Prem Rawat's Timeless Titbits

Nothing Trivial

Miami Florida, Sep 19 2017

Who are we? Maybe I should talk about that. So, don't think this is un-significant. We're dirt. Why do you laugh? Because you don't understand the value of dirt. Dirt is the most significant thing there is. Do you know? You know why?! Because the entire universe is made out of it.

We all are considered patriots if we sing praises of our countries. "Know the anthem." I mean, in India they're going through it; it's like you know "You have to be able to say this; yes, you have to say this; you have to be patriotic! You have to…"

Courtesy of? All these countries, courtesy of? Dirt. You can't have a country in floating ocean. All courtesy of dirt! So dirt is very significant! People have died protecting dirt! People have become heroes protecting dirt.

Civilizations were raised and razed - that's a good one, huh? - raised and razed because of dirt!

And when the sun is finished glowing, what does it become? Dirt. What is gold? Compressed dirt. See, you're catching on, how important dirt is. And guess what moi is made out of. Dirt.

Where is Your Focus?

Chennai India, Sep 25 2017

There are many, many, many interpretations of this story, or many ways this story has been put - but there is a new one. And a man came…and he came to the Master. The Master had a very beautiful palace that he lived in, a beautiful city that he lived in.

So the Master told the guy, he says, "Oh, you have come?" And he goes, "Yeah, I've come to you; I want to talk to you; I want to learn from you; I want to be enlightened by you." The Master said, "No problem. But first, go enjoy - enjoy my gardens; enjoy my palace; enjoy the city - it's really beautiful, really, really beautiful." And the man said, "Okay, I will."

He said, "Before you go, take this lamp with you." And he filled the lamp completely full of oil, right to the top, right to the brim - and he said, "Here, take this with you when you go seeing everything, and make sure you don't spill a drop. Don't spill a drop."

The man went seeing, appreciating the palace, appreciating the gardens, appreciating the city. And when the man came back, the Master asked, "How was it?" And he goes, "Well, my whole attention was on not spilling a drop from this cup. I really walked around aimlessly. I didn't really enjoy anything because my focus was here, instead of where it should have been."

The Master said, "Okay. Now, go again! Leave the…leave the lamp behind. Don't worry about the lamp." He came back: "How was it?" "Oh, oh, I enjoyed - oh, and the statues were beautiful. Oh, that was…it was just marvelous; the garden was incredible; the flowers were incredible; the statues were incredible; the paintings were incredible; the marble was…."

The Master said, "Look, all that existed then too, but you were not focusing on that. Your focus was somewhere else."

Where is your focus? In your life, where is your focus? You should be enjoying being alive. Do you enjoy, just enjoy being alive? Just being alive? Do you enjoy being alive?

I know, I know, I know you enjoy parties; I know you enjoy going to your friend's house; I know you enjoy your songs; you enjoy your movies; you enjoy this; you enjoy that. I know you enjoy all of that. But do you enjoy being alive? Just being alive?!

Because if you don't, you're focusing on the wrong thing. Because this is the garden; life itself is the garden of the Divine. Its beauty is unparalleled. It is full of the reflection from the Divine. It is fine; it is beautiful; it has colors….

That's where truth resides - a truth that is non-confrontational, a truth which is simple, a truth that's embracing, a truth which is real, a truth that brings peace. That's where this heart wants to dance.

The Mirror of Focus

Chennai India, Sep 27 2017

You realize, human beings are trying to figure out how to fly - I'm not talking about airplanes. I'm talking, just fly, you know? "Fly, fly!" people say, "Fly, fly, fly in your success, fly in your business." People are trying to … fly. And, you don't have to sprout wings to fly. All you have to do is cut the bondage. Cut the bondage. That's what's keeping you back.

Understand your nature. Your nature is to be content. Your nature is to be happy. Your nature is to want peace.

Change your focus. It's not that you don't have the ability to focus. You have the ability to focus on the wrong thing. Change your focus … from all that, that's not going to bring you peace to something that is going to bring you peace. If you're going to search, search not for questions in your life. Search for that source that contains all the answers. If you're going to search for something in your life, search for the mirror that will show you, you!

Search for the mirror that will show you, you, and when you find that mirror in your life, use it! Use that. Because without that, there is no difference in the dirt that doesn't move, and the dirt that does move.

To know others is wisdom. To know others is wisdom. But to know the self is enlightenment. So, you know other people. This is, you - maybe you're wise. But, do you know you?

The, in one of the events it was in Hindi - and I was saying, "So, what does a hungry person need?" Food, right? Right? Right? Wrong! Absolutely 100% wrong. One million percent wrong, quadri, quadri, quadri-zillion percent wrong.

A hungry person needs to eat the food. Right? Right? Right? [Audience: "Yes."] If you were hungry, and as soon as you walked into the halwai shop your hunger disappears? So if you think…? See, this is the…. And you know why you think that way? Because this is what you have heard. And this is what you repeat.

"Like food to the hungry." You've heard this. And so you go, "Yes, that's what you need." And one - I used to do the same thing. See, I'm, I'm not here trying, "I'm more holier than you," or this or that. I used to do the same thing. And one day I was thinking this: "How can that be? How can that be?"

I was flying. I felt hungry. The food - I was, I was in the airplane, and the food was right there, behind me. But I was still hungry. So, I am bhookha; I am hungry. And the only thing that the bhookha needs, the hungry needs is the bhojan. Bhojan is right there.

But unless I get to eat it… I don't eat it, my hunger will stay intact. The same thing. Just because, just because you have the mirror, if you don't look in it, what good is it to get the mirror?

When you go to your work, don't think about your family. Think about your work. Get it done! When you come home, don't think about your work! Think about your family. Focus. That's what "focus" means. Focus.

I told that person who asked me that question in Taiwan. I said, "You know, you want to go party. You're young, you go party, you party. When you're partying, you're thinking about your work. And then, when you're doing your work, studying, you're thinking about partying."I said, "Cut the connection. When you're partying, don't think about studying. And when you are studying, don't think about partying. Focus! Focus, focus. It makes life easy."

"Oh, I forgot this … and I forgot this. And I forgot this. And oh, I have to do this. And I have to do that … and I have to…" No. Focus. Focus in your life.

That's how you need to live. That's how you need to be.

Life Is On Your Side

Chennai India, Sep 29 2017

You want to succeed in your life? One of the events that I did in Taiwan was at the Dong Hwa University of Hualien. And it was all these students. They were there, and then they asked me questions.

And one of the questions was, you know, "How do I do this?" And here is the trick. If you want to be successful, it's easy. But you have to focus, focus, focus. And this is how you focus. When you're with your family, don' t think of the business. Just focus on your family, even if it's for five minutes.

