Prem Rawat in Santiago, 2010-09-15

Peace is a Priority
Prem Rawat in Santiago, 15th September 2010

So, I understand it's been 13 years since I've been to Chile, but as I said, I'm here. And there's been a lot of events happening. The call seems to go by very fast. We started off with some events. I think one was in America, and then there were some events that happened in India, and then I came and did some events in Europe, and then did some more events in North America, and now I'm here doing events in South America. So, what have I been saying to people? Because, for me, what needs to be talked about is always the same things. This life, this existence, our being here, and fully understanding, realizing what this opportunity is, and taking full advantage of it. Because all too quickly, all this will evaporate. And when it does, there's nothing you can do about it. See, right now you can do something. You can do something about every day. You can do something about every hour. You can do something. But when it evaporates, then you cannot do anything.

So, same message, and I put it in different ways, because my hope is that today that you are here, you took the day off to be here, and that something will make sense to you. And when it does, it'll change your life. Because the whole objective, in my opinion, is to be fulfilled. And that's what I want to talk about. I want to put the same message in the context of the battles, and the war. Now, you, first of all, have to understand what is a battle. And what is a war. A war may have many battles in it. And you can win some, and you can lose some. And winning of the battles and losing of the battles does not make you the victor. Nor does it make you the loser. But losing the war will make you a loser, and winning the war will make you a victor. So, in this existence, there's going to be, in your life, there's going to be many battles. But there's only going to be one war. And you are obsessed, obsessed, I don't know why, but as human beings, we are obsessed with winning the battles. And we are so obsessed with winning the battles that we forget everything about the war. What is the objective? What is the final war? The final war, my friends, is to be content. That's it. The battles you fight are your formulas of how you can be content. I want to have this in my life, I want this in my life, and this way in my life, this person should be this way, this person should be this way, this person should be that way, this way, I want that to be here, I want that to be there, I want this to be this way, I want this person to talk to me like this. I mean, all of these are battles. They are, and you are obsessed with them. You have an obsession, almost to the point that it's strange. You want to win the battle, win the battle, win the battle, win the battle, win the battle. And I'm here to tell you, don't care about the battles. If you win a few, good. If you lose a few, all right, don't even think twice.

How many of you have witnessed somebody said something wrong to somebody, and that somebody got very upset? And that could be mother, father, husband, wife, daughter, mother, son, mother, son, father, right? And they're not talking to each other, and they're mad with each other, and they're upset with each other. And you are obsessed to make it right. And when you obsess with the battles, you lose track of winning the war. Every day of your life, every day of your life, you have to understand that you must win the war. Nothing in this world ultimately should be able to take away your serenity. Nobody should be able to take away your clarity. Nobody should be able to take away your peace. Nobody should be able to take away your understanding. Nobody should be able to take away your joy, regardless of what happens. Then you are the victor. Then you have won the war. And to have won a few battles does not make you the victor. The war continues. You are the warrior. Do you know that? Do you know you are a warrior? And do you know you have to fight? You have to. Because you have to claim what is rightfully yours. Do you know what is rightfully yours? Peace is rightfully yours. Rightfully. Tranquility is rightfully yours. Truth is rightfully yours. Life is rightfully yours. Rightfully belongs to you. Rightfully. You are the heir. But you must fight for it. Can you hire somebody to fight for you? No. Battlefield is being drawn. A place is India, Kurukshetra. The war is to be called the Mahabharata. Amongst all the players in this battle is Arjuna, and a very top player, Krishna. And Krishna is telling Arjuna to fight. And you know this is what he says. Because Arjuna says, you know, will you fight? Will you fight? What do you think, Krishna says? I'm not going to fight. You have to fight. I will guide your chariot. I'll drive your chariot. But you must fight. In the Mahabharata, do you think with Krishna as the charioteer of Arjuna, they win every battle? No. They lose many battles. Do they win the war? Yes. So, I'm here to talk about not the battle plan. Not the battle plan. That's what you want to know. What is the battle plan? I'm telling you, don't worry about the battle plan.

