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Every human being is a seed.

I’m not a philosopher, because a philosopher would talk about... the philosopher would talk about the potential of the seed. I talk about the realization of that potential.

I am not a philosopher. I’m much closer to a gardener. Prepare the field of your understanding and then take this existence that you have and sow it in this field.

Give it the water of knowing—not believing, knowing. Give it the light of clarity and watch this seed bloom. This blooming is called peace.

- Prem Rawat

Life is the most amazing gift that you have. My friends, this is the most amazing thing that will ever happen to you. Don’t you know? It’s the most amazing thing that will ever happen to you.

You’ve been transformed from just being dirt to dirt that can smile, can see, can appreciate. This did not happen so you could be miserable—that’s pointless. That’s pointless! Pointless! Illogical!

The way I look at it is, there are two walls. One wall I crossed. Where I came from, I don’t know. I.... So, what is wrong—to tell the truth once in a while, right? So, I don’t know where I came from.

But when I was born, I crossed that wall. Before that wall, I don’t know what I was. But when I crossed that wall and I came to this side of that wall, possibilities began for me. And on the other end of it, there is another wall, and through that wall I have to go. And when I do, where I’ll end up, I have no idea.

I know I was dirt, and to this dirt I will go. And when new babies are born, the weight of the earth does not increase, and when people die, the weight of the earth doesn’t decrease. Uh, what does that tell you? We don’t go anywhere.

So, you know, it’s like, “Well, where did he go?” Well, he’s still here. Now he can’t do all the things he could do when he was alive. But his laughing, his crying, his talk, and everything else is playing in your memories, and it’ll be there till you are there.

And it’s amazing; everybody is headed for the same wall. And we have tons of differences, right? The rich, the poor? “Oh, and but, you’re a woman.” “No, you’re a man.” “Oh no, you have this preference. You have that preference. You’re different!”

Well, how different can you be if you’re going to all end up on that wall? And it’s not like one goes to the top of the wall and one goes to the bottom of the wall. No, it’s like the same bloody hole! And whether you like it or not, that’s the hole you’re going through.

So, how different can you be?

- Prem Rawat

How magnificent this earth and how magnificent the being that carries in them the possibility of being clear—clarity. Clarity. Love! And the most amazing thing, love! Caring! Appreciation! A heart that can fill with joy. A heart that can understand. A heart that then offers the greatest gift of gratitude.

That with all of this amazing stuff, should it really be the grind of day after day after day after day after day? Or, are we missing something? Simple question. Simple question: “If this is the possibility, then what are we achieving in our lives?” Not.... Listen. Just forget about the world for a minute. Just you. Just you.

You’re alive; this is your time; you exist. You can feel; you can see. What do you think—you think, is the possibility for you? The grind? All that we deal with? Or is there something more?

Is there such a thing as a “content human being?” Is there such a thing as a human being full of gratitude? Is there such a thing as a human full of clarity? Is there such a thing as a human being full of joy? Is there such a thing as a human being full of understanding? Is there such a thing as a human being full of light? Is there such a thing as a human being full of answers?

Is there such a thing? Because if there was, then to experience this, one day would be enough. To experience that, one day would be enough.

- Prem Rawat

I say to people all around the world ... “Look, heaven is right here! Heaven is right here! And if you haven’t found it, you’re in hell!” (That’s my definition of heaven and hell.) It’s ... it’s not about getting baked.... It’s not about getting fried; it’s not about getting toasted; this is not a cooking show. [laughter]

There is a heaven ... and if you are not in that heaven ... then you’re in the other place. It’s as simple as that!

If you haven’t found your heaven now ... here! ... then you won’t even know what heaven is. Because it is here ... that you have ... that expression!—expression ... of life; this is what peace is.

(Yeah so, I know, I know-I-know-I-know—when I say the word “peace,” the first thing is like, “some vegetable ... like an okra ....”) [laughter]

No, that’s not peace. A person in peace is highly dynamic! A person in peace is highly dynamic. And they make that effort ... the effort ... to be ... a fulfilled human. No more. There’s nothing greater as a gift ... that you could be given.

MC: [Graeme Richards]

"How can you love yourself when you’ve started to believe that you’re ugly and a failure?"

Prem Rawat:

Well, fortunately it is not a fact; it’s only your belief. Beliefs can change.

Belief is like this—and I used to give this analogy. If I’m sitting with somebody, I can say, “Make believe there is a cow here. No harm done; just make believe there’s a cow here—and this cow gives a lot of milk. Just believe that, okay?”

No harm, right? [MC: Right.] But if I’m having tea, real tea, and I want some milk, rest assured this make-believe cow cannot give to my real tea. Now if I’m having make-believe tea, this make-believe cow can give a little bit of its milk for my make-believe tea. But if I’m having real tea, it doesn’t work.

There is another phase after “believing,” and that phase is called “knowing.” It’s living in reality, not just—because a lot of people say to me, when I talk about what I talk about, “Oh, come on; be real.” And the thing is, with all their fear, they’re actually the ones living in fiction. They’re the ones who are living in fiction.

You can believe anything you want, but what is the reality? What is the reality? The reality is that darkness is never far from light.

Last time you flipped on a switch and turned on a light in a dark room, how long did it take for that darkness to disappear? You turned on the light bulb, and it’s just like, djjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj, like, you know, a drain? Or like a toilet flushing, tschhhhhhhhh? No! Voom? Boomf.

Darkness is never far away from light; light is never far away from darkness. Joy is never far away from sadness, and sadness is never far away from joy. They ride together.

When you go into a bathroom and you lock the door for privacy, do you think it’s private? No, your anger, your fear, your doubt have come with you. Even though you book only one seat for yourself on a bus or an airplane, your anger, your fear, your doubt, they’re always there. Always, always!

But, so is kindness, so is understanding, so is gratitude. These things are also there, because they are the other side of the coin.

And you need to know this—that if you have only experienced your ugliness, then you haven’t flipped the coin. You need to flip the coin. Because the other side of that coin is incredible beauty.

And what is the beauty? What is the beauty? Somebody who is symmetrically shaped? A movie star? What is the beauty? Because, you know the reality of it is, how many movie stars that are drop-dead gorgeous, spend hours sometimes looking at themselves in the mirror, going, “Oh my God. Am I? Am I?”

You are the beholder. If you feel in you—and see, I keep going back to this, and this is a great question, because this gives me more ammunition for my book—that’s why you need to know yourself!

Socrates said, “Know thyself.” You need to know yourself. Why do you need to know yourself? Because that is when you will be able to experience the true beauty that you are. That’s why you need to know yourself.

There’s a billion reasons, I think, 7.5 billion reasons on the face of this earth of why you should know yourself. Because if each one did, I think we would have a very different situation in this world; if the beauty that you conceive in your mind is beauty, that is different than you truly are.

See with the eyes. See the wonderment. The children—and, gorgeous! They look at something incredible, and they’re in awe! In awe!

And of course, the stupid parent going, “That’s the moon.” They could care less. They fell in love with the moon before the stupid dad said—or stupid mom said—“That’s the moon.” They saw the moon that doesn’t have a name, and they loved it. That’s beauty—and you have that beauty.

Whatever other people tell you, you are worse than them, because you constantly sit there and tell yourself, “I’m not beautiful; I’m not beautiful; I’m not....”

This beauty will be gone one day. The same thing that people come and kiss, they will be like, “Huh-huh, no way.”

So, it’s not here—this is not the “beauty” part. The beauty part is here, in your heart, in yourself.

- 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