You want to change your whole life? Make heaven for someone, just for five seconds. Just five-second heaven. Start with your wife. Five seconds. Start with five seconds. Five seconds, just listen. You don' t have to say, "Bla-bla-bla-bla-bla." You don' t have to say. Just listen. That' s why the creator did not put mouth where the ears are. Separated them…put the ears here; put the mouth here.

So, shut this; open these. Five second. Five seconds. Not long. You have children? Listen. Focus, five seconds - just five seconds. Not "Arghrrrrr!" But just… five seconds! Make a heaven for someone in your life - start with five seconds. And maybe they will return the favor to you. And you will have a five-second heaven.

And then, whenever you want that heaven for yourself, five seconds to remember, "You are alive." Maybe everything is going against you. Right? This is what it feels like, right? Everything is going against you, except for one.

Your life is not going against you. The blessing which life is, is still being conferred upon you. That hand is still on your head. Five-second heaven: "Wow!"

"Even in the darkest hour, I will not abandon you." This is what Krishna says, "Even in your darkest hour, I will not abandon you." Well, luckily, fortunately or unfortunately, we have managed to create the dark hour twenty-four hours. And even then, it is not being abandoned.

But do you understand that? Do you understand that? I know that every human being wants to succeed. But you can only succeed at that where there is the possibility of success. You cannot succeed where there is no possibility of success.

Where is the possibility of success? You want to succeed in this world? There is no possibility of success. But finding the peace in your heart, and having that fulfillment in yourself is completely possible.

The Problem with Problems

Cotonou, Benin, Oct 9 2017

What do you know? You are all here. What do you know really well? What do you know really well?

You know what you know really well? Really well? - is your problems. You all know your problems really well. All day long, you think about them. All night long you think about them. You get up in the morning; you think about them. You go to sleep at night; you think about them. Problems, problems, problems - problems you know really well. Their solution? No idea. No idea what the solution is.

So! Let me come back to you. Who are you? What are you? On one hand, all of us, every one of us - you have a different name; you have a different name; you have a different name; you come from a different village; he comes from a different village; she comes from a different village; she has different parents; you have different parents.

You are wearing something different; he's wearing something different; she's wearing something different. So we're all different.

And you have a different problem; he has a different problem. Right? Wrong!

Problems are not different. The only thing that is different is us. We happen to be here. These problems that you have now, they have bothered somebody else before you. They don't disappear. You do. The problems stay. And they look for the victim. Right now, you are the victim. And they come.

So far the problem - whatever the problem may be - so far you exist, no problem is very big. When you stop existing, that is your biggest problem. Do you understand that? Does that make sense to you?

And so, am I embracing life? Or I'm embracing its problems? Because if I'm embracing its problems, I don't understand life because that's not life. That has nothing to do with life.

And then, the most incredible pillar of this temple when it falls apart, what will all this become? It'll become dirt.

So don't laugh the next time you hear the word "dirt" - smile. Smile, because there's nothing funny about it, but now you know…now you know how important this dirt is. And so, you are made out of the same stuff as the universe. "Wow! That's impressive. I mean…"

Next time, "What is your lineage?" Same stuff the sun is made out of, same stuff the moon is made out of, same stuff the galaxies are made out of, same stuff the universe is made of - that's my lineage. That is your lineage.

So now that we've put that aside, who you are - pretty impressive stuff. Nothing trivial, incredible, incredible to get the dirt to talk, to walk, to smile, to think, to see, to have the nuances of expression on the face from slightly upset to slightly more upset.

Then, made out of that, and then to have this incredible thing called life. Life. You can love; you can hate, you can have fear; you can have joy. This…and just machine puts it all out. I mean, it puts it all out. If it's feeling good, it's like, "Good. Yes."

In Perfect Balance

Selangor Malaysia, Oct 11 2017

When I first got the invitation for this event, my… you know, there was a little line there that said about the hands, the head, and the heart. And for me, that was very, very interesting - that an institution that is promoting education, giving education is talking about something so basic, something so fundamental.

So, I know what a head is - it's right up here - and I know what hands are; I use them every day - and head too, try to. Sometimes it doesn't work. But the question becomes, "What is the heart?"

And of course we're here to talk about peace. But we also have to understand that the matters of peace come from that heart. That, when somebody says, "kindness is important," that that has something to do with the heart.

So, what is that heart? I mean, obviously it's not that physical thing that pumps because that gets attacks, gets infractions, you know, gets stents put in. So, I mean, it would very different to say, "Okay, that's your heart." So, what is the heart?

And I don't stand here to be an expert on anything. But I can tell you that in each human being, every single human being - and when I say this, I mean it - is perfect. Every human being is perfect.

And now, what do I mean by that? And what makes them perfect? Because, fifty percent - exactly fifty percent of them is bad - perfection. And the other fifty percent is good. And that's what makes you a human being.

So, there is the fifty percent that is terrible. And the good news is - that's the bad news - the good news is that there's the fifty percent that's incredible. And that fifty percent is what peace is all about. That fifty percent is the goodness of every human being.

And where the heart comes in, over the mind, is the ability to choose that fifty percent "good." Choose! It's a choice! Do you know peace is a choice?

Thirst, Peace, and Appreciation

Las Palmas, Spain, Oct 16 2017

What happens when a person is in peace? What happens? There is a recognition, there is a simplicity, there is an appreciation. There is a gratitude. This is what happens. Recognition of each other. Recognition that, "My need is like yours." That, it isn't about power. That, it isn't about destruction. But, it is about preserving that which is precious. It is about appreciating the gift that we have been given. It is about being alive!

You think being alive is to walk? No! Being alive is that person that has a heart full of gratitude, that has an understanding, that has the aroma of kindness, a passion for peace, and a singularity…. Not confusion. But a clarity to the objective of being alive. That's when the reason why sun is where it is makes sense. That is when being on this earth makes sense.

When I say, "The Knowledge of the self, Knowledge of the self," this is connecting to the message, the very message that Socrates said. "Know thyself." He could have said anything. He could have said anything. He could have said, "Dates are too expensive."

But he didn't say that. What did he say? "Know thyself.

What effort do we make in a day to know yourself? Everybody else? "Oh, I want to know that person, I want to know that person, I want to know that person, I want to…. Can I have your phone number?"

What is your phone number? What is really your phone number? The one that goes to you? That number that nobody else can pick up? That only goes to you!? You don't know, do you? Area code? "Human being." Human being! Need? Peace.

That's your nature. And when you understand that, then you begin to feel the thirst, the thirst for peace. And do you know, the day you find peace? - begins with the day you feel the thirst for peace. Once you feel thirst, water is there.

You know, before you come into the desert, people go - people go with the tents into the desert. "Oh, look at the stars." (I've done this, see.) "Look at the stars. Oh, look at the sand. Oh, look at the sunset. Oh, look at the sunrise. Oh, listen to the quietness." But when you get thirsty, "Bye, stars. Bye, this, bye, that. Water! Water! Water, water, water," till you find it.