I'm here for the war plan. What is your war plan? Do you have one? Do you? You have now, in your knowing, in your understanding, the most powerful weapon to win the war. You do. Absolutely. Guaranteed, it works. Because of Knowledge. That's what you have. This is the only thing. The only thing. The only thing that bothers your mind. I'm serious. I know it's funny. But do you realize that nothing bothers your mind? Nothing. It is willing to play with you on everything. You will be driving, all of a sudden, you will see something, and you will start thinking about it, and your mind will go, and your mind will sweep you. Even if that means that you will run off the highway, that's not the mind's problem. Sweep you. But Knowledge is the only thing that this mind goes, what does it say? What? It says this to nothing in the world. Nothing. But when it comes to sitting down and practicing, it goes. Do you have time for shopping? Yes. How many of you have put money in the meter, in the car meter, and forgotten, and overextended, and gotten a ticket? See, it's your hard-earned money you put in the meter, and you know exactly how much that time was, right? But what about it is that you agree that you totally lost the notion of the time that passed? It makes absolutely no sense, because you know you will get a ticket, and that ticket will be far more expensive than maybe even the thing you are about to buy. But! Come. Come. But I am here to tell you, you've got the most powerful weapon, called Knowledge. And with this, you can accomplish your objective of winning the war. No guarantees for the battle, sorry. I'm not even interested. I don't have a battle plan. I'm not interested in the battles. People come to me, oh, but what about this? What about this? If you don't like the way the battle is going, have patience. Don't turn around. If you seem like you're winning, have some patience. If you lose, you will lose. And if you are losing, have some patience.

You will win. That's the battles. This is one life. This is one life. And this life needs to be built, not like a castle made by sand on the edge of the ocean. I will ask you one question. How many things do you believe in? And how many things do you know? I don't want you to answer it verbally, but answer it for yourself. How many things do you believe in and how many things do you know? You actually believe in a tremendous amount of things that have never been proven to you, but you believe in them. And somewhere in your life, believing became just as good as knowing. Excuse me, but there is a fundamental difference in believing and knowing. Once you know, you don't need to believe. But if you don't know, then that's all you've got, disbelief. So, do you construct your strategy in things you believe or do you construct your strategy from things you know? Because if your strategies are based on things you believe, only believe and do not know, you have a very weak strategy. You are no warrior. You forgot your sword. Your protection is upside down. You are starting to use your shield as a begging bowl. That's what happens in this world. That's what happens. People believe, not know. People believe, people believe, people believe. And because it's just belief, I mean, if I am standing somewhere next to my car and somebody comes to me and says, that's not your car, and I know that's not my car, will my feelings get hurt? Will they? Could they? Somebody's asking me, that's not your car. You're mistaken. It's not a problem.

It's not a problem. Because I know. But if all my life I have believed that this is my car, and somebody comes along and says, this is not your car, then my feelings will get hurt. So that's the difference between knowing and believing. In knowing, there are no questions. In believing, that's all you have. Because it is a hypothesis built on a figment of imagination. That's powerful. If you think about it, how powerful is it? Because we don't think about that. We don't think about believing being wrong. I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying, at some point, you have to get to know. And if you don't, then what's the point in believing? So what do you know? Do you know that you have been waiting for this day for a very long time? No, no, let me finish. It has nothing to do with me. And it has nothing to do with this event. It just so happens that the event is today. But did you know that you were waiting for this day for a very, very long time? Every time somebody sang happy birthday to you, and said may you have a long life, this day was included in that. Was it not? And have you not been waiting for this day? Or have you been waiting for tomorrow? Because tomorrow will never come. Only today comes again, and again, and again, and again. Tomorrow never comes. And all the todays that are going to come in your life, if you're out of your life now, it will be 70 years, it will be about 25,550 days. You will get 25,550 todays, not 25,550 tomorrows. You will only get 25,550 todays. And each one of that today, you better have been waiting for.

