Prem Rawat at the National Dong Hwa University Taiwan, 2014

Prem Rawat Answers Students' Questions in Hualien, Taiwan

National Dong Hwa University (widely ranked as Top 10% university in Taiwan)

Professsor: What is your method for achieving peace?

Prem Rawat: I would like to answer that this way. There's a process of satisfying hunger. And of course, when you feel hungry, what do you need? You need food. You need to eat food. But then when you look at food, it takes a lot of effort to grow food, to make food available to you. But the whole process, all the way to the point of eating the food and finally satisfying your hunger begins with the hunger. Because if there was no hunger, why would anybody grow food? Why would anybody cook food? Why would anybody eat food? So it is the hunger. The method is to first understand that there is a hunger and not curiosity. You know, sometimes when you go by a restaurant where they're cooking food, you smell the food and your mouth may start to salvate. "Hmm. I'm hungry." But are you? Are you really hungry? First step in anything in life is to first recognise the need for it.

A lot of people go, "Yes, I'm searching for peace. Yes, I'm searching for peace." But they do not recognise what their personal thirst is for. What are you really thirsty for? What are you really? What if, what if somebody said to me, "I'm not thirsty for peace. I just want to be content." You know what I would say to them, "Good. Fine." Because it is the name of the same thing. Same thing. Whether you call it peace, whether you call it contentment, whether you call it satisfaction. What do you want in your life? Are you trying to fulfil some imaginary thing? Or is it real? Is it real for you that you feel in your life? You need and you want peace. Once that is clear. Second part. Stop searching. This may come as a shock to you. Stop searching. Why? Because it's already there. It doesn't need to be created. It is not something that has to be made. You don't want manufactured peace. You want the real peace and the real peace is already dancing in the heart of every single human being.

You see, it's it's it's it's it's like looking in the right direction. The sun rises in the morning. It rises in the east. Does it not? If you're looking at the West, when will you see the sun? In the evening, in the evening. Not in the morning and does it rise in the morning? Do you see it? If you were looking East you will see it. You'll see all of it. You'll see a little bit of it to all of it. But if you're looking in the West, what will you see? Ah, the sun is not there. I see light, but the sun is not there. The sun is not there. The sun is not there. The sun is not there. And finally at sunset time. Oh, there it is. So look in the right direction. Look in you. You are the source. You are the source of that peace. These are the first steps. The very first steps. Once you take these steps, it all becomes obvious that you need a way to be able to go inside, connect inside and feel that feeling. Okay.

(Applause)

Student: Hello. Hello. First of all thank you for coming today and I'm a student of Mongolia and my question is you say you mentioned that everyone has a peace inside themselves right and for you, you have already realised and understood who you are. So what my question is? Since you have tht peace in yourself, why did you want to talk to other people? You can just enjoy it and enjoy your life by your self, right? But when you first talked about it 50 years ago, maybe how was people's perception, how, yeah

Very good question. (Thank you) Have you ever gone with your friends or listening to a radio and your favourite song comes on and what do you do?

Student: We just enjoy the moment.

But you turn the volume up. Don't you? (Yes) When? when you are singing your favourite song you wanna sing it as loud as you can. This is human nature, to express your joy. That's the same nature that causes us, that causes me, to speak about peace because it is so beautiful. It is so profound. I'm not here to tell you that I never get angry. That's not true. I would be lying to you. It isn't like all of these things don't happen when they do, I know. I do know what needs to happen, that being angry was unnecessary, that I didn't have to get caught up in it. That there's peace inside of me and I can feel the peace and I need to. I need to make more effort and more effort and more effort and more effort and more effort and because it is for such a noble thing I will make as much effort as possible.

How did people receive me when I started speaking about this? Seeing a four year old on the stage they could not believe that a year, four year old child was talking about peace. It was not that they were one way or the other way with the message. They just couldn't believe that the four year old would be talking about peace. So there was a lot of disbelief but still there were people who heard the message, who listened to the message and those people who did were profoundly affected by it. I am not here to pretend, I've never done this and I don't ever want to do it that I have achieved some perfection. No, you see there is no more peace in me than there is in you. You have the same amount of peace in you that I have in me. I have been able to dig it. I want you to dig it too.