There's good news! And the good news is, that the peace you are looking for is inside of you. Is inside of you. Always will be. And the day you recognize it, the day you experience it, you will start living!

The Magic Formula

Cotonou Benin, Oct 23 2017

When you get angry…. Mmm, do you ever get angry? Only three or four people in Benin get angry? Wow! I'm moving here. I mean, come on! How many of you get angry? I'm raising my hand.

And when you get angry, where does it come from? Where does it come from? In you? Wow. So, that means…. Oh, do you get angry after you leave home, ever? Mmm? After you leave home, you can get angry? Yes or no? Yes? So that means you don't leave anger at home.

That means, wherever you go, the anger goes with you. Wow! So next time you go in the bathroom and close the door and think it's private, just remember, anger just came with you. Frustration came with you. Confusion came with you. Joy came with you. Clarity came with you. Understanding came with you. Kindness also came with you.

All these go wherever you go. Do you know that? Wherever you go! This is all… This is you. See, it's not just you. You look at yourself in the mirror and you go, "That's me." No, no, no, no, there's a lot more going on. There are other ones. There's another one of you. It's an anger. You don't see it in the mirror, but it's there.

And there is one that has joy, clarity, understanding, and beauty, and kindness, and all these things. And the opposites of all of them go wherever you go. Now, the question is, what do you practice the most? Do you know what that means?

What do you practice? Every day, what do you practice? How long does it take you to get angry? Oh, so you must…you're good at it.

You're good at getting angry. So, if you're good at getting angry, what does that mean? You practice anger? Oh, how long does it take for you to get afraid? How long does it take for you to get afraid? Not very long. Oh, so you practice fear?

That's why you're good at it. How long does it take you to lie? Did I ask a personal question? How long does it take you to lie? Not very much, does it? It can just flow right away.

At home, you don't even say "bonjour" to anybody - your wife, your friends, your children. You go outside? And it's "Bonjour." That's what you practice, telling lies? You have become good at it.

So I say to you, if you start practicing courage, you will get good at it. If you start practicing kindness, you will get good at it. If you start practicing understanding, you will get good at it. If you start practicing clarity, you will get good at it. And if this is what you want in your life, that's all you have to do. Practice what you want.

If you practice knowing yourself, you will become good at it. If you practice peace in your life, you will become good at it. That's the magic formula. That's how you do it.

The Breath of Life

Cotonou Benin, Oct 25 2017

You were born; you are alive. And one day, whether you like it or not, you have to go. Right? Where do you go? Where do you go?

I ask this question: "When a child is born - and say, the child weighs ten pounds, five kilos, whatever - does the earth get five kilos heavier? And when you die, does the earth get that much lighter?"

So, where do you go? Where do you go? You go nowhere. Where did you come from? From nowhere - right here! From all the materials of this earth you are made. And when you die, these materials go back to where they came from. Earth doesn't get any heavier because you were born and doesn't get any lighter because you died.

Do you understand what that means? Think about it! Think about it. This is it! This is it! You are here. You exist. You're alive and that means so little to you, so little. Till the day comes…or, the doctor says, "You are going to die." The doctor says you're going to die. And you go, "Aaaaaaaah!"

It's funny. A lot of people come to me, very concerned, "Oh, the doctor said I'm going to die." I say to them, "You didn't know that? You didn't know you're going to die one day?" You are living in this world like you're going to live forever? Excuse me. What the doctor said was just stating the obvious. "You're going to die." Well, don't you know that?

And once they understand that, then I said, "Let's help you. Let's find out what the problem is, and let's help you." And I have a very good team of doctors from around the world, and it works. A lot of people have been helped.

But, the first thing is, "What do you know about yourself?" You were born. You came in this world, not because you pushed a button; you did not choose your parents. You came….

Now, let's see - so, you're alive for eighty years; you're alive for ninety years - even if you're alive for a hundred years - that's a long time, a hundred years. The last thing that's going to happen, do you know what that is? The last thing. Do you know what it is?

We talked about the first thing - that was the breath, right? You know what the last thing is going to be? What the doctor looks for? The doctor will look for a pulse, but the last thing the doctor is going to look for is if you are breathing or not. Right?

In the old days they used to put a mirror under the nose to see if you were breathing, because if you were breathing, then they could see the steam; they could see the fog. So they knew, "Okay, he's still alive" - he, he is what? "He's still alive."

He is what? "He's still alive." He's quiet. He is not solving any problems. He is not ordering his wife around, but so far he's breathing, he is what? He's still alive. And, so far he's still alive, he gets to stay where he is. Because after that? No more breath? "Sorry." First thing: the sheet over the head. Finis!

Hmm! Well, this is very interesting. It all begins with that breath, and it ends with the breath, right? Do you agree? So, this drama that you are going through in your life is in the middle of that first breath and the last breath. This is the drama.

You know the drama - right? But you don't know the breath. Do you understand this breath? Do you understand the meaning of this breath? Do you understand that this is life? Not life style - life. Big difference: lifestyle and life. I'm talking about life, not life style. Lifestyle is rich or poor. Life is life. A poor man is also alive; a rich man is also alive.

How long is a poor man poor? So long as this breath is still coming into him. How long is a rich man rich? So far this breath is coming into him. You have children? How long do you have children? So far this breath is coming into you, they will call you, "Dad, father." When this breath goes away, they have no problem taking you and burying you six feet deep.

The difference between six feet under and sleeping on your bed is? This breath. Without this breath, you neither have a personality or a life!

So, this breath is your candle. In this darkness, this is your candle! Only if you can understand it, understand the self - that at the base, at the core, you exist!

Your Inner Wealth

Suva Fiji, Oct 25 2017

There was a man. He had saved up some money, and one day he came across a piece of land, and the piece of land had been totally abandoned. So he went to the owner and he said, "You know, you have this land. Could you sell me this land?"

And the owner realized he wasn't using it; it was abandoned. So whatever little money he could get would be welcome. So he made a deal and sold the land pretty cheap. Well, the man got the land. He went in; he started to clean the land. Picked the rocks, put ‘em aside; started to plow. He took care of the land. He plowed the field.

And before you know, he had a beautiful crop. And more he took care of the land, the better his crops were. And he started to get one crop, and then second crop, and third crop, and he just was taking four crops. And soon he saved the money and he became rich.

He got married; he had children, built himself a beautiful house - saved, saved, saved, and he bought gold with the money he saved. He took all the gold, which was substantial, that he had saved and he put it in a box. And he took the box and he buried it in the field. But he didn't tell his children.

