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There are certain things which we don’t accept—and they don’t change, whether we accept or we don’t accept.
If we don’t accept, it isn’t like, “Well, no, I have four kidneys; only two bad. I have two more.” Fine. You can believe that all day long. But you only have two. And maybe they’re both bad.
We don’t understand—this is a formula. “We weren’t. We are. We won’t be.” This is it! This has been playing out on the face of this earth ever since it all began.
In fact, the scientists say that this earth is not going to be around; the moon is not going to be around; the sun is already devouring itself—it’s getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and hotter, and bigger. And pretty soon it’ll get so hot that life on earth will not be able to sustain itself. This is our future.
“Should we get happy? I mean, what’s the point!? Well, why should people get married? I mean, it’s not going to last....”
Ah, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about understanding that joy can be experienced not only every day, but every moment of that day. But your moment of making it exceptional is to accept every moment that you have, and to be in peace with yourself—not in peace with your wishes, but in peace with yourself.
– Prem Rawat
This is it—this is my day! How many of you know about tomorrow and believe in tomorrow? Not one? Gee, how are you going to make your flight back home? No, no, we’re all believers in tomorrow. But look at it. You can wait for tomorrow all day long. And just when you will be the closest to tomorrow, at 23:59:59...
That’ll be as close as you can get to tomorrow, 23:59:59, twenty-three, (or, eleven ... fifty-nine ... fifty-nine.) You know what it’ll become? Today. So you’re actually stuck in one long “today.”
And the most disgusting thing is, you have a strategy for tomorrow, but you have no strategy for today. So you’re reading the wrong map. You’re in Australia. You’re…you’re in Australia near Peak’s Crossing, looking at a map to go to the Brisbane International Airport ... and the map you have is of Los Angeles.
And you cannot find Brisbane International Airport. YBBN doesn’t show up on your map! And so now you question, “Is there actually a country called Australia? Is there really an airport called Brisbane? If it is, why don’t I see it?” This is what people ask me. “If there is peace, then how come I don’t already know? If it is in me, how come I don’t really already know?”
But that’s how it is. What you’re looking for is inside of you. But in your map, that’s not the map you’re looking for. So you find it’s not inside of you. So now, the whole thing of “believe” and disbelief begins. “Is there a God? Is there a heaven? Is there a hell?”
Yes, there is a heaven, but it’s here. It’s here, in your being. And yes, there is a hell! If you’re not in heaven, then guess where you are. There are no neutral territories.
So, what’s your strategy? How are you going to tackle this? You know, I… to me, it’s not a question that - “Should you be happy? Should you be sad? Should you be this, should you be that?” No. You should achieve your fullest potential. Fullest potential. And in that potential, you will realize that that requires for you to have peace. Without peace, a human being cannot achieve their potential.
And there is a desire, just like there was that desire, that thirst, the want to…to get up and to walk. It’s the same thirst to be fulfilled. But you cannot be fulfilled if you don’t have peace. Prosperity requires that you have peace.
- Prem Rawat
This gift of breath is an incredibly powerful gift that you have been given—incredibly powerful, that you have been given. Do you understand its value? Do you understand that this is one gift that all the money in the world cannot buy?
You cannot write it in the will—in a will, in an agreement—that, “All my breath will go to this person.” No. It’s only for you! Accept it, understand it. Cherish life, cherish consciousness, cherish your strength, cherish your heart, cherish knowledge, cherish peace—and you will understand the kindness of the Divine on every human being.
– Prem Rawat
When you were born, in the whole room they were only focusing on one thing—not if you are a boy or a girl, not your palm of your hands, of what your fortune is going to be. Only one thing: “Are you breathing or not?” This is how it is. If you’re not breathing, the doctor slaps you, “Breathe!” Again, “Breathe!” You go, “Aaaaa!” Doctor is happy; you are breathing.
All your life you’re going to breathe! Do you know how they will figure out you’re gone? “Are you breathing or not?”
In the hospital, if they have a machine and the machine says you are dead, but you’re still breathing, what do you think the doctor is going to hit? You or the machine? The doctor is not going to come to you and say, “Hey! The machine says you are dead!” No, the doctor is going to hit the machine! “You are broken.”
– Prem Rawat
You ... are like me. We, (because,) we share ultimately—every one of us on the face of this earth ultimately shares the same fate! We were born; we are alive, and one day we’re going to die.
The rich? Yes. Poor—yes. Educated? Yes. Uneducated? Yes. Ugly? Yes! Very pretty? Yes.
Strong? Yes. Weak? Yes.
Hindu? Yes. Moslem? Yes ... and any other religion you want to throw in there.
This is, this is our fate. And in this ... incredible story, the day we were born and then, the day we have to go.... And there’s this time....
And everybody has a number. “I want to be ... eighty years old; I want to be a hundred”—where did this number come from? Excuse me, where did this number come from? Who gave you this number? You made it up! There are no guarantees!
One day ... I get a request. And so I.... The request is to call this couple. And they have just lost their very young daughter in an accident. And I’m like, “This is terrible! It’s terrible! What can I tell them?”
And so ... I get on the phone. And of course they’re very sad, very sad. (Hmmh!) And I said to them ... “I cannot change anything. But I can tell you something. You knew your daughter. You loved your daughter. And if you only got to know her for one day, just one day ... would it be enough? Just one day?” And they said, “Yeah.”
There are many, many, many interpretations of this story, or many ways this story has been put—but there is a new one. And a man came...and he came to the Master. The Master had a very beautiful palace that he lived in, a beautiful city that he lived in.
So the Master told the guy, he says, “Oh, you have come?” And he goes, “Yeah, I’ve come to you; I want to talk to you; I want to learn from you; I want to be enlightened by you.” The Master said, “No problem. But first, go enjoy—enjoy my gardens; enjoy my palace; enjoy the city—it’s really beautiful, really, really beautiful.” And the man said, “Okay, I will.”
He said, “Before you go, take this lamp with you.” And he filled the lamp completely full of oil, right to the top, right to the brim—and he said, “Here, take this with you when you go seeing everything, and make sure you don’t spill a drop. Don’t spill a drop.”
The man went seeing, appreciating the palace, appreciating the gardens, appreciating the city. And when the man came back, the Master asked, “How was it?” And he goes, “Well, my whole attention was on not spilling a drop from this cup. I really walked around aimlessly. I didn’t really enjoy anything because my focus was here, instead of where it should have been.”
The Master said, “Okay. Now, go again! Leave the...leave the lamp behind. Don’t worry about the lamp.” He came back: “How was it?” “Oh, oh, I enjoyed—oh, and the statues were beautiful. Oh, that was...it was just marvelous; the garden was incredible; the flowers were incredible; the statues were incredible; the paintings were incredible; the marble was....”
The Master said, “Look, all that existed then too, but you were not focusing on that. Your focus was somewhere else.”
Where is your focus? In your life, where is your focus? You should be enjoying being alive. Do you enjoy, just enjoy being alive? Just being alive? Do you enjoy being alive?
I know, I know, I know you enjoy parties; I know you enjoy going to your friend’s house; I know you enjoy your songs; you enjoy your movies; you enjoy this; you enjoy that. I know you enjoy all of that. But do you enjoy being alive? Just being alive?!
Because if you don’t, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. Because this is the garden; life itself is the garden of the Divine. Its beauty is unparalleled. It is full of the reflection from the Divine. It is fine; it is beautiful; it has colors....
That’s where truth resides—a truth that is non-confrontational, a truth which is simple, a truth that’s embracing, a truth which is real, a truth that brings peace. That’s where this heart wants to dance.
– Prem Rawat