Prem Rawat: Experience in a Lifetime 2003

Prem Rawat: Experience in a Lifetime 2003 03V1EIAL

Prem Rawat speaks to people around the world about the possibility of finding inner peace and contentment. Speaking at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand, he recently said, the peace that we are looking for is already in the heart. It needs to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. He delivered his first public address in India when he was only four years old. At the age of 13, he was invited to address audiences in London and Los Angeles. Since then, he has presented his message to over 4.5 million people in more than 50 countries. For those who wish to make such peace a reality in their lives, he offers a practical way which he calls Knowledge.

Searching For Something

After many years, it's a chance again to come here and to talk about really the same thing. Because all of us in this world, we're looking for something.

Some people think what we're looking for is something old. So, this search in the old, this search in the antique, that gives credibility to them if it is something old. But they're still searching. Some people, they think what they're looking for, they will find in the new. So, they look for it in the new. They look for it in technology, in new inventions, new things. Some people think it must be out in the outer space. So, they search for it there. Some people think it's in India. So, they go to India and they search. Some people think what they're looking for, they will find it in a very quiet place. No distractions, no challenges. So, they make a monastery and they look for it there. But in all this looking, one, they're searching for something. Something.

Isn't that fascinating? We need something. We want something. See, that's the problem. The whole world is ready to tell you what it is that you're looking for. Big billboards. Big advertisement. Buy this and if you buy this, you will have what you're looking for. This is not a mistake. This is a science. Millions and millions and in fact billions of dollars are spent to entice you. Because all these people, they know you are looking for something. Now, what is it? What are we looking for? So, some people say to be successful.

Some people say peace. Some people say love. Some people say tranquility. Some people say enlightenment. So, what are we looking for? Why, if it is the same thing that we are all looking for, why does it have so many names? Why does it have so many names? Because it is a thirst that we have. We know what it is that we need. If you are hungry, you need food, not water. If you're thirsty, you need water, not food. If you feel that you need love in your life, you're going to be looking for love. If you have confusion, problems, turmoil in your life, you look for peace. You see, I talk to people about peace. And a lot of people are like, yeah, that's nice. It's okay. Good, good, you talk about peace, that's good. Yes, the world needs it. Really? Really? You see, it's exactly backwards. The world doesn't need it. You need it. You are the world. You are the world. And you are definitely your own world. Your world. And if there is turmoil in this world of yours, then the peace needs to be in this world. Peace. Peace. Because that is how we are meant to be. This is who we are.

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Peace Begins With Me

Peace is within the heart of each being. Absence of war is not peace.

Because it is people, it is us. We're the ones who start the wars. When the differences become so great, and the intolerance, intolerance reaches epic proportions, wars will happen. When I fail to see another being as I see myself, then wars will happen. When the causes and the reasons become greater than the sanctity of peace, wars will happen. When I fail to realize what is the value, the value of being alive, wars will happen. And believe me, believe me, ever that the war begins outside, it would have begun on the inside first. And the war on the inside is far more dangerous. Because it is a fire that may never be quenched. And it can rage on, and on, and on, and on. In the battle outside, at least you will hear a noise, but the battle inside, you may not hear a peep. The battle outside may have strategies, the battle inside may be just going on and on and on, and nobody is even negotiating. Hey, stop.

This is your time. On the face of this earth, this is your opportunity to be alive. For me, when peace begins within me, and it has taken hold of me, when I have allowed it to blossom, then peace for me is also possible on the outside. Then peace for me is also possible, a reality, because I have felt it. Because peace isn't about words, it is about feeling. Like to a thirsty person saying, water, water, water, water, water, it will not quench their thirst. They need water, and not only do they need water, they actually need to feel that their thirst has been quenched before. Before they can say, thank you. Before they can say, ah, that feels good. To me, that is the simplicity. That's what we have forgotten. That's what we have forgotten, that a hungry person needs food. And more than food, needs to have eaten it and satisfied the hunger. It is the hunger that is causing the problem. The hunger, the thirst needs to be quenched. The hunger needs to be satisfied. The longing of a lifetime, regardless of how old the person is, it is a longing of a lifetime to be fulfilled.