When the time came for him to die, he called all his family and called his children, and he said, "I am going to give you one piece of advice. And if you follow my advice, you will never be poor. And my advice to you is, ‘plow the field.' That's all." He died.

The children were not into plowing the field. They wanted to live in the city; they wanted to have parties; they wanted to have everything else happening. They were not interested in being a farmer.

So, the land fell in disrepair. Weeds started to grow; people started to throw garbage on the land. Years passed by. One day a man came to them and said, "You know, you have this land - it's completely abandoned. Sell it to me. This is all the money I have." He had a little bit of money. He said, "Sell it to me."

The children looked at each other and said, "Yeah, we're not using it. At least we'll get a little bit of money from it; that's good." And they always kept wondering, "Why did father say, ‘Plow the land and you will never be poor'?" So, the question in the back of their mind…but, they were happy to sell the land and get rid it.

The man who bought the land, he went in, and he plucked the weeds; he threw away the garbage, started to take care of the land. And one day he plowed the field. And when he did, guess what he found? He found the box with the gold.

You are the field, and in this field there is a box. And in this box there is a wealth, and this wealth is more expensive than gold. It's more expensive than diamonds. There is a wealth - a wealth that, more you share it, the more it grows. There's no wealth like that in this world except this inner wealth that you have. More you share it, the more it grows. What a wealth.

Some people say, "Oh, destiny! It's just destiny." And I say, "Choice."

Light the Candle

Suva Fiji, Oct 27 2017

What is darkness? Is it something in itself? No! It's the absence of light. To remove darkness, what do you do? Do you open the window; do you have a bucket? You go into a dark room, fill the bucket with darkness, and then throw it out the window? No. That's not how you…you can't, because it's nothing.

So, if this is true - that darkness is absence of light and it is nothing in itself - light is something; darkness is nothing - then this would be also true for sadness. Sadness is nothing; it's just lack of joy. Bring in the joy; sadness will be gone.

Same thing with ignorance! Bring in the knowledge and ignorance will be gone, because ignorance is only the absence of knowledge. Knowledge is something; ignorance is nothing.
So, then that will also be true for unhappiness and happiness: unhappiness is nothing; happiness is something. Bring in happiness and unhappiness will be gone.

And if this is true, then when you get unhappy, don't you try to remove the unhappiness? When you get sad, don't you try to remove the sadness? Well, that's just like taking a bucket, going into a dark room, trying to fill the bucket with darkness, opening the window and throwing it out.

Because this life, full of fear, full of anger, full of jealousy, full of disappointment - that's not the gift you were given. That's not life. That's not real. That's not how it needs to be!

There's a saying, "To fly, you don't need wings! You just have to cut off the chains that are holding you back." There's another saying: "Don't curse the darkness; light the candle." But this is what people do! They curse the darkness! They go, "Ah, this is so bad, the darkness, oh, but the…." Light the candle. And the darkness will be gone.

If you want to fly, you're looking for wings! You don't need wings. You have everything. Everything you need, you have. When you get to know yourself and you understand it's all there - you have been gifted with everything - you have been blessed. Every breath that comes into you is a blessing.

In fact, peace lies neither in the realm of science nor in the realm of religion. It lies in the realm of human beings. It lies in the realm of people who feel - feel - in the realm of the heart, in the realm of you being alive. And that's the realm of peace. That's your realm. So far you are alive, that is your realm.

The Symphony of Life

Athens Greece, Nov 1 2017

Only when we begin to know ourselves do we realize that the treasures we seek on the outside are the treasures that are within us. That, that compassion that we seek from the others is the compassion that is already within us. That generosity that we need in our lives is the generosity that is already within us.

And this generosity - I'll tell you about it. You know what is the greatest gift, and given so abundantly - and it is generosity beyond belief - then all you have to do is look at your breath. Generosity! It is the most precious thing, because it is generosity at its best. It is life! And the life dances. It is real!

Do you get scared with your problems - when the problems come, does that scare you? Of course - it scares me. But I have learnt - I have learnt that the problems come and go. They come; they go. Then they come back again - but then they go. Then, they come back again. And they go. And every time they come, they scare you.

This dance of this breath, on the other hand, is with you! It comes in - and this is how it begins; it doesn't just begin by going out. This is how this note plays. This note, this symphony begins with this gift of breath coming in - and the whole symphony ends with the breath going out and not coming back in.

And that constitutes your life.

Strong of Heart

Athens Greece, Nov 3 2017

Wherever I go and I start talking about the subject of peace, most people wonder and ask me, "What about all these problems that we have? Why don't we have peace? What happened?"

So I would like to tell you a story. There was a man and he had heard about elephants - that elephants were big; they were huge; they were powerful and they were mighty; they could lift a whole tree with their trunk. He wanted to see an elephant.

So he did some research; somebody told him, "You want to see an elephant, go to India!" So he found the village which is very famous, very popular for elephants, and he went there. And when he arrived at the village, he saw all these magnificent elephants standing there. And each one of the elephants had a very thin little rope tied to the leg, just very thin - and they were standing.

And the man was really surprised. He had never seen an elephant before, and he was very impressed by the power of the elephant. But he was also very confused. So he went to the village chief, and he said, "Chief, I have a question!"

He said, "This is the first time I've seen these elephants, and they're strong, they're mighty, they're powerful. But you are tying them up by this little rope that is so fragile. Why don't these elephants just run away? Why are they standing there? It's not the rope that's holding them, because they could easily break that."

And the chief said, "Oh, that. Let me explain to you. When these elephants were really young, we tied them with these little ropes. Then they were not so strong, and the rope was enough to hold them. Now, they are definitely strong enough to break the rope, but they have forgotten their strength, and this little rope is enough to hold them."

In a way, that is so sad. But that is our story too. That is our story too. We have forgotten our strength. We forget who we are. We forget the compassion in us. We forget the passion in us. We forget the kindness in us. We forget the joy in us. We forget what is a human being.

You cannot talk about peace without talking about the human being, because it is in the heart of that human being that the peace dances.

Right now, I know people say, "Oh, people are terrible. Look what they're doing! They're killing each other, terrorizing each other, putting fear in each other." That's not the nature of a human being.

There is a lot of good in this world; there is a lot of kindness in this world. There is a lot of generosity in this world. And this is the true nature of a human being; this is your true nature. To adore - to adore peace! To want peace. To be fulfilled! Need I say it? Indeed, to create a heaven right here on the face of this earth.

People talk about, when they die, will they go to heaven? There's a small problem with that beautiful heaven. You have to die to get there. Why not create an experience, the heaven, whilst you're alive? Whilst you are alive, whilst you are here?

People say, "Oh, look how many people go hungry." Why? Have you ever thought of why people go hungry? Is it because there is shortage of food? No! Forty percent of the food that is actually farmed goes to waste. It's thrown away. It's unfit for consumption. There is more than plenty of food to feed everybody.

