The Voice of Maharaji: December 2004 - December 2009

Excerpts from Maharaji's speeches during the period 2004-2009. One presupposes that these were chosen and edited as they were both the the most salient and the most interesting parts of his speeches

Fulfilling the oldest dream

When are we going to acknowledge the peace that we need in our lives? When are we going to take the first steps to fulfill the oldest dream that mankind has had? Peace is a fundamental desire of every human being. It needs acknowledgment, and it needs to be realized, fulfilled. We need to turn within ourselves to find the answers for peace. We're not going to find them outside. They are written in the very pages that reside in the heart of every single human being regardless of who they are, what their belief is, or what they have done.

I have a dream that all civilizations, all people will be in peace. People say to me, "Isn't that an impossible ideal?" Then I say to myself, "If that is true, then it is the only ideal worth having. That is something I can try to help with." And that's what I do. The amazing thing is, that to have peace on the outside, you have to have peace on the inside. This is not new. Everyone knows this. And to find peace on the inside is the most simple process of all because it is already there. It does not have to be created. It is there to discover, to have, to enjoy.

The thirst for peace lies within all of us. Around the world, I have found the currency not to be common, language not to be common, clothing not to be common, food not to be common. But the desire to be fulfilled is common to everyone. That's what I am addressing.

I travel around the world bringing this message to people, and I hope people listen to it, that they get something out of it. I'm not preaching, nor am I teaching. All I'm doing is presenting a possibility. Peace is important to me, and I hope that peace is important to you. Because, after all, when I look at the horizon, if I have to imagine the world without peace, it is, indeed, a very grim prospect. When I see the light on the horizon, I certainly hope it is the light of the peace that dances, waiting to shine in my life, in my time."

It will bring me joy

Within me is this most beautiful and profound thing. And if I connect to it… it will bring me joy.

There are so many ideas in this world. And sometimes, at first, we don't even realize that these ideas surround us. They're there, and we accept them. They seem familiar. And as the time goes by, these ideas take more and more and more of a stronghold in our lives, until everything else takes on a priority.

Until one day, what we held to be so true and real no longer matters.

Obviously, the transition is smooth. Too smooth. It would be better if one day, you woke up and said, "Bam! I'm going in the wrong direction." But it isn't like that. It's ever so slow. It's ever so evolving. Because there was a time when the only thing that mattered was to be alive.

I know when I say this, a lot of people look at me and say, "Huh?" as though they have forgotten what it was like to be a little child. All that mattered was, "I'm here." There was no judgement of what today meant. It didn't need to be defined. It was, it is, "I'm here. I don't know about tomorrow. I don't know what was yesterday, but I am. I am alive, and that's all that matters." That was a simple time. That was a real time. And everything was in real time.

And then.…you know the story. All of the other things become priorities, and the one thing that mattered the most - being alive - got pushed back and back, and back.

But there is good news. And the good news is that there is Knowledge. The good news is, there is someone that can remind us. And what does this Knowledge do? It takes that which is so lost and it makes it found again. Where the focus, where the understanding of what this existence is all about - what this life is all about - becomes real. And to accept. To actually accept that "I exist". That, within me - within me - is this most beautiful and profound thing. And most importantly that, if I connect to it, it will bring me joy.

The Realm of Life

YOU HAVE COME INTO THE REALM OF LIFE. Pray, tell, where is your focus? Here is the most magnificent thing that's unfolding. A breath comes and fills you with life, my God - life. You know? Hey, people, you can't dig this stuff up in a mountain. It's not like there is a mine of life somewhere and you can go and trace it down and say, "Yeah, don't worry about life, we've got plenty of it." Life. It's not a joke. It's real.

People say, "Oh, yes, you know, all this stuff - enjoying all this and that, and that, and Knowledge, you know, is that real?" Well, let's put all that aside for a minute, we'll discuss that later. Let's talk about life. Is life real?

It's about as real as reality gets. You're here. You exist. You can touch, you can feel, you can listen. You have the capability. You have the ability to enjoy

This is brought to you, courtesy of existence.

Your core can bring you joy

It is not in the resolution of problems that you will find happiness. If you want to find that happiness, if you want to find that joy, then find that one thing that is within inside of you. That is you, that is your reality, that is your core that can bring you that joy. This disparity has existed and existed and existed, yet people keep saying, "No, these people don't know what they're talking about."

When my spring comes, I will be ready

What happens in spring? It's amazing. There are all these trees that lost their leaves, and they've been waiting. They've been waiting, they've been waiting, and they've been waiting. And those first fragile little buds have been waiting and waiting and waiting-waiting through that bitter cold. And these little, little seedlings that are just ready to go-my God, they are not going to wait for a weather report. When their time comes, they will go. They will begin flowering. They will not waste a moment.

When this precious opportunity of Knowledge, when this most beautiful wind of the heart starts to blow and confusion is no more, then understand that your spring has come. And it is time, it is time, to sprout. Sprout into that world of joy. Sprout into that world of beauty. Sprout into that world of wisdom.

When my spring comes, I will be ready

It's just dark without…THE MAGIC BRUSH

What tendency is this - to shy away from reality? What tendency is this to duck what is truth? What tendency is this to forget that one core, that one string, that makes this world what it is? What tendency is this to forget this magic brush that allows the green to be green, the blue to be blue, and the yellow to be yellow? Without this magic brush, I reckon it's just pitch dark. Yellows aren't yellows anymore; blues aren't blues. And greens certainly are not greens.

You know, the paradox isn't so paradoxical once you start to look at that simple thing. "I forget what is important." That's not a paradox. Somehow, I have made it a habit to forget my own existence, because I have given priority to everything else. Everything else matters more.

This is serious. When I am incapable of acknowledging what is really real, then there is a problem

Life - so precious it's priceless

If I were to say to someone - and I know this question has been asked before - "What if you were given a million dollars, what would you do?" You'd think about it, "I'd pay off my debts. I'd buy this, I'd buy that, I'd save a little, I'd do this, I'd do that…"

Because, for us, there is an importance to that million dollars. To a lot of people, it means freedom to be able to do what they want to do. But nonetheless, it is speculation, because that's how the question is set up. "What if you had…?" "What if somebody gave you…?" "What if…?"

But here, when we deal with this most precious thing that is worth billions, and more - that is priceless - the question isn't speculation: "What if you had life?" You have it. "What would you do? How would you use it?" It's a stunning question, because it's real. It's not a question that is asked too often. And yet, sincerely, what would our answer to that question be? Have we taken the time in this life to sit down and say, "Hm. I've got to think about that. I have been given a life."?

In silence when the heart can speak

When you're in that place of contentment it feels good. It feels good. It's a place where I desire no more and desire no less. It's a place where I am, where I have clarity, and I know that what I want in my life is more of this. No questions, no doubts. I don't have to consult anybody.

In fact, being in that place is so perfect, I don't even have to go to somebody and say, "So, what do you think?" I don't need anybody's verification. I don't need anybody's approval. And what is bizarre is that I don't even think when it will end. It's one of those few things where I don't want it to end, and I don't have to sit there and go, "Gee, I just hope it doesn't end." It doesn't end. It doesn't.

In that place, if somebody is next to me, fine. If nobody is next to me, fine. If somebody asks me, "What do you think is going to happen to the world?", I am content to be quiet. If somebody asks me if I'm happy, I'm content to be quiet. I don't have to give a lecture on what happiness is.

To touch the heart, the feeling has to be real

Oh, by the way, mind doesn't have any problem - check this out, this is cunning - it has no problem about that little book - "Little drops of wisdom" - none whatsoever. It's covered. This is fine. Because it knows it's not going to touch your heart. You want to see the world inside? Don't open your eyes, close your eyes, and open them inside. And it knows that little book isn't going to be able to do it. Let's give it credit - mind is smart.

That's not an issue for it. That little book? No problem. In fact, the very fact that what you're going to be reading in that book says, "What you are looking for is inside of you," is not a problem for it. Because it can debate about that... "Inside." "Where?"

But, Knowledge it knows it has no grasp on. That feeling it knows is real and is not under its control. And it does not like that.

Every minute the saga of life unfold

Right now, right now, there are people in New York caught up in a traffic jam, honking their horns. Just think about it. There are people in California, just coming into the traffic jam. There are people, right now - at this moment - getting ready for bed.They've had their day. Was it a good day? Is it going to be a good day? We don't know. But just use your imagination a little bit. Right now, there is somebody who's lost. Doesn't know the directions. Right now, somewhere, there is a child waking up, getting ready to go to school, with all the, "I don't want to do this."

And somewhere, there is a person sitting in the middle of the jungle. Maybe there is somebody on a sailing vessel out in the middle of the ocean. There's somebody maybe flying 51,000 feet high. Maybe somebody is in a balloon. Maybe somebody somewhere is riding a horse. Maybe somebody somewhere is taking a walk.

And it doesn't matter where they are on the face of this earth, life has touched every one of them. Whether they're in the middle of the jungle, stuck in a traffic jam, in the middle of the ocean, 51,000 feet high or a hundred feet down in the ocean.

And somebody, somewhere, is taking their first breath. And somebody, somewhere, is taking their last breath.

The saga is unfolding. Like it will in another minute, and in another minute, and in another minute - and in another minute. And this drama, this incredibly intense drama, the struggle of life and death, life touching, life leaving, being, existence. All of this unfolds.

Where do you fit into it? Who are you? And here is the difference: you could say you are another one of those people caught in the drama of life. Or, you could say, "I am touched by the most divine. As I exist. As I am."

Do you know what the difference between those two is? The guy is still at 51,000 feet. He isn't coming down yet. The guy is still in the middle of the ocean, he is still there. The guy lost - he's still lost. And the guy caught in the traffic jam is going to be there for a while. But do you know what the difference is? Acceptance. If you don't accept, it means nothing. It doesn't matter how incredible it is, how marvelous it is, how beautiful it is. It doesn't mean anything if you don't accept.

But if you do, then that changes everything. Everything.

I want to be there for them

The main thing is - what are we here to do? What do I want to do with my life? This is my life. And I want to bring what I think is an incredibly powerful, beautiful message - a message about hope, about life, about being fulfilled. This is not about converting the world. This is as simple as a flower blooming.

A flower will bloom. It doesn't wait for you to show up to smell it. A flower blooms because it does. If you are fortunate enough to be able to smell it and partake of its beauty, that is your good fortune. A rose doesn't smell like a rose for you. It has another agenda. But if, in that process, you can fulfill yourself, go for it. You are alive. You will go through goods and bads, and then one day, you will be gone. However, there is a possibility. And the possibility is that living through all of those goods and bads, you can be fulfilled. I want to make this possibility available to people. Once they recognize they want to pursue that possibility, I want to be there for them. And when they want to receive this gift of Knowledge, I want to be there for them. And after they have received it, I still want to be there for them.

Where the finite meets the infinite

The importance of the heart in the presence of such a cunning mind is all-important as it is the center. And it is the only thing that it really doesn't like. It likes everything else. I mean, it is not fazed by the thought of heaven, it is not fazed by the thought of hell. Boiling water, boiling oil - no problem.

But Knowledge. "What? Knowledge? Nah." It's the only thing that even touches its goose. Nothing else. Doesn't question anything else. It questions Knowledge. Because Knowledge addresses that simplicity.

As this breath comes, fills you, truth comes and touches you. There is your truth. Perfection comes and touches you. There is your perfection. You know, for that moment - for that moment, you are bridged to the infinite. That's it. Otherwise, two very opposite things will stay there.

That which wasn't, is, will follow its course, and won't be. And that which was, and is, will follow its course, and will be. These are two rivers: the infinite and the finite. And they'll come that close. And that's Knowledge.

That which wasn't, and which is, will follow its course. And its course is set. It's course is set not to be. And that which was, and which is, will follow its course. And it is set. It will be. And this - the "is" and the "is" together - is where life is. It's the possibility.

And to soak up, to understand, to guide - there is the heart, there is Knowledge, and there is the Master, and they'll hang onto that bridge, they will create that bridge. And then it goes its own way. And that's why it's simple. Because if that became complicated, that would be it.

Go within, and accept

Remember when you were learning how to ride a bike? And you were told, "Pedal, pedal, pedal. Look straight ahead." Did anybody talk to you about that feeling when it clicks?

It's a weird process because who do you doubt first? Yourself? Never. The first person in the line of fire, the first person to be doubted, is the person who is saying, "Pedal, pedal, pedal." "This guy doesn't know. Have you done this before? Have you taught somebody before? By the way, can you ride a bike?"

And then, one day, you learn how to ride the bike. And all of a sudden, you have a new understanding, which is not about pedaling. Neither is it about looking straight ahead. But it is something else, and nobody told you. And you found it all by yourself. Because the process, you realize, is of acceptance. The process is simple. You accept it. Any one of those doubts and frustrations could have stopped you.

What about life? What about Knowledge? Is there an acceptance? Is there an understanding? To go on, to move. The Master says, "Go within, and accept." And you go, "I wonder if he knows what he's talking about. Oh, my God, does he know about my problems? Does he know about all the things I have to put up with? All I hear him say is, 'Go within, and accept.'"

Because that is all there is.

Make your stairway to heaven

Tomorrow, the sun rises, and you get this opportunity to do it right. To learn something. To learn what is important. To learn what this gift is. To learn what it means. Learning is not bad. Learning is not terrible. To understand, to truly make my stairway to heaven. Every day, let me add another step or two, or three, or four. And let me walk. Because every time I do, I get a little closer to my heaven. To my reality. To my simplicity. To my gift. To my honor. To my dignity. It's when I understand, in that simplest of places-that's my dignity. When I have understood, I'm dignified. When I accept this breath and thank, I am honored. I'm honored.

This is my pride. This is my joy.

This moment, this life, this existence, this gift has been given. And it is from the simplest of places that you have to approach it because it is simplicity at its best. That's what Knowledge is.

Feel the blessing of being alive

Do not underestimate the power of Knowledge. It is mighty. Practice it. Enjoy it.

Feel this heart. Feel this life.

Feel the blessing you have been given.

To be alive. There is no greater blessing than that. You are. Open this heart and accept. And when you are full, give thanks. That's all that's required. No, you don't have to climb a mountain, you don't have to jump off a bridge. And to those people who like to go to all the holy places-what have the saints said? The holiest place is inside of you. It's all there. Appreciate.

This is a beautiful opportunity to experience something wonderful.

Maharaji - This is my time

The world today is too busy trying to change the outside and not the inside, and it has failed century after century, after century, after century.

There are people who speak of doomsday. And I chuckle. I laugh. And there are people who say it will go on forever. And I laugh. Why? Because this is my time. This is my field. We all have problems. Little problems, big problems and severe problems. Problems come and they shake us.

But the clarity you need is to know that there is all this, and then there is you, within. Don't weigh the you within with the you of the outside. The you of the outside is transitory. It will come, it will go; it will come, it will go.

Try to understand.

Maharaji - Incredible good times are coming

"What is this life like? It is not the pieces of gold you did not pick up that will make you wealthy; it is the ones that you did. It is not the moments you lost that will bring you gain; it is the moments you captured.

Every day we look at what we don't have. Life is not about lost opportunities. It is about the opportunity taken. A painting is not about the strokes that were not there; it is about the strokes that were. A picture is not about all the things that are not on film; it is about what was there when the shutter opened. And for us, it is not about the days that have been swept under the bridge. It is about the days that are coming that we can gather in our bucket.

If you can understand just this much - that what you have matters - your whole outlook on life can change. Then it can become a gift because it is based on what you do have, not what you don't have.

My prediction is that there are some incredibly good times coming. Incredibly good times. And I'm going to try as hard as I can to prepare you for them. Because if it is true that what counts is what you have, not what you don't, then you have to be ready for those times because when they come, you have to save them.

What will those good days be? Will they be the fulfillment of some concept? Of course not.

When fulfillment happens, it is based upon something real. And it transcends even our wildest dreams. Sometimes it is as subtle as a flute playing in the distance. And we listen. Something gets stirred and something is fulfilled. Sometimes it is as big as the world itself or as small as a little speck of dust blowing in the wind. It is not what it is that matters. All that matters is what it brings. And that is coming your way. How do I know? Because it has come before. And it will come again, and again, and again. Be ready."

Inside of you is the haven

Life is not your custom menu. Life is something much, much bigger. Much more beautiful. Much more serene. Its fruits are sweet. Its fruits are fragrant. Its flowers are beautiful, multicolored. Not one shade but multicolored. They even put the roses to shame. Touch it. Smell its fragrance. Allow yourself the luxury of being mesmerized by this beautiful, beautiful, beautiful tree of life. Look at its fruit, look at its leaves. Sit under its shade. And rest. Rest awhile. You need to rest awhile. Take that time. Take that time to appreciate. Everything in this ocean goes up and down, and bobs, and feels the storm - but, inside of you is the haven. Go. Go to that haven.

Maharaji - Search where you know it lies

When a candle in real life is lit, it gives light and it glows. You can make a million pictures of that candle and they will never glow like the real thing glowed, when it was lit.

So search, but, search where it is, and you will find it. Search where it is not, and I guarantee you, you will never find it. It sounds like a powerful statement, but how simple it is. The clue has been given. Search for it within. This is not about confusion. This is all about clarity. This is not about absence. This is about being here. The whole world talks about and on behalf of those who are no longer. Yet, every time a someone comes to show and to explain, what is talked about? That which is present. That which is there. That which is available.

This is not about promises. This is about a promise that already has been fulfilled. This is not about a letter that is going to arrive. This is about the letter that has already arrived. That is already here. Open it. And read. Don't just hold it in your fingers and say: "I wonder what is in this letter," speculate what could possibly be written in this letter, and speculate who I think wrote this letter. No. It is time, with confidence, to open it and read. And to feel what is written, because it is exquisite.

Maharaji addresses young business and government leaders

The Young Leaders Forum of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce andIndustry invited Maharaji to address an audience of distinguished businessand government leaders at Sirifort Auditorium, Delhi's premier auditorium.

Speaking from a simple stage, Maharaji stated that whilewe tend to think we are free, our heart cries for freedom. There are manybars in our life, he said, behind which we are imprisoned without evenknowing it - bars of ignorance, sorrow, doubt. Without knowing it, we aretrapped in a cage of doubt. And yet the bird in our heart wants to fly.How can we afford to give this bird in our heart a chance to fly?

Emphasizing that the peace he speaks of is not connected to any worldly situation, Maharaji told a story. Once upon a time, he said, God told aperson: "Tell me what you would like, and I will fulfill your wishes."The man replied: "A good job." So God gave this man a good job. A few yearslater, the man prayed again and told God: "I would like to have a goodwife." So God gave him a good wife. A few years later, this man asked fora few good children. So God gave him a few good children.

More than twenty years passed, and the man asked God to give good spouses to his children. So God gave good spouses to his children.A few years later, the man prayed again, and God asked him, "What wouldyou like this time?" And the man answered, "Peace." Then God asked: "Butwhen you started praying to me a long time ago, you said you wanted a job."

And the man replied: "I asked for a good job because I thought this wouldallow me to be rich and to find a good spouse, and I asked for a good spousebecause I thought she would allow me to have a good family, and I askedfor good children because with all this wealth and family, I thought Iwould have peace. But from the beginning I wanted peace." "Why wait somany years?" said God. "Why didn't you ask for peace in the first place?"

Maharaji expressed that the Knowledge he offers does not necessarily makepeople successful in their external lives. He encouraged people in theaudience to pursue this kind of success if they want. And if they neededhelp finding success in the form of peace within, he invited them to cometo him for help.

He emphasized that, while we have to take care of our worldly responsibilities,there is one responsibility that we have towards our self, and that isour personal venture to find peace in this life.

A high point in the address was when he stressed the importance of each person finding peace whether they are interested in Knowledge or not. Every person, he said, must find peace - not a fake peace, not a peace made of worldly formulas, but real peace - the peace that is felt in theheart and that is independent of circumstances.

Maharaji concluded by saying that the Knowledge he offersis unlike any other knowledge because it is the one knowledge that allowsa person to take the senses that are running outside and to direct themwithin. And when the focus goes within, he said, then joy, peace, fulfillmentmanifest from within.

The Fundamental Need

"There is a basic need of every human being, and that is to be fulfilled. Regardless of who we are - whether we live in a poor village or a seventy-story building - we want to be happy. We want to be content. We want to be fulfilled. It doesn't matter what we call it - we have the same purpose.