Remembering the Promise

Once there was this child, and this child wanted to be older. Really, you know how that is. You ask little kids, how old are you? Almost ten. Almost ten. Rounding up, I mean the severe rounding up, child might be three, almost ten. Because, because, they want to do something. They know what. They want to do something. And they know that maybe they can't do it now. Maybe when they get older, they will be able to do it. So, almost ten. Then when that child got to be ten, almost sixteen. Our society is set up this way. Almost sixteen. Almost sixteen. When they got to be sixteen, almost eighteen. When they got to be eighteen, almost twenty-one. When they got to be twenty-one, almost twenty-five. When they got to be twenty-five, almost twenty-four. It's amazing how that works. Almost thirty. Almost thirty-five. Almost forty. Almost forty-five. Almost fifty. Almost fifty-five. Almost sixty. And then the sixty-year-old looks at the little child, and they like what they see. And let me tell you, it's not the little child. Because the sixty-year-old and that child both have something in common. And you know what it is? It's that same thing. That little child wanted to do. That the sixty-year-old wants to do. To be fulfilled.

That is the promise that we made to ourselves that one day, one day I will have peace in my life. Someday I will have tranquility in this life. Someday I will have happiness in this life. And the ten-year-old thought that when he would be sixteen, maybe he would be able to do it. When he became sixteen, he thought maybe eighteen I'd be able to do it. Eighteen to twenty-one to twenty-five to thirty to thirty-five. Forty, forty-five. Fifty, fifty-five. Sixty, sixty-five. Seventy. Years have rolled by. Promise remains unfulfilled. And something, something that caused the promise to be made is still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. That the promise was made to, promised to, is still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. And not a day goes by where the pang, where the pain, where the want, where the thirst, where the wish to be happy doesn't knock. Knock. Open up. Fulfill. Fulfill this life. Fulfill this time. Fulfill this destiny. Fulfill this chance. And that is why we are here. That's what it's all about. It's to fulfill that promise. That's why we're here. Do it. Do it. Fulfill it. It's your obligation. It's your responsibility.

Because there's the heart. And I know. And I have seen it. Again and again and again. It doesn't matter how old you get or how young you are, unless that promise has been fulfilled. It doesn't matter how content you get on the outside, the contentment on the inside will not be there. This is not about pushing buttons and this is not about ringing bells. This is not about chanting some chant. This is about drinking from the fountain of life till the thirst is quenched. That's the promise. This is not about hanging a picture on the wall of a glass of water and saying, that's what I promised. No, that was not the promise. This is not about going somewhere and saying, well, I went to this place and there was water, water everywhere and so it's done.

No, this is about drinking, drinking and drinking of that water till the thirst is quenched. Very important. Very, very important. Not just holding a glass of water in your hand. That's not what it's about. Not having been close to water. That's not what it's about. This is what I talk about. Because that's how it should be. That each human being on the face of this earth gets to quench that thirst. First thing, what I am talking about will begin to make sense if you can feel the thirst in your life.

If you remember the promise. Now scratch too hard. Promise. I never made a promise. I remember making a promise. Think. Think way, way back. Way, way to that little kid who loved happiness with all his or her might. Remember? Remember that kid could hardly go to sleep because next day was Christmas? Remember that kid that couldn't wait for the day to begin? That even the littlest crack of light coming into the room was enough to go, it's here. If you remember anybody like that, it's most likely you. And if it's you, then you made that promise. Maybe not in words. I promise so and so. No, this promise is not made in words. This promise is made in feeling. This promise is made in feeling. I see so many times little kids going to school for the first time and they're crying. They want to be away from home. Home! And there is a home within. Then yes, you have made that promise and now it is your turn to fulfill it. What is being offered? Knowledge.