People say, "People don't have clean water!" There's plenty of water - believe me, there's plenty of water. And who makes the water unclean? We do.

It's up to us to understand our true nature, our power - that if we want the peace, we can have peace. We don't have to be held back by a little rope of the elephant.

The Happiness Perspective

Suva Fiji, Nov 6 2017

To a lot of people, prosperity means wealth. Well, actually that's not true. It means three things: wealth, health and happiness. So that means, if prosperity means three things, "wealth, health and happiness," you need to have something happening for all three of these things for you to become prosperous.

Since I am not a doctor, I cannot help you too much with the health bit. And since I am not an economist, I cannot help you with the wealth bit. But happiness, I can help you with that. That's what I do. That's what I've been doing for fifty years.

So if you truly want to be prosperous, you're going to need three things in your life. So let's begin with happiness. What is the point of being prosperous if you're terribly sad, depressed? So where does happiness begin? Do you know where happiness begins? You always looked at happiness circumstantially.

"If my wife behaved herself, if my dog behaved herself, if my cat behaved itself, if my buffalos behave themselves, if my cows behave themselves, if my neighbors behaved - if my neighbors got rid of the chickens that, you know, sit there in the morning at four o'clock and, ‘Gyack-ack-ack-ack-ack,' then I'll be happy. If my son brought better grades in school, then I will be happy."

So, your happiness is based upon your external circumstances. You want the world to be a certain way and then you will be happy. In your workplace you say, "If my coworkers understood me, if they were better with me, they treated me with more respect, I would be happy." And what's going to happen when you retire? You won't have your coworkers. Then what are you going to do?

Life does not begin when you get married, and life does not end when you get a divorce. Life begins when you took your first breath; life will end when you take your last.

Your life is not about things you do in it. Your life is about your existence. This breath comes into you; you are alive. If you're rich, this breath comes into you; you are alive. If you are poor, this breath comes into you; you're still alive.

And the day this breath doesn't come into you, you are neither rich nor poor. You don't have any relatives. You're automatically divorced - automatically! You don't have any debts! You're automatically debt-free. You don't have to pay any bills anymore. You don't have to pay any taxes. You have automatically also vacated your house; you're now no longer a house-owner.

No - I know this sounds funny, and I'm putting it in a way which is funny - but this is dead serious. You are a father, you are a mother, you are an uncle, you are a cousin, you are whatever you are, only till this breath is happening. And the day this breath stops, you're nothing.

But do we understand that in our lives? - in our busy little, "rdrdrdrrrrrrrrl," life, of where it's…everything is da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, dah, who has the time, who has the time to think about prosperity as, "My goodness, that involves three things. It needs happiness and wealth and health"? Who has the time to stop and say, "What is the value of this breath for me?"

You see, you have to understand that as a human being you have some needs. You have your dreams - I know you have your dreams - but you have some needs. And this is the way the needs go. Three minutes without breath and you're dead. Is breathing a luxury or a need? Is breathing a want or a need?

Let's get this clear, what is a need; what is a want. Three minutes without breath, you're dead. That's not a want; that's a need. It mandatorily must be there. Three minutes - it's a rule of thumb, okay? Some people can go more; some people can go less. But about three minutes and you are dead. Without this you cannot survive.

Now, what is your want? A television with a remote control that shows high definition pictures. That's not a need. Do you understand? That's not a need. There's no medical term, "This person died because he didn't have a TV."

"This person died because of asphyxiation because he couldn't breathe," yes, that's a term. "He died of starvation," that's a term. "Died of dehydration," that's a term. But, "He died because he didn't have a TV" - there is no term for it.

And what do you pursue every day? Every day that you get up, in your imagination, using your mind, what are you pursuing? Your need or your wants?

So, need, you don't pay attention to - wants, you pay attention to. Because you will never come across a billboard that says, "Breathe." You will come across a billboard that says, "Buy this soft drink; buy this television; buy this suit; buy this, buy this, and buy this!" And you will look at it and go, "Yes, I would love to have that; I would love to have that; I would love to have that."

Am I here to tell you you should not have wants? That's what's different about me. I am not here to tell you you should not have wants. You should have as many wants as you want - and more! But you should understand your need.

It's called "a perspective." It's called "a perspective." Should you look at your speedometer in your car when you're driving? Yes? And only the speedometer? So, you're driving, you should be like this? You will crash. You should look out the window; you should see the road; you should see behind you; you should look, and look, and look, and look, and look, and look.

This is life! Understand the preciousness of life, and you will understand your need! Fulfill your needs, and you will have happiness.

Your Truest Desire

Athens Greece, Nov 16 2017

What you know is what counts. In the desert when you are thirsty, it is not the pictures of water that are going to help. It is the water that you have in the bottle that is going to quench your thirst.

So, what do you know? What do you know about you? You! Who are you? What are you? What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to have this breath? What does it mean to have the ability to understand?

What is your truest desire, your truest desire? What is your truest wish? What makes you happy, truly happy? Truly happy? Not entertainment-happy. Not movie-happy.

Now, the questions that I have asked are not superficial. I am talking about your core. That, if you were to lose everything - everything…cat, gone; dog, disappeared; husband, whsshht!; wife, whsshht! - and you could still be happy?

What makes you really happy - the truest happiness, the truest joy? Is it some thing? Or is it you? Your deepest desire, is it some thing? Or is it something in you? In you - in you? Because this, my friends, this, here, is the home of contentment - here! Here - not me. You, too. I just am using my body, but you can use yours.

This is the home of peace. Home, home! This is the home of true love. This is the home of kindness. This is the home of joy - joy. This is the home of enlightenment. This is the home of perfection. This is the home of all homes. This is where the reality resides.

So, I come here with all the humility to tell you what I have discovered. And I have found that for me to hear me, I have to be silent. For me to hear me, I have to be silent. For me to be present, all that confuses me has to be absent. And when I can learn to listen to myself, listen to myself, I am rewarded with gratitude: "Thank you."

Business of Being Alive

Cascais, Portugal, Feb 3, 2018

And for the leadership that you have to provide, it is quintessentially important that you know where you are - otherwise you will not be able to! The leadership requires that not only you know where you are - because that's the whole crew! That's your crew onboard your yacht, depending upon you to say, "Ah, we're here!" Or not going, "Um, I, I, I think we are here…" No. "I am here."

Do you practice, every day, having a recognition of yourself? The fact that you are alive offers the opportunity for the highest potential to be fulfilled. Let's just look at a situation, a possibility in which a human being is at that utmost state where the potential of that human being is fulfilled.

Know For Yourself

Salvador Brazil, Feb 7, 2018

The time has come for us to understand ourselves! As Socrates said, "Know thyself" a long time ago - and we still haven't done it. The time has come to do that. The time has come to understand the Divine within us.