We came from the same place and landed on the same dock - Earth. Then we got caught in the web of what we should be doing. The wind of this world scattered us - and we see our differences, not our similarities.

What is our heart saying? Once again, we need to hear and identify the call, the voice, the want, the need of our fundamental being. Not formulas or ideas. We need to feel. That's how we are made.

It comes down to very simple fundamentals. The voice of our heart is saying, "Be fulfilled." When the heart is full, there is enjoyment. When doubt is replaced by clarity, when questions have been traded for answers, when duality has been replaced by singularity, then there is the most content heart. Then there is joy. Then there is a human being on an incredible journey of life.

In the middle of adversity, the human being seeks peace. In the middle of questions, the human being seeks answers. In the middle of doubt, the human being seeks clarity. This is the nature of the human being. This is the need to fulfill.

The happiness that we are looking for is inside of us. Something needs to be felt within. Peace happens to be one of those things. Joy happens to be one of those things - not a joy that comes and goes, but a joy that permanently resides inside. Not a happiness that comes and goes, connected to the outer world, but a happiness that is always there. Even in the darkest moment, that joy resides within me. There is a solid feeling of peace when we go within and find that place."

Maharaji in Mumbai

Maharaji had first come to Mumbai as a child, barely four years old, and addressed audiences there before his father came on stage. On this visit, the stadium, set in the middle of one of the noisiest, most bustling cities in the world, was filled with tens of thousands of people, patiently waiting under a scorching sun. When Maharaji walked on stage, he was welcomed by a standing ovation, soon followed by an extraordinary silence as everyone became all ears.

Maharaji explained that all people have needs. Some are basic needs such as thirst, hunger, or sleep that need to be satisfied. Numerous businesses have been created to satisfy these needs. In many ways it could be said that the world is need-driven. On the other hand, many needs, he said, have been created by society, and it is society that tells us we should fulfill them. Trying to fulfill these needs that are not our real needs often becomes stressful. We long for more money or for a better job, but these are not our fundamental needs. They are dictated by the society, and they will never be satisfied completely. He explained that the true need is the need that the heart believes to be true. Since we cannot fulfill all our needs, at least we need to fulfill the one main need we can fulfill, the one need that the heart knows to be true.

The true need, he said, is within the heart, and it is up to the heart to say what it is. It needs to be experienced for oneself. Unless peace is experienced in the heart, he continued, a person will remain unsatisfied. When the heart is at peace, on the other hand, the need to satisfy a long list of needs is replaced by an expression of gratitude for being alive.

He added that however deep the darkness may be, a lamp is always burning within us, and that within us are the answers that we are looking for. We search for questions because we think they will lead us to answers, but at some point we need to search for answers. If we find answers without the questions, he concluded, that would be very good.

An audience of 275,000 welcomes Maharaji

Maharaji told the story of a poor farmer. The farmer wanted to go to town, make money to feed his family, and come back with some savings. As he was about to leave, his wife prepared four sweets for him and slipped a gold coin into each of them. "Do not eat these sweets unless it is an emergency, and you are very hungry," she told him. He promised her that he would do as she said.

As he traveled to the big city, he became hungry, but he remembered his promise and did not eat the sweets. He had fruit instead. A few months passed, and he had never touched the sweets. He was roaming the city looking for work. In spite of all his efforts, he was not able to make a living. Much time passed and he became even poorer and hungrier. He remembered the sweets, but thought, "These are only for an emergency," and he did not eat them. Before long, without ever having touched the sweets, he died of hunger.

The story of our life, Maharaji said, is like this man's. If he had looked into the sweets that had been given to him, he would have been rich. We have also been given something very beautiful within: Within our heart is peace, happiness, just like the gold coin in the sweets. We keep saying, "Not today, tomorrow" to happiness. And our precious time passes.

He said that now is the moment to enjoy the riches that have been given to us, and he gave the example of seeds in the desert. They wait a very long time for the rain, and when the rain comes, they do not say, "I am busy now. Maybe later. Come back." Whenever it rains, they accept the rain, and they grow. Maharaji said we should be like these seeds.

He went on to speak of the preciousness of this breath: Unless we understand this breath, we are like the farmer who never understood the wealth he was carrying. The real human being, Maharaji said, is not the one who carries lists of what he would like to acquire, but the one who is thankful for what he has been given, the one who is thankful for having been given everything in this life.He asked everyone not to have blind faith, but to understand their thirst, their hunger; practice this Knowledge; and experience for themselves that the gold coin of happiness we are looking for is within.

"A Gold Mine" - Highlights from Maharaji's address in Ranchi, India

Maharaji told the story of a queen who was taking a bath one day. She took off her necklace and put it on a table. A crow saw the necklace through the open window, flew into the room, grabbed it, and flew away. The crow brought it to a tree where he then tried to eat the necklace. When the crow did not find the necklace to his liking, he just left it there lying on a branch.

The queen was desperate: her favorite necklace was gone. When the king came back home that night, he found her in disarray. He offered to get her a better necklace, but she said that no other necklace would do. She wanted that necklace. The king announced that whoever would find the necklace would get a reward. Some people in his kingdom looked for the necklace but could not find it. The king increased the reward. More people looked, but still could not find it. In despair, he said that the person who would find the necklace would get half of his kingdom. Everyone in the kingdom started searching.

There was a canal filled with dirty water near the palace, and under a tree, someone saw a reflection of the necklace in the water. So the person took off his clothes and jumped into the dirty water. When some other people saw him jump in, they suspected that he had found the necklace and they jumped in, too. Soon, some police officers passing by saw what was happening and jumped in, too. The head of the police who was passing by jumped, too, hoping he would be the one to find the necklace. None of them could find it. They all saw that the image was still there, and so they concluded that it was an illusion.

A saint walked by. He asked all these people, "Why are you all jumping into this dirty water?" They told him. He replied, "What you are looking for is not in this dirty water; it is up there in the tree. It is simply a reflection."

Maharaji said we are the same. The real love is within, but we look outside for it. We try to look for it in this world's dirty water. Many people take off their clothes and jump into the world's dirty water in the hope of finding the love that they are looking for. When they do not find what they are looking for, they say that they will find it after they die.

But, he said, if what they are looking for can be found after they die, why do they have life now? What sense does this make? Why were they created? Why does this breath come and go into them now? Why is it that within us there is a thirst for love, if love is only to be found after death?

Maharaji observed that everyone wants their life to be successful. Not a single person does not want to succeed, in their own way. For some people, success is having a large family; for others it is amassing wealth or gaining a position in society.

Maharaji said the role of the teacher is to remind people that what they are looking for is inside of them. He challenged the people, asking them if they realized how much they have received already. So much has been given already, he said, what is needed is to accept it. Gifts started with the first breath that was given to us. Each breath that comes is the touch of the creator. Sadness, he said, is when the breath comes and we do not recognize it. The biggest heaven is here. Those who do not recognize that are in the biggest hell because, while they have the capability to recognize, they do not.

Maharaji reminded everyone how precious life is. While we came empty handed, he said, there is no reason to go empty handed. It is important that no day, no moment, goes wasted. He reminded everyone of how important it is to have peace in their life. To do that, he said, we need to stop cheating and hiding ourselves from ourselves.

Whenever there has been a call from our heart to find fulfillment, to find joy, we have said, "No. I am busy now. I have other things to do." If this is not cheating the self, what is?

One day, he said, all that came from this earth has to go back to this earth. What once was ash will be ash again. Each of us is sitting on a gold mine; there is a gold mine within each breath. If we dig into this mine, we will be richer than we can imagine.

He concluded by saying that we should make our life successful. We should be rich. Richness, he said, is love inside. Richness is peace in the heart. The day we are clear about this, all the questions will go away.

"Joy Is Possible"

Maharaji started by reminding the audience that, as long as we do not experience a satisfaction that quenches our inner thirst for contentment, questions will keep coming to us. Hence the first priority is to quench our thirst. Each breath that comes and goes, he said, is a gift. He described the human body as a boat to get across an ocean of doubts and illusion. He described the role of a teacher as someone who helps guide this boat across to the other side - a difficult task which the right teacher can render easy.

Knowledge, he reminded the audience, is a subject that is beyond the comprehension of the mind. This can be a hard concept to grasp, since the mind is the only tool we have to make sense of things. No label can be put on Knowledge, he said. All a person can do is experience it for themselves through the techniques which Maharaji shows.

To a question from a person asking him how to get hold of the joy in every breath, Maharaji explained that Knowledge is needed. Knowledge is what allows us to catch this joy. This is not a joy that can be thought about, he said; it is a joy to be witnessed, to be felt.

The difficulty in doing so, he said, is that we have bad habits: We are used to looking on the outside for what we need. When it comes to looking for joy, we think it is on the outside, too, and that's where we look for it. We like to think that joy and peace are far from us. We like to point at them as if they were in the future or in some remote, distant place. All we need to do, he said, is remove the curtain. It is just like a person who wakes up in the morning, opens the curtain to let light come in, and then can see what is inside the room.

To a question from a person wanting to know the difference between real joy and salvation, he said that, with Knowledge, a person gets joy from a place within where there is everything. When that place is reached, a person experiences a deep joy that is a door to salvation.

To a question about whether Knowledge helps a person worry less, he replied that what matters is not so much whether one worries, but what one worries about. There are good worries, he said, like worrying about finding joy within or catching joy in each breath. Human beings worry, and we can link our worrying with pain or joy.

To another person who asked whether it would be advisable to relinquish all worldly possessions and responsibilities to dedicate himself to experiencing this Knowledge, Maharaji replied by emphasizing the importance of taking care of worldly responsibilities and of the even greater importance of remembering our most fundamental responsibility. Our fundamental responsibility, he said, is to fulfill the purpose for which we have been given this life. As to whether it was advisable to be a recluse, he said that he was not able to answer this question since he was neither a recluse nor a hermit. Maharaji explained that all he had done was recognize something beautiful within himself and surrender to that. To find joy, he said, it is not necessary to be a recluse.

A person who said he was a devout follower of his religion asked Maharaji about how to have an experience within, something he said he had not been able to get from his religion. Maharaji likened Knowledge to water. The experience that we are looking for is within, he said, and the teacher can help put our hand on the glass that holds the water we are looking for - the glass from which we can drink and experience the water. Until that time, we only know that there is water. With Knowledge, we can put our hand on the glass and drink.

The next question came from a person who said he was "neither educated nor intelligent." He said that he had realized that he had many flaws and wondered if someone like him could learn this Knowledge. Maharaji replied that no one could be more intelligent than a person who recognizes his flaws. He asked this person not to belittle himself. Often, Maharaji said, the more people are educated, the less educated they are. He told the person that he had everything he needed, and that if he wanted joy in his life, this was possible, too.

Feeling of Peace

"In life, there are so many distractions, so many roads - hundreds and thousands of them. If you don't have a destination, they're all valid. But if you have a particular place you want to go, the only one that is valid is the one that will take you there.

So often we are not sure what we want in our life. We are not clear about the possibility. We open the window and see everything that is out there: 'That's intriguing. That's interesting; I wish I had that; I wish it was this way or that way.' From the time our head hits the pillow to the time it rises from the pillow, something is forgotten. Who am I? What is this life? What is this existence? What is it all about?

Many people start off on a good footing: 'This life is precious, this is wonderful, this is incredible.' Then off they go - and this includes me - off they go into explanations. We all have our issues and our problems.

How can we say what it means for breath to come into this body, bringing the gift of life? For something so simple to occur, for something so fantastic, so amazing to occur, that every single human being on the face of this earth gets touched by this magic? The magic of this breath coming in, the magic of life as it unfolds, as it dances every day.

Human beings try to hang onto everything they can, not realizing what they should hang onto. The perfect analogy would be that of a boat that has started to sink. When you realize the boat is sinking, you grab onto anything you can. But don't grab onto the boat because it will take you with it. If you hang onto something that isn't floating, you're going to go down, too.

That's what happens in our lives every day when we are not able to distinguish the nature of the things we are surrounded by. Then there is something that is totally different. Along comes a message that says: 'Be in peace.'

What does it mean to be in peace? That's what we need to understand. Yes, there are doubts. There are all those things. But none of those are the vessel the gift of breath comes into. Life is not about my problems. It is about my need to be fulfilled, my need to quench my thirst. This is what I want more than anything else. My most fundamental need is to fulfill what my heart wants fulfilled in my life - not just once, but again and again. I need it every day. I need it as much as possible.

The question always comes up: 'I don't have enough time. I have so many responsibilities.' You don't have to abdicate even one responsibility. Whatever you do and however you are and whatever you are, you can still feel peace.

We live in a world where we can do multiple things. We are in a multiprocessor society. We want to do as much as we can. But that doesn't mean we're clear about what it is that we really want to do. We need clarity about what we fundamentally want in life.

How much gratitude do I feel that I am alive? How clear am I that it means everything to me that this breath came into me and I was able to recognize it? Just even one. Feel the feeling - every breath as it manifests. It is the feeling of peace."

One Peace

There are two questions that I hear from people again and again. "Why am I here in this world?" and "Who am I?" Two very fascinating questions. The most important one is, "Who am I?" If I can understand that, I can also understand why am I here.

The world constantly pushes labels onto us. "You are so-and-so." It started in school with the teacher calling attendance. Is that who I am? A name? Or am I what I do? Am I a doctor or a lawyer or a captain? A graduate of this or that school?

On one hand, I have a body with blood, cells, nerves, brain, eyes - all of that. Then, distinctly inside of me, there is something that is allowing me to exist. The feeling that it brings is not only the feeling of being alive, but the feeling of being in peace. It brings the feeling of joy, of tranquility. There is something that stays untouched by everything that happens around me. I get affected by good days and bad days; the thing that is keeping me alive is apart from all of that. This is who I am. I'm not just my body, and I'm not just my accomplishments. I'm more. All of that put together is who I am.

It comes back to what is important. There is an option in life to be fulfilled. Good and bad will happen. That's not the point. When it is raining outside and you open up an umbrella, the purpose of the umbrella is not to make the clouds go away. All the umbrella does is to prevent you from getting wet as much as it can. Your feet might get wet, but it will at least keep your head dry. That's what fulfillment is like.

A lot of people think fulfillment will change the whole world for them. It won't. What it will do is let you know where your true home is. The reality is that peace is within me whether I am a beggar or I'm a king. It doesn't matter to peace. We see such a big difference between the two - a beggar and a king. But think about it. What does the beggar really dream of? Becoming a king. And what does a king dream of? "I wish my life was simple like that beggar."

So different, yet so similar. Both are looking for peace. The beggar thinks, "If I become the king, I will have peace." And the king says, "If I become the beggar, I will have peace." These are differences that we have created.

There is one simple similarity we all share. Peace is within all of us. And if we want, we can experience that.

One with the Heart

A lot of people talk about the past. And yes, there have been great times, but the past wasn't better than today. We just have to see how fortunate we are to be here, keep our eyes open and see what's happening now, because it is incredibly exciting.

Come from a simple place in your life. When you recognize the thing that is within you that has made its temple inside of you, then you will begin to understand the value of being human. That temple is in the heart of every human being, and it exists within you. Don't paint it red; don't paint it green. Don't stick a statue in it. It's not worth it.

The value is in being alive and recognizing that. Sainthood is for people who have died. We are alive now. Feel the triumph in your life. That's all that matters. It's a matter of understanding. If someone were a saint, that person would be recognized for their gratitude, their understanding, their fulfillment.

In this life, we need to understand our selves. Life is thrusting us to move forward every single day. Life is transforming us. That's the challenge. That's what is being offered - to keep evolving, to shine.

A lot of people focus on their troubles and problems. If we could only look at ourselves and see that something has protected us and saved us again and again. Even if it is just for a fraction of a second that we are reminded what is important in life, that's enough.

Everybody is taking a journey. I look at each person's face and everybody has a story to tell. Every wrinkle has a story to tell. Every tear has a story to tell. Every smile has a story to tell. Every person has a story to tell. They really do. Their expression of what they are feeling in their lives tells a story.

Be with this gift of life, of understanding, and we'll fight whatever fight there is to fight. We're not going to go looking for darkness, but if it comes, we'll light so many lamps it won't know where to be. That's what we have: we don't have swords, but we've got lamps and we'll light them. Confusion and doubt don't have to come in our lives. That's the possibility.

I'm not saying that we never get confused. But the possibility exists that we don't have to be confused. There doesn't have to be doubt. As we live and exist, life can be experienced in its true purity, its true beauty, without all the chaos and the drama. Life is saying, "Come across the river, and you don't have to get wet. You don't have to fall in the river. Enjoy the ride."

If you've taken that challenge in your life to be fulfilled, see it through. It takes the same amount of energy to doubt your experience as it does to experience it. Fall in love with what your heart wants you to do. Synchronize with it. Get together with your heart. Make that heart and you a team. When we become a team with confusion and doubt, we don't get anywhere. Though they promise us that we will win every game, we lose every game. Get together with the heart. When the heart and you have become a team, that's incredible. So stay with it. It's important.

The doors are open. This is a very specific training. It is a training to take the most advantage of every breath. This is not somebody coming along and delivering a written speech. No. There's a lot more to this.

Be with yourself and enjoy this life. Keep the focus because you can go really far. I'm very proud of those people who make an effort to be fulfilled. Very, very proud.

Discovering What We Have Been Given

You have everything. You really do. You have this life. Begin with that. I know that some people are cynical. You might think you are a particularly difficult case. A lot of the things we tell ourselves are the things we have been told by other people: "Don't do that. If you do, this or that will happen." Then you think you are a difficult case. Who told you that? Doesn't breath come into you? Don't you have a heart? Aren't you alive? Just on the merit of these three things alone, you are not a difficult case. That makes you a human being, just like me, just like anyone else.

Look at an ant. An ant should be cynical. Have you seen an ant try to go through grass? It has to crawl up and down. Danger is everywhere. It would have a right to be cynical, but it isn't. With its little legs, it marches off. And it marches and marches. It has a focus in life.

Start to see, to appreciate. I'm not trying to tell you that everything is beautiful. But see and experience the beauty for yourself. Allow - give yourself the chance to accept that in your life.

It's like a door, and behind it, incredible magic has been happening. We say, "I don't know what's behind this door and, therefore, I'm not going to open it." And then we look at the room we're in and it's not that great. I say, "Open the door. Go! I'll give you the key, but you must open the door."

When you feel joy, don't you want to be there all the time? It's not a wish. Just wishing won't work. Something has to happen. We have to understand, "This is where I want to be." And know that, not just say, "I don't want to be miserable." Just saying, "I don't want to be miserable" does not automatically put us in a good place. This is the law of nature. If I say, "I don't want to be here," what good does that do? But if I realize where I want to be, then it will pull me there.

There is a place within you that brings you joy. You have to trust yourself just as much as I trust you. And you have to see the possibility in your own self just as much as I see the possibility in you. Maybe for the first time say, "I'm not going to sit there all my life saying where I don't want to be. I'm going to clarify for myself where I do want to be." That's when I can help you.

If you go to the airline counter and say, "I don't want to be here," how are they going to help you? I am like that airline. If you say, "Take me to the place where I can be in peace, where I can be in joy," then I can tell you, "This way. Which seat would you like?"

We have life. That's the biggest passport. This breath is marching every moment. Breath doesn't assume anything. Every moment it comes. Very precise. Then it goes, and it comes again. It doesn't assume: "I've been there for a long time. You'll be okay if I don't come for 45 minutes." It comes every moment, every second.

We have mercy in our life, so many blessings, so much love. It's a matter of uncovering, discovering all the things we have been given.

A lot of people are fascinated by misery and just can't leave it. They complain about everything - about God, the weather, everything. Sometimes there are thunderstorms or it's hot. That's the joy of being here. You can't say, "No thunderstorms, please. No heat, please. No this or that, please."

We have to be strong in this world. To be safe, to be conscious, to be real in this life comes from inside. I can't fix the political system. What I can do is help people get in touch with their heart. I go around the world telling people they can have peace in their life. I started helping people when I was very young, and this is what I've been doing all my life. The dream was to be able to go from place to place, village to village - and that is becoming a reality.

Every day is new. And that's wonderful. Enjoy your life, every moment. That's how it should be. Don't lose the shield of hope. Learn how to hold onto it. You want that hope.

Sadness will always be there; sadness doesn't go away. All the sadness that you will ever feel is within you. And all the love that you will ever feel is within you. It just depends which door you want to open.