What is Knowledge? Well, I can put it very simply. There's four techniques. You get these. You practice. Go inside. They help you to go inside. It's not about that. It's about fulfilling the promise. And Knowledge can help you to fulfill the promise.

An Incredible Tool

Let me give you a few analogies here. What Knowledge is. A lot of people cook with peanut oil. It's a popular oil. It's used for deep frying. But if you take a handful of peanuts and throw them in a pot and then try to fry anything, it's not going to work. Why not? Because yes, there is oil in those peanuts, but it has to be extracted. If it is not extracted, it's useless. When they mine diamonds, cut a piece off, what happens do you think to those diamonds? It's very interesting. You might think, oh, they go to a cutter. First thing, they go to a person who can look at those diamonds and say, this is good. We can get certain amount of carat from this diamond. This is a high quality piece. This will come out good. Somebody who knows how to look at that piece of nothing and see its potential. See what it can do.

If you go to Vietnam or northern part of India or southern part of India or so many places where they grow rice, you know where rice grows. It doesn't grow on walls. It comes from the earth. So how come there isn't rice everywhere? That'd be nice. But that's not the case, is it? We know that. We know that if you want rice, it's going to take a certain amount of effort. It's going to take that you sow the seeds and it comes up and then you transplant them, even though that's different ways of doing it. The potential is there. But to make that potential a reality, something has to happen. So where does butter come from? Milk. Well, next time you want to butter your toast, just dip it in some milk. So I say to you that if you want that butter from that milk, it's there, but you need to extract it.

That's what Knowledge is. The most incredible tool exactly to extract this Knowledge. What a beautiful name. Knowledge. Knowledge of the Self. Nice to know the Self. The only thing that prevents us from being alone is the Self. Without the Self, we would have no one. Wherever we go, the Self comes along, and Knowledge of the Self. To know this friend inside, to know this joy, to know this beauty, to know this breath, an opportunity to know this moment, the opportunity to be able to extract the butter out of the milk. Take it out.

To be able to sow the seeds for that beautiful rice to grow. To be able to extract. This is, you realize, this is all a process of extraction. It is. It is an incredible tool. That's what you will be given. A tool, a way to be able to go inside, to connect, and to feel. Why? Because you can feel. And who will be the judge? No judges are required, but the heart will be the judge.

If Someone Can Help

This is about understanding, not believing. This is about understanding. This is about knowing. That's why there's that beautiful word. It is beautiful. Knowledge.

To know, to know the meaning of this life. To know the value of this breath. To know. Of course, people have the next question. What will that do for me? Answer? Nothing. And everything. Depends. Depends. Nothing? If you never recognize your own thirst, what does it mean? But if you recognize your thirst, it means everything. That is how simple it is. Now people say, you know, and where do you fit in? Me? Where do you fit in? Where do I fit in? I'm here. I'm the one who reminds you.

Promise. But won't I remember that? Frankly, no. No. I have understood one thing in my life, and that is more important the thing in my life is, more likely I am to forget it. I know why. I mean, I see people have got the key to their house, and they're, where's the key to my house? Key to your house? How could you lose the key to their house so many times, so many times that they take a key and they put it under the mattress so they forget it? No problem.

I know where it is. Issue is not why we forget. Issue is not how we forget.

The issue is there is a reminder, and that's what's important. When you are thirsty in the desert, looking for water, would you like somebody to come and explain to you how you got lost? Would you? Would you like a lecture on navigation? Would you even like a GPS? Would you like a blanket? How about a sandwich? Boat? A monkey? To keep you company? Or would you like some water? Thirst is what makes it apparent. See, before you started off on the journey into the desert, you said to yourself, yeah, I might need a blanket, so you packed a blanket. Oh yes, I might need a compass, so you packed a compass. I might need a flare, so you packed a flare. I might need a knife, so you packed a knife. I might need a bag, so you packed a bag. And now you are in the middle of the desert, and you're thirsty. Now, compass, I need it. Blanket, I care. Bag, I need it. Knife, you want it? Take it away. Water? Water makes it clear. Clear. No ambiguity. That's what thirst does, and that's what we need in our lives. No ambiguity. None. We need ambiguity in our life. We need clarity. And that is the place we have to come from.