You are the container of divinity. You are so fortunate. You are so incredibly fortunate. Now, know it. Not believe it; know it. Know what I know, and then you will know what I am talking about.

I really, really wish you didn't believe a word! Instead you went, "I've got to know!" And if you became like that in your life - "I've got to know!" - you will be so filled with peace, you won't believe how much peace there will be in your life. And I use the world "believe," but you don't have to believe me. Know it for yourself.

The Unchanging Happiness

Suva Fiji, Feb 23, 2018

It was a Greek philosopher who said once, "You are never happy if you get what you don't want." Tricky words. If you get what you don't want, you're not happy. And even if you get what you do want, you still won't be happy because you won't be able to keep it. That's the problem.

So many families, finally they get everything going and the husband dies. "Oh, terrible, what's going to happen now?" Children grow up too fast; they start bossing you around. You've been bossing them around? Wait! You will get a taste of your own medicine. They will boss you around. They will start telling you things.

You had the child because you wanted a child - because you thought all these beautiful, lovely thoughts about having a child, "How sweet the child will be." And now you are going to be on your bed without a second of sleep, thinking, "Where are they? Why are they not home? It's already past midnight. What are they doing?" You can't keep it! Can't keep it!

You finally got your promotion; you finally got your promotion that you had been waiting for, waiting for, waiting for. And after you have got your promotion, you realize that there are twenty other people wanting the same chair. The one before, there were only five wanting that chair. This one, twenty more….

And if you go to the next one, it'll be forty more, and if you go to the next one it'll be a hundred more. And now it's a matter of, you make one mistake - one mistake - and your chair is gone; promotion is gone. Because you can't keep it! You can't keep it; you can't keep it; you can't keep it.

Because there is a change afoot, and you don't like changes. You don't want changes; you don't want anything to change. You, even though you want your son who is three years old to grow up, you don't! You want that child to just stay that way. And you want your wife who's so pretty to stay that way. And you want your husband who is young to stay just that way.

But everything is changing, changing, changing, changing, changing - and so are you. But you don't know. Why don't you know? Because you don't know yourself. You know your friends; you know your neighbors; you know other people, but you don't know you.

That's what Socrates says, "Know thyself." Knowledge of the self! "All knowledges are good; knowledge of the self is the supreme." When you know yourself, now you know who you are.


Short Speech Excerpts sold as .pdfs on https://www.timelesstoday.com/read/ - downloaded on 1st April 2018

Blooming

As you are reading this, I hope you are well. But what does it mean to be well? For a lot of people, to be well means to be in good health. For some people, it means having a huge bank account or a long list of accomplishments.

I have walked into a garden and seen a rose bush in full bloom. It is beautiful and unique. It does not hide; it lets itself be expressed … through its bloom.

Human beings are well when we are blooming. This has nothing to do with age, your bank account or accomplishments. It is when the potential of who you are is being fulfilled that you are in full bloom.

You are capable of knowing your self, of realizing your potential to experience joy. And in this bloom there is gratitude. What if we were to make gratitude a reference point?

"I'm thankful for my life, for my understanding, and I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful for the sun, for the moon, for every single star that flickers. I'm thankful for the ocean, because that's where I came from, and for the dirt, because that's what I am made out of."

When you hold a tiny little baby, and that baby looks at you and smiles, is it a protocol? "Oh, yeah, you're my daddy. And I know that you're going to be a good daddy to me. You're going to buy me a lot of presents … so today, as an expression of pre-gratitude for everything you're going to do for me, I give you a smile."

When that baby smiles, it's about true love, and true love is understood because it is felt.

We have become vocal about peace, but not feeling peace. We don't appreciate what it means to feel anymore - to feel passion and to feel compassion.

In compassion everybody is the same. It's not a question of female or male, or white, tan, black, green. Compassion is for everyone. If compassion is not there anymore it is because we are not the beings we used to be, those beings who were built to feel.

We measure time. Do we understand the value of the time we have to be alive? We should measure this: "How fulfilled am I today? How compassionate am I? How much peace did I feel today? How much did I bloom today - in every hour, in every minute, in every second?"

You don't need a watch. You've been given the tool of feeling. You have a heart, and it is one of your greatest assets.

The only thing missing in humanity is the "human." The time has come for humanity to become human.

We've gone to the moon, and that was a great accomplishment. We have gone to great depths in the oceans, and that was a great accomplishment. And human beings will continue to make remarkable strides. Yet, as far as accomplishments are concerned, it will not be bullets or wars. And it won't be satellites, cell phones, iPods, and computers. It will be peace. Peace will be humanity's greatest achievement.

Break The Rope

I would like to congratulate you for reading this. I know you could be reading anything. But you are interested in peace; you are interested in finding fulfillment in your life. And that, to me, deserves the sincerest congratulations because you are looking for the highest achievement that a human being can attain…to be human.

We have the possibility to be free, to feel peace, to achieve what it is to truly be human. So the question is, what ropes hold us back from achieving that peace when peace is inside of every one of us?

We can communicate with people around the world instantly. In just an instant you're connected with the other side of the world. But all of this technology has not brought us any closer to peace with ourselves.

To attain peace you don't have to do anything. Everything you want, you have to do something for it. And for peace you have to do nothing because peace is already inside of you. Peace is in the core of your being, in your heart.

The heart is the place where courage resides - the courage to go forward and fulfill who you really are. The heart is the place where your truest wisdom resides. The heart is the place where you will find the quest, the thirst to be fulfilled. All that is good in you as a human being is in your heart.

Do you feel the simplicity that the heart offers you? Human wisdom should be about simplicity: If you are thirsty, drink water. If you're tired, rest. If you're confused, seek clarity. If you're in sadness, seek joy. This is human wisdom. When you feel empty, find your fulfillment because that's in you, too.
If you have any question about the beauty and power of this universe - the earth spinning around and you on it with a heart that wants to be fulfilled - then watch the sunset at night or watch the sunrise in the morning.

It doesn't need any glorification. This story of the human being doesn't need any glorification either; it simply needs to be told. It is a story about the ropes that we are quite capable of breaking - but we have given up because once we couldn't and so we think we still can't. I say: Don't give up. Don't give up in this life. There's no reason to.

There is an adventure every day, and it is the adventure of understanding. Not climbing mountains. The biggest mountain you will ever climb is the mountain of understanding. Once you have climbed that mountain, you would have truly conquered something because you would understand…your self.

Do you want to be free? Before you set off on a journey to be free, understand what's holding you back. Why are you not free? All these ideas you have about things, about everything, are not yours; they were put into your head a long time ago. And like a good little girl, like a good little boy, you said, "Thank you."