See, that's the difference between a nice day and a storm. Nice day, the wind is tolerable. And the storm, the wind is not tolerable. So, are you waiting for the 25,550 todays? Are you waiting for the 25,550 todays to come or not? Because today came today. And because it came today, it makes you the most fortunate person on the face of this earth. A lot of people go, oh yeah, but so many other people are alive too. This makes it too common for you, right? But do you know that one day, when your lights go out, when you die, not everybody will die with you. Don't look at other people. It's about you. It's about you, on the face of this earth. This war that you have to win is not somebody else's war that you're going to be winning. It is your war that you have to win. I hope I'm making sense to you. Because a little bit of understanding, just a little bit of understanding, could be very good. Clarity cannot be weighed. Clarity cannot be measured. Clarity, a mound of a pinhead, is just as big as this entire universe. Clarity, as big as a head of a pin, is just as big, just as important, just as influential as the size of the universe. That's the way understanding is. That's the way peace is. They cannot be measured. They cannot be measured, divided, cut. In your life, in your existence, you cannot be shy about winning a war. You cannot be distracted from winning.

You cannot be distracted from winning. Are you distracted? Are you? Do you not do all you do? Do you not do all you do to be ultimately happy? The job you do? Wasn't that what you believed? No, but believed in it? You would have a job, you would have your promotion, you would make a lot of money, and the more successful you would be, the more happier you would be. Why does it seem so strange that on one level, this is what is being fed to everybody, and on the other level, those people who are the most successful don't seem to be very happy? And you can see it on their face. Because you see, pain attacks human beings, not wealth. Wealth is not absence of wealth, or presence of wealth. To pain, it is irrelevant because it attacks the human being. Suffering attacks human beings, not vaults, not closets, not beds. You can lie on the most expensive bed in the world and be unhappy. So, you know, make as much money as you can. It's not the problem. But it's hard to put it together. That's the problem. To say, I will give up all my money, I will become a monk, and then you think that I will have peace. It's a lie. Wrong. You think that it's some coincidence that the president of the Vedanta Society in Nepal came to me and asked to see me. He's the president of the Vedanta Society. He just received his Knowledge. And he wants to talk to you. And I'm like, oh my God. So I'm like, I'm sure he has a trillion questions. A trillion questions. And he has Knowledge too, so if it didn't make sense to him, he's going to have more questions than I could ever answer. So I'm like, what do I do? What do I do? So I said, okay.

I'll meet with him. And he was an elderly gentleman with gray hair, long, thin, and he comes and he has tears in his eyes and he says to me, thank you for this Knowledge. This is what I was looking for all my life. I said, you're welcome. Because you found, you found something. You found something that is precious. You found something that can make a difference in this war. Your apartment is not going to make a difference in this war. Your house is not going to make a difference in this war. Your job is not going to make a difference in this war. Your son is not going to make a difference in this war. Your wife is not going to make a difference in this war. There is nothing in this world, in fact nothing, that is going to make any difference save what? And that is Knowledge. This is what you found. This is what you found. This makes you, in my book, the most fortunate person. There are 6.5 billion people over that now. 6.5 billion people on the face of this earth that they believe they are lucky. You know you are lucky. They're busy believing. They're busy believing that there is something beautiful inside of them. You know it. That makes you very fortunate. And the only thing, experience in my life, in my life, or what I have seen, things that I know, things that I know, that this Knowledge can help you win the war.

And what do you have to do? What do you have to do? This is what I was saying in Buenos Aires, not in Buenos Aires, in Brazil. You know what efficiency is? Minimum effort for maximum result. That's efficiency, right? One hour of practicing this Knowledge can save 23 hours of your day. That's efficiency. One hour of practice can save 23 hours. One hour of practice can make 23 hours more enjoyable. It's up to you. It's completely up to you. That's the beautiful thing about Knowledge. Don't you understand? It's your choice. It's your choice. It's your choice. Having to fight the war is not your choice. You're going to have to fight it. Otherwise, somebody said a long time ago, or the consequences are that empty-handed you came and empty-handed you leave from this world. That's it. That's the fate. Predetermined fate. Change it. Change it. Absolutely must change it. So, if you do not have a choice that you must fight the war, then Knowledge is your best friend. The sword that cuts clean, cuts clean the ambiguity, cuts clean the ifs, cuts clean, makes apparent the value of this existence. It is the only thing that produces that parallax between everything and you.

