which shouldn't happen because rocks were not made to give milk. In this body, without any effort, breath comes in and out. No one sees that as a miracle, but that is the real miracle. Until we recognize that, we will not understand what we have been given.
It is like a person having a treasure chest of gold in their home, but not knowing about it. If they have no understanding or recognition of it, they could be poor their entire life even though they have the possibility of being a millionaire.
What is possible? What can I attain? If I don't recognize the possibility in my life, then it will just be that I came, I was alive, and one day I had to leave. That is nature. As human beings we look at things from two sides: either good or bad, right or wrong. Every day we wonder, "Will this be a good day or a bad day?"
Good will happen and bad will happen. You can't avoid that, but there's something that is neither good nor bad. It is beyond that. That thing is your life. In this life, as the breath comes in and out, the possibility is there to receive a flood of joy. You can dive into an ocean of joy, and your heart can say, "Thank you so much for this life, this opportunity. I recognize that what I wanted to know is within me."
That's the opportunity being given: to attain that joy and to fulfill this life. We have come here, and one day, we have to leave. People say, "You came empty-handed, and you are going to leave empty-handed." I say, "You have come empty-handed, but you don't need to leave empty-handed." Take something with you. What will you take? You can't take your memories. If you're able to take something, it is that peace. You can fill your heart.
Until now, you've only seen what's missing in your life, what's lacking in your life. Start to recognize that which is complete. Start recognizing all the things you do have, the endless gifts you've been given. If there's some good news in life, the good news is that we can be fulfilled.
Maharaji
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Most people are proud to be human beings. We are proud of what we have attained, and many receive awards and titles for what they have accomplished. I have received many myself, but I haven't even hung them up.
When a person is dying, we check their pulse and see if they are still breathing. Then we say, "He's still alive." That's the title—"alive"—that has been given to everyone. One day that title will be taken away. Right now we all have that title, but we don't recognize it.
It's just like seeing someone we know after many years and thinking, "I've seen this person somewhere before. Who is he? I don't recognize him." Don't we also look at ourselves and wonder, "I have seen you somewhere. It feels like I know you, but I don't recognize you"?
Recently I was speaking about peace, and someone asked me what I would say to the poor people in this world. Why? Don't poor people need peace? Is peace only for the wealthy? People think that a hungry person only needs bread. I've been hungry. I'm not saying that I didn't and don't need bread, but I also need peace, because this world does not exist only to fill the stomach.
Who needs to experience peace? Peace is not needed by trees. Peace is not needed by cats. Peace is not needed by dogs. Peace is needed by human beings because we can experience peace. We need it. Peace needs to be experienced in our hearts. Whether there's peace in the world or not, peace is definitely possible in our hearts.
Today, we don't look at our faults; we look at everyone else's faults. We don't look at our weaknesses; we look at other people's weaknesses.
Peace is not a philosophy. Peace is something that has to be experienced. Unless a person experiences it, everything is empty. No matter what you have done in your life, if you have not experienced peace, then everything feels empty, incomplete.
In this life, we can light the lamp of peace. We can decorate the heart with the lamp of peace every day. Learn how to light that lamp. You can call to that peace, that joy, so that it comes to you.
All those corners where there is darkness can be filled with joy. Joy doesn't look at anyone's age, whether they are young or old. No matter what their condition, it is possible for every human being to feel joy. If you need to make an effort, then the effort should be to light the lamp of joy. This life should be filled with light, not darkness.
This is not for someone else. Every human being can fulfill their heart, can fulfill this life. This is the most beautiful thing that is possible in this life.
Maharaji
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It's always a great honor to talk to those who want to learn something about this life. I am going to tell you a very simple story.
Once, there was an exquisite musical instrument. When it was played, it made the most beautiful sound. Then people started looking at "new and different" instruments and invited other musicians to come and play. The musicians came and brought their drums and their flutes and their guitars.
Soon no one knew how to play this one very special instrument, and people began to wonder, "What good is this instrument?" It was beautiful, and it would spark their curiosity, but slowly it started to collect dust because it was ignored and had gotten out of tune.
Then one day, someone came and said, "Why have you cast aside this most beautiful instrument?" People looked at him wondering, "Which instrument? The drums are all in tune, the flutes are great, the violins are perfect, the piano is in tune." He said, "Don't you remember this instrument? It is because of this instrument that you even became interested in music, built this place, and gathered to listen to it. Now that your curiosity has led you to the new and different, you have been ignoring it."
"What is so special about this instrument?" they asked. The man said, "Let me show you." He cleaned the instrument, and it began to shine. We forget. We only see the dirt on the surface. The person who knows can see beyond the dirt. He can clear away the dust and renew its beauty, its spark, its glamour, its glory. Then he did the most important thing—he tuned it. If the instrument is going to sound good, it has to be tuned.
After he tuned it, he gave it back to the people and said, "Now, you play." They said, "We don't know how to play." "Strum," he said, "and it will begin to play. Listen. You will hear." When they began to play, they were mesmerized by the beautiful sound. Here was an instrument that could truly touch the heart.
What is the instrument? You are. In your race for the "new and different," you have forgotten yourself. Everything is all about the glamour of "new and different," except for this instrument, this life. Except for this heart. Everything else has priority. From morning till evening, you say, "I have to do this. I have to do that." Are you anywhere on that list? Number 10? 20? 100? No. Nowhere.
When this instrument is tuned, and you begin to play, you will hear a melody—the melody of breath coming to you. It's very simple. What you are looking for, what you need, is within you, but because of neglect, it has gone out of tune. When it is tuned, you will be able to enjoy the potential of that instrument.
This is your life. Find that contentment. This much you owe yourself. If you want to be rich, begin with you. The first debt you have to pay is the debt to the heart—its request, its want to be fulfilled. It's not a big request. It is simple. Be fulfilled.
Maharaji
in Maharaji: Life, Maharaji: Peace | Digg it
The other day I was asking someone who has also traveled a lot whether they had ever come across a thing called the world in their travels. He said, "No," and I said, "Neither have I." You come across countries, immigration, customs, people, taxis, animals—it depends where you go. But world I have never seen. It is people. It is people like you and me who need, not want, peace in their lives. It is not a luxury. This is the missing piece of the puzzle.
What we cannot imagine today will happen tomorrow. Technology will move on. Things we could never imagine will happen. What doesn't change is the need. The wants change, but the needs do not. Maybe you are not comfortable with your bed so you want a new mattress. The want may change, but the need is to go to sleep, and that does not change. Maybe you go shopping and you see a new water glass. You want the new glass, but why you need the glass does not change. That stays the same. Need and want.
A lot of people are under the misconception that they want peace. It's a misconception because peace is not something you want; peace is something you need in your life. Every day you wake up, something within you yearns to be fulfilled, to be happy, to be in joy. We create formulas for how to achieve that. Everyone has a formula: "I think if we do this, we can achieve it."
But how? Look at the thirst for peace. If the thirst for peace is within you, then peace is within you. If that want wanders in this world for different things, it is because the want is processed by necessities that are created on the outside. Look at your heart because that is a part of the puzzle.
I am not saying you should sacrifice one for the other. This is another wonderful excuse that people have: "I cannot engage in this search for peace because I have a family, and I have responsibilities." I say to them, "What makes you think for a moment that you have to sacrifice one for the other?"
Peace is inside you. Wherever you go, peace goes with you. When you climb on a bus, peace goes with you. When you are fighting, peace goes with you. When you are asleep, peace is within you. When you are frustrated beyond imagination, peace is in you. No matter what you do, there is no place you can go where peace will not come with you. Because it's within you.
Maharaji