You have everything. Let me help you discover all those things again, how to hold onto the shield of hope. The world has pushed it away. But every day we can have hope. We can learn to smile again. We don't have to be sad. I can't tell anybody that their business will be better. But I know one thing: a centered person is what the whole world is looking for, because that's what we all need. So, just enjoy the ride.

Making the Impossible Possible

There is a great beauty in understanding and recognizing the nature of what this life is. You are more than the sum of all the things that happen in the world. You are more than all your failures and your successes. The sun rises in the sky each day, and if you can truly appreciate what message it brings you as a human being, you can awaken and start again.

The other day, I looked at a bird that was just outside the window. I thought, "Once upon a time, this used to be a giant dinosaur." When it was that big, it would have trampled everything around it, including me. But through the years, it has transformed. To human beings, it seems like a negative transformation. It was big, and now it has become small. That's not true. It has become something so much better. It's smaller and more vulnerable, but it can fly.

In the nature of things, we have been given this body, this life. What is it good for? It may have a lot of problems, but one thing it's good for is it can help you experience joy. Today is the day, once again, you get to accept life, enjoy it, and be fulfilled. It gets better and better. Just let it happen.

You need to enjoy. Just enjoy. That's the most important thing. You have this opportunity to be alive. Accept that. It's an incredible gift. Nothing is impossible. You may have a dream, and people dampen it. But you have to hang onto that dream even if you don't know how it is going to happen. Even if you just know, "That's what should happen," it's a very different feeling.

I'm glad that there is a dream. Somewhere there is a dream that peace will happen. And someday it will. That's why it comes about - because of the dream.

There is darkness and there is light, always. What you have to decide is that you want clarity in your life, that you want joy in your life. Things will happen. That is no surprise. But it's your life. Breath comes into you.

Suppose I am playing the flute in an orchestra, and there are four people who are playing flutes, too. If one person is playing off-key, I don't have to play off-key, too, do I? If I know how to play the flute, I can still play even though someone else is off-key.

This is my flute, this is my breath, these are my fingers. It's my expression. So much happens in this world. People we really love pass on. It's sad. Of course, it's sad. But what you have to do is remember what this person was all about. They were about life. They were about being. We can learn from that, that there is not a moment to waste. Not a moment to waste.

When there is darkness, you need to light your lamp. You need to have trust and fly. Fly. If thousands of birds around you start flying, that doesn't mean you will fly. You have to flap your wings. If others are not flying and you want to, it doesn't make any difference. Flap your wings and you will fly.

In this life take that flight. The possibility is there for each one of us to be fulfilled. Don't even think about darkness. You have your own lamp - just for you. When the lamp is lit, it lights up just enough for you to see, so that you can keep walking, keep going in your life.

It's a powerful lamp. You give the effort to light it and no wind can put it out. That is its power. It glows only as much as you need to be able to see. It won't glow for somebody else. It will only glow for you. Its power is such that, if you keep it lit, no storm can put it out. It will be there.

So make the effort to be fulfilled and enjoy yourself. Enjoy this life. You will appreciate more and more. Don't waste another moment on a wasted moment. That's what we do. We waste one moment and then we waste four more on that moment. Go forward.

Rule number one is: Don't put yourself down. When you see a beautiful tree, that tree is about the seed that worked, that germinated, not about the one that didn't. Your life, your breath, your existence is about what worked, not what didn't.

So light the lamp. Enjoy this life. This is what you have been given. This is your opportunity. Some things in life will be bad and some things will be good. Life is not about the bad. The most important thing is that you have this opportunity to be alive. Just accept that. It's an incredible gift. Enjoy this life. It's so important that you do.

Everything is there to make the impossible possible.

"A Life Complete"

Most of what we hear in life is about either how it was or how it could be. Especially when we get older, we think back to how it used to be when we were young. And then, we look to the future and think about what might be, and that's what we work for - our dreams, our aspirations. We think, "Someday in the future, I'll be happy. I'll be content."

I talk about a different dimension, another time. This time is not in the past, and it is not in the future. It is now, in this moment. At this very second, breath came into you heralding the possibility of immeasurable joy. In this moment called now, all your wants and wishes are being fulfilled. Who is this "you"?

It is this "you" that allows you to be a father or a mother, a husband or a wife, a teacher or pilot, doctor or lawyer. It is this "you" that allowed you to be a child, that allows you to have a job, and will allow you to retire. One day, this "you" will be no more, and nothing will matter.

What does matter is whether you recognize the "you" that allows you to be everything you are and will allow you to be everything you will be. What is this breath, this life, this existence?

When you have it, you have everything. When you don't have it, you have nothing - not even nothing. You don't have to work for it or earn it; you have it. What do you have? It begins with the fundamental understanding of you - understanding what you do have, not what you could have.

The world says if you want to be happy, this is what you must do, but it never shows a person who did that and was really happy. What the world gives you is a formula with no equals sign at the end. What does it produce? Nobody knows. I'm not criticizing anything. What I am saying is, the key ingredient missing in all of this is you. In your life you have all your responsibilities, but what about the responsibility to recognize what you have been given?

Have you heard the call of your heart? Pay attention because the request is about peace, about joy, about being fulfilled now - not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

To be complete. Not "almost complete." The painting that is almost complete does not express what it could. Its potential has not been realized. The song that is almost complete does not express what the writer wants to express.

In this life we, too, are almost complete. Not quite. It is like the bridge that is magnificent, but it has another eight feet to go. Nobody can use it because it's not complete. It is almost complete - not quite.

How do you become complete? What does it take to complete this existence? It is so simple. Recognize what you have been given. That's all you have to do. After that, what happens is automatic. The unfolding begins, the discovering of the home within you begins.

So much is changing around me all the time, and it will continue to change. But there is one thing that has not changed. The breath coming in and the call of my heart have always been the same. Not a single beat has been missed. The call of the heart has always been, "Be fulfilled. In every moment, be fulfilled."

What you are looking for is within you. In every breath lies the possibility of being fulfilled. Listen to that sweet song of life. You've been saying, "I think I have everything, I think I have everything, I think I have everything." Know. Know that in every breath lies the possibility of being fulfilled.

Walk in certainty towards the well that will quench your thirst. If you don't know where that well is, then look within you, not outside. You have looked outside for too long. You have found many things, but you haven't found the one thing you were looking for, the one thing that started the search of a lifetime. What is that one thing? I don't need to tell you. You know.

You are the one who is searching. When you are attracted by the sign on the side of the road, you are searching. When you look at the shop window, you are searching. When you look at the beautiful full moon shining in the sky, you are searching. And you will be searching till you have found it.

All you need to do is read what is written in the chapters of your heart. It's your book. Is it interesting? Nobody will know that except you because it is your book and only you can read it. Every day take a little time to read it because the book being written is the book of life. Hopefully, it will be joyful to read because it is your words that will be written. This is the possibility.

This is about joy - the true joy, the joy of the heart. Once the thirst of the heart has become clear, the purpose of the well becomes very clear. Until then, without the thirst, it's only speculation. Don't live this life in speculation and uncertainty. Every step, every breath should be taken in certainty. Life is too precious a journey to miss.

How will you know when you are fulfilled? The day the call of the heart changes from, "Be fulfilled" to "Thank you." When you start to feel gratitude, you will know you are being fulfilled.

"The Joy of Being Alive"

People say they want peace. Then they ask: "How will you bring peace?" They forget where peace is. Peace has always been within us. What we have been searching for is how to access that peace. But in search of the tool, we went further and further away from the fundamental reality of where peace exists, where joy is, where fulfillment is.

When I say to people, "What you are looking for is within you," it often comes as a surprise. They realize they knew that, but they have always looked somewhere else.

The idea that it is within has become alien to us. We think: "It can't be within me. Something has to happen. Someone has to come along. Some book has to be read. Some pilgrimage has to be made. Some seminar has to be attended. Something like that has to happen, and then maybe I can get peace."

I often give the analogy that, to understand the value of water, you have to understand thirst. If you don't have thirst, it is very hard to understand what water is all about. These days water comes in many different kinds of bottles. There are companies that promote their brand of water - water from the mountains, water that is good for you, water in a blue bottle, water in a green bottle, water in a white bottle. None of this is what water is all about. Water is not about blue bottles and green bottles. Water, as it relates to me, has the possibility of quenching my thirst. This is what is most important.

In Europe, when you go to a café and ask for water, they will ask you, "Do you want it with gas or without gas?" When you are not thirsty, you think about it. You might ask, "Do you have French water? Do you have Spanish water?" But water is actually about quenching the thirst as it relates to me. It has other uses - in rivers, in dams, in the ocean, all of that - but what I am talking about is the water that has the possibility of quenching my thirst.

We get caught. Our focus becomes: "Will this thirst be quenched by cold water? Distilled water? In a green bottle or a blue bottle? French? German? English?" And all of the conversation that inevitably ensues is because people have forgotten - they really have forgotten - what water is all about.

Everywhere you go there are people just like us. They are living their lives, just like we are. They are looking outside for answers that are on the inside, just like we are.

Go back to the simplest of possibilities, the simplest of understandings - understanding about you. So many people say, "You talk about peace, but this world is so crazy. How can there be peace in this world?" I agree that the world is crazy, but the subject here is not the world. The subject is you.

The issue here isn't the world; the issue is you. The issue isn't the rotation of the earth. The issue is the coming and going of the breath in this vessel. The issue isn't the thirst on the outside. The issue is the thirst on the inside.

It is individuals that matter. It is you that matters. It is in you that the gift of breath comes. It is in you that there is consciousness. It is you who can see the good and the bad. In you lies the ability to appreciate. In you lies the ability to enjoy.

Wherever you have been in the journey of your life, you have always carried a huge box inside full of joy. This is the joy you can get in touch with. And if you want to do that, it will be your personal journey. You can't take it with anyone else. It is too personal because it is a journey inside.

There is a joy, and it is the joy of existence - not what is happening in existence. They are two different things. There is the joy of existence, and then there is the joy of what is happening in existence. What is happening in existence we try to control and manipulate.

Sometimes things go our way. Sometimes they don't.

But then there is another joy. That joy has been there through all the years of your life, waiting to be discovered. And that joy will be there for as long as you live. It is the simple, simple joy of being alive.

In my life, there are good days and there are bad days. The days I call good are the days when everything goes according to my plan. The days when things do not go according to my plan, I call bad. Yet every day that I have been given is above and beyond being good and bad. Each one has its own meaning and its own beauty. And I can get in touch with that beauty. My plans will change. Sometimes the days I call bad actually end up being good. And some days when everything looks like it is going according to my plan turn out to be a disaster.

Good and bad. Life is not just about good and bad - it is beyond that. When we begin to understand that, we begin to understand that it is a privilege to be alive. It is a privilege for which this heart needs to be filled with gratitude. What we have been given is far more precious than all the good and the bad put together. All of that is transitory.

We can know that which isn't transitory, that which will be here as long as we are alive. That is our solace. That is our harbor. That is where we need to be when the storms come.

Maharaji at the Universal Forum of Cultures

So often peace is defined as the absence of war. There is war that happens between two countries. There is war that takes place between two people. There is war that doesn't even require two people; it takes place inside of a person. For a war on the outside, maybe a cease-fire can be negotiated. Between two people, maybe an understanding can be negotiated. But even in the absence of those kinds of wars, there is a war that takes place inside a human being - a much more ferocious war that devastates the very elements that are the foundation of a person. Which of these wars will become absent so that one day we can stand up and say, "Now there is peace"?

Those people who have talked about peace in earnest have said, "What you are looking for is within you. You are the source and you are the resource for peace on the face of this earth." This is the realization, the understanding, and the challenge of feeling peace in this life - not being distracted by all our agendas, but accepting and understanding the agenda we have been given with the opportunity to be alive.

Maybe we cannot create breath, but we have the potential to appreciate breath. Maybe we cannot create love, but we have the potential to experience love. When we begin to look at our own possibilities, at what we have been given and what potential we do have, we can also begin to shine in our lives, just like that beautiful full moon. All of us have that potential. It begins with fundamental understandings. It begins with understanding our similarities, not our differences.

Right now in this world, we look at what country people are from, what language they speak, what they do. In a survival situation where, let's say, people are in a life raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean somewhere, they're not talking about where they are from. Anything that is unnecessary is dropped in favor of what is necessary to survive. It is necessary to collect water, to stay away from the hostile elements, and to have food.

With all our differences, we're not that different. Our quests are similar. The need for peace is not created by a document. It is created by a fundamental desire innate to all human beings, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful. It is that innate desire that has, throughout history, pushed us again and again to find peace. The want, the concept, the idea of peace did not start this year or last year or the year before.

Peace is so fundamental that, for as long as people have been on the face of the earth, this is what they have looked forward to. This is what they have wanted.

The precedence for peace has to begin somewhere; it cannot just be ignored. There is plenty of precedence for ignoring peace, and it has brought so much misery. It is incumbent upon us to have the strength to say, "Peace today, not tomorrow." It would be sad if another generation were to go by ignoring the very basic and fundamental call to have peace on this earth.

This is a vessel and we are its inhabitants. We have the possibility of making a difference. I am not telling anyone what to do so there will be peace. I am saying, "Whatever it takes, let us have peace. Whatever it takes." If we can go to the moon, we surely should be able to figure that out. Why does it have to be such a mystery? Why is it that, when it comes to going to the moon, nobody has a problem, but when it comes to having peace, everybody has their own opinion? Why can't we put aside our differences? Why can't we put aside our opinions for the sake of peace? What is so wrong with peace? What is so bad about having peace?

Is it a dream? It cannot be. Dreams only happen when you're asleep. Peace will only happen if we awaken. People say, "I have too many responsibilities." But this is your responsibility, too. You may be fulfilling all the other ones and ignoring this very fundamental one. Let today be the day when you take a step toward yourself in the truest and most earnest way of looking for peace. The day you start looking for peace, peace will start looking for you. The day you start recognizing your potential, your potential will start recognizing you. This is how it works.

Whatever it takes, find that peace, and for the rest of your life, enjoy that beautiful peace that has been lying in wait within you. It begins with you. You are the source. You are the source for the thirst, and you are the well in which the sweetest water resides. Within you are both the thirst and the means to quench it. Begin by accepting this possibility in your life. That is where your answer lies. You have had the question for a long time. Now it is time to get the answer and get on with your life - in joy, in harmony, and with understanding. Now is the time to begin to enjoy the rest of your life.

Enjoy every day for the rest of your life. If there ever was a gift, this is the gift. If there ever was a time, this is the time. If ever there was an opportunity, then this is the opportunity. This is my message.

It begins with each one of you. It will be everyone's effort that will make peace possible - each one of us. And yes, peace is very, very possible. I see the possibility, and you need to see it, too.

After all, wherever you go and whatever you do, your heart will not leave you alone because it, alone, holds the quest for peace. You cannot run from it. You cannot evade it. Be sincere toward this existence. Be sincere toward today. Be sincere toward tomorrow as it comes and unfolds itself into today. All those promises will only come together today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is just an idea. Today is when all tomorrows manifest. In today, find your reality; in today, find your courage. And today, find the possibility of being in peace, being in joy, being in the reality that you are.

'A Gift Unparalleled'

I'd like to talk about something very simple - the story of every human being. This story is quite interesting because it definitely has some action, some drama. Sometimes there is comedy, sometimes a little tragedy. That makes it interesting. So, what is the story? I don't have to tell it. You already know it because it is your story. It's about you, not about me. It is not about a king, a lion in the jungle, or a little mouse. It's about you.

As long as breath comes into you, as long as you are alive, the story is not finished. It is still evolving. At least one part of its evolution depends upon you. Some people say, "I am bound by destiny. Whatever happens in this world, I'm not responsible for it. Whatever I do, somebody up there is pulling the strings and I am dancing - I'm a puppet."

I'm not going debate that because it would be pointless. What is not pointless is that a certain part of the story is dependent upon you. You control the outcome of part of the story - not all of it, maybe, but a certain part of it.

The part of the story you control is about real joy, happiness, contentment. It is also about recognition and about looking within and finding answers to the questions that you may not yet even have asked.

This story begins with you: "Once there was a living, breathing, unique person." There is no one like you. There may be someone with the same hairstyle or someone who has the same clothes, but there is no one who smiles the way you do when you are happy. No one can smile like you. No one can be thankful quite like you. It is your expression of gratitude, of joy, that makes you unique. You have been given your own palette of expression. Even if a person doesn't want to, they express. You don't have to know a person's life history to see that they are sad. You don't have to know about the person's life history to see that they are happy, and you don't even have to see a person's teeth to see that they are smiling. You can look in their eyes and see the expression of joy.

What we feel inside, we can express. What can we feel? We can feel the ultimate contentment; we can feel peace. This is what we have the capacity to feel. Therein lies the reality of what is possible.

All these things point to the beauty within you that is waiting to shine. You recognize beauty because you are familiar with beauty. You understand joy because you are familiar with joy. These things are not unknown to you. What do we do in our lives? We ignore. We ignore what is real and we ignore what the heart is saying. No one tells us, "This should be your priority." Everything else is our priority.

Here is an analogy. You are going on a long journey through the desert, and you have done a very good job of packing. You have packed clothes, shoes, a little tent, and food. You have even packed a little hat with a solar fan to keep you cool. You have already packed fifteen suitcases of things.

Then I come along. You are very proud of everything you have done. Everything you have packed shows meticulous planning. Then I ask, "Did you pack some water?" People have different reactions to this. Some say, "Thank you. Thank you for reminding me to bring water. In making this incredible list and being so immaculate in packing, I completely forgot." They pack some water and they have a great journey.

In this life, keep it simple. Keep it real. Keep it so you can walk with pride every day and not be burdened with so much unnecessary stuff that you carry with you.

In this life, we need to stand on our own feet. We need to stand proud because we are alive. We need to stand straight, not hunched over by the burdens we have accumulated. Of all the things we need to pack, we need to pack that which is essential, and we need to know what is essential.

Let me take water wherever I go so that, when I am thirsty, I will be able to drink and quench my thirst. Let me take food with me wherever I go so that, when I am hungry, I can eat and satisfy my hunger. Let me take an umbrella with me so that, when it is hot, I can open it and sit in the shade and rest a while.

Understand in your life the meaning of being alive. Then understand the need of your heart to have peace in this life. Peace, you need. A story is being written. My suggestion is that you start writing it, because it is going to be written whether you write it or not.

Why not have a beautiful, happy ending to this story? It's your pen. Change the tragedies. Joy? Give it more. Humor? Give it as much as you want. It's your story.

It's up to you. Peace, you need. Ask your heart. Your heart will tell you. This is what the heart has been saying since you were very small. You have ignored it, but you don't need to. I am here to remind you about that.

Some people wonder, "If I attain peace, will I still love my family?" Of course. Some people think that, to attain peace in this life, you have to give up everything. No. You don't have to give up everything. All you have to give up is your sadness, your hate. All you have to give up are things you don't want. If you really want them, you can still keep them and have peace, because peace is not an absence of something. Peace is very real in itself.

The main thing is that you need to have peace in your life. Write the story right. The person who is going to read it is you. Make it good; make it interesting; make it real. Make this breath count. Make this day count. Make this life count. It is a gift unparalleled.

'The Right to Be Fulfilled' speaking to members of the Italian Parliament

In a world where so much is going on - where there are so many issues, ideas, inventions, and technology - why am I talking about peace? I talk about peace, not as an option in life, not as something that would be nice to have, but as a fundamental feeling we all need to feel every day we awaken, every day we exist. When I say "we," what I'm talking about is each one of us - despite our barriers or differences.

We begin to believe in our differences. Sometimes when I am piloting an airplane, I make an announcement, just for fun, that just below you can see the border between two countries. Amazingly enough, people start to look. The world teaches us differences and we begin to believe in them. "You are from this country, and you are from that country. You speak this language, and you speak that language. You like this, and you like that." We forget that the fundamental thing that drives us all is the same. We forget that we may be speaking different languages, but what we are saying is exactly the same. "I am thirsty" can be said in many languages. It means exactly the same thing.

When the desire for peace is fundamental to each one of us, should it be such an alien thing? The question isn't whether we want peace. The question is: Do we feel the thirst for peace? The question isn't whether the treasure exists. The question is: Has it been discovered? Once the thirst for peace is understood in a human being's life, that person will look for water, for peace. They will look within.