It shows you where you belong and where everything else is at. Without judgment. It is, if you call it silence, then it is a silence, but it is a silence of a different kind. It is silence in which the heart is full, not empty. It is, you could call it the absence, but it is the absence of a want of anything, because you are full. A lot of people say, oh, I don't feel anything. Let me ask you a question. When you are perfectly healthy, when everything is right about your body, when everything is good, what does it feel like? When everything is right, what does it feel like? Your body doesn't drive you crazy by saying everything is good now, everything is good now. Does it? No. The message is, nothing fires on the nerves and all is good. This is how you know. All is good. And when all is not well, the nerves fire, and there is pain, there is fatigue, there is fever, there is suffering, no matter the form. You go inside, you practice this Knowledge, and all is made right, all is made well. It feels complete. What do we do all day? Let this thing run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, and then we hold it, we can just throw the brakes on. And even though that's an impossibility, Knowledge does an incredible job of practicing. Most importantly, enjoy it. pleasure. Because remember, you are a warrior and you're going to fight. You're going to have to fight. And I'm saying to you, not only are you going to have to fight, you must win. And that's my fame. That's what I'm known for.

I can help you win. Simple as that. I can. I've helped many, and I continue to do so, and I can help you win. But you need to win. You need to change your strategy from believing to knowing. You need to stop looking at the battles as the war. Everything can go in a circle. I've seen, I've seen people get to a point where they lost their house, right? The wife divorced them. And the next thing you know, they had a better house, and yes, a better wife. You know, this is not it. This is not the importance of life. How do you measure the success? What is success to you? Is the formula or the measurement that you have for success based on beliefs or not? Answer that question to yourself, and it will shock you. Because it's actually based on beliefs, not on what you know. People told you things, and you wanted to believe them. Those, those who have talked about that energy, they say that that energy is everywhere. Everywhere. In your heart, on the earth, in the heavens. But there is no place where that isn't. It's the only thing in this whole universe that doesn't have a birthday. By Einstein's definition, it cannot be created, nor destroyed. But do you know who came up with exactly the same explanation for Einstein? Guru Nanak. That's exactly what he says. Was, is, will be.

There was never a time it wasn't. And of course, here now, and of course, it is here. Do you know that that same beauty resides in your heart today? And if you realize the power of that, that exists in your life, there's a word used, almighty. I think it's absolutely the wrong word. It is beyond almighty. It is the mightiest of all minds that resides in your heart. Are you afraid to fight? With one such as that backing you up, you shouldn't be. Fight, because what you're fighting for is your right, and I'll repeat again, is your right to be in peace. That's what you're fighting for. Your birthright. Your birthright to be in peace, to be in joy, to be satisfied, to be clear. It is the birthright of every single human being on the face of this earth, no matter what language they speak, what nationality they have. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. This world, you know, will tell you lies. So, if you are a warrior, do you understand your vulnerabilities? A warrior should know about his or her vulnerabilities, don't you think so? And if anything, strengthen them. What is your vulnerability? Intrinsically, intrinsically means naturally. Intrinsically, you do not know the difference between somebody lying to you and somebody is telling you the truth. Unless you know beforehand. You don't have any mechanism in you. You have a mechanism to feel cold, and you have a mechanism to feel hot. You have a mechanism to feel hunger, and you have a mechanism to feel pain. You have a mechanism to feel wet. You have a mechanism to feel dry.