It doesn't make me a better person. It doesn't make me a holy, I'm not a holy person. I don't wear saffron. I have not renounced the world. I fly aeroplanes. I have 14,000 hours approximately of flying aircraft A fly jets. I'm type rated in Challengers, Falcons, Gulfstreams, Learjet's and a few more, Hawker Siddeleys. I fly gliders. I fly helicopters. I restore cars. I enjoy making music and that's something I had to learn myself. So, and I love cooking. I'm quite good at cooking. So, really there isn't somebody here coming, saying no, no, I know everything, you don't know anything. Every human being has wisdom in them. Every human being has clarity in them. Every human being also has anger in them and doubt in them and fear in them. If you, in your life, can nurture. If you can nurture the good, you will have a crop. This is what the farmer does. If the farmer didn't do anything, will things grow? If a farmer doesn't do anything on his farm, will things grow? Yeah. Grass, weeds, things that you can't do anything with. So what's the difference? Why does the farmer make so much effort? Because if he makes the effort, then what will grow is, is edible.

So I hope you understand that point that you have the same in you and yeah, today people, you know, you talk to them about peace and they go "Oh yes." In those days people went, "Oh that's strange. You wanna talk about peace. Talk about money. You know, talk about all these different things but they think if they say peace, that makes it OK. (chuckles) I know that's funny but you know I mean you look at it, peace, peace, by saying peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace. If peace can just come by saying peace peace peace peace peace peace peace peace. You don't have to study so hard. Just go in your room and go pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass and you'll pass, right? Wrong. (ha ha ha ha) You know, if that was so easy, why do we have to work? All we need to do is go money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money. And we will all have money. But that's not how money comes. That's not how peace comes. That's not how you pass. You want to pass. You have to work hard. You have to study hard. And then, whatever the test will be given, hopefully you'll be able to pass it. And that's what passing is. And you think passing, just, just coming out of the university is enough?

No. Then there is the whole world. They will throw their own challenges at you. You will have challenges all your life. In fact, the challenges that you're going to have after this university are going to seem a lot more intense than the ones that seem now. (laughs) But it is your courage that will see you through. Okay.

(Applause)

Sir. You said to find peace within us, within ourselves. But my question is, there are some people who are very sensitive. Suppose we go to the worst part of the world where there is a poverty, where poor people live. While ??? the situation, their living habitat, you get distracted. Then in that time, how will you find peace? That is my first question. And another one. Today morning, while reading newspaper from my country, I saw one of the picture, that was one soldier who got shot short wayu from the border. His body was taken to the, his home. While looking that picture it brought tear in my eyes. So in that case, how will you define peace within yourself? How will you get peace in that case? That is my question.

Peace is inherently built into every human being, is the perpetuation of life. If perpetuation of life did not exist, we would have all disappeared as a species. Every species on the face of this earth is very interested in going on. It's natural whether it's a cockroach, whether it's a bunny rabbit, whether it's a whale, whether it's us. Then the question is, how can we get so far removed for ourselves, that we will actually kill somebody? It's completely anti-life. It makes no sense. It makes absolutely no sense., But that's what happens. Wwhen you start to think about, know thyself, that statement that Socrates made. There's a lot more to it than people realise. That if we did know ourselves ,that wouldn't be happening. We talked about poverty. It is such a rampant disease in this world. Because of this, people live in the most deplorable conditions. They don't have food to eat. They don't have clean water to drink. Let me ask you a question. Who made poverty? We did. Human beings made poverty. You think there is shortage of food? 50% of the food that is grown, This is from the American Army Corps of Engineers Statistic, 50% of the food that is grown is wasted. Just wasted. You think people need, people need to go hungry? No. Absolutely not. But they do every day. I mean, there are some in very, very advanced cities who do but that's their own choice. They're dieting. But there are people who are not dieting and they go hungry.

How is it that with all the wisdom that we have acquired, all the technology that we have, that human beings still go hungry on the face of this earth. Yyou see it becomes part the same puzzle. When we don't know ourselves, weird things happen and even in the face of chaos and disaster, and you can call that darkness, there is a lamp that is very brightly lit inside of you, even then. Even then and this lamp amongst all the things that this lamp can do, it can do one more thing, it can light the unlit lamps. Besides the fact that the lamp can take away darkness, it can also help light the unlit lamps and unless that process begins on the face of this earth, human beings will get more lost and more lost and more lost. even though we have so much more technology today. More people are dying today with all the technology, all the satellites, all the communication aaaalllll the things. There's more fibre optic cable that's laid out today than there ever has been on the face of this earth. There's more schools today. You know it's institutions like this that are incredible.

