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There are three things – three things. There is this one that was, is and will be, called “the infinite,” everywhere – powerful! Gentle? Amazing. Gentle as a drop of water. As powerful to move mountains, literally – literally move mountains! Rage? Giant rivers. 

 And this that was, is and will be, does this. And will keep doing it. Will keep doing it to the end of time and beyond, the time and space you cannot even begin to imagine (because you are not very well equipped to imagine it). 

 So, there is that. Then there is you. What’s your qualification? You weren’t. You are – and you won’t be. That’s your qualification. 

 So, let’s say that at the left of you is the infinite, (was, is, will be). You’re in the middle: you weren’t; you are; you won’t be. And what is on the right of you? This world. And what’s the qualification of this world? 

 You want to listen to some wonderful people like Kabir? Like Guru Nanak? They say, “It wasn’t,” (and this’ll get you), “It isn’t! And it won’t be.” This is an illusion! It isn’t! So, left of you? “Was, is and will be.” Your qualification: “Wasn’t, is, won’t be.” And you are completely infatuated with “Wasn’t, isn’t and won’t be.” 

And are you infatuated? Oh, yes, you are, very infatuated. You live for it from the morning till evening. So, what is this? What should you be infatuated with? (What does “infatuation” mean?!) All right; here is an example. 

You, one day, see a girl. Ladies, you see a man. And this man is just wonderful! Men, you see a girl; she’s wonderful! Your relationship goes on and on and on and on. And one day, the day comes when you’re going to meet the parents, meet the whole family.

 Of course, now when you, the lovers, meet, you give each other a really nice juicy kiss, as you, (you know), come together because, you know, you’re in love, right?! You think you’re going to do that to the girl’s father? Give him a juicy kiss across his lips? Or the girl, kissing the father-in-law, again, just like a really nice juicy kiss? No!

 You like the father; you like the brother; you like the mother; you like the sister because of whom? That person you are in love with. So, you’re infatuated with that person; you are connecting with that person. You are including the rest of the family only because of that person; the connection is still with that person. And the day that connection breaks? You will keep visiting that family? No.

 That’s what’s got to happen here. That’s what’s got to happen here! Your connection should be to that one that was, is and will be, always, because that’s the one you’re going to spend the most time with! When you were not here, that’s where you were! Now you are here! And when you go away, that’s where you’re going to be!

 What a magnificent description of the infinite: “Was, is and will be.” And then? Everything comes together. Life comes together. Joy comes together. You see the irrelevance of what is irrelevant, and you see the relevance of what is relevant. That’s how life has to be. 

 That’s what life is all about! You, dancing on the stage of life. You, expressing in your heart, the gratitude! Every day, every moment that you’re alive, those three things that I talk about, “Know yourself. Live your life consciously. And to have a heart filled with gratitude” – this can be for you! Then you have made the choice, the right choice.

Prem Rawat:

People doubt Knowledge. It’s so simple. What are you doing in each one of the techniques, you let your focus go inside. You’re not trying to manufacture an experience but you’re trying to experience what’s already there.

Doubt is a powerful thing. A long time ago, I said, “Leave no room for doubt.” This is two-zero-two-two. And I will say it again: “Leave no room for doubt.” Fill it with clarity; know. Not “not-know,” know. Know who you are; know what is within you. Know. Thrive. Get away from this mode of survival.

So much is possible. I know some of you are quite old now. So, you are already very anxious about what’s going to happen to you.

It is not the number of years; it’s just what happens in those years that matters. And if you’ve got one left, make the most of it. You’ve got half of it left; make the most of it. You’ve got one day left; make the most of it. You have no option than to have that attitude. It cannot be any other way. Don’t you see? It cannot be any other way. That’s the way it has to be.

You cannot say, “You know, I’m much wiser now, so I would like 45 more years.” Right. You’re not going to win that argument. There’s no Santa Claus to grant you that wish. All you can do – you have control over what happens. Know where you have control and you don’t have control.

You have control over letting go of the gas. The engine noise, you don’t have any control over. It will make that noise if you push the gas. Don’t push the gas. That’s what you control.

It’s okay. Go within. Be prepared to go within. How do you prepare to go within? By being attracted to those beautiful things that are inside of you, that state where there is no fear. That state where there is no envy. That state where there is no doubt. Get it? That’s where Knowledge takes you. That’s where Knowledge takes you.

Many people in their lives, they see things not going their way; they start losing hope, and the next thing you know, calamity. But it takes courage to have hope; it takes courage to have clarity. And when there is that courage....

This is what’s beautiful. If you get angry, you know what you will be rewarded by? Anger. Just think about it, right? You get angry; you’ll be rewarded by anger. What is the reward of anger? Either you will get more angry.... Maybe, maybe you begin by being angry with your friend, and the next thing you know, you’re also angry with yourself—for being angry at your friend.

Anger rewards anger; anger begets anger. Fear rewards fear. You get afraid of being afraid—and that’s when it really sets in. It’s more than the boogeyman in the closet. Now, you’re afraid to be in the room; you’re afraid to be alive. “Oh my God....”

But...but what is the reward of hope? It brings you more hope. What is the reward of joy? It brings you more joy. What is the reward of happiness? It brings you more happiness. What is the reward of knowledge? It brings you more knowledge. What is the reward of being content? It brings you more contentment. What is the reward of knowing? It brings you more knowing.

This is how it is. This is how it’s always been.

– Prem Rawat

Who am I? Seventy percent water and I can talk? Seventy percent water and I can actually see things? Seventy percent water and I can think?

