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You have to choose. And do you know that at every intersection of my life I had a choice? This is hindsight; it's 20-20. Believe me, I can't explain it. This feeling came over me that every intersection, every inch, every mile that I have traveled on this road of life, I had a choice.

Onscreen text:

Choice

Prem Rawat:

Yes, things came my way, but I had a choice. I accepted them. Good things, bad things came and I chose even those things that brought the consequence that was. And of course I can plead ignorance; I didn't know. But I chose. Should I have chosen without knowing? No.Hindsight's 20-20. But I chose.

Those of you who want that peace inside, you have to make that choice. In your life, doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result is not going to work. And people who do, little rocky to say the least.

In the same grind, hoping that one day everything will change. How? You have to make a choice. If you want that change, you have to make that choice. Do you want peace in your life? You have to make a choice. People will say to me, "Is it that easy? No searching, no going to the top of the Himalayas, no surrendering everything, burying your head in the snow for eight years? I mean, none of that stuff? Just have to make a choice?" Of course.

You have looked outside; maybe it is time to look inside. You have believed in many things; maybe the time has come to know. You have made many excuses; maybe the time has come to make the choice. Make a choice. Most importantly, make the connection.

It is not about lamenting the past. I made the wrong choices or the right choices. It is—wow, I get to choose? Tomorrow I get to choose? Yeah! And the day after that you get to choose. You want to be happy or you want to be sad? You want to be fulfilled or you want to be empty? Choose.

- Prem Rawat

(Prem Rawat) Let me tell you the story of the human being – who, in the heart of their hearts, desires peace. The fact that you like peace, that you would even entertain the thought of having peace in your life, is magnificent.

I want to tell you something. There is your inner world – and then there is this world. But I’m going to tell you something. In between these two worlds, there is another world. And it’s the world you’re surrounded by.

In this world, you dictate what happens. Somebody can talk to you, but you don’t have to listen. Conveniently, “whiit,” gone. In this world, somebody can try to make you angry but it’s up to you if you actually get angry or not.

It’s a little world; it’s not huge. You carry it wherever you go. But it’s a beautiful world. Because the only way you can get into this world is if you’re conscious, if you’re sincere about life. And you are willing to embrace life itself over the problems of life.

Now, what I just said is a big statement. It’s huge. “To embrace life over the problems of life.” It’s way beyond the expectations that you have of yourself. It is beyond your disappointments. It is not the sum of everything that’s wrong in your life. But it is about the possibility of what is right, what is good, what is beautiful. That’s it. Remember that.

The deck of cards has been dealt out. You flipped one, the first one it has birth. You flipped the last one and it has death. The rest of the cards are blank. Absolutely blank.

People say, "How do you know?" Because you're too afraid to pick them up. Status quo is the best thing. Some say the cards have been dealt out and it is already predetermined what is on every single card. I say no. And there's a lot other ones that join this voice. And I am joining the voices of those who have said exactly that. The rest of the cards are blank. But don't be afraid to look. It is up to you what you make of each one of the cards, except for two. Except for two.

Desperation touches you every single day. I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to do this, today is Sunday! You know what has to happen tonight. Right? You have to go to sleep early because tomorrow is Monday.

That was a very half hearted laugh. Because you know tomorrow is Monday. And there is no saying that goes, "Thank God! It's Monday." It ends at Friday. And Monday will come and you just like a good little soldier will get up and go on with what is expected of you. Not by you, but by everyone else.

"I'm a father. I have to do this. I'm a mother. I have to do this." And off you will go. And what will happen? So this is what will happen. The earth will whizz one more time at 67,000 miles an hour around the sun. It'll turn at 1040 miles an hour to reveal the sun one more time on the horizon. And one more card would have flipped up from the deck. And will you have a part. To play in what that card is? Or like the rest of the cards you will just say, "Well, so it is."

That's a decision you have to make. Can you do something about it? Yes, and that's called awakening. The card is being... the cards have been dealt out. There is one last card and it... It's got something stamped on it and it's going to happen. And I don't... I know you don't want it to happen but it's going to happen. Nobody wants it to happen but it's gonna happen. And should we wonder about it. No. It's going to happen. I mean... shh!