I was just in India. I was at one of the projects we have in Ranchi and it's Food for People and people, you know, the kids from the whole area come and they have, they get food, they get local food, they get food that they can eat. Now there are other companies or agencies that send them food but they don't know what to do with it. So you know what that what happens to that food? That's food is sold in the market as cow fodder. This is what happens we feed these kids. I was talking to them and I said "What else can we do for you? What would you like to see?" And they said education is a problem. I said "Why? Don't you have schools?" They said, yeah, 125 children in one class. No time to ask questions. If you missed it, you missed it, you're finished. And yet you will hear statistics. They will throw numbers at you. They will throw statistics at you. But we have so many schools. Yeah. What's going on in those schools? I'm talking about India, that's where I was. Institutions like this, they bring quality education to people. They make, they take the time, that that the students understand. There's a huge difference. Huge difference. Of everything that you have said, one thing is obvious, that in every human being there is confusion and in every human being there's clarity. Clarity is not being mined, confusion is and so far this keeps happening all these perils will exist and there's no taking them away.

You know, we're all waiting for the clouds to part and some Angel to come, from the skies, to save us. Don't we all like Superman movies? The Superman will come. The Wonder Woman will come. And I say to people, the Angel that can save you has come, and you know who it is? It's you. You are the most qualified to save yourself. Save yourself. In the poorest people, is there not happiness? Do they not vie for a smile and happiness? Of course they do. It is hard for them but still when somebody acknowledges you are alive, there is such a (shakes his hands) so beautiful. It's so beautiful. When I was talking to those kids in Ranchi. Here I am. I mean, it's nothing for me to travel 5000 nautical miles in one day. And I asked him how far is your area? How long? How far have you travelled? Their world. Their world since they were born, five kilometres. That's it. Since they were, they're born. That's all they have been to is 5 kilometers. I, 5,000 miles, nautical miles in one day. ??? says "Oh my God." I feel so privileged, but I wonder even if I can put on the smile that they had because it was so beautiful. So each one of us is the possibility, whether we mine it or not. OK, thank you.

(Applause)

Student: Hi sir. I am the student in major in public and administration and I listen to your new speech and I want to ask for be all student. We are only students and we start any salary or resource or whatever. I want to know how to share the idea of peace to another for maybe they need help? Thanks.

Very good question. When an apple is ready, how do you know? It changes its colour. When a mango is ready, it changes its colour. The best way to share a message about peace is to be excited about peace. When you're excited about peace, you shine. You shine. When you shine, people listen. You become a little lamp that has the possibility of going and lighting the unlit lamps. So you know, I know you said you are a student. Please be the student, for the rest of your life. Don't ever stop learning. Don't ever stop learning. Learn. Learn. Learn. Learn. The more I learn, the more I realise how little I know. (smug laughter) After 14,000 hours of flying aeroplanes, I always learn something new every time I fly. I've flown just about everywhere around the world. There's not too many airports left that I haven't been into. And it's even more difficult than commercial airlines because these airports are like they're not even properly equipped. But you're flying there at night. I have flown. I have flew one time into Swaziland. First of all, I couldn't find the runway. It was so small. I couldn't find the runway. Finally I found the runway. I was coming in for the final approach and I look and there's, there's impalas and monkeys and donkeys on the runway. So I immediately brought the gear up and came down as low as I could, gave it as much power, made as much noise as I could. Flew really low over the runway, came back and the runway was clear (laughs) That scared though and then I came in and landed. So it's always a challenge and be a student and learn and understand and grow but be lit because nobody can hide the light. No one, no one, no one.

(Less applause)S

Student: Thank you very much. I'm just going to ask a very simple question. As a student of course we are hope to study hard so that we can do the best for our study. But sometimes it's difficult for us to have a high concentration for for learning. So please help us how to, how we can learn, how we can learn our study, how we can do the best for our study with peers

