People seem fascinated by success. Thousands of magazine articles, television biopics and newspaper stories around the world each week focus on "successful" people and how others can achieve such success.

However, the problem with success, as it's generally defined, is that not everyone can achieve it. There is only one "best in class"; only one person who gets the leading role in the movie or becomes CEO of the company; one championship team; one winning runner.

Prem Rawat speaks about a different kind of success, one that comes from inner fulfillment. He travels throughout the world encouraging people to find contentment in their lives through a process he calls Knowledge. The inner feeling of success this brings is, he says, accessible to anyone - regardless of talent, resources, or educational and professional background. Over the past thirty years he has spoken about it to more than 5.5 million people in more than 250 cities in 50 countries.

"We all have the same quest to be in peace, and we all have the same quest to be content. Within each one of us lies not only

the thirst to be fulfilled, but also the very well that holds the water that can fulfill the thirst."

People from all walks of life, from CEOs to laborers, who have taken him up on his offer claim the experience of Knowledge brings a profoundly grounded balance to their lives.

Jose Gabriel Aldea, partner and executive director of BBDO Chile, a branch of a global advertising agency, says he finds in Knowledge a way to cope with the stresses of a high-powered job.

"My job is fascinating," he says, "but often very stressful and demanding. Knowledge helps me find peace of mind and high spirits even in the middle of the storm. Since I've been practicing Knowledge, I have learned to trust in myself and aspire for excellence in all things. I now enjoy life fully."

For Stefania DiFilippo-Ponti, who manages assets for high-net-worth clients in one of the oldest private banks in Switzerland, having a successful inner life has been "like money in the bank, and inspires trust in others." She explains, "As I develop relationships with clients, they can see that I am happy and self-confident inside."

Norwegian computer graphics consultant Arne Jacobsen calls Prem Rawat "one of the few people who has never disappointed me."

"I don't count success in dollars or kroners," he says. "What gives me a thrill is the constant learning and improving of my skills. For inner learning, Prem Rawat is a well-qualified guide."

We went to Prem Rawat for fresh insights into success:

In your view, what makes a person's life a success?

Well, the first question is: what is success? We can be successful in business, in our professions, in sports; we can become whatever we want. In the eyes of the world we could be perfect. But which competition can we truly win? There is one ultimate competition in which we don't compete with anyone but ourselves - the competition to succeed in making our life complete. In this competition we succeed when we have understood the value of this life and have found fulfillment. That is when we have real success, and that is a challenge. It is not just a matter of believing in fulfillment, but of experiencing it for ourselves.

So you are speaking about inner achievement. Could you describe the distinction between inner and outer achievement?

On the outside we are very much like a hat rack. We have so many roles: parent, employer, brother, worker. First there is one hat and then another and another. All day long, the hats are coming and going, all different sizes and types. That is what we are on the outside. But on the inside, there is an unchanging self. The hat rack is always changing, but on the inside our thirst to be fulfilled, our inherent desire to find peace, our quest for satisfaction, has never changed.

In our lives, we learn to be responsible, to take care of our problems, but problems come and go and then come back again, like a wheel that keeps turning. When we understand the nature of the self, then we can begin to understand how beautiful it all is. Life is not about all our problems. It's not about guilt or fear, or right and wrong. It is about an incredible response to the innate desire to be happy.

What is unique about your message?

Some teachers say, "Let's see what you can accomplish. How can we make you a success ?" I focus much more on the person. Rather than show people what they could do, I say, "You have been given the gift of life. You have been given a treasure within you. Why don't you address your own treasure? Why don't you address your innermost feeling?"

What are your needs? Not the needs of society, but your needs? What is your aspiration? There is a fundamental aspiration true to every human being regardless of who they are, where they live, what they do, or what they think. Every being has an innate desire to be content. What I offer is a practical way to address that deepest desire

that is common to us all. It is an individual process for personal success in enjoying life independent of circumstances.

Does that mean that outer success is not important?

Not at all! We can always be more successful. Whatever we have achieved, we can do better. And we are more important than our successes. We are also more important than our failures. We are more important than everything that happens around us and everything that won't happen; we are more important than the histories that will unfold, the wars that will be fought, and the peace that will be made. The sum of all of that is less than the existence of each human being. And we need to become aware of that.

In today's world we have so many problems to deal with. Finding personal fulfillment seems like a luxury.

You could say just the opposite. Consider a person who sets out to go across a desert. He probably has a purpose in mind, an adventure or something he wants to accomplish. Then he runs out of water. Before long his thirst narrows his focus down to just one thing - water. Maybe at first he thought, "It would have been nice if there was an oasis here," or "I wish I had brought more water with me." Then his focus becomes very singular. Very precise. It no longer matters who is the head of the country or how the stock market is doing. Complications have become a luxury.

We're not responding to life like the thirsty person responds. We think we have that luxury, but we don't. We have a thousand distractions in our life, but there is also the call of our heart that is saying, "Peace. Be fulfilled. Be fulfilled with every step that you take in your life. This is something you cannot leave for later." Our heart is calling us. Do we hear it?

Many people speak of inner peace and contentment as distant and somewhat vague possibilities. Is there something practical a person can do to achieve the inner success that you describe?

What I offer is as practical as a glass of water to a thirsty person in the desert. I offer a way of connecting with the peace and contentment that is within each of us, and I call that Knowledge. It is like a bridge from the outside to the inside. Knowledge is not meant to fix anything; it is for those who, out of their free will, want to enjoy peace within them. This is as practical as it can ever get. If a person wants that, I can help.

For further information: www.tprf.org

www.maharaji.net

www.contactinfo.net

This article first appeared in America economia magazine, Chile. It has been edited and reformatted for reprinting purposes.