And if somebody can help us, remind us, I would like to have this person around. Personally, for me, if I'm going on a journey, it's going to take me through the desert, and there is a person who says, you know what? I can help you remind to keep that water. Come. Come with me, and keep reminding me to hang on to that water, because I'm going to need it. I am going to need it. And that is what it's all about. It's simple. It's profound. And if you find a box to put this message in,. And if you have already found a box, please open the box. Take it out. Because if it causes you to think, okay, good. If it causes you to look, good. If it causes you to think about peace, good. If it makes it attractive that you have understanding in your life, wonderful. We're getting there. We're not there. We're getting there. So, if it reminds you that this is what it's all about, please open the box.

This day is special, that every day is special. Good, good. Then I can help you, then Knowledge can help you understand exactly how special that day is. And you will go through your journey, whatever it is. Be thankful for this life. If you end up with Knowledge, fine. If you end up with Knowledge, fine. But be thankful for this life. Try to be as clear as you can be in your life. Whatever you can do to be in that joy, do. And when nothing of that works, I'm here. Somewhere around the world, but I'm here. Talking to people about this. Talking to people about this possibility. It's all it is. It's a possibility. Because if you see it, it's nothing. If you see it and recognize it, it's everything.

Three Questions

The most fundamental of the journeys does not begin in ambiguity. It begins in clarity, and it begins with the acknowledgment of that the most beautiful, the most incredible resides within you. You think that's easy? No. It is easier to think that the most beautiful resides next door. No one home here. Everything is next door. Think of the implications for a human mind. I've got the ball in my hand, and I've been aimlessly running around. Seen a relay race? They're ready. They're waiting, waiting, waiting. And the guy brings that baton and hands it. And it's not like, hi. What is this? What do I do with this? So focused. So focused. To do as well as I can the implications that the ultimate resides within me. Fascinating. Ultimate resides within me. I've been walking around aimlessly all this time.

This is not good. So if the ultimate lives next door, that's very nice. Because it still gives me the license to wander aimlessly. This is next door. When there is a recognition of that that is within you, something changes. bring into it guilt. bring into it how it should be and how it shouldn't be. No. Just acknowledge and understand and accept that there's something wonderful within you. That's all. This is not a guilt trip. It's not what it's about. Road to fulfillment is free from guilt. Good news, huh? Yeah. Road to fulfillment is free from doubt. Bad news. But if you realize that half of your doubts are coming from your guilt, it's semi-good news. The doubt comes from but, and but comes from something that somebody said once. You do that, that might happen. And you're going, but if I do that, that might happen. Well, no. It's free of doubt and it's free of guilt. Becomes step number one. Two, you are more important than the sum of all your success and failure. Chew that. What does that mean? Hoy, you know, this is deep stuff. No, no, this is simple stuff.

House. Five rooms. Green, yellow, purple, pink, red. Maybe I said too many colors. But something like that. You go into one room, what color do you become? You become the same color as the room. Because that's what you've been doing. I'm a father. Now, I am a father. And then, now, I'm a brother. Now, I'm an uncle. Now, I'm an employee. Now, I am an employer. Now, I'm a doctor. Now, I'm a lawyer. Chameleon. You know how to change colors. You know how to blend in. Blend in. You not only know how to blend in, you also forget yourself. And all these chameleon changing aspects of things. You forget that little kid. That little being. That little person who has the ability to look out and see simplicity. See beauty. And be mesmerized. Which one? Which one? Are you many or are you one? You have to make a distinction here. Are you many or are you one? Because if you find yourself to be many, well, you should be one. People are going for none. But nobody's going for one.