What you should be concerned about is what you can change and you can change ignorance to knowledge. Make that happen.

- Prem Rawat

Individual: [reading question]

“I have done something in my life that I cannot forgive myself for. I killed two of my children and nearly killed myself because of the abuse I was suffering. I want to feel the peace that you are talking about, but I think I have lost the capability to feel it. Is there any chance for me?”

Prem Rawat:

Well, do you think there is any chance for this person?

Audience:

Yes!

Prem Rawat:

There is the answer. Sometimes you may have walked too far away from your home. And when she did what she did, she walked a little bit too far away from her home. But her home is still there. And it may be a long journey, and it may take a little while, but the home is still there.

– Prem Rawat

I’m just a human being. And I am not sitting here claiming I don’t have bad days—that would be stupid! I do! But I also question, "Why am I having a bad day?"

I’m having a bad day, not because the day is bad! Uh-uh-uh, the day is the same!

You think the sun comes out and says, “Here, I’m going to nail that guy.” You really think so?

There are people who believe in the cosmos—you think all those planets and all those stars know, “Hah, huh, oh, let’s nail that one.” No! Mars doesn’t know you exist. Saturn has no idea you are here and you had a burned toast and slipped in your bathtub and have diarrhea … and flu!

I mean, do you really think Mars goes, “Yeah, let’s get that guy. He’s—just keep that train going. So far, we’ve gotten him to slip in the bathtub, burnt his toast, killed the electricity, no coffee in the morning. Let’s just keep going with that thought! I mean, just…the flow is on."

No! No! It has nothing to do with it. You need explanations, so you create an explanation. And this is the beautiful thing about human beings: they have used their creativity, not to create clarity, but to create an explanation which has no head and tail. Point: “Why is this happening to me?” “It was your last lifetime."

All right. Would somebody please tell me what is it that I did, so I won’t do it? I mean, the whole point of punishment should be that you don’t repeat! I mean, what is the point of a punishment—that you are not told?

Somebody walks up to you, hands you a ticket: “What is this ticket for?” “Parking violation."

"I don’t even own a car. How can I have a parking violation? What did I do? Please! So I won’t do it again!"

"No, that’s a secret. You…you figure it out."

I mean, I’m not saying there isn’t karma—there is! But it’s much more recent. It’s nothing to do with the last lifetime. It’s now!

– Prem Rawat

If action comes from thought, thought is changeable by nature. It is variable by nature. It can be influenced, and it can be changed at any time! Any time. Any, any given time, a thought can be changed—and there’s no trace of it.

If I’m going to steal something—and I go, like, “I think I’ll steal it”—and then I change, “I’m not going to steal it,” what have I done? I have not stolen! I ... even though I had a thought, “I want to steal something,” I did not steal it, and therefore what really happened is, I never stole it.

We are responsible for our thought. When our thought is clear, so is our action and so is the consequence of that action. When that thought emerges from understanding–emerges from light, emerges from knowledge–then the action also carries the attributes of that thought.

When that thought is born of doubt, of confusion, of anger, then that action too bears all the traits of the confusion, of doubt, of fear.

What have I seen in my life? I have seen darkness that you could never even fathom. I have seen desperation that you cannot even imagine. I have seen confusion that virtually has no bounds. I have seen desolation in a human being that would be hard to speculate.

And I have seen joy in a human being that would make the universe look small. I have seen wisdom! In my life I have seen wisdom ... that is so huge, so big, so large, that it truly could encompass countless universes and beyond. And I have seen light in the eyes of human beings.

I have seen the impossible made possible! And I have seen the very possible made impossible. I have seen courage. And I have seen the possibilities made real because of that courage.

So when I talk about the fifty years of experience, this is what I’m talking about. Because, whatever happens in our lives, the consequences of our actions will affect us. We don’t want that; we don’t like that. We don’t want that to be that way. But that is one thing that will never change; has never changed, and will never change.

And if you don’t understand your strength, your courage, then unfortunately, you will be weak; you will give in! Your thoughts will bear children and these children that will be born could ultimately become the very cause of your demise.

Or, your actions, born from your strength, from your clarity, could be the children that you bear that will ultimately be your partners in victory.

– Prem Rawat