I see thousands of labels in this world, and I don't know why they are there. Many labels were put on things way before I was born. People believe in them. Nobody questions these labels. When people hear that the definition of peace is the absence of war, they say, "Yes, that's true." There is a war that rages on inside a human being that is far more ferocious than any war on the outside. This war continues way past the cease-fires. The outside war is the manifestation or the reflection of the war within. We have a sense of imbalance, but we don't recognize what is causing it.

I have to acknowledge what I need in my life. If I want peace, I have to acknowledge it. I have to say to myself, in the simplest of words, "Yes, I feel the thirst for peace." I can use fancy words to impress other people, but I cannot use fancy words to impress myself. If I want to impress me, I have to speak the truth. Maybe to the world, truth is a scary word, but truth is what the heart wants to hear. That thirst needs to be quenched. Peace is what the heart needs to feel.

The world descends upon me and says, "You should be this; you should be that." Who just tells me, "You are alive, you exist"? Is that too simple? As soon as my alarm clock goes off in the morning, thoughts come about all the things I have to do.

We keep forgetting what is important. Does not the journey to peace begin with the acknowledgement - in earnest - of those simple things we keep forgetting? The gratitude for life. The gratitude for this existence. The gratitude to be.

Why is this important? It is important because it is the only way you can find your balance. Without that, our life is not balanced. On one side is a simple breath, and on the other side are disproportionate problems.

Look around you. The dissatisfaction you see on the outside lines up with incredible satisfaction on the inside. The poverty you see on the outside lines up with incredible richness on the inside. The doubt you see lines up with amazing clarity on the inside.

When we begin to acknowledge that peace is inside of us, there will begin to be a difference. The day that becomes an earnest truth for us, not just a passing fancy, we can start to feel at peace.

Where does it begin? It begins with acknowledgment. It begins with understanding. Where does it end? Hopefully, it ends with quenching the thirst that you have discovered within you.

What kind of thirst is that? It is a thirst for the water that also lies within you. The completeness is so incredible. Maybe you have never heard of anything like that before. Both the elements are within you. Both the thirst and the water that will quench the thirst are within you. Joy is within you, and the want for joy is within you. It is by looking through the glasses of simplicity that we can even begin to understand this. What you are looking for is within you. There is nothing to buy, nothing to conquer. There is only something to acknowledge.

I hope that, whatever happens in your life, you find peace within you. It is there, and the thirst for it is there. I look at it in a very simple way. I have traveled around the world, and I know a lot of people see a lot of different things. I see something very simple. I see people. Every human being has the right to be fulfilled.

Only One Place

What I talk about is so incredibly simple that, when we try to look at it from our complicated ways, we totally miss it. What I address is not an invention. It's not as though last night I had a fantastic dream in which I came up with a new way of making everybody a billionaire. This is not an invention of a pot that will cook without heat or a bulb that will light without electricity.

We are always looking for shortcuts, and these shortcuts start to become our miracles. They become a way to break free - to reach out for dreams that are more fantastic than we could ever imagine.

Fortunately, reality is more beautiful than any of my dreams. The thirst I have within me is simple and real. It is a thirst for the water I already have within me. This is the beauty of what I address. I'm sure you've gone to seminars or lectures or listened to them on that magic box called the television. It is amazing. Somebody is always trying to sell you something even though you don't need it.

I travel the world and tell people what they already have. Society isn't set up for that.

In our lives, how long do we continue living on what we don't have when what we do have is amazing? What do we have? Let's begin with the simplest of things. Let's begin with breath. Breath is amazing. It comes one at a time - not a hundred or fifty at a time, but one at a time. It touches you and brings you this thing called existence. Because you exist, you are an uncle, a father, a mother. You see green and blue and yellow and purple. You care about summer. You prepare for winter. Because you exist, you can say, "I love you." Because you exist, you can say, "I hate you." Because you exist, you can say, "I need you." Because you exist, you can say, "I adore you." It is all because you exist - compliments of the breath that comes and fills you again and again and again without judgment.

In our lives, in our societies, we are judged, and we return the favor by judging everything mercilessly. Because we are judged, we judge right back in return. We judge so much that we can judge even when we're asleep. We don't even need to be awake. Every day we judge: good/bad, right/wrong. "This is terrible. This could be different. Why is it this way?"

You've heard of the word "gift." The gift of breath redefines the word. It does not come packed, tied with a silly ribbon. It comes openly to you. All you need to do is to be aware of your existence. You are alive and this thing called breath is coming into you. All you need to do is to be conscious that you are surrounded by the most precious gifts. These gifts are being given. Take them. Take them and keep them.

There is a thirst that is not for water, but for something else inside of you. The question is: How apparent is it? It needs to be incredibly apparent before you will take any action. This is not a thirst for water or for soda. It is the thirst for peace, for contentment.

This is your existence. This is your life. It is unique and you are here. There are three laws that existence follows: you weren't, you are, and one day you won't be.

The magic of existence is in the middle where you exist. That's where you can feel. That's where you can understand. That's where the possibility exists to take on the challenge of fulfilling one's self. Not on the outside, not in this world. It is on the inside.

In your darkest hour there is a candle, and the candle is lit. If you want proof, take a breath. There is your proof. The candle is lit, and even in your darkest hour, you do not need to experience the darkness. Even in those moments where there is pain and suffering, there is a place inside of you that dances and expresses joy. In the middle of sadness, there is joy. How appropriate.

For a lot of people, the formula for bringing light into their lives is to remove the darkness. It doesn't work like that. You cannot take a bucketful of darkness and throw it out the window. Try the other way - just bring in the light, and the darkness will automatically leave. In the middle of mayhem, in the middle of a fiasco, there is clarity. There is a rhythm that is so amazing, so sweet. Again and again it has knocked on your door and asked you to let it through.

In our adult lives, we get quite busy. What does "busy" really mean? While we are redefining things, let's redefine "busy." Being busy is another way of ignoring something. Sometimes we use those words when somebody asks us to do something we don't want to do. We say, "I am busy." True, you are busy, but doing what? You are busy ignoring that thirst, busy ignoring the call of this heart.

Liking joy is not something I learned from anybody. It is something my Creator placed so fundamentally within me, within you. Nobody taught me how to laugh, and nobody taught me how to fall in love with laughter.

There is something so fundamental inside of me that wants to be busy enjoying. The good news is I can be. A lot of people have the misconception that, if you want peace in your life, you have to hand over everything you have. You do not.

There is only one place left where you can have true peace, and it happens to be inside of you. That's the good news. You don't have to give up anything. All you have to do is turn within.

'The Ultimate Gift'

What is there that is really simple?

As we live our lives, there are many complexities. We have relationships. We have judgments - good, bad / right, wrong. Sometimes it seems we are going forward, and sometimes it seems we are going backwards. Some days are easy and some are tough. Looking through this complex window, it doesn't seem as though anything could be simple.

People ask me many questions about the complex: "Why is my life this way?" "If we have peace inside of us, why don't we already know it?" I ask them to stand back, take away all that is unnecessary, and just look at life, at existence. In this existence, breath comes: No judgment, no prerequisites. No forms to fill out, no queues to stand in. No waiting games, no dot.net or dot.com to log onto. It comes.

The life of being alive dances, plays out every day in the most serene, simple way possible. Every morning that comes, you are. You exist. Not through the avenues of this world, but just you - this face, this smile, this body, this breath, this heart, and this time.

People say, "What about all the problems? Aren't we all trying to find solutions to them? We don't have peace in this world, so we have to find a solution for that."

Here is an analogy. There is a person who was born and raised in a castle. It is a nice place, but one thing this person has never done is to look at their reflection. There is no mirror, no way to see their own reflection. Everything else is there: Great food is there, a nice bed, good entertainment. There is everything except a device like a mirror that they can stand in front of and look at their own reflection.

This person has a lot of dreams, but one thing that this person really wants to do is to become beautiful. In fact, this person is really beautiful - not only beautiful, but exquisitely beautiful. But every day this person laments, "Oh, I wish I could be beautiful," and there is no way they can see that they are.

This is my passion. I go around the world talking to people. I do not give written speeches. If you asked me what I was going to talk about before I began, I would have told you I had no idea except that I wanted to get in touch with my passion so that you could see yourself in a mirror. If you could, you would see how beautiful you are. You would see how incredibly beautiful you are. You would see that you have thousands of drawers filled with things that promise to make you look beautiful. That is what your whole life is about.

Beauty touches each one of us whether we like it or not, just like we have two legs whether we like it or not. You could make an argument for four legs so that you could run faster, or for two short and two long, but what you have is two.

You also have a quest. It is not a quest that you started, but a quest that was already started for you. It is a quest that says, "Peace." A quest that says, "Love." A quest that says, "Understanding." A quest that says, "Joy." This is not a quest for the joy that is on the outside, but for the joy that is on the inside. This quest is not for the peace that is on the outside, but for the peace that lies within. That's the good news. What you are looking for, you already have. The beauty that you are looking for, you already have.

When what is complex is removed, the beauty is there. Complexity is full of doubt. Doubt is like a virus. Should we learn to live with it? Or should we learn to understand the very thing inside that says, "You do not need to be in doubt; you can be in clarity." You have clarity because the clarity you want and need is within you.

Be free to meet yourself. There is no one else like you anywhere. Even twins see things differently. There is a difference in your smile and in what you smile at. The difference is the feeling of joy, the feeling of peace, the feeling of tranquility, and the way that you can express that in your own way to your own self - not to someone else. This is not about writing a book or a poem. The real poem is the one you say to yourself. The best book ever written is the book you write to yourself. It's clear. It does not need an introduction, or a preface, or footnotes. It is yours. Yours is the poem that sings out in your heart and awakens the joy. This is the greatest poem ever.

The day you start to understand the ocean of possibilities that exists within you is the day you take a step closer to your own life. The possibilities are endless. Endless. They are the possibilities of answers without questions. The world is full of questions without answers. The heart is full of answers without questions. You can accept those answers, not the answers that the world is trying to give.

The ultimate truth is not in words; it is in feeling. The ultimate reality plays out right in front of your eyes. You are here. This is the truth. You exist. You can feel, and you can understand, and you can be fulfilled.

Do you see why I have passion for this? It's so beautiful. Maybe you see how you and I are different. My skin, my face, and my hair all look a little different. Aside from that, we are alike. I wasn't, I am, and I won't be. The time when I wasn't doesn't count for me. The time when I won't be doesn't count either. What counts is: I am. Because I am, I have access to something, and I want to have that access every day of my life.

Take away what is complex, the shells and the wrappers, for here lies a gift that is so perfect it does not need to be wrapped. Take that challenge. There is no paper in the universe perfect enough to wrap this gift of life that you have been given. There is no bow that is pretty enough to do justice to what you have been given. The challenge in your life is to know you. The challenge in your life is to understand the beauty that lies within you and to have access to it whenever you want. That is the ultimate gift.

"Discovering Peace", Maharaji at Harvard's Sander's Theater

When it comes to theory, peace is a very complicated thing. I figured this out from pure deduction. I figured that it took a lot to put a man on the moon. It really did. It involved a lot of technology. And sure enough - on behalf of humanity - man was placed on the moon. But peace still eludes the world. So peace has to be really complicated - more complicated than going to the moon. If it's that complicated, I figured, then it's just like riding a bike - too complicated to explain. The only thing you can do is to inspire people to find the way to feel peace. And that begins with presenting the picture of a possibility.

Each person has a version of peace that applies to them. What is it? If you are a city dweller, you hear horns honking, sirens blaring, and everything going on all day and part of the night. Then on the weekend, when you go to that quiet little place and there are no sirens, you say, "Ah, this is so peaceful." That's not peace. Absence of sounds is not peace. Absence of taxicabs honking is not peace. Absence of screeching tires is not peace. But getting away from that situation seems peaceful. These are the individual variations of peace that people have.

If somebody has lost something precious to them, and they are going crazy thinking about it all the time, and you ask them, "What is your version of peace?" their answer will be, "If I found what I'm looking for, I would find myself in peace."

The resolution of conflict alone is not peace. You won't hear this other places. What you will hear is, "Peace is nice. We should all find it and get on with our lives." But it has to be very clear what it is we are looking for, because if somebody's version of peace is no more sirens, then it is a totally different thing.

So, what is real peace - peace that is common to every single human being on the face of this earth? The generic definition of peace is the absence of war, but there is a peace that has nothing to do with arguments and nothing to do with wars. There is a peace that resides in the heart of every human being on the face of this earth. There is a peace that is not temporary, not tied to politics, not found in the formulas of what the world thinks ought to be. It is not somebody's vision, but resides within the individual, whether they are rich or poor, good or bad, right or wrong - even in their darkest hour, even when they are surrounded by an ocean of confusion and doubt.

This peace is not the absence of anything. Real peace is the presence of something beautiful. Both peace and the thirst for it have been in the heart of every human being in every century and every civilization.

This is the good news: the thirst is within you, and the water that will quench that thirst is within you. The good news is that what you are looking for is within you and the means to get in touch with that is also within you. There is a reality that is so sweet - not buried in conflicts and pain, not buried in doubts and questions, but in fact dancing - dancing within every human being because you exist, because you are alive.

I propose that you take on that thirst. I propose that it is the sweetest and most wonderful thirst you have ever had in your life. That thirst is one of the noblest causes a human being can ever have. With all the things we can achieve in our lives, there is one more that is incredibly noble: we can be fulfilled.

A lot of people say, "Isn't that very selfish?" An extinguished lamp can never light anything. It can neither light the area around it, nor light another lamp. The prerequisite for either of these things is for the lamp to be lit.

Light your lamp. People say, "But if I light my lamp, then it'll go out." That is reality. It is going to go out, but while you have the chance, light it. Let there be fulfillment in your life. Let there be certainty in your life. Let there be clarity in your life.

You exist, and because you exist, you have the possibility of being fulfilled. It is incredibly simple - and simply profound. This is what existence is: this breath comes and this breath goes, and it comes again and it goes again. And I walk my life one step at a time.

A lot of people ask, "Tell us something that will give us peace. What can we do to get this peace?" We have a problem here. Usually when you hear about something nice, you want to go and get it. What I'm talking about, you already have. You already have peace inside of you. You don't have to go out somewhere and get it. You already have it. Discover it. Do you know what it is like to discover?

Look at this breath like you have never seen it before. Look at this life like you have never seen it before. Look at this existence like you have never looked at it before. Look at peace like you have never looked at it before. Look at this moment like you have never looked at it before.

Even in the middle of turmoil, peace exists. How does this affect this world? Do you know what this world is? It's a screen. You are the projector, and what you see as the world is just a big screen. So when you see things on the screen, don't look at the screen, look at the projector. That's where it's coming from. The display of the inner fight turns into the outer fight - it always has and always will. When there is tranquility inside, that is when peace begins. Peace here in my heart. That's the possibility.

How is it possible? I can help. Look around this world. If you are interested, search for peace. If you find it, good. And if you don't find it, look me up. I can help. This is what I do - I go around the world talking to people about peace. People say, "Nice words." And I say, "Do you want it? I can make it possible." How can I make it possible? I have that peace in my life. I am aware of that peace in my life. Does that mean I don't have problems? Of course not. I have problems. Does that mean I don't get angry anymore? Of course not. I get angry. Am I a vegetable? No. These are excuses: "If you have peace, then you'll completely change," or "You will have to change your religion." Why would you have to do that? Does your religion say you can't have peace? Of course it doesn't. Your communication to your God in your style, in your way, is beautiful. Why should that preclude the reality that peace lies in your heart? It's already there.

"See a Wonder"

Peace has to be felt. It is not just a subject of conversation. There is a peace that is fundamental to all of us. Beyond all those little differences we have - skin color, shape of the face, hair, clothes - there is a commonality to all of us. We exist. We are alive.

We all thirst for peace. If we really want to see that basic aspiration, we have to put down all the different-colored glasses we wear and see that one fundamental thing that is so simple and so beautiful that exists in the heart of every individual. I'm not talking about creating anything or achieving anything. I'm talking about what already exists within us. You don't have to get it; it's already there. It is a matter of discovery.

Peace is that joy, that serenity, inside every human being. Peace is not a concept or an idea, but a reality waiting to be discovered, a joy waiting to be felt. Feel peace in your life. Make that the priority in your life. Include peace among those things that are important to you. Make sure that peace is not just a dream, some nice thing that someday you will have, but that peace has become a reality in your life.

Your life, every day that you live it, is a consciously struck note. The instrument you have been given is called life. The possibility of peace dances upon the stage where a heart full of contentment and gratitude can exist. Instead of complaining, "Here are all the things that are wrong" or "I wish things were this way or that way," how about looking at things the way they are?

This existence is your home. Be in that serenity, that contentment, that joy. Don't let a moment go by. Play this instrument to express that feeling that you are alive - that this means something to you, that it isn't a story about a person who got everything and kept nothing.

Changes happen, and changes will happen, but there is one thing that has never changed: your thirst for peace, your thirst for joy. Ever since you were a little child, it has been there, and for as long as you are alive, it's going to be there. Fulfill it. Be fulfilled.

I'm talking about really enjoying yourself. I'm talking about waking up in the morning and saying, "What an agenda I have - I get to live today." You get to exist today. What you are looking for, you already have. If you ever want to see a wonder, I suggest you take a look at yourself. You should be excited that you are alive, despite all the problems you have and all the problems still to come. It isn't written, "A problem means lack of joy." If that is your definition, then it is a definition that you have created for yourself. That's a misunderstanding.

Let problems be what they will be. Do your best to fight against them, but that doesn't mean you have to lack the joy that dwells in your heart. Let there be joy. Let there be that peace in your life every single day.

'Opportunity and Success'

Many realities manifest during a day. If bad news comes, that's a reality. If there are responsibilities to take care of, that's a reality. Of all the realities in this ever-changing world, there is one that remains steadfast despite everything that happens. That reality addresses me. It is the reality of my existence.

I have a name that I associate with myself. But who am I? What am I? Is life really as complicated as I have made it? The good and the bad, the person who's going through a crisis - is that really me, or am I something else? Who I am is not the complicated, but the simple within me. Not the scales, not the weights, but an ocean of joy. Simple, beautiful. With one thirst - the thirst to be content, to be in peace, to be in joy, to understand.

The need for peace, the attraction to peace, is not created. It is innate within every human being. There are ups and downs, but there is a place inside that is neither up nor down, a place that is steady. Peace is within and the thirst for peace is also within.

You don't have to search for peace, because you already have it. How do you find something that has been with you every day of your life? It lies in the realm where breath comes and goes and brings the gift of existence. You are alive. You can feel pain, but more importantly, you can feel joy. You can feel turmoil, but most importantly, you can feel peace. You have the ability to feel contentment.

Know yourself, this beautiful symphony that you are, this beautiful poetry that you are, this beautiful story that you are. Knowing what is within brings peace.

This peace is not the story of desperation - the trauma and drama of what is lacking. Learn to measure this existence by what you have, not what you don't have. What you have is so much more powerful than what you don't have. There is a feeling of peace dancing within you that is more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

The heart nudges you - not to back up, but to go forward. So many of us would stand at the pinnacle of our life and just look back. The heart says, "Turn around and go forward." Follow the river of time. It will take you places you have never been - places that are simple.

Turn down the volume. Something is whispering. Let it come closer and closer to you. This whisper, this wish for peace and contentment, can be heard. The voice inside has always asked for one thing, and that is peace. It has been there ever since you were little, and it will be there for as long as you live. Listen to what is being said. This is the story of your life. It is not new, but it is so exciting. This is your opportunity.

Success is opportunity observed, opportunity taken. If you want to be successful in your life, you have to be an opportunist. If you see this life as an opportunity for peace, an opportunity to be content, take it. The plaque on the wall is not success. The plaque in the heart - that is success. On this inner wall, frame the beautiful poetry that awakens you every day and inspires you to take the opportunity to be in peace. It is possible to have that in your life.

What Each Breath Tells Us

We get caught in so many of the dramas that happen in our life. Life is full of them. It's just like driving down the road a little too fast and coming to a stoplight. You come to a screeching halt because the light is red. People are turning right and left, going in different directions. Someone is running into someone else. There is a little drama here and a little drama there. Life is very much like that.

With all the dramas that are taking place, there is one thing we cannot afford to forget: The happenings in life are not what life is all about. The coming and going of breath is not about a drama. If you find yourself in the midst of a drama, remember what your life is all about.

Imagine a flight captain who is a very sociable person. Once he's taken off, he gets up to talk with the passengers. There he is, talking to one person about one thing and to another person about something else. The flight is only two hours long, and the time passes quickly. Forty-five minutes go by, then an hour-and-a-half, then an hour and forty-five minutes. The captain is still socializing. Now he only has fifteen minutes to get the plane on the ground. He has to remember what his main focus is. Even though all this socializing is wonderful, what is the main point of the journey?