Look in the mirror - open your eyes, and I guarantee you a miracle. Because what you see looking at that mirror is a miracle. The dirt that can see, that can smile, that can admire, that can actually say, "That's me!" That's you. This existence is you.

Knowing yourself is the human attribute that truly makes you who you are. Focus. Realize your strength; realize you don't have to be tied by the rope. You can easily break it and be free. Free!
Be content; be fulfilled. Be in peace. It is possible. Find contentment within yourself. Enjoy every day. That's the possibility. That's what peace is about. What I'm talking about is a very distinct feeling, a feeling of being fulfilled. A feeling of being free.

Flower Of Breath

Imagine you are in a park - beautiful lawn, trees, flowers.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a little boy comes over to you.
With a smile and a laugh, he hands you a flower.

What would you do?

Then he goes to a group of people and hands them a flower.
The first question is, "Where are your parents? Are you lost?"
Then somebody asks, "Oh! Is that for me?"
Somebody else says, "What a nice flower."
Another person asks, "What's your name, little boy? How old are you?
Where do you live? What are you doing here?"

What would you ask?

There are times in life when it is essential that you understand something.
You didn't ask for it. You weren't looking for it.
But a situation presents itself and calls you to acknowledge something.
Some people don't like it when that happens.
And others realize, "Here is an opportunity for me to learn".

I will tell you who I want to be in that garden.

With the same innocent smile as the child offering me the flower,
I want to extend my hand and accept it - no words exchanged.
It is not how I see myself; it is who I want to be.
With the same innocence, I want to accept that gift.

I am in a garden.
Every moment comes with incredible innocence and joy.
This remarkable gift of existence keeps unfolding and unfolding.

This magnificent power of life is handing me a flower of breath.

It Will Take All Of Us

People ask me, "If you think peace is so simple, how come we don't have peace in this world?" It's a very important question.

Everybody has his or her own interpretation of what peace is. We don't recognize peace as something that is as universal as the sun. We don't recognize peace as something as essential as water and air.

A curious human trait: whenever we can't find what we are searching for, we immediately start trying to define it. And the definitions we come up with then become our expectations of what we expect we will find.

In the absence of peace, we begin to define peace in different ways. Instead of coming together, people argue: "What is peace? How will peace be?" People end up fighting one another over peace.

Consider a simple principle: peace is a need that has to be satisfied, not in thought, but in the heart of every human being.

IS IT POSSIBLE?

There are those who can give five, six, maybe ten reasons why there cannot be peace. I have seven billion reasons why there should be peace. This is the time when nations need to come together.

Remember, it is the kings and rulers in whose reign peace flourished who are considered the most successful. In their reign of peace, prosperity followed.

It seems to me if we create peace, prosperity will come right along, take the stage, and dance for everyone. These are not impossible dreams. These are realities that can be owned by all of us.

If we can make such a mess out of the earth - if we have that much power - then certainly we also have the power to bring peace. The question remains whether it is something that we want to do or not - because peace begins with every one of us.

It is individual human beings who desire peace. It is individual human beings who need peace. And it is on the stage of the heart, in each individual human being, where peace needs to dance.

This doesn't require wishes but determination. This doesn't require definitions but clarity. If we can go to the moon, it should certainly be possible to travel the shortest distance there is - from one person to his or her own heart, to feel the joy that exists in all of us.

Our measurements need to be for our similarities, not our differences. Then we can begin to lay the foundation for peace in this world. Not with exclusion, but with inclusion.

Determination, understanding, and clarity are the foundations on which this palace will be built.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

We will benefit. Our future generations will benefit. And their children and grandchildren will benefit. This world can be a place they can proudly call their own.

I have a very, very strong feeling, if we really want this, it can be done.

Once Upon A Time

When I was growing up we had a little Lhasa Apso dog, and he had a temper. One day, this dog was barking and barking. "Who's out there? What's wrong?" So we ran outside. And there he was, this little thing, in front of a mirror that somebody had left outside. He saw himself in the mirror, and he wanted to tear that other dog into little pieces. It was very funny for us to watch. It was like, "Doesn't he know he is looking at himself?!" And the answer is, "No!"

That's what happens to us as well, when we don't understand the fullness of who we are. "I'm alive. So, big deal?" But it is a big deal, in fact the biggest deal there is.

Everybody has a story. What is your story? Right now the story goes: Once upon a time there is a human being. And this being has countless possibilities. No limits. And within all of our possibilities we can choose clarity or we can choose confusion. Both are in us. How much? Exactly fifty-fifty.

How much strength do we have? Exactly fifty percent. How much weakness do we have? Exactly fifty percent - not fifty-one or forty-nine. It's fifty-fifty and you choose.

Do you know your self? Not the idea of yourself, but your "self"? In your life story, do you feel that your life is a gift - do you understand the preciousness of your time?

The breath coming in and going out of you is a miracle that takes place right under your nose. A little air comes into you, brings you something, it leaves and comes again. It is by the courtesy of each breath that everything is here for you.

Our life begins with the first breath coming in. How will our life end? With the last breath going out. Between the breath that came in the first time and the breath that went out the last time, there's the story of stories. The only story you'll ever know for sure, because it's your story.

Things will change; you will change. That's how it is. This story of life is played out on the face of this earth again and again and again.

What is unique? The choices you make. Some people say, "Oh, but I'm sick; I'm dying." Well, you're not dead until you are. That's life. It is until it is no more.

There has never been and never will be anyone like you. This is your story. Write it well. Articulate it well. You are alive. Once upon a time there is a human being …

Walk With Strength

One day, we all have to go. You know that. Some days, it's in the back of your mind. Other days, you don't bother to think about it. For most people, the subject is unpleasant.

But the issue is your existence - you being alive. What does that mean to you?

People everywhere know they want to be happy, to be content, to feel good. This is our nature. We seek equilibrium.

Yet the storms in our lives can be difficult.

When a storm outside comes, we seek shelter. We don't say, "This is the perfect time; I'm going to go out for a walk in the storm now." We know we need the equilibrium.

There are certain things that work for you, and certain things that don't. Feeling good works. Feeling bad doesn't.

When you are feeling bad, you want to get out of that situation. But you never get bored with feeling good. This is your nature. Are you in synch with your nature?

Do you try to nurture a good feeling and perpetuate it as much as possible? Or do you carry around a pocketful of band-aids?

A pocketful of band-aids means: "I'm not going to be conscious or perpetuate happiness in my life. Instead, I will do things unconsciously and when I get hurt, I will simply pull out a band-aid and get through it."

When you don't listen to your own fundamental needs, something will happen and it won't be pleasant.

What is pleasant is when the priority of your life is acknowledged and your heart begins to fill with gratitude. You are alive!

Gather your strengths, not your weaknesses.
What are your strengths? Your strengths are consciousness, kindness, understanding, appreciation, and love.

