Just as You Are

Prem Rawat: What do we lose in our life? There is this thing, this word. And the word is “innocence.” And it’s a beautiful word. And what it alludes to is also beautiful: innocence! How do I take that word “innocence?” “To perceive what is, as is.” Not complications. To see a mountain—and see a mountain! To see the moon, and to see the moon. To see the sun, and to see the sun.

When you start to say, “Now, the mountain means this to me,” then you have lost the innocence; you have lost the ability of that baby, of that child to be able to see what is for what is. No more, and no less. No million connections. To see a kite for what the kite is! To see the dew for what the dew is! To see the flower for what the flower is! And indeed, to see yourself, truly, as you are.

Not through the lens of your problems, not through the masks of your problems. But truly, just as you are: a human being. A human being. Reactive to pain, sorrow, and suffering? Absolutely. Also reactive to joy, clarity? And understanding? Absolutely.

You react to sorrow. You do! Sorrow can get a reaction from you. But so can joy. Most of you strive to feel good! (And believe me, there are different levels of “feel good” here.) Some of you have tried so hard to feel good, and have not succeeded in it. So, you will accept whatever little goodness there is; you will be like, “Yeah, today was great.”

But did you know that of all the things that happen to you that you react to, there’s something that is always going on inside—that is greater than the sum of all your problems? Knowing yourself is inclusive of that. Not exclusive but inclusive of that. That every time this breath comes into you, it is one of the most incredibly serious miracles that takes place.

The core part of why I am here today, and why I’m going to be going to Europe, it really is to remind you, “What you have inside of you is priceless. Let that manifest in your life.”