What is the main point of the breath that is coming into you?

The main point happens to be fulfillment. When we are fulfilled, we are the most beautiful. That's when we attain our purpose. When a flower blooms, it is no mistake that it looks beautiful. This is how it is supposed to look. This is when it is supposed to be the most attractive - so it can attract the bees. It's no mistake.

An instrument sounds best when it is tuned. That is the nature of its design. I don't know how to tune a guitar, but someone once told me that the secret is to tune each string slightly sharp or flat. My first reaction was, "Wait a minute." But that is what makes the harmony, and the main point of a guitar is the harmony it can produce.

What harmony can you produce? When there is harmony in a human being, we call it peace, we call it love, we call it fulfillment. A human being is finely tuned when they understand that existence has been given as a gift.

We try so hard to understand why we are alive, when all we want is to feel thankful. Gratitude automatically happens when the heart is full. Gratitude will flow, and there is nothing you can do about it. Just try stopping it. Right now, you may have a problem remembering that, but when gratitude comes, try stopping it.

Each breath that comes to us is saying, "Make it happen." With the gentlest persuasion imaginable, each breath is saying, "Be fulfilled in this life." Life is not about dramas and traumas. Life is about fulfillment. This is your possibility. This is what can happen.

"The Answers of the Heart

We live our lives and there are so many complexities. We have relationships, and we have many judgments. Sometimes it seems like we are going forward. Sometimes it seems like we are going backwards. Some days are easy, and some days are tough.

Looking through this complex window, it doesn't seem like anything can be simple. But step back and just look at this life. The breath comes. It makes no judgment. We don't have to do anything to get it. There are no forms to fill out, no queues to stand in, no waiting games. We don't need to log on to some dot-net or dot-com to breathe.

Life dances and plays out every day in the simplest, most serene way possible. You exist, not through the avenues of this world, but just as you are. Just you - this face, this smile, this body, this breath, this heart.

A lot of people focus on all the problems in the world and say we have to find solutions to all those problems. I say that we have a quest. It's not a quest that you or I started. It is a quest that was already started for us. It's a quest for peace, a quest for love, a quest for understanding, and a quest for joy.

This quest is not for the joy found on the outside. It is for the joy that is found on the inside. This quest is not for the peace on the outside, but for the peace that lies within.

The good news is that what you are looking for, you already have.

Who has introduced us to us? We're always being introduced to somebody else. No one asks, "By the way, have you met yourself?" Meeting yourself is the difference between being free and being stuck. If you don't want to meet yourself, you are stuck with yourself. The day you want to meet yourself, you become free.

I will tell you about the best book ever written. It's the book of thoughts that you write to yourself. It's clear. It does not need an introduction; it does not need a preface. It does not need footnotes. It is yours. It is the poem that sings out in your heart and awakens the joy. That is the greatest poem ever - joy. And it is your poem, an expression to yourself. That is the ultimate gift.

This world is filled with questions without answers. This heart is filled with answers without questions. We can accept those answers, not the answers the world is trying to give us.

The answers of the heart are very, very different, because the heart says, "Awaken and rejoice. Awaken and be alive. Awaken to the possibility of being fulfilled."

'See Reality'

There's entertainment going on within you - life. It isn't about the alarm clock that gets you up and that you check before you go to sleep. That's not life. Life is about waking up and being thankful for the day, understanding that the day means something.

I've heard people described as having "such a gusto for life." What is meant by that? It isn't about jumping off mountains or diving in the deepest trenches. It isn't about flying as high as you can, or going as fast as you can. It isn't about the number of activities you do. It's about true enjoyment - enjoying this life. This day is a gift given to me, and I accept it as a gift.

Instead of passing time, enjoy your time. Instead of just being there, victimized by everything that happens, feel freedom in your life. Real freedom. Real joy.

You've seen photographers. When there's action happening, they've got to be right there. They're waiting and ready to take that picture. They know that the only way it can happen is if they are ready. Last-minute fumbling won't do it.

When breath comes into you, are you ready to take that snapshot? Are you ready to be fulfilled? That's the promise it brings. Because breath comes, you can be a friend or an enemy, a father or a mother - so many things. You can enjoy your hobbies, the things you do, your career. But breath makes possible one other thing as well. And that is fulfillment.

Do you want to be fulfilled? This is a choice you have to make. Either you are taking a snapshot of that breath, enjoying and appreciating it, or you are not. It's up to you.

Beauty is in you, in this human form with this human heart, in this very human condition, in this very human world. You. I'm not speaking about the alligator or the crocodile or the snake. They need their own person to tell them they're beautiful, because I'm not doing that. See what you've been given and what you are - not in terms of either divinity or frailty. See what you are with no judgment; see that reality just as it is.

Come with eyes that are hungry to see beauty. And see the beauty. Judgment exists for everything: "You are young; you are old. You are pretty; you are ugly. You are this; you are that." That's not what human beings are. That's ideas. That's judgment.

There's a beauty. There's a simplicity. There's us. We exist. Who are we? What are we? See that. Feel that. Why? Because none of the definitions do it justice.

Once I heard a photographer talking about taking pictures. He said, "Have your camera ready, but don't have any preconceived ideas. Look through it, see what you see. Then see if that does something for you." I thought, "That's the advice I give."

If you want to take a picture, don't come with preconceived ideas. Just look and see what you see. See if that does something for you. If it does, then let it click. The picture will be taken and will be there for the rest of your life. It will be beautiful. It will be a picture you have taken, not something that was created. It will be your picture.

This life is too precious to be living in a boxed world. There's freedom waiting to be discovered. Not randomness, but freedom, because the breath comes into you and you are alive. There is the possibility to be in peace. You should be in peace. Look at yourself - not with ideas, but from a very beautiful, simple reality.

"The Missing Piece"

The other day I was asking someone who has also traveled a lot whether they had ever come across a thing called the world in their travels. He said, "No," and I said, "Neither have I." You come across countries, immigration, customs, people, taxis, animals - it depends where you go. But world I have never seen. It is people. It is people like you and me who need, not want, peace in their lives. It is not a luxury. This is the missing piece of the puzzle.

What we cannot imagine today will happen tomorrow. Technology will move on. Things we could never imagine will happen. What doesn't change is the need. The wants change, but the needs do not. Maybe you are not comfortable with your bed so you want a new mattress. The want may change, but the need is to go to sleep, and that does not change. Maybe you go shopping and you see a new water glass. You want the new glass, but why you need the glass does not change. That stays the same. Need and want.

A lot of people are under the misconception that they want peace. It's a misconception because peace is not something you want; peace is something you need in your life. Every day you wake up, something within you yearns to be fulfilled, to be happy, to be in joy. We create formulas for how to achieve that. Everyone has a formula: "I think if we do this, we can achieve it."

But how? Look at the thirst for peace. If the thirst for peace is within you, then peace is within you. If that want wanders in this world for different things, it is because the want is processed by necessities that are created on the outside. Look at your heart because that is a part of the puzzle.

I am not saying you should sacrifice one for the other. This is another wonderful excuse that people have: "I cannot engage in this search for peace because I have a family, and I have responsibilities." I say to them, "What makes you think for a moment that you have to sacrifice one for the other?"

Peace is inside you. Wherever you go, peace goes with you. When you climb on a bus, peace goes with you. When you are fighting, peace goes with you. When you are asleep, peace is within you. When you are frustrated beyond imagination, peace is in you. No matter what you do, there is no place you can go where peace will not come with you. Because it's within you.

Through technology, we want to improve our lives. What I am saying is that the real improvement begins with you. I am not saying to sacrifice technology or to sacrifice your responsibilities. Accept your responsibilities, and while accepting those responsibilities, find peace, find joy in your life.

'The Most Beautiful Sound'

It's always a great honor to talk to those who want to learn something about this life. I am going to tell you a very simple story.

Once, there was an exquisite musical instrument. When it was played, it made the most beautiful sound. Then people started looking at "new and different" instruments and invited other musicians to come and play. The musicians came and brought their drums and their flutes and their guitars.

Soon no one knew how to play this one very special instrument, and people began to wonder, "What good is this instrument?" It was beautiful, and it would spark their curiosity, but slowly it started to collect dust because it was ignored and had gotten out of tune.

Then one day, someone came and said, "Why have you cast aside this most beautiful instrument?" People looked at him wondering, "Which instrument? The drums are all in tune, the flutes are great, the violins are perfect, the piano is in tune." He said, "Don't you remember this instrument? It is because of this instrument that you even became interested in music, built this place, and gathered to listen to it. Now that your curiosity has led you to the new and different, you have been ignoring it."

"What is so special about this instrument?" they asked. The man said, "Let me show you." He cleaned the instrument, and it began to shine. We forget. We only see the dirt on the surface. The person who knows can see beyond the dirt. He can clear away the dust and renew its beauty, its spark, its glamour, its glory. Then he did the most important thing - he tuned it. If the instrument is going to sound good, it has to be tuned.

After he tuned it, he gave it back to the people and said, "Now, you play." They said, "We don't know how to play." "Strum," he said, "and it will begin to play. Listen. You will hear." When they began to play, they were mesmerized by the beautiful sound. Here was an instrument that could truly touch the heart.

What is the instrument? You are. In your race for the "new and different," you have forgotten yourself. Everything is all about the glamour of "new and different," except for this instrument, this life. Except for this heart. Everything else has priority. From morning till evening, you say, "I have to do this. I have to do that." Are you anywhere on that list? Number 10? 20? 100? No. Nowhere.

When this instrument is tuned, and you begin to play, you will hear a melody - the melody of breath coming to you. It's very simple. What you are looking for, what you need, is within you, but because of neglect, it has gone out of tune. When it is tuned, you will be able to enjoy the potential of that instrument.

This is your life. Find that contentment. This much you owe yourself. If you want to be rich, begin with you. The first debt you have to pay is the debt to the heart - its request, its want to be fulfilled. It's not a big request. It is simple. Be fulfilled.

"The Need for Peace"

Translated from Hindi

Most people are proud to be human beings. We are proud of what we have attained, and many receive awards and titles for what they have accomplished. I have received many myself, but I haven't even hung them up.

When a person is dying, we check their pulse and see if they are still breathing. Then we say, "He's still alive." That's the title - "alive" - that has been given to everyone. One day that title will be taken away. Right now we all have that title, but we don't recognize it.

It's just like seeing someone we know after many years and thinking, "I've seen this person somewhere before. Who is he? I don't recognize him." Don't we also look at ourselves and wonder, "I have seen you somewhere. It feels like I know you, but I don't recognize you"?

Recently I was speaking about peace, and someone asked me what I would say to the poor people in this world. Why? Don't poor people need peace? Is peace only for the wealthy? People think that a hungry person only needs bread. I've been hungry. I'm not saying that I didn't and don't need bread, but I also need peace, because this world does not exist only to fill the stomach.

Who needs to experience peace? Peace is not needed by trees. Peace is not needed by cats. Peace is not needed by dogs. Peace is needed by human beings because we can experience peace. We need it. Peace needs to be experienced in our hearts. Whether there's peace in the world or not, peace is definitely possible in our hearts.

Today, we don't look at our faults; we look at everyone else's faults. We don't look at our weaknesses; we look at other people's weaknesses.

Peace is not a philosophy. Peace is something that has to be experienced. Unless a person experiences it, everything is empty. No matter what you have done in your life, if you have not experienced peace, then everything feels empty, incomplete.

In this life, we can light the lamp of peace. We can decorate the heart with the lamp of peace every day. Learn how to light that lamp. You can call to that peace, that joy, so that it comes to you.

All those corners where there is darkness can be filled with joy. Joy doesn't look at anyone's age, whether they are young or old. No matter what their condition, it is possible for every human being to feel joy. If you need to make an effort, then the effort should be to light the lamp of joy. This life should be filled with light, not darkness.

This is not for someone else. Every human being can fulfill their heart, can fulfill this life. This is the most beautiful thing that is possible in this life.

'Endless Gifts'

Translated from Hindi

In our lives, an environment is created that directs our attention outward toward the entire world rather than toward us. When we go outside and see something we've never seen before, the first thought we have is, "What is this?" In India when something is happening somewhere, people just gather to see what is going on.

A human being can also point toward himself and say, "What is this?" This life - this time, this intellect, this heart - is an opportunity that we have. There are not too many people who look at that, who recognize that.

People love miracles, but when a cow eats green grass and gives white milk, it isn't considered a miracle. It would only be a miracle if the milk came out of a rock, which shouldn't happen because rocks were not made to give milk. In this body, without any effort, breath comes in and out. No one sees that as a miracle, but that is the real miracle. Until we recognize that, we will not understand what we have been given.

It is like a person having a treasure chest of gold in their home, but not knowing about it. If they have no understanding or recognition of it, they could be poor their entire life even though they have the possibility of being a millionaire.

What is possible? What can I attain? If I don't recognize the possibility in my life, then it will just be that I came, I was alive, and one day I had to leave. That is nature. As human beings we look at things from two sides: either good or bad, right or wrong.  Every day we wonder, "Will this be a good day or a bad day?"

Good will happen and bad will happen. You can't avoid that, but there's something that is neither good nor bad. It is beyond that. That thing is your life. In this life, as the breath comes in and out, the possibility is there to receive a flood of joy. You can dive into an ocean of joy, and your heart can say, "Thank you so much for this life, this opportunity. I recognize that what I wanted to know is within me."

That's the opportunity being given: to attain that joy and to fulfill this life. We have come here, and one day, we have to leave. People say, "You came empty-handed, and you are going to leave empty-handed." I say, "You have come empty-handed, but you don't need to leave empty-handed." Take something with you. What will you take? You can't take your memories. If you're able to take something, it is that peace. You can fill your heart.

Until now, you've only seen what's missing in your life, what's lacking in your life. Start to recognize that which is complete. Start recognizing all the things you do have, the endless gifts you've been given. If there's some good news in life, the good news is that we can be fulfilled.

'A Seed That Grows'

Translated from Hindi

Almost everyone is looking for something, running after one thing or another. It can get really frantic. But the person who is longing for what the heart wants has everything. That person has no need to be sad. Good wishes come every day in every breath. The person who feels gratitude for that celebrates each breath, each moment.

Traditionally, we celebrate birthdays with a cake and candles. However old we are, we place that many candles. We get very excited to blow out the candles, but what is being represented? If you think about it, it is all the years that are gone that are being blown away. And it's not just one year that's gone, it's every day - every breath - that passed by. How many moments, how many breaths, have we saved and appreciated? What we lose, we lose for a lifetime.

The whole world around us is made from what grew, not what didn't. Don't pay attention to what isn't. Pay attention to what is. So, what is? In the middle of our pain, our suffering, we have this life, this body. In the middle of all that, there is the breath that is coming in and out. We need to pay attention to that, to what is, not to the time that has passed. That's gone.

We don't have the time that hasn't come yet, either. We only have today. Tomorrow will come, and what will happen then? A breath will come and then another breath will come. The coming and going of this breath is the gift. It's not about what's gone; it's about appreciating this life, one breath at a time. It's about you - your life - not the life of the other people around you. It's just about you.

What is important is recognizing the gift you have. When you go to an airport or train station to meet someone, you wait until you recognize them before running up to greet them. Recognition is important. When there is no recognition of the heart's thirst to be fulfilled, what I am talking about doesn't make sense. When your heart starts to recognize that thirst, you can move toward joy in your life.

The greatest thing in life is that as human beings we can experience supreme joy. For people who want this joy, who want to fulfill their lives, there will be joy and more joy. Just relax and enjoy the journey of life

"Part of Us"

Translated from Hindi

When I talk about peace, many people ask, "What peace?" They don't understand the peace I am talking about. I'm not talking about a peace that has to be manufactured. I'm talking about a peace that has always been within us ever since we were born and will always be within us for as long as we live, until our last breath.

I am talking about you - personally. You are the one who experiences joy. You are the one who experiences pain. You cannot give your pain to someone else. And the joy that you experience cannot be experienced by anyone else, no matter who that person is.

Everyone's joy in this world is different. Everyone's joy is individual. When you feel hungry, it's you who feels that feeling. When you eat, that fulfillment, that satisfaction, comes to you. Another person can think about it, but the experience of hunger being satisfied can only be had by the one who is hungry.

It's a question of appreciation. In ancient times, when cities were constructed, it was essential that they be near a lake or river where water was available, because people realized the value of water. Water was needed for farming, to make bread, to grow food. A person needs water to drink, to take a bath, to wash, to put out a fire. Because people understood the importance of water, they acknowledged it. I ask people, "Have you ever thought about the water of peace that you desperately need?"

Many people say that if you want peace you must go to a mountaintop and become a hermit. Others say you can't have peace because you have to fulfill your responsibilities.

I'm not talking about sacrificing anything. Someone said to me, "I have a family. I have children. If I leave them, they won't be able to do anything." I said, "You don't need to escape your responsibilities - look after them as well as you possibly can. However, within you is a treasure of peace. No matter what is happening, no matter how much pain there is in your life, don't forget that the peace you're looking for is within you - always. It will be within you till your last breath. What is needed is that we turn inside and discover it."

Everyone, at least once in their lifetime, has felt incomplete no matter how much they have. There are so many misconceptions that what we are looking for is not within us, that it is somewhere outside and we have to look for it there. But the thirst is within us, and the water to quench it is also within us. Peace is a part of us. If we are able to recognize our thirst and reach that peace, we will find that we are complete.

When you recognize your thirst, that thirst will lead you toward quenching it. Peace will always be within you. If you don't want it, it is still there within you. If you want it, then you can fulfill your life.

'Timeless'

Recently I was driving in very thick fog. We had to drive slowly because the fog was so dense, we couldn't see very far ahead. We were on a winding road going uphill, and soon the fog had completely shrouded everything from view. It was like soup. It reminded me of what happens to us. When the fog comes, it obscures our vision. It stops us from seeing what we need to see to proceed on this path of life.

This is important because we have but one life. This life is everything. It doesn't help to make comparisons between my life and other people's lives, or to compare today with yesterday. I exist. I am alive. I need to understand my own passion, what my heart is telling me - in each moment, to be quiet enough so I can begin to hear what my heart is trying to tell me.

The world is a big place. A lot is going on, and many things call to me: "Do this; do this; do this." Other things disguise themselves as fun, and they call to me too: "This is fun. Do this; do this; do this."

But my life, my time, my existence is not about fun. It is about feeling contentment. It is about feeling joy. These are the needs of every human being. These are our desires, above and beyond everything else. How cleverly they get disguised.

What is true accomplishment? What is true reality? What is beyond the fog? When I woke up the next morning, the fog had lifted, and it was the most gorgeous sunrise you could possibly imagine. The light was incredible. What a contrast it was from fog to clarity, from what I couldn't see to what I could see.

People talk about noise pollution and air pollution, but there is another pollution. It's called thought pollution. We are constantly being bombarded by thoughts. It is so easy to allow yourself to get sucked into that river, just going with the flow. "Yes. This is important; that's important."

Yet everything will change. Nothing is exempt from the touch of change. Time has watched Earth being made. It has watched it cool down and watched the oceans appear. It has infinite patience. It has watched everything change and change and change.

Somehow, the human being was created and given the ability to feel. Of all the things I can feel, I can feel joy; I can feel peace. And I have in this life the possibility of not being affected by all the changes.

Without a worry about tomorrow or yesterday, I can feel fulfilled. When that fulfillment is there, it is timeless. Everything else is bound by time.

Most fortunate are those who say, "What I need to do today is to be in peace." For them no explanation is needed. They understand the possibility that they can be content.

Life is not a conflict. It's this beauty that is dancing for you. Witness this most marvelous dance. Witness the surprise. Witness the most amazing thing that will ever be. In your day, whatever else you do, be fulfilled. It is possible.

"One Thing I Can Change"

It is not an impossible objective to have peace in this life. It is very, very possible. That's what we are here for - to learn, to grow, to understand, and to make peace a reality.

You are alive. Be alive. What is the basic wish that has been given to you? Listen to it. Listen to that need, then you can fulfill it. Understand what it is saying - how it is addressing you. But first, know what it is. What is the most important thing to you?

Unless the most basic and fundamental need is fulfilled, all the explanations and ideas about peace can be there, but what's the point?