And you come to that one person and it says, no, you're everything. Now, how do you accept the importance that you are more important than the success? This is, a lot of people have a problem with that. I'm more important than my success? Yes. Because you can always be more successful. And because you can be more successful than any given time, whatever you have achieved, so far you are you. You can do better. And if that is true, then yes, you are better than the sum of your success. And this one is, of course, very nice. You're also better, more important, than the sum of your failures. Phew, that's great. No, but it has to be both. Success and failure. Not just one. Sorry. Both. Everything that happens around you. Everything that happens around you. You're better than that. Everything. That happens around you. Everything. All the things. You're better than that. You're more important than that.

Somebody might say, well, you know, what if there's Knowledge happening around you? Yeah. Because it can happen in you. It's not a matter of it's happening next door. It's happening inside. Difference, huh? Do not disturb. Do not disturb. More important than all the good and the bad and the changing wheels and the parts that are broken and the parts that will be made and the things that will happen and the things that won't happen and the histories will change. Wars will be fought. Peace will be made. All that will happen. The sum of all of that is less than the existence of each human being. This has got to be the most anti-social statement ever made. But it's so good. You see, if I can accept the incredible is within me and I'm more important than the success and the failure, then I'm ready for the next stage. Do I want to be fulfilled? With those two taken care of, I can take possibly the next step.

An Experiencce In a Lifetime

Do you know how to look at yourself in the mirror? Do you? You probably will say yes. But you. Because it's not the reflection that you should be looking at. So, how do you look at that reflection? What does that reflection mean? There's something more that that reflection is saying. It's attesting to existence. Your existence. Not in the eyes, but deep, deep, deep. Even deeper than the eyes. Something is looking out and you won't see that in the mirror. That being that is looking through. Notice, you will see yourself age. Of course you will. You do. But if somebody looks out through those eyes and looks at that reflection and it's never aged. Not a day. Not a second. Not a moment. And something doesn't age. Looks through. Looks at that reflection and has been looking at that reflection again and again and again and again and again. And it's the same curiosity. And if it only had two hands, it would come out and touch it. You. I'm in you. Waiting to feel that freedom. Free me. Waiting to feel that joy. Fill me. Please. You can do it. You're the vessel. You're the means. You're the hope. You are the hope. This breath as it is twining through you. As it's plucking you. Sing, play, sing. Make that note. Plucking, plucking, plucking, plucking. And so far, maybe it's been just nothing. Or a twang out of tune. An instrument that is uncertain.

A flute that just won't play. Maybe just hisses. Won't play. And this breath is coming again and again and again. And the possibility of Knowledge and the possibility of life. And one day, when that fear is gone, one day, when clarity has set in, one day, when that recognition really means something, when I feel that that ultimate resides within me and I am more important than all that happens, then this flute will sing out. And once it does, I know there will be no stopping it. Nothing will be able to stop it. Right now, it's just the decisions and the indecisions and the fears and the doubts. Can that happen? If you have that doubt, then think of the one that brings the breath to you. Because that one has no doubt. Maybe you believe in your possibility, but that incredible energy, that incredible breath has no doubt. It comes. It blows again. Okay. Again. And again. And again. One day, maybe, when all that doubt and all that fear is put aside, this flute can sing. And how marvelous that day would be. How beautiful that day would be. And if I understand the beauty of that day, then yes, I can use the word privilege instead of effort. It is my privilege to be a flute in this incredible orchestra of existence. This orchestra is here, and I am an instrument that needs to play. The player is playing me. I have to worry about what I'm going to sound like. All I have to do is take that wind and make it resonate.

From just being a wind, I can make it an experience of a lifetime. Instead of being just a moment, I can turn it into infinity. Thank you for listening.