When was the last time water thinks? Does that come across the news: “We have thinking water.” And we have thinking water right here! So, who am I? This tourist that has to go one day? Who? What?

What is this life all about? Why do I want to be happy? I mean, well, what is this crazy thing: “I mean, well, I just want to be happy.” Even when I’m sad, I want to be happy. It’s not like when I’m happy, I want to be sad. Then I’m crazy. Then I need to see a psychiatrist.

But why is it, naturally, that when I am happy, I want to remain happy and when I am sad, I want to be happy? Clue? Sherlock Holmes, clue? What is the clue? That I am biased.

“Oh, but, and no human being is born with an instruction manual.” Maybe we don’t need it—because the instruction manual is obvious!

Nobody goes to the church, nobody goes to the temple, nobody goes to the mosque to pray to God, “Too much happiness; please take it away; I can’t stand it.” Too much sadness? “Oh, please, too much sadness; take it away.” Too much happiness? Not a problem. Too much joy, not a problem. Too much clarity, not a problem.

So if this is who you are, what have you done about it? If you are hungry, you need to eat! Or do you need a scientific discourse?

Socrates said, “Know thyself.” Why? Why? I mean, why know yourself? Isn’t your name enough—on a card? Isn’t it? Isn’t it?

But is that who you are? Somebody else had that name, and somebody else will have that name.

“Within you,”—the “Paras” is this mythical stone in India, that when you take this stone and touch it to metal, it’ll turn the metal into gold, the alchemist’s metal, the alchemist’s stone, the famous stone—“that that’s within you too, and the pearls are within you too, and the one who understands the value of these is also within you.” The appraiser is also within you.

“Within you resonates the silence”—the silence. “And within you springs the spring of hope, of joy, of knowledge, of wisdom.”

- Prem Rawat

Every human being has something to offer; every human being has something to contribute which is good. We have in us bad, and we have in us good.

A field, if not taken care of, will grow something! It won’t be edible—it’ll be weeds—but it will grow something. Plant the seeds of good; nurture the good, and you could grow beautiful fruits, beautiful flowers, beautiful vegetables.

Every single human being carries this potential in them. We don’t recognize our potential—all we look at is “good: bad, good: bad.” Is today according to my wishes? Then, “Thank you, Lord.” If it is not according to my wishes? “What have I done wrong? Why do you punish me?”

And this is what the whole world does. The whole world does this. Look at this...look at this world today. There are people who hate each other! Why? Why? Why? I ask, “Why?”

What are you made out of? Seven-point-five billion people on the face of this earth are fundamentally made out of very simple things: calcium, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Ninety-nine percent of a human being is made out of these six things.

All of us...all of us have the same fundamental needs. We need oxygen to breathe; we need water; we need food, and we need warmth. We need oxygen; without oxygen we will die very quickly. Without water, a few days, maybe two days, three days…. Without warmth, a few hours.... Without food, maybe, maybe a week, two weeks.... Everywhere, it’s exactly the same!

But what divides us? When we are all the same, nature does not see the difference. Male? Man, made out of the same thing. Woman, made out of the same thing. Then why the differences? I know where the differences are! Right here, in our ideas! Not in our hearts—in our ideas. And this is where the problems are.

– Prem Rawat

When I first went to the West, I was only a teenager. In fact, it was my first year of being a teenager—thirteen. And all these people would come—much older than me, much more educated than me. And they would sit down, and they were very proud of the fact that they were searching for peace.

And I would say to them, “Why are you searching for peace? Why are you searching for peace when peace is inside of you?” Search not for peace, but search for the way to be able to get in touch with what is already inside of you.

And so the question becomes, “Well, you already have peace, right?” Do you? Or don’t you?

Because nothing is missing. There is nothing missing from the equation. You have in you—this is the way you are made—all that you need you have, and you have been made to take advantage of it.

Maybe you don’t have a temple for it. Maybe you don’t have a song for it. Maybe you don’t have a garland for it. Maybe you don’t have a light for it. Maybe you don’t have a location for it. But it is here, in you.

And if you are unaware, then you’re unaware of something fundamental. And this is ignorance. What is ignorance? It’s a play of words in English, but “ignorance”—where does ignorance come from?

Generally, when somebody does something bad—a little child or something—we say, “Oh, it’s okay. He was ignorant.” 'Ignorant' generally is considered to be an excuse to forgive the person, because “they were ignorant.”

But that’s not where the word comes from. The word actually comes from “ignore.” “Ignorance"—ignorant comes from the word “ignore,” which has to be done on purpose.

See, we say ignorant. "Oh, he’s ignorant; it’s okay.” But “ignorant” actually comes from the word “ignore,” which has to be on purpose—that you ignore something.

Ignorance in this world...we think, “Oh, people are ignorant.” No! If they are ignorant, that means they’re, on purpose, ignoring that which is real. Not a fluke! Not a fluke.

And people go, “But I don’t see it!” You’d talk about the Divine, “But I don’t see the Divine!” So, do you see gravity? Do you see the earth spinning? Does that mean it’s not?

You cannot, in this life, merely live in tangled beliefs. Yes, this is the first time I’m using this, “tangled beliefs.” Because beliefs will get tangled. It is their nature because they are so open to interpretation. But knowing is not open to interpretation.

The Divine, in the same way, is everywhere, and by “everywhere” meaning, also in you. To me, when I hear the word “everywhere”—when I hear the word “omnipresent,” it doesn’t mean just omnipresent. It means “in me as well.”

And if that reality is knocking in me, if that reality is residing in me, what am I doing in my life to feel it, to acknowledge it, to understand it? Because if you want peace in your life, that’s the only way you’re going to get it.

– Prem Rawat