There is a thirst for peace because that thirst can be quenched. If there was no way to quench it, we wouldn't feel the thirst. But there is a way to quench that thirst. Quench it. Fulfill this life. That's what is important. That's why we are here. We are here to take another step toward consciousness, toward clarity away from the fog.

I need to understand the passion of my heart. When the heart is filled with the most beautiful feeling, the thirst is quenched. Every moment matters. There doesn't have to be chaos. There is a simplicity, a joy. Life doesn't have to be questioned. There is an answer.

This is something that each one of us has to do. Who else can we rely on? You have to understand that this is your life, and you can make the joy and the beauty happen every day. It really is very easy.

A lot of people think it can only happen if they change the world around them. They think they have to change their children, and by the time they've almost gotten there, the child's moved out. Then they think, "What elsecan I change? I'll get a job that I really like." They finally find a job they really like, and then they realize what they really like is the days off from the job. Then they say, "Maybe what I need to do is retire."

Waiting - just think of all the things people are waiting for. You don't have to wait anymore. You don't have to change all those things around you. You can't anyway, because when you do try to change them, they'll try to change you. And when they do, you won't like it.

I realized I can't change everything, but there's one thing I can change. All I need to do is change my list of priorities. The change has to come from within. That's why I'm saying it's easy. You don't have to throw anything out, just rearrange. Of all those things that have taken priority, put the priority to be content at the very top. That's all.

Yes, you can be fulfilled. That's what's important. The greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of joy, the gift of peace. That is tops. And every step counts toward knowing the one thing you thirst for - that your life be fulfilled.

"Feel that Joy"

How many people compare themselves with others and say, "I wish I was like this. I wish I was like that. I wish I had this person's house, his car, his child, his wife." Why compare? How do you know he doesn't have problems? But we compare and measure. We want explanations.

You have a garden. Take care of your own garden. You've been taking care of other people's gardens, and the vermin have been eating yours. You can't have that. Take care. Prune. Don't let the weeds get out of hand. Take care of this beautiful garden, this beautiful life you've been given. How? By not finding fault with it, but accepting it. By not comparing it, but admiring it.

If you want to be in that joy, it's simple. Trade explanations for feeling and feel. Feel every day. It's not enough just to go through the motions. We have to get to the place of joy. Let your heart be fulfilled and appreciate what you have. The most fortunate person is the one who is in touch with that harmony and has understood it.

Problems will come. Everyone has problems. Problems have a very sophisticated system: They seek you out; they know where you are and how vulnerable you are. Have you ever noticed that the more vulnerable you are, the bigger your problem? They've got scanners that seek vulnerability. It doesn't matter how good a face you try to put on, "I'm fine, I have everything," it doesn't work. It really doesn't work.

The only thing that works is being able to enjoy the beauty within you. Will that make the problems go away? No. These problems have had billions of years to perfect themselves. They are far more evolved than we are. They've worked on mountains, oceans, bacteria, even dinosaurs. They're good. Can we flex a little muscle and make them go away? No. That won't happen. But we can go someplace where they can't come.

Feel that joy. Feel that simplicity. Feel that beauty within. Feel all that while you are living in this world, doing whatever you have to do. Be filled from the well within.

A lot of people say, "Don't journey through the desert." I never say that. I say, "Go through the desert, but take water with you because you will need it." It's not a matter of making the impossible possible; it is recognizing your own possibility. Contentment in your life is very possible. Recognize it. Understand it. Grow with it every day. There is room for growth. There are some things that never stop growing.

There is no limit to enjoyment. There is no limit to clarity, to joy, to the truest learning. There is no limit to understanding. You can never say, "I understand this too much." Ignorance has a limit, but what limit is there to understanding? Understand every day that there is a beauty you can fill yourself with again and again and again.

'No Limit to Joy'

Recently, someone was asking for my help. He said that the fear, anger, and confusion in his life take up too much of his energy.

I told him, "It's simple. It is your choice. In your journey of life, get to the crossroads where you can really enjoy, because so often, you're going too fast and don't have time to choose which way you want to turn."

Whichever way the momentum is going, we go. Everything seems to be just going, going, going. Then what happens? Suffering happens. Pain happens. They are not welcome things in life. We find ourselves wondering, "Is this where I want to be?" We realize, "No. I don't want it to be like this. I don't want to be here. I want to feel joy."

If we want to get out of it, we can. Make the choice, because you have an option. A possibility is there for you. You don't have to be controlled by things you don't want. You can live this life and understand the value of your breath. In this life, being grateful, having the feeling of joy, is up to you. It's your journey. You determine the direction you want to go.

Sometimes we think, "I want that day back." We have one good day, and for the rest of our lives, we try to replicate that day. Every day holds a promise to be better than that day, but we miss it.

Accept whatever gift is being given today, because it is a gift. Receive it with great joy, and enjoy it. The day that we are looking for may come, and when it does, accept that, too.

The world teaches us to fear. Everything is fear. When we were little children, this is how our parents got us to do things, "Do this, otherwise this will happen to you." Then you go to school, and it's the same thing, "If you don't study, you will fail." And then the world just keeps after you, "Do this, otherwise this will happen; do this, otherwise this will happen."

In the world within, it's not like that. It is positive. Enjoy your life and be fulfilled. It's up to you. It's a beautiful journey, and it grows and grows and gets better and better and better. I don't know how that happens, but it does. Don't wonder how it's possible; just enjoy it.

Awakening is when you understand for yourself that you want your heart to be fulfilled. It's not so important when it happens, as long as it happens. When is never the issue. It may take a hundred years, but when you awaken, the ninety-nine years before are not lost. Whatever journey had to be taken, whatever had to happen, whatever it took - it happened.

No matter what happens, we can enjoy life. People give up. It's not over till it is. We can have joy till the last breath. This feeling is the only thing that will stretch to the last breath. Everything else breaks when you try to stretch it that much. But you can take this feeling to the last breath.

I can show you the place inside of you where you can dance. Dance. Dance in your heart and enjoy that dance. Enjoy this feeling. Enjoy this life. With an open heart, fulfill your life.

The heart has no limit to how much it can open, how much it can feel. There is no end to it.

'Truest Gift'

What I talk about is something that is simple and yet profound. Some might find it too simple, but that doesn't mean it is not important. I talk about the simplicity of breath and the coming and going of each day in your life. I remind people that each day that comes is one of the most valuable gifts they will ever receive. Incomparable.

For a lot of people that makes sense, and yet it doesn't make sense. We know each day is important, but that's not the way we accept it. The importance of a day is based upon what we have accomplished. Our life has been placed on a scale, and the weights that measure it have been given to us by this world. Everything is judged by failure or success. Yet we have been given a precious gift.

We have anniversaries and birthdays, and we give each other presents. But would you give a gorilla something precious like a diamond ring? Why not? A gorilla has fingers just like you, but a gorilla would never understand its value. Give a gorilla a diamond ring, and he will try to taste it, find it unappetizing, and probably throw it away.

Are we like a gorilla that has been handed the diamond ring of life? In many ways, we do the same thing - taste it and say, "My life is no good. I've got to do this. I've got to accomplish this. I've got to climb this. I've got to be there. I've got to have this title. I've got to have this and that in my life." And what is forgotten is the value of existence, the value of this breath coming every moment and blessing us. This is the blessing. But we don't know how to accept it.

We make everything conditional in our lives: "You're a good son or daughter if you do this, this, and this. You're a good wife or good husband if you do this, this, and this. And you're a good friend if you do this, this, and this." But breath has no conditions. When we are given breath, we are not told, "I'll give you this breath if you do this and this." It is given freely, without judgment.

When you look in the mirror, the face you are looking at is not asking for judgment; it is asking for admiration. It is asking for acceptance - acceptance of this life, acceptance of this breath, acceptance of the simple thirst of this heart.

The joy that you look for, that you search for every day, is searching for you - to embrace you, to accept you, and to fulfill you. I'm here to tell you that the peace you are looking for is inside of you.

Discover this life you've been living. Discover it the way it is meant to be lived - in joy, in gratitude, in beauty. Discover the potential of each day. Discover the rhythm as the sun shines on the horizon, light comes, and awakening happens; and then comes the sunset and sleep - everything is erased and another day begins. Discover that.

That's what this existence is all about. That's what peace is all about, because peace is not in yesterday and peace is not in tomorrow, but peace is today. Tomorrow is anticipation. Yesterday is just memories. And today is the gift. The truest gift. The most important gift.

'Accepting Hapiness'

Who are the heroes of this world? Actors, movie stars, play the parts of heroes. This is their occupation. Their job is not to tell us what is true; they are playing the role of someone else. It is a false situation. We watch them and think we are being entertained.

We want to be happy, yet all those things we really want in life we already have. If we want more, we need to see what we've been given. If we want more blessings, we need to count the blessings we already have. We get stuck in thinking, "I should have this; I should have that. It should be like this; it should be like that." This is what we've been taught.

Have you seen how happy a child is? Does he have a bankbook? All he needs is to be with his mother, whether he is sitting in a fancy car or in a simple cart. He doesn't care.

When we start accepting what we've been given, our heart also becomes like that child. In that acceptance we can find real happiness. In each and every breath, so much joy is being given. If we could accept it, there is no limit to the happiness it would bring.

It is all a matter of learning and acceptance. If we really become a student of life, what can't we learn?

Once there was a young man who had just graduated from university and was walking behind an old man. As he was just starting out in life, he thought maybe the old man could give him a few words of wisdom. The old man was walking weighted down with a big load on his back. The young man went up to him and asked, "Do you have any words of wisdom for me? I'm just starting out."

The old man stopped, looked at the young man, put the load down, stood up straight, and smiled at him. Then he put the load on his back again, hunched over, and walked away. Not a word was exchanged. I think it was the wisest thing he could have ever told him: The reason you walk like this is not from your load. That's all borrowed. If you want to stand up straight, then put the load down. What you have been given, what is yours, is not a load. What is yours is truly a delight.

It is simple: The more we enjoy, the more joy we have. And the more we accept that joy, the more we appreciate. Other things in life decrease, but this is one thing that keeps increasing. I have seen this again and again.

Bad things we understand easily. It is not so easy to understand a good thing. That is why someone is needed to help us understand. We understand about battles and bombs, but we don't understand that we only have one life and we shouldn't waste it. It should be a very easy thing to understand, but often we don't.

There is a war on the outside, and there is a war on the inside. The war on the outside will come to an end sooner or later, but the war on the inside can rage on for a lifetime. Unless that war has been resolved, nothing will make a difference.

I am not here to talk about politics. I am here to distribute happiness. I want to bring this happiness to people; I'm working hard for this. Whether a person is hungry or has a full stomach, everyone should have happiness in their life. Joy is a good thing. Understand this simple thing and make your life successful.

'Accepting Hapiness'

Have you seen how happy a child is? Does he have a bankbook? All he needs is to be with his mother, whether he is sitting in a fancy car or in a simple cart. He doesn't care.

It is all a matter of learning and acceptance. If we really become a student of life, what can't we learn?

The Most Beautiful Story

Today, I'd like to talk about what we have - not what could be, not what isn't, but what we already have. So many of us would rather hear about a dream - how it could be, how something could change. But I talk about the most priceless thing that all the money in the world could not replace - your life. Do you know how to see the value of the gift you've been given?

First of all, we have to make a distinction, because we take all the things that happen in life - our problems, the good and the bad - mix it up with our existence, and say, "This is my life." But that is not the way to measure our lives.

We have a need. It is a need, not a want. Want is an ocean that will keep changing. Today you want a blue suit; tomorrow you'll want a gray one. How do I know? Look at all the advertisements: "This is what you need, this is what you want, this is how it should be." Everybody has been saying that to you all your life: "This is what you should be, this is what you need, this is what you want, this is how it is."

What do you really need? The time has come to ask that question of your own heart - the one thing that has been true to you since childhood. Experience it for yourself. We abdicate the most important thing we have - experience. Remember when you were young and your parents told you, "Don't touch that; it's hot." It didn't make any sense until one day you touched it and you knew. A lifetime of lectures does not equal one second of experience. So many people talk about peace. Either you experience peace or you think about it. Thinking about water won't quench your thirst. You have to drink water.

What does it mean to know your self? We know our friends better than we know ourselves. If you want to know your self, there is a way, and it begins by recognizing your existence, by recognizing your heart, by recognizing this possibility in your life.

Take off the glasses of good and bad. See your self - and you will see the gift of an existence. All that remains is to truly accept that gift. When I can begin to see a most wonderful, precious reality, then my heart begins to dance.

Anything and everything that you could possibly want or need is right here. There is no question whether that beauty is within you or not - it's within everyone. The only difference is there are those who have experienced it, in whose life it has manifested, and there are those in whose life it has not yet manifested.

The greatest miracle is taking place in this moment called now - you are alive. This moment has the most beautiful possibility: you can fall in love with this breath that comes into you and brings you life, love, understanding, comfort, and everything you could possibly ever need.

The most beautiful story is unfolding, and that is the story of you. No one else can narrate that story. The request from your heart is very, very simple: Be fulfilled. Be in joy. Be in peace.

"Abundance of Joy"

(translated from Hindi)

Today everyone is looking for truth. If someone searches for truth, first they need to be able to accept what is good and not accept what is bad. Here is something to understand: the nature of human beings is that the bad has more impact than the good. We will need to change this nature if we want to live life consciously.

Our nature is that though we have everything, we hold onto our pain. If after 100 years of somebody saying "I love you," they say, "I hate you," we will remember that more than all 100 years of "I love you." Yes, there is pain, but there is an abundance of joy and happiness as well.

Many songs in India ask, "What is the difference between a swan and a duck?" Whether it is true or not, they say that if you mix milk and water together, the swan can separate the milk from the water. It accepts what is good and leaves what isn't. The duck doesn't see the difference; he takes it all.

A human being's request should be, "What can I do for my life today?" There are people who think this is very selfish. But if a thirsty person quenches his thirst, is that selfish? If a hungry person satisfies his hunger, is that selfish? If a tired person sits down, is that selfish? And if the human being's heart wants to be fulfilled, how can that be called selfish?

If you truly learn to love your life, your nature will change. You will be able to receive what is good and let go of what is bad - to be transformed from a duck to a swan. Then whatever that person touches will turn to gold. For them, nothing will be lacking.

This is the opportunity for each of us. Many people try to look beautiful on the outside, but there is also a beauty within you. Allow that beauty to come forth - the true beauty of life. There is a place within you that is there wherever you go, and you can experience it. Whether you're young or old, it is always with you. Experience that. Then, no matter what you do, your life will be filled with that beauty, that enthusiasm, and love will permeate.

I go from place to place and I remind people: "Fulfill your life. Don't forget that. Whether you do anything else or not, fulfill your life." That's very important.

I remind people again and again about the lamp that is within. Everyone has their own lamp. The lamp is within you. I have my own lamp within me. The difference is that I have matches. So I go from place to place and I light up people's lives.

We are fortunate because we have this human body. Take full advantage of it. Fulfill your life. Whatever you need to do, do it. But there is one more thing you should definitely do, and that is to fulfill your life. Don't forget to do that as well.

'Awakening'

This is our time - the time each one of us has been given. Yet we get lost in semantics - what is good, bad, right, wrong. What do we forget? Everywhere, someone has a request, someone has a prayer. "Make this happen. Give me a better job. Give me a better life." We forget what we have been given.

Somehow, we are unable to look at what is in front of us - the most beautiful, the most magnificent. There is no greater blessing than the coming and going of this breath. This is what we have. Everything else is changeable by its nature. You want things to be good, and when they are, you want them to stay that way. But they can't. They will change.

The whole world is willing to talk about the future. Someone sees you are doing well and says, "You have a bright future." How bright a future can you have? One certainty in your future is that you're going to die. Everyone is saying, "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up." What's waiting for us at the end? Nothing. Hurry up so you can meet nothing. But it's all acceptable to us. Why? Because the simple reality is ignored again and again - the reality that you are alive. You are who you are. And every day that comes, you are given an opportunity to recognize that.

The sun goes down, your body goes to sleep. The sun comes up again. You awaken. Here is your opportunity to forget the past and become busy with the present, but you don't do that. You go to sleep with the worries that have come from yesterday. This is who you sleep with. Some people wonder why their life is miserable. Look at the company you keep. You keep the company of memories that are gone.

Peace seems trivial now because you have a busy schedule. You have the whole world to take care of - all these responsibilities. But if you don't take care of your responsibility to the heart, what good is it? Your heart is a part of you, too. Unless you also use your heart - your inner wisdom - your life will not be complete no matter what you do.

Can you do that? Can you be conscious enough to understand the importance of this existence? Can you be conscious enough to allow your heart to fill with the gratitude that it wants? That's all. There are no other requirements. All you have to do is accept it.

This is the gift. Of all the billions of things that could be, this is you. You could have been an inch taller or shorter. Your face could have been a little different, but it isn't. This is who you are. Do you accept that? Or are you investing everything in what isn't? "I wish it was this way, that way." Is your investment in all that isn't or in all that is?

Awaken and open your eyes to the beautiful reality of being alive. Weigh every moment with the importance of this breath. With the sweetness, the beauty, the understanding, the clarity of your heart, take the steps needed in your life. And be content in the supreme joy that is always dancing within you. Let that become real for you. It is a beautiful process because life in itself is a beautiful, beautiful journey. Be fulfilled every day. This is what life promises: that we can be fulfilled every single day.

Peace is Possible at the United Nations Association of Malaysia

There is a story of a man who loved parrots and wanted to raise special ones. So he bought three parrot eggs, and as they grew, he taught them music, physics, and mathematical formulas. When they were older, they could recite these formulas and quack Beethoven's symphony perfectly. But one day the man died, and someone put them in a tree outside. They crawled up the branches, looking around their new home.

Then they saw another parrot and said to him, "We know everything. We can recite this formula and that formula." The other parrot saw a cat approaching and said, "Do you know how to fly?" "Of course we know how to fly. When pressure is created at the bottom of the wing, and there is low pressure at the top, we can fly." He said, "No, not the formula - do you really know how to fly?" "But we know so much, what difference could it make?" "The one thing you don't know you really do need to know, and because you don't know that, all you know isn't going to do you any good."

What is the significance of this story? The significance is that we have accomplished a lot in this world, but if we haven't accomplished the one thing that is so fundamental to us, all that we have accomplished isn't going to help us.

People are crying out for peace. Peace is not a luxury. Peace is as important as breathing air, eating food, and having shelter, because it is the fundamental necessity of every heart on the face of this earth. Peace is not a new concept. As long as there have been wars, there has been a voice that has called out again and again for peace. True peace, real peace - a peace that is experienced by every individual.

Peace is our foundation, but we have not discovered it. We have learned the technology to go to the moon, but we haven't explored the inner self. This is where you will find your peace. This is where you will find the reality that is with you wherever you go.

Peace begins with every individual and with the recognition of this heart, this life, this existence. We have always known that. It is time to stop hiding from the reality and open the gate for everyone to fulfill their fundamental wish for peace. This is our time.

Remember one thing: if human beings can start wars, they surely can make peace. There is no "they" that will bring peace to us. Peace is not going to come in a package or a box. Peace is not going to come as rain from the heavens. The possibility of peace has already been given to every human being on earth.

We have to discover it - discover within the need for peace - and then create an environment where people can be free to feel that peace in their lives.

It begins with each one of us. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. It will happen one step at a time, and that one step begins with you. If you can take that first step in your life, you can complete the journey of a thousand miles. And yes, peace is possible.

Reality is Beautiful

There is pseudo-peace - a dreamt-up peace that you think exists but is not really there - and there is real peace. Which one do you have?

It's so important to build our life on what's real - to build our understanding from experience, not just ideas. Experience is something no one can take away from you. If you build a house of straw, the wind can knock it down. If you build a house of wood, it can be burned down. So build it from something substantial that will last.

You cannot just have a made-up peace. You have a heart that feels, so feel peace. Build your house from your experience, and then you can live comfortably there. Build it in such a way that you'll be sheltered. When it's windy, it'll be calm inside. Fires and earthquakes can come, and you won't have to worry. You can relax, living your life in the simple sanity of saying "I know," not "I don't know." That's very important.

It has been said many times, "Reality is more beautiful than you realize." But so many people are afraid to see what's really there. They would rather live in fear than see reality. And yet, reality is exceptionally beautiful. It is the sweet and simple breath that goes in and out of you. It is your song, your symphony - you are playing a very beautiful piece of music called your life.