When you walk with these, the outcome is beautiful. Every second you spend with the beauty inside of you liberates you. You feel free.

There is no promise life will last forever. But you have the potential to experience true and unconditional love. And that resides in your heart. When you experience that, you begin to live.

What Is Peace?

As human beings, we have a need - not a need created by society, but a fundamental need to be fulfilled, to be in peace. It is easy to toss around the word "peace." But what is peace?

Is it just hearing wind chimes? No traffic? No airplanes or trains buzzing by?

Or is peace a feeling – an undeniable feeling not born of thought. Everything that comes to us is born of thought. We get good news and we think, "Things are going my way." We get bad news and we think, "Why is this happening to me?"

It doesn't take much for us to get unsettled. It happens when we're in traffic and somebody honks their horn. Your son or daughter tells you, "I failed," and you get upset. So is peace simply not being upset?

What is peace?

Something that is not born of thought, but felt. Something that resides in the ocean of answers, not in the ocean of questions.

Your life. Your being. What does it mean to be here, to be alive? I want to understand it as clearly as possible before I lose the ability to understand it. I want to know what this life is.

Breath - the coming and going of this breath - out of nowhere it comes and to nowhere it goes. From this breath comes the gift of life. You can be. You can admire. You can be thankful that you exist. You can feel and give kindness. Know that all is well.

We only think of this in times of trouble. Do you know that you're fine? You always were and always will be. We live in a world of fear. But there is something within you that you should not be afraid of. It is the ability to enjoy and appreciate this life.

A Greater World

I am a person who believes that it's good to talk about peace but it's better to feel it. That it's okay to talk about human progress but it's better to actually accomplish it.

For a very long time, human beings have shown a particular trait. This trait is to better themselves. We could have stayed in caves but we strived to make something beautiful to live in. There is a human trait to improve and to better ourselves.

In this spirit of bettering ourselves, we have improved externally … yet there is also a fundamental need to better ourselves from within. Not only from our minds but from our hearts. Not only in ideas but in reality.

This is who we are. These are the genes, the ideas, the elements that have shaped us and brought us to the point where we are today. We have always been concerned about our future. A long, long time ago, as we transitioned from trees to caves, we wondered: "What will happen to us?" And today, after all the changes that have happened since then, we still question our future.

There are people who say that the earth will be destroyed. And when we hear that, we feel concerned. It's natural. Right now, due to the economic situation of the world, there are people wondering what's going to happen to them. Wars continue. Reasons are declared. Justif ications are thrown at us. Innocent women and children, entire families are killed. For what? For reasons. For explanations. For ideas. For ideals that people have created.

THE IDEAL

The ideal should be peace on earth and for people to feel and celebrate this peace. We talk about prosperity. What I have observed is prosperity without peace leads to chaos.

We have to understand what peace really is. Peace is not in a monastery. Peace is not the absence of noise. Peace is not a declaration. Peace is not the absence of war.

Peace is a fundamental need that comes from within every single human being. It is from the hearts of human beings that peace will be achieved, when there is a simple recognition - that we may look differently, we may speak differently, but we have the same fundamental needs, and we share this magnificent place called planet Earth.

We need to appreciate the importance of getting along with each other. It's not like everybody has to become the same. We should welcome and accept our differences - whether they are in culture or language.
I speak two languages. I know that what you say in English, you can also say in Hindi. What you communicate is not any different. You just say it differently: in different words, with different voices. But the substance is exactly the same.

We are part of a much greater world. There are fundamental elements afoot in human existence, and one of these fundamental elements is the need and want for peace. As it is good to talk about food, it is better to eat food; as it is good to talk about water, it is better to drink water; as it is good to talk about peace, it is much better to actually feel peace.

A Moment Forever

Life seems too short, doesn't it? It would be nice if you could make all your mistakes, get it all together, show up somewhere, and say, "Okay, I've figured it out. I'm ready."

But it doesn't work like that. We're given some time, and we don't know how much.

In the beginning, we're not aware of responsibilities, about right and wrong, about being human. But we have a thirst - to be happy - whatever that means.

As a child, the level of optimism is at an all-time high. Whatever happened yesterday happened, but today is today. We call this innocence, and this state is beautiful.

Then you go through the period of learning, the alphabet - A, B, Cs …. You don't know why A is A. It just is. You don't know why one is one. It just is. And you are tested on it.

This keeps on going; you are being prepped to go out into the world. You give up on your ideas and take on the ideas that society gives you. This is defined as responsibility.

Then, one day, an amazing thing happens. You hear: "The happiness that you want in your life is within you." You recognize that joy is embedded within you - not in logic, but in the innocence of the heart.

This need for fulfillment is a human being's true passion. This is a passion that, against all odds, has survived all of our discoveries, turmoil, successes, failures, disasters, and catastrophes. Though languages have been forgotten, customs that survived for thousands of years have been forgotten, somehow, however fragile it may seem, the quest to be fulfilled has survived.

Today we have an opportunity to be fulfilled, to be happy. There is no rewind button.

When I come home to this moment called now, I find my gratitude. Every fiber in my being comes alive and my heart dances. I have no quest for tomorrow, or even the moment yet to come. Now is a moment I could live in forever.

About You

You and I - as human beings - have much in common. You are fundamentally no different than I am. I am alive; you are alive. A breath comes into me; a breath comes into you.

I'm not talking about our achievements, our potential, or the things we've been through in life. It is the quest for happiness that you and I yearn for, regardless of the ways we try to achieve it.

We are caught in a tornado of change because everything around us is continuously in a state of change. Our thoughts change, ideas change, and perceptions change. You and I change and change and change, and we fight the changes until at some point, we come to the conclusion: enough fighting - let them come.

There is something inherent within us that seeks the unchangeable so we can have stability. Could it be that peace has been placed inside our heart, so we will know where to find it? Can I accept change and retain my dignity? In the middle of all the changes on the outside, is there something that doesn't change inside of you?

People say, "Oh, I'm just me. It's no big deal." But it is a big deal. You are alive. There is no one like you on the face of this earth.

The way you smile, the way you see, the way you think, the way you laugh, the way you cry, the way you walk, the way you understand and the way you don't understand - is completely unique. And because you are unique, once you are gone, you can never be replaced by anyone else - ever.

When you see something beautiful like a sunrise or sunset, it evokes a sense of appreciation in you. When you hear something beautiful like a guitar played perfectly in tune and with feeling, it strikes a chord in you.

You can think, you can understand, and you can feel. Your assets are your clarity, consciousness, and the ability to experience peace. These are miracles taking place inside of you.

You already know this. All that you need to do is to play the drum of clarity, which evokes the rhythm of peace. What you are looking for is inside of you. It's that simple. Breath comes into you; you are alive. It's beautiful by design that you are here.