Sure. It's called focus. Focus is all you have to do. You have to have priorities in your life. Yes, you want to listen to the music? Yes, you want to spend times with your friends? Yes, you want to do this? Yes, you want to do that? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. But sometimes we get so unfocused because the agenda of what we want to do is so large that we focus at nothing and enjoy nothing. So even when we are spending the time with our friends, guess what we are thinking about the homework. And then when we are doing the homework, guess what we are thinking about the friends. Focus. Say to yourself "OK. This time to this time I study. I don't think about the friends. I don't think about the music. I don't think about anything. Just this. And from this time to this time I spend time with my friends. I have a great time. I don't think about the study." Focus. Focus. This is what I have to do. I mean you know when we fly, we, we don't talk about other things. On coming in for landing, we're focused. Focused so I know, if my co-pilot says something it's important. Otherwise, no talk. Focus. And this will help you for the rest of your life. Focus. Maybe you will grow up. You will have a family. When you start a family, focus. Focus. This is what people don't do. They're not focused. Focus. Children need you. If you're gonna have children, they're gonna need you. Focus. So, You know it's the same thing. If you have in front of you pizza. and then you're going to have dessert after. Maybe ice cream. But if you keep eating ice cream and pizza and ice cream and pizza and ice cream, the mouth will be so strange. No, you focus. For right now, I will eat the pizza and when I'm finished I'll eat the ice cream. Focus. Focus. Focus and you don't have to sacrifice anything. You get into sacrificing things. It's over. It's over, because you can sacrifice from your ideals but your mind won't let you sacrifice anything. You know they're trying to make faster and faster aeroplanes. Do you know this mind can go faster than any aeroplane? It took me three hours and 15 minutes to come from Kuala Lumpur to Hualien. How long do you think it would take my mind to go from Hualien to Kuala Lumpur? I'm there (snaps fingers) and then back. So, no sacrificing but focus. My my advice from my experience in my life. Focus.

(SLess applause)

Student: Oh, hi ????. I'm so proud to be the first junior high oh a senior hight school student to speak and I have a similar question because nowadays there are a lot of treaties either for culture or economy between countries and countries because for fear of the war. Because the war always comes from the people's desire for anything they can't get. And just like in Taiwan, we have just um, maybe just finished argue on and a treaty between mainland China and us. And I wonder what I want to ask is how do you think about this treaty and desire to designed for the culture and the economy and it's the the so-called economic treaty or cultural treaty between countries really do anything for good or it's just a game or a role designed for those in favour of those who are privileged. Thank you.

Well, first of all answering your question kind of backwards. We're all privileged. We're all privileged. This is what I was talking about. You are alive. You're privileged. You're blessed. Privilege isn't what we have made out the privilege to be. That's not privilege. That's just VIP treatment. (Ha ha ha) Every human being that is alive is privileged. And we need to know that. We need to understand that. I'm not a politician. I don't like politics. So you know what? Whatever happened between mainland China? What I did read little bits and pieces in the newspaper. But this is all. And the main thing that I read today was okay that they're, you know, after least have vacated the legislation. Hall and they will continue their fight. To me. War is wrong. Why can't we come together and talk? We're so proud of language. No? So we're so proud of language why don't we use it? Why can't we talk? Why can't we listen? The problem in this world is we don't listen. This gets used a lot more than this. I will tell you. The husbands need to listen to their wives. The wives need to listen to their (rpeatedlt points at his left ear) listen. The parents need to listen to their children. The children need to listen to their parents.

The governments should listen to the citizens. The citizens should listen to the government. Listen, it's free. No calories burnt when listening. Free, but we don't use it. We don't talk. Students need to learn, listen to their teachers. Teachers need to listen to the students. Doctors need to listen to their patients. Patients need to listen to their doctors. So we do not listen. So all this stuff happens in the world. We should sit down and talk. You know, in the old days whenever they wanted a fight, the king had to be in the front. And if they had the same system today, I don't think there would be too many wars. (Ha ha ha ha) But now they don't have that. You know, it's like the king just sits in some room, you know, and behind computers and that's it. But I think the king should have the privilege of being the first one. So, we we need to listen. We need to be a healthier world, not just healthier society, we need to be a healthy world. This is really what's important. You know, there's so many lines. Oh, you are from this country and you're from this country and and yet we are all made out of those six elements 99% of it. We live on the same planet Earth.

Kabir said it very beautifully. He said we came from the same place. I mean wherever that is he doesn't specify he says "We came from the same place, landed in the same place but as soon as the wind of the world got hold of us we became scattered." We became scattered. We need to realise, you know they've been looking for aliens for a really long time. They haven't found any yet. I'm saying yet. I'm giving benefit of the doubt to those people who think there's aliens out there. So far I'm concerned for billions and billions and billions of light years all around us. All we have is us. And if we cannot learn to live with us. Sorry. The fate is going to be terrible. Just us. Just us. Good. Bad. Right. Wrong. Just us. Just us. Just us. Just us. Just us. And I think it's time to we started to learn how to live with ourselves. See what we have learnt everything else. We haven't learnt how to live with ourselves. People being able to express what they want to express and and and making, making life easy for all of ourselves. So I'm sorry but I can't really answer your other part of the question completely because I'm not really a politician and I'm not into that stuff. I guess.

Camera Director: MONIKA WINSLOW