It's a beautiful thing - the life that we have been given. Every day we have to acknowledge that we're alive. The day we don't acknowledge that we are alive, we are unconscious. We are doing things, but we don't understand why we are doing them.

Enjoy what you have been given. Enjoy this existence. Enjoy every breath. This is the nature of a human being: what we enjoy, we remember, and we don't get tired of it. So enjoy every breath. Things will happen - good, bad, right, wrong. Somebody says, "No." Somebody says, "Yes." Somebody says, "This way." Somebody says, "No, not that way."

What is your vision? In your life, do you want beauty and joy? Keep that focus, and you will have it. Don't waste your time, because time is something you can't recover. Don't misplace your anger. If you have to be angry, then be angry at anger. Maybe somebody did something wrong, and they didn't know it. Understand one thing: in this game of life, you get one opportunity. If you understand what this life is all about, that's all that matters.

There is so much potential. I see a vision. I don't see obstacles. I don't see problems. Problem-solving is a human being's forte. We can problem-solve, but it's very rare to have a vision. Yet it is the vision that is important.

Don't compare today to yesterday and don't compare tomorrow to today. It is what it is. Accept the fruit of your effort. Enjoy that, and more will come. When you accept, your heart is touched, and magic starts to unfold. When you don't accept, everything freezes. And when you accept again, your heart thaws out and begins to dance once more.

Savoring Peace

What I have to say is really quite simple because it deals with every individual. I go around the world telling people that they are alive and that's what means the most. And it needs to mean the most to you. You, yourself, need to understand the preciousness of your existence.

Peace begins with the understanding of what we have been given - this life. This existence needs to mean something. When it means nothing, human life - the one thing that is irreplaceable - has lost its value. Causes become greater than life itself, and life becomes a meaningless commodity in this great market where things are being traded all the time.

Today the sun rose, and you awoke. What did you think about? Your responsibilities. How do I know this? Because that's what we all do. I'm not excluding myself. I need peace, too, like you. I am in the same boat as you are, and that's what qualifies me to talk about it. If I were in some other boat, it would just be ideas and theories, but I am in the same boat.

You hear about the frailty of life. Yesterday, somebody told me that a very good friend of mine passed away. I stopped and thought about it. And I understood in that moment - once again - how precious life is and that no day can be wasted. I understood once again that, of all the gifts I have been given, the greatest is the breath that comes into me every moment.

Every day is like one lifetime: the sun rises and I am born. All these things happen. Some things happen that I am in control of, and some things happen that I am not in control of. Some things happen that I like; some things happen that I don't like. But whether good or bad, right or wrong things happen, the sun does set again, the eyes close, and I fall asleep.

I want peace every day. This is my ambition. Everyone has their definition of what they are looking for, and they look in so many places for the one thing that is within. What we're looking for is happiness, what we're looking for is contentment and the avenues to get to it. So we search, and we search, and we do what is necessary. And in all our searching and all our doing - who do we forget? Ourselves.

Whatever the equation is that you have created, please include yourself in it, because without you, without your heart, without peace in your life, there can never ever be peace in the world. The solution lies within - in understanding that, yes, peace is a possibility. Peace begins with you. Peace is possible for you. Yours is this life - the gift you have been given. Awaken and accept it.

You are a tourist, and you have come here on an incredible vacation. What are you doing? Are you enjoying this existence in its truest sense? Or are you busy saying, "Let me fix the carpets, the walls, the window. Once I am through with this, I will really enjoy my vacation." By the time you fix all that, the vacation will be over.

Don't wait. This is your time. Grab the request in your heart for peace and find that contentment in your life. Peace is beautiful. Peace is real. Peace is that passion for existence when I am caught up in a feeling, an understanding, of what life means - every day, every hour, every breath. Then I can begin to savor what peace is all about.

The Oasis

Sometimes when I sleep, I dream that I'm talking to people. Here is one story that I dreamt recently: There was a man who bought a house, and he realized there was a serious shortage of water. So he did some research and found a place to dig for water. He bought a spade and started digging, but it was very hot and difficult. One day, it reached the apex. He had been working in the heat, and he was so thirsty that he realized if he didn't get water soon, he would die. So he started yelling, "Water, water, water."

Somebody heard him, came to him, and said, "Come with me. I will take you to water." Then that person took him by the hand behind his house and around the nearby mountain, and there was a huge river flowing with beautiful, clear water. When the man saw the water, he jumped into the river. He cooled himself, drank the water, and was content. Then he came out, thanked the person who had helped him, went back to his house, picked up the spade, and continued digging his well.

The river was not that far from his house. After he found the river, he didn't need a well, but he was so into digging that it became more important than finding the water itself. So much time and energy had been put into it that, even after finding water, he kept digging.

My experience says that if I have discovered a river, I don't need to dig a well. The river is much more beautiful. Maybe I didn't know that there was a river so close, and I didn't create that river, but somebody helped me discover it.

Like that river, there is a joy that is the same for everyone - the real joy. The real joy is not about accomplishments. The real joy is about discovering the peace within your own self. Find the river within you. Find the joy within you.

You might say, "I don't think there is anything within me; it's all outside." What about the people who for centuries have been saying, "What you are looking for is inside of you"?

Maybe you're digging the well, and you are hot. All I am saying is there is a river in your backyard. Would you really say, "River or no river, I'm going to dig this well. I have a spade, and I have already spent so much time on this. I can't stop now."

Our lives have been what they have been. In a desert, there is sand everywhere, but there are also incredibly beautiful flowers waiting for rain to come. Then it will become an oasis. Maybe in our lives all we have seen is sand, but let the rain of understanding come and turn this desert into an oasis. Let the seeds germinate that have been waiting and waiting.

Make your own decision how important peace is to you, how important it is to be fulfilled. This is a process of discovery. You can't say to a thirsty person, "But you've just had water." Not unless he's actually had water can he feel satisfied. It is the same way for you.

There is a wonderful possibility within you - not in a book or on a mountaintop, but within you. Discover that possibility, be fulfilled, and enjoy this existence. Learn while you can learn. Grow because you want to grow. And feel peace because you want to feel peace.

If you want that, I can make it possible. This is what I do. I know peace is possible. Why? Because it resides within you.

The Umbrella

The life, this existence, is pure by nature. You are pure by nature. That is your nature. But there are things that come in and cause doubt and confusion. That's why it is so important to have someone who can clean, who can help you straighten out your priorities, put you back in touch with your heart, with what is important.

We look at our situation and say, "It's hopeless." I look at it and say, "No. Wash it. Here is the soap." When you wash it, the dirt is gone. Cleanliness isn't poured over the shirt. No. Soap has the capacity to bind with dirt and take it away as it is washed. And purity returns.

Let me give you an example. There is a tiny mouse that lives in Africa. This little mouse doesn't have big teeth or big claws to defend itself against the eagles or hawks that attack it. It has only one thing - speed. It can run really fast. But by running fast, it is very easy for this little mouse to stumble and fall and get swooped up. So this mouse has a strategy.

The strategy is to use what it has been given - speed - and to make sure the road is clear so it doesn't fall. It has researched all the routes from its home to the places it needs to go for food. Meticulously, it keeps those tracks clean - no twigs, no rocks, nothing. When it spots a hawk, it runs fast and makes it back home. The strategy works because they're still around.

It's only a cute little mouse, but can we learn something from it? That's what we need to do in our lives, too - keep those tracks clean. If we can keep those tracks clean, when that time comes that we need to use them, we'll make it.

There are people who will tell you, "Chant this mantra and clouds won't come." I say, "No matter how hard you try, clouds will come, and it will rain. You cannot change that. So carry an umbrella - the umbrella of clarity. When it rains, simply open up the umbrella." Why do you want to change the clouds or the seasons? It's going to rain. When it does, open up the umbrella, and you won't get wet. Go out, but take the umbrella.

Some people say, "I don't need any help - my life is going nicely, my business is doing really well." I stand at the crossing and say, "It's going to rain. It's going to rain." Some people who don't know about the umbrella say, "I don't understand what he's saying. I don't get his message." Those who know say, "Thank you for reminding me. Let me go get my umbrella. I don't want to leave home without it."

There is so much that is waiting for you. Inside of you, there is joy, peace, fulfillment. Accept that. It can be there always, but remember, if it is raining, it is not just a question of having an umbrella. One, it has to be open. Two, it has to cover your head. You can't just hold the umbrella and say, "I had the umbrella open in my hand and I got wet."

I can just remind you. I cannot do it for you. I will never walk behind you with an umbrella. I don't do that and have never done that. But I can remind you, I can show you, and I can guide you.

The Greatest Gift

In this world, everyone has a different idea of what peace is. To someone, peace is when countries stop fighting, or when their neighbor is quiet, or Sunday morning when there is no traffic, or when the sun comes out and the birds start singing.

Let me tell you about a peace that is not bound by definitions, that is not outside. Outside everyone is screaming, "This is what's important. This is what's important." There was a time when the only thing that was important to you was what you felt from within - the want to be content that is so innate and fundamental. Even if your mother or father said, "Be quiet," you cried because you had a need. When that need was fulfilled, you were fine.

In my life, I want to feel joy, contentment, just like that child. Today, so much has come between me and that contentment, that simplicity, that beauty. And no one threw it at me; I invited it. I need to see clearly who I am. My desire for peace has to be crystal clear every single day. Nothing can come between that and what I feel. My heart is saying to me: Be content. This is a journey. You have come here. You are dancing, moving, seeing, thinking, experiencing. And one day, all of this will be no more.

Enjoy this time that you have - not in a fake way, but in the real sense. Not to say, "Look what I have," but, "Look what I have discovered." Discover what already exists within.

I talk about our similarity, not our differences - the thirst of the heart that is the same for every single human being. I have traveled this earth many times, and I have never come across anything called "the world." I have only come across people. This is who we are. We are this moving miracle, this dancing miracle - the miracle of all miracles.

You want to hear about a miracle? You are a miracle. In you comes this breath that is the kiss of the Creator coming into you, touching you, bringing you life. Life is the magic that allows you to see, to hear, to feel, to think, to smile, to be, and to feel happiness, joy, peace.

Peace is looking for you. Are you looking for peace? This is not coincidence or imagination. It has to be real, and peace has to be felt.

People say, "Isn't that selfish?" Is enjoying the sunrise selfish because the joy of the sunrise is within me? Is happiness selfish? When a baby smiles, is that selfish? Which grandmother, mother, or father thinks it's selfish when their little baby waddles up to them and gives them a big hug and kiss? That's not selfish. "Ah, he kissed me. He came to me!"

In the same way, this breath came and touched me. I embrace it back and feel the gratitude. When the heart is full, there is gratitude.

In your life, allow yourself to feel peace, to be filled with gratitude. Unwrap what you have been given - a gift you haven't opened for a long time. It's about you - your journey, your ship, your boat on this ocean. It doesn't matter how young or old you are, the time has come to open the greatest gift of all.

Music from the Heart

Human beings are not made for stress. What causes stress? Confusion. Lack of priority. When we don't know what is important. All of a sudden, we're running around all over the place, and the result is stress.

Some people say, "Do this, and it will take away your stress." I say you shouldn't be stressed. As a human being, get your life together. Understand what is important to you. You are not made for stress. Mentally and physically, you break down under stress.

That's why my message is unique. I say, "Go inside and experience that feeling that is within you. Experience that peace, experience that joy. Again and again, hone in to your basics, to your fundamentals."

Do you realize that you can experience happiness? Think about that. You can experience joy. That's really, really amazing. People wonder, "Can animals experience it?" You are an animal! You belong to the same group. And you can experience joy. There are all those experiences out there. Yes, you can experience pain, you can experience all those things, but you can experience joy. That should be amazing.

You are an instrument. Any instrument can play off-tune as easily as it can play in tune. It's easy to be off-tune. You can put the key anywhere, and it will be off-tune. To be in tune is a very narrow band. There's only one place, one tightness of the string, where it will be in tune. And that's where you have to be. Nowhere else. Otherwise, anywhere else, off-tune is off-tune, but if you want to play in tune, there's one place.

It is so important to have someone who can talk about the real peace and real joy, someone who can remind you again and again to be focused, be centered, and evolve. There is so much to learn about you and the value of the breath that comes into you - to fall in love with this existence you've been given and have a heart full of gratitude.

I am like the tuner. I'll make sure the instrument is in tune, but you play. After the instrument is tuned, I give it back to you and say, "Play." You play. With this instrument create the sweetest music you have ever created. Play like you have never played before. Play with your heart. For whom? Play for yourself. A lot of people don't understand that. "That's selfish." Do you want to know the secret of the best musicians in this world? They play for themselves. When they do, it sounds wonderful to anyone who hears it. But when a musician starts playing for others, the music is over.

A lot of musicians will be playing and then all of a sudden close their eyes. They don't want to see anyone. They just want to be one with the music because it has to come from the heart. It cannot come from the head.

Sing for yourself. Play for yourself. Play and enjoy. That's when real music comes out. You are alive. You have that beauty in you. Accept that. How fortunate you are to be able to feel that beauty and joy in your life.

Seeing Life As It Is

I talk about the possibility, the life we have been given. With all our responsibilities and the things people tell us, we forget what we have been given.

I have a little story, and it is about a man who used to dream of all the things he wanted in his life. He wanted to marry this beautiful girl, have a good-paying government position, have some land. He was very good at dreaming, but he had no sense of reality. Things would happen all day, people would send him letters, but he would ignore them.

One day, he got old. He looked at his life and thought about his dreams, lamenting that none of them had become a reality. Then he saw a big pile of letters and started opening them. To his amazement, there was a letter from his girlfriend who wanted to marry him. So he called her, and she said, "I waited for you, but I got no answer, so I went ahead and got married."

He opened a letter and it was from the king, offering him a great job. He called the king, and the king said, "I waited for you, and you never responded, so the job was given to someone else."

As he opened each letter, he realized that all his dreams had come true, but he wasn't there to accept them. If only he had seen the reality, he wouldn't be lamenting. He could be celebrating.

I'm telling you this story because it is like that with us. We also have our dreams, our hopes, and our aspirations. At the base of every hope and dream we have lies the wish to be fulfilled, the wish to be happy, the wish to be content.

A letter comes to us every day in the form of breath, but we don't open it because we're too busy dreaming, trying to come up with formulas and ideas of how we can be content. But happiness itself is included in each one of these envelopes of breath that the Creator gives us. When it is too late, then we look at them and start to open them. Then we say how precious they are, and we look at all the ones we have wasted.

It is so important that we acknowledge the reality of this existence. We get so busy painting our ideas of how this life should be that we actually miss what is really happening. We walk with a bag on one side that is good and a bag on the other side that is bad. Everything we pick up goes into either the good bag or the bad bag. Take away the good and bad, and it is what it is. When you can see it as it is, it is beautiful. When you were young, you had this ability. You could see something for what it was - not good and bad, right and wrong.

If you want that joy in your life, bring back the heart of a child. When we can once again see with the pure eyes of our heart, we can see what we have been given, that the gift of existence means something. Not "what I have accomplished" but "I am alive." Life unfolds, and the gift is presented again and again. If you open this package, in the heart of it all you will find beauty, simplicity.

Go within and feel that beauty, that contentment. Find your comfort, your joy, in this reality. Find your shelter in this beautiful place.

Incomparable

You have heard about peace in many different ways. Maybe this is just one more perspective, but it is a perspective that comes from the heart.

Peace. We think, "Peace. Yes, something over here called peace." When I travel around the world and mention the word "peace," everyone has a different reaction. It ranges from "I've heard about that" to "It's a waste of time" to "I am interested in peace."

The most significant statement is: "I am interested in peace." I, as an individual, a person - not a label, not a box, not a globe - but a living, breathing, human being whose existence is priceless. This is the opportunity each one of us has been given.

Peace is a feeling - a feeling of non-duality, a feeling away from doubt, a feeling of me. Me understanding my existence. Feeling peace - not in turmoil, not in war, not in controversy, but in the serenity of existence.

There is more to you than you realize. There is another chapter here that hasn't been opened. Maybe there is a treasure trove that has not been tapped yet. Maybe there is another room to this villa, this mansion, this house, that has not been looked at.

The desire for peace transcends every barrier. Even those who have been incarcerated desire peace. Those who have little to eat also desire peace. And those sitting in giant mansions desire peace. Peace is one of those things: after a bowl of food, I still want to be in peace. The worst war is the war within a human being because there's no ceasefire to it. You can't put a brake on it; you can't negotiate with just one party. And the trouble with the war that rages inside is that, even if you win it, you lose because it's with yourself.

Is there a human being who doesn't want peace? Everyone wants peace. But today, people have complicated things so much that nobody knows what peace is. People say if there is no war, there is peace.

What is true peace? It is a peace that can be experienced even in the middle of a battlefield. It is not the peace that people talk about, that if this happens or that happens, peace will come. True peace resides in the heart of every human being. It can be experienced not just once, but again and again, just as we eat again and again. We don't just eat once and never need to eat again. When we are hungry, we need to eat.

Do you want true peace? It is up to each person. True peace can only happen when a person learns to stand on their own two feet and understand what is within them.

Our culture says, "Look outside." People want to find the truth. They search and search on the outside. There are so many books written, some just to criticize other books. The more a person reads, the more confused they get.

You have to look for peace in the right place. You don't need to search for it on the outside. If you search the whole world, you won't find it, because it is within you.

Experience that for yourself. It is not selfish. Being selfish is doing something that benefits you but harms someone else. When you do something that benefits you and no one else is harmed, that is not selfish. If you steal someone else's food and eat it, that's selfish. But if you eat your own food to satisfy your hunger, it isn't. So, experiencing peace is not selfish. When you experience peace, you experience it for yourself. It is a very personal experience.

Who are you? This mind, this intellect, this body, this life, this experience - you are a compilation of all those things put together. You are who you are because of all of those things. This life that you've been given is an opportunity that won't come again and again. What do you need to do with this life? Be fulfilled.

The day will come when you have to leave. So fulfill this life now. What does it mean to fulfill this life? It means that your garden can be beautiful and green and lovely. For that, I will give you the seed. If you plant it and give it the water of trust, then definitely that seed will grow, and your garden will be beautiful. This you can experience. As long as you are alive, your garden can be beautiful. You can live in that peace. It's not just something that you heard or that was written somewhere. This is something practical.

Potential for Joy

(translated from Hindi)

Why are you here? Who are you? Where did you come from, and where are you going? How many days are you here for? What is pain? What is joy? What is the soul? As human beings, we have these questions. And we look for their answers on the outside. We look everywhere: we read the paper, we go to the movies, we travel to different countries. But have we ever looked within ourselves: What have I been given?

All those questions are telling us that there's one thing missing. There's one thing we have not understood. What is it? It is what is within.

When will peace happen? Where is peace? Why do people fight? When a human being cannot understand who he is, what he is - when a human being becomes a stranger to himself, then everyone else is a stranger, too. And when everyone is a stranger, who is he going to become friends with? Who is he going to love? Who is he going to look at and say, "This is a human being, and I'm a human being, too"? Everything becomes separate.

Every human being is one - no matter who you are, how you are, where you're from. Even in pain or happiness, you're one. You've come here as one and will have to leave, as well. In the life of each human being, there is the possibility to experience supreme joy. The greatest potential is the possibility of that joy in a human being's life.

When a human being is born, it is their opportunity to experience peace and joy, to fulfill this life. Everything else they can attain and let it go. But peace is one thing the human being can attain and hold onto.

It is because of the calling of our heart that we want to complete our life, to capture what has been given. We can catch onto something that will be with us throughout our entire life, that will support us.

Fulfill this life. This is your life. It's been given to you. What you do with it is completely up to you. You can throw it away or save it. You can attain joy and fulfill your life. Every day is precious, priceless. Will tomorrow come? Nobody knows. All we can do is hope it will. Every day that is given is a blessing.

We talk about miracles. What is a miracle? When the sun rises, isn't that a miracle? The miracle is what is going on within you. The fact that you exist is a miracle. This life that comes day after day is a miracle. And when you start seeing that, your life will be filled with joy.

So if you want that, then accept it - not with blind faith, but from an experience. Only through experience can a human being move forward and take the next step.

The story is still being written - yours and mine. It's not finished. What the ending will be like is up to us. If we want the story to be that this person understood the supreme joy, fulfilled their life, and spent their life in joy, then that story can be written. It's up to us.