You have a mechanism to sneeze. You have a mechanism not to sneeze. But you do not have a mechanism, not one single bone in your body, that can tell you that somebody is lying or telling the truth. How do I know this? Otherwise, there would be no courts. No truth serum. No investigations. You wouldn't really need police. You wouldn't need these machines that can call lie detectors. Because we don't, intrinsically, we can't tell. That's our weakness. That's not our strength. That's a problem. Because when the world lies to us, we don't know. I mean, for all that matters, I could lie, and you wouldn't know. That's why I tell you not to believe in my words, but to know. Know. Know. Otherwise, all I would need to do is give you a speech, and say, just believe everything I'm telling you. I don't do that. I don't do that. I want you to know. I want you to know it. In your life, I want you to know. And that is the only way you will know if I am telling the truth.

No other way. No other way. In your life, you know, there's that couplet that I quote so many times, Ramayana, it cleans it out, straightens it out. And I do not believe in this. I know this to be true. And the couplet goes, that this body is the vessel to go across this ocean. This body. There's a lot of boats here. This body is the vessel to go across this ocean. The coming and going of this breath is my blessing. What you need is a master with strong arms who can row this boat across from one end to the other. That's it. What is that rowing? Reminding again, and again, and again, and again. What is this ocean? Whatever you want to call it. Ignorance? Fine. No problem. Darkness? No problem. Doubt? No problem. Whatever. It is. But just remember that formula. That's what it takes. A lot of people go, I don't want to be dependent on somebody else. Hello.

Hello. You are dependent on somebody else. The road you drive on, did you build them? Did you? Or somebody else built it for you? The car you drive, did you build it? The clothes you wear, did you make them? The vegetables you're eating, did you grow them? The pot you cook them in, did you make it? The gas that comes in your house, do you produce it? You can. But do you? No. And when you fly in an airplane, who are you dependent on? Do you have any idea how many people you're dependent upon when you fly in an airplane? Do you have any idea? Dependent on all of those people. You are. Do you want to be independent? Go to the moon. And even then, even then getting there, you will need other people. Do you think you could have been in this world without the help of your mother, nine months carrying you in the womb? No. We don't think like that. Of course we are dependent. And all you, to you, all I am saying is, if you want, you can accept my help, because that's what I'm offering, to win the war. Not for anything else. Not for anything else. Don't ask me for advice on which car to buy. Even though I could give it, I won't. Just one thing. This is what I can do, is to help you win the war. Not the battles. The war. And that's it. That's it. That's it. That's it.

You have the gift. Use it. Listen to what I have to say to you. To remind you. To clarify for you. Again and again and again and again and again. To take you across. Yes. I can do that. I've done it for many people. I can do it for you too. Now, somebody asked me this question. It was in Brazil too, you know. So, what do I have to do? All I ask you to do, is to get on the boat, to sit down, and to enjoy the ride. That's all. Don't keep jumping off the boat. So, it's very beautiful, because today came, and you were waiting for today. And there will be another today. Another today, and another today, and another today. And don't let these todays be monotonous, as you've been waiting. When you look at your age, you go, oh, I'm 40. I am 30. I am 50. I am 60.

I am 70. I am 80. If you are 40, waiting for today for 40 years. So, the value of today should be extremely high. Look at it differently. Don't look at it like, now everything is over. No. Not that. I am getting, if you're 60, you're getting the day you had to wait 60 years for. If you're 30, you're going to have to wait 30 more years to get that day. Now, the woman liked that idea. So, now I know. Nobody wants to give away their age anymore, when you get too old. It's not too old. Not too young. Since you don't know, when you're going to go from this earth, it's irrelevant. Do 15-year-olds go? Yes. 10-year-olds, yes. 2-day-olds, yes. Not much time. So, the value of today. Understand that value. Nobody will tell you this. They will say it in other ways, but nobody will really tell you that you've been waiting for today for a very, very, very long time and it's here.

And it is here. That's what you were wishing for. Did your wish come true? Your wish comes true. But you don't think like that. You wake up in the morning, and you think about what you have to do. No, your wish came true. You're alive today. Your wish came true. Your wish.