Foundation of Reality

What does it mean to live, to exist? To feel every day the solidity, the firmness of this breath? To many people, breath is just air going in and out. There is more to it. There is a firmness. And within its simplicity, tremendous solidness has been placed.

What is your foundation made of? Does your house rest on that which is solid and real? Or does it rest on assumption after assumption? What is your safety net? You venture, you think, you imagine, you go out, you do things. You weigh realities, and your realities change from day to day: "Right now, this is real; right now this is what's happening, this is what's important."

Somebody said to me, "I just became a grandfather." I said, "Congratulations." And I started thinking, "You became?" One day you became alive. That's the main day. After that, things have happened, and things will continue to happen. They will be what they are. Some you will call good because they will fit perfectly into the little shell that you have created.

How many days do we live paying attention to the sweet call to be content? People talk about peace; I talk about peace. I say peace is possible. Some people like that. Some say, "No. That's not the way the world is." Why? A picture has been painted of what peace is.

There is a reality. And that reality is bright and it is beautiful. It's more beautiful than any one of those pictures you could ever make. Every day, it is fresh and real, and it is dynamic and beautiful. It has no constraints. Is there sorrow? No. Is there joy? Yes. Is there darkness? No. Is there light? Yes. Is there discontentment? No. Is there contentment? Yes. Is there complication? No. Is there simplicity? Yes. Is there hate? No. Is there love? Yes. And that is the foundation that is the reality of your existence, of the gift you are given every day.

What does it cost to have all that? Nothing. All you have to do is open this heart and let it in. That's all it takes for the sunshine to come in. When the sun is shining, open the window and let the light come in. Let that breeze come in, because it is blowing, because it is happening.

Peace is dancing inside of you, waiting to be felt. People create expectations. The world's definition of peace is: "Everybody's always smiling, nobody's fighting each other, they're saying only polite things to each other." If that really happened, this would be a weird place.

What about the heaven here? This is where heaven makes the most sense. This is where I have the simplest ambition from my heart to be content. This is where I have the opportunity to build my house in which I can be content. It is not a house of imagination, but a house built on very, very real foundations.

That safety net is made out of breath. When even your power to speak goes away, this is the only thing that will still rumble through you, and it will be the last thing you know as it fades away. The challenge is to be in peace in the middle of all the turmoil. For as long as you are alive, you can experience the joy that is within you.

Incumbent upon Us

What I have to say is really quite simple because it deals with every individual. Recently, I was going for a walk, and I found myself in the midst of some really tall buildings. And it hit me that what I see is a massive building, but what is it? I see the face of it, the windows, the decorations, but what is this building?

I sometimes forget that a building is standing on a foundation that I can't see because it is buried. Only when something like an earthquake happens does my attention even go toward the foundation, hoping that it will stand. I also forget that, however tall this building is, it is built of blocks, of components that are much, much smaller than the building. And the integrity of the building actually relies on the integrity of those far smaller components.

When we talk about peace, it isn't any different. We look at the world. We see huge nations, countries, cities. What we forget is that all these countries are actually built on little components called human beings. We are the components. And the integrity of each country depends upon the integrity of the individual components.

We talk about countries. What we don't talk about is people. But if a person does not have peace in their life, whatever they are trying to achieve will never succeed.

Peace begins with our understanding what we have been given. The entire world is telling us what we do not have. Nobody is pointing out what we do have. What we have been given is this life, this existence. And this existence needs to mean something. When existence means nothing to us, human life - that one thing that is irreplaceable - loses its value. Then any cause can take on a greater meaning for war than for peace.

You are alive, and that needs to mean the most to you. You, yourself, need to understand the preciousness of your existence. Do you want peace in your life? Or do you want chaos? The potential for both exists in every person's life.

What is it that we are looking for? Everybody has their own definition of what will bring them happiness. That's what we're looking for - happiness, contentment. So we look, and we search, and we do what is necessary. And in all our searching and in all our doing - who do we forget? Us.

What is it that you want in your life? In whatever equation you have created for happiness, please put yourself there, because otherwise it will mean nothing. Without you, without your heart, without your understanding, without peace in your life, there can never, ever be world peace. This is where war starts, and this is where peace resides - within you.

Peace begins with you. Peace is possible with you. Yours is this life, the gift that you have been given. Realize what a gift you have been given. Understand the beauty that is dancing in front of your very eyes. Don't wait. This is your time. Grab the request for peace in your heart; find that contentment in your life. That's what peace is. Peace is beautiful. Peace is real. Peace is that passion for existence, a feeling, an understanding of what life means - what every day means, what every hour means, what every breath means. Then I can begin to savor what peace is all about.

Understanding the value of each person finding that contentment, one at a time, is the only possibility for world peace that has never been tried. To solidify every brick, every block and to say, "Yes, indeed, this building can stand tall because every block is solid, has integrity. When the earthquake comes, it will not fall down." That is the integrity that is needed.

The people of this world are the bricks and the mortar and the steel girders of this structure. It is incumbent upon us to at least try to make a difference. Rather than to offer logic of how it cannot be done, to at least try to see the possibility of how it could be done. And then maybe, at least the hope indicates, there will be peace on earth.

'The Most Incredible Dream'

I'm here to remind you what is important. It is important because it is important. Then there are those things we give importance to because they are not important. A tremendous amount of support has to be found to give importance to those things, because in your heart of hearts you know they're not important.

So what is important? What is important by its very nature? It begins with the most beautiful gift you have been given: the gift of existence. If this life were an instrument, when placed in the right hands, with passion and knowledge, this instrument would produce the most enchanting melody that would move anyone who heard it. But the most tuned instrument in the hands of somebody who does not know how to play it will make a lot of noise that sounds like scratching.

Do you have a role to play in making this instrument sound incredible? Yes, you do. For the instrument which is me, I'm responsible. For the instrument that is you, you are responsible. Somebody comes and sees a potential that this existence is perfect - it's not dented, broken, corroded; it's perfect. And when this person says, "I see something that's not imperfect; it's perfect," there will be arguments: "How can it be? Look at this. It is not possible."

In your life, what do you see? What do you dream of? Do you dream of contentment, of peace, of fulfillment, of joy? Do you dream of a passion? Do you dream of that perfect melody? Or do you dream of a two-story house and a cute little pudgy dog that gets along with a grey cat? That's it?

Have you encouraged that passion in your life? It is extremely important to nurture in your life what you hold precious. Ask a farmer; that's how it works. If you nurture joy, your fields will be filled with joy. If you nurture serenity, your fields will be filled with serenity.

Then this life starts to become a beautiful dance, because it is a beautiful dance when you give it the freedom to express what this life wants to express, when this heart can be filled with gratitude and not pretense.

Freedom is being able to express your heart, to accept today. Freedom is being able to say thank you that you are alive. That is freedom. And the truest of all freedoms, no one - but no one - can take away from you.

So, what is your expression of your existence? What is it like for you? You wish peace and goodwill to others. Have you wished peace for yourself?

If you want to shine for a lifetime, it begins with every day, every hour, every minute. Consciousness - to be conscious that you are alive, that you exist. The most incredible dream, the most incredible wish anyone could wish for, has come true. Tragedy should not be your teacher; let consciousness be your teacher. You can awaken every day with admiration and a full heart. These are the possibilities. This is when you sound melodic - not scratchy, melodic.

Beneath the whole facade of this world, this is what is going on: the simplest of wishes to be happy. How wonderful is this realm of joy, of peace, of fulfillment. How fortunate are those who walk in the company of peace, of joy, of fulfillment, of truth.

Coming and going keep happening on the face of this earth. Trillions have come; trillions will go. There'll be new problems, new things, old things. There'll be memories, memoirs, history. There'll be lies, and people will want truth. There will be someone who will try to define what truth is. And then there'll be the ones who say, "Feel the truth in your life."

In your life, you have so much if you have peace. It is not automatic; you have to work for it. If you want peace in your life, if you want serenity, it is very, very possible, but you'll have to garner it.

I say to people, "Take a little time out in your life for you." How beautiful is it that you can be content, that you are alive, and reality dances within you. The most important thing is don't let the dream stop. The biggest mistake people make is they stop dreaming. It's not about being old; it's stopping to dream. When you were young, all you did was dream. Don't ever stop dreaming. Dreams are free.

Anything is possible. The joy, the love, the feeling, the understanding, is truly possible in your life. It is. How beautiful to be able to say this, and I will say it again and again for as long as I am around. When I was young, I had so many dreams. They all came true. There are people all around the world enjoying this peace. And yet, I can't stop dreaming. The next dream will be much bigger, more spectacular. The possibilities are endless.

And the dream continues to unfold. Part of that dream is that it also unfolds for each one of you - that you find that joy, that happiness in your life. That is what I've been working on. That is what I do.

'The Basic Wish'

Coming back from a tour recently, it was very foggy driving home. We had to drive so slow. The fog was very thick - like soup - and we couldn't see. Being in that fog reminded me of what happens to us. When the fog comes, it obscures our vision and stops us from seeing what we need to see to proceed on this path of life.

This is important because this is but one life. It isn't just, "Here I am." This is everything. It isn't a question of comparison, of my problems, my dramas, my traumas. Is this a better day? Will tomorrow be a better day?

It is that you exist, that you are alive. It is about listening and understanding your own passion. Your passion. For me, it is to be quiet enough to begin to hear what my heart is trying to tell me. There is a lot going on, calling me, "Do this; do this; do this." There are a lot of things that disguise themselves as "fun," but my life, my existence, is not about the "fun." It is about feeling contentment, feeling joy. These are the needs of every human being - the wants, the desires, the wishes - above and beyond everything else.

People talk about noise pollution and air pollution, but there is a real pollution; it's called "thought pollution." A person is constantly bombarded, "This is important; that's important; yes, that's important."

Do you realize what is being sacrificed? Your time on the face of this earth. Your possibility of being fulfilled every moment is being sacrificed. And only you can answer this question: Can you afford that? What is the most important thing to you?

I realize that I cannot afford the fog, and that's a good realization. Drama, trauma comes - I cannot afford that. I want to understand the passion of my heart. Somehow, this person was created and given the ability to feel. And of all the things that I can feel, I can feel joy, I can feel peace, I can feel that feeling within me, and that is the most magnificent.

What is the basic wish that has already been given to you? Listen to it. Understand what it is saying, how it is addressing you. Then you can fulfill it. But first you need to know what it is. And it has always been the same.

Unless that one thing is fulfilled, all the explanations and ideas can be there, but if that basic and fundamental need is not fulfilled, what is the point? And who are you going to rely on? This is something that you have to do. You have to understand that this is your life. You can make it happen - that joy, that beauty - every day in your life. And it's very easy. A lot of people think the only way it will happen is if I change the world around me. That's not easy.

People think they need to change their kids or their job or retire. Waiting - just think of all the things you're waiting for. You don't have to wait anymore. You don't have to change all the things outside; you can't. All you need to do is change your priorities. Just rearrange. Take the priority to be content and put it at the very top. That's all.

Contentment in your life is very possible. That is your possibility. Recognize it. Understand it. Grow with it every day. This is one of those things that does not stop growing. There is no limit. There is no limit to enjoyment.

There is no limit to clarity. There is no limit to joy. There is no limit to truest learning. There is no limit to understanding. You can never say, "I understand this too much." There is a limit to ignorance, but what limit is there to understanding? Understand every day that there is a beauty that I can fill myself with today. Again and again and again.

'Lake of Joy'

Every individual wants to progress in their life. The farmer plows the field, sows the seed, and every year, he hopes that he will have a better crop. We hope for some kind of progress in our life. What do we have to do for this progress?

In this world, there is no shortage of people who will give you advice, but it is all just words. It is not practical. What I say is words, but if you want, you can have progress in your life - practically. If just by saying "money, money, money," a person could become rich, there would be no trace of poverty. But no one becomes rich that way; a person has to work hard. If a person wants peace in their life, chanting "peace, peace, peace" won't bring peace. They will have to find something that can actually help them experience peace.

To experience the supreme joy in one's life is the best thing, and not to experience it is the worst thing. It is like a person who is thirsty, goes to a well with flowers around it, plucks the flowers, and goes back. He did not do the one thing he had actually come for. If he did not drink the water, he will keep feeling thirsty.

Whatever you do, you do it for joy. Within every human being, there is a voice - a desire to be fulfilled, to experience supreme joy. Why do you feel nice when you look at something beautiful? The work of eyes is to see, but where did that nice feeling come from? When you smell something nice, you feel nice. Where did this "bad" or "good" come from?

Everything has a law. The human being has just one law - the law of good. You need something good, something nice. You want something that gives joy. When you experience that supreme joy, your life will be filled with joy.

What is it that makes a human being dance? If you tell someone, "Your car has been stolen," he won't dance. But when a person is filled with joy from within, he starts dancing. And it is the kind of dance he can keep on dancing throughout his life.

People think you need to experience peace just once. Do you need to eat only once, as well? Do you need to sleep only one night? No. You have to sleep every night. You have to eat every day. The day you don't, you will feel hungry. The same is true of peace: you have to experience peace every day. Whenever you need it, you can turn within and experience that peace, that joy. Without dancing, you start dancing within.

Start understanding what is within you. When you experience it, you won't need questions. Without experiencing, all you have are questions: "Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life?"

Every individual has been given the gift of life and can experience peace. This world will not give you peace. The only thing that this world can give you is unrest.

Look for peace. Wherever you find it, it's good. And if you can't find it, come to me. I have a lake full of joy. I invite only those who are thirsty. Jump in that lake, swim, drink, and fulfill your life. When there is sorrow in your life, remember that within you there is a mine of joy. If you think you are poor, there is a goldmine of joy within you. All you need to do is dig. You can dig as much as you want. There will never be a shortage.

These are not just words. I stand behind every word. I can take you from the ocean of questions and put you in the ocean of answers. If you want, you can experience that in your life. If you are thirsty, I have a lake. The thirsty need water, and I have water.

'The Importance of a Drop'

Today, we are here to listen. It's good to listen, to think, but I always say that people should experience. When I was a kid, someone in my family used to buy lottery tickets. After buying the tickets, he would say, "We'll definitely get this number, and then we'll buy this, we'll buy that." There was no end to our happiness as kids, because whatever dream we could imagine, we thought it would happen. Day and night we talked about what we would do. And the day the numbers were in the newspaper, and our number was not there, everything closed down.

This also happens to us. We make our plans. We have big dreams: "We'll do this; this will happen; that will happen." Human beings have a brain and can think. Sitting here, through my thoughts I can reach America, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Delhi. But where am I actually? Then one day, the time comes to go from this world.

Everyone has to go. No one can stay here. You have made things yours, but those things have not accepted you as belonging to them. The car that you say is yours doesn't say it's your car. The house that you say is your house doesn't say that you belong to it. Once you are gone, that home will be someone else's. Your wealth remains as it is. It just goes from here to there. These are the rules. I did not make them; I'm just talking about them.

A drop falls in the ocean. We don't give much importance to a drop, but so many rivers are there, and all of them started with a drop. When it rains and there is a flood, even the rain comes drop by drop. And when all the drops come together, they become rivers. A drop cannot harm anyone, but when a drop joins with others, it can destroy cities and countries.

In our life, we are like a drop. We want to unite with the ocean of joy in our heart, but we don't know how to do it. We can be united with such an ocean; the heart is there in all of us. As long as you are alive, you can experience that joy. Life is about experience, not just words. We have a mind, and we think a lot, but we never think that there is something that is beyond this mind and thought. How can we catch that with this mind? That is why we need to have an experience from the heart.

People say, "You come in this world empty-handed, and you'll go empty-handed." I say that you came empty-handed, definitely, but you don't need to go empty-handed. Take something with you. Take that enjoyment with you. Recognize that supreme joy and then go.

When you understand just how important that is in your life, you will understand your thirst. And the day you experience your thirst, you are not far away from water, because thirst is within you and the water to quench it is also there within you.

I tell people, "Look for it everywhere. Wherever you go, look for it. Find it." It's about finding. For the thirsty, it's about water not the well. I don't have a well. I have a map. And I have a big spring. Those who are thirsty, come, jump in it.

Being a human being, you can fulfill your life. As long as you have breath, you can fulfill your life. Fulfill your life now. What will happen later on, no one knows. If someone wants help, I can help. You only need to understand your thirst.

I don't just talk. For those who really want help, I'm ready to help them. I go to different places, and I want there to be happiness in people's lives. I cannot make your house good or get you a promotion, but you can be happy in your heart. This should happen in everyone's life.

'The Ocean in the Drop'

Recently, I was speaking in India at a lot of events expressing that the most important thing we have is this existence. When you are born, you're presented with an experience called life. And in this life, what do you have?

You have a breath. You have a day. You have an hour. You have a minute. You have a second. These are your realities. This is not fiction. This is not some concept. What I talk about, what I want to experience in my life, and what I want you to experience is not fiction. It is reality. Reality that you can touch, that you can feel, that you can understand. Acceptance in your life should be of that which you know, understand, feel. Not in thought, but feel.

There's a beautiful couplet from India: "That the drop resides in the ocean, everyone knows; but that the ocean resides in the drop, very few know this." I want you to be those very few who understand this.

That incredible thing - in it everything is, but that incredible thing is in you, too. You are the drop. Not the liquid drop, you are the drop. The ocean is in you. And yes, you can feel that. I understand that, because the same energy that is everywhere comes in me in the form of breath - touches me, brings the gift of life.

To so many people, life means, "You have a job, you have a kid, you have a house, you have a cat, you have a dog…." That's not life. Those are things in your life. There are all those things that are relative, and there is one thing that is absolute, and that is within you. You have life. It is absolute. One day it won't be. But as long as you are alive and you have the capacity to be conscious, be conscious of that which is the real life. Be aware of this existence that you have because being aware of that existence brings joy, being aware of that existence brings peace. Real peace.

What is real peace? Some people say, "Give it all up, then you will have peace." No, it doesn't work. If giving it all up made people peaceful and happy, they would immediately shut down the prisons, because this would be a reward: you do something wrong, and instead of being punished, you're placed in an environment where you're peaceful and happy. So that proves the point: giving it all up doesn't do it. But regardless of any circumstance, there is a place inside of us, and if we can access that place, we can feel that peace.

This is who you are. This is who I am. Truly in this drop that we are resides an infinite ocean of peace. Be one of the very few who know this, because it is an achievement unparalleled. You need peace, you need happiness, because you are a human being. This is your nature. You cannot fight it. This is not a problem that you have to solve.

That request to be happy comes from within you. Don't underestimate it. For as long as you are alive, that request to be in happiness and in peace will be there.

How convenient it is that the ocean resides within you. Wherever you go, it is there. One day the drop will go and reside in the ocean. But for as long as this miracle of breath is happening, the ocean is residing in this drop that is you, that is me. When the drop mixes with that ocean, it will no longer be a drop. It'll just become the ocean. But for a relatively brief period of time, something incredible has happened.

The miracle of miracles has happened. The drop is separated from the ocean, and the ocean has moved into the drop. This is reality. This is what is happening. Grab it. Be fulfilled. Follow that nature. Be in peace. Be happy.

If sorrow is a knife, then happiness is the healer. Be in happiness. You have a lot of wounds, and those wounds cause pain. You do not need to be in pain. Be. Exist. For as long as this miracle lasts, behold it. Don't budge, because it will all be over way too soon. Find the source of joy inside of you. Have that peace in your life every day.

"The Drum of Breath"

There's a beautiful couplet from India that says the topic of the infinite is not a topic of conversation. All you can do is feel it, experience it, and then you will understand. The whole world wants to talk about what is infinite, about what is God, about what is life. But you cannot talk about life. Life needs to be felt. Do you feel alive?

When I say this, people think, "Of course, I am alive because of this and this and this." But these are not the things that make you feel alive.

You have been given the opportunity to be alive. In you beats the drum of breath. You have consciousness, the possibility of awareness. You have the possibility to remember; you have the possibility to forget. You have the good; you have the bad. You have the right; you have the wrong.

All of the possibilities are in you. Nothing is limited. What do you want? The answer must come from your heart, from the one place in you that is sincere, that is calling out to you.

A human being struggles in ignorance because he is living in uncertainty. He is not certain about tomorrow. And when a human being is not certain about something, two things happen: Either he accepts that and says, "I am going to do something about it," or - like most people - he makes up a story about tomorrow. And once the story has been made up, he will do anything to believe in that story, whatever it takes. But it's a story. And a story does not remove uncertainty.

Knowledge. Understanding. These are the only things that can remove uncertainty from this life so that I can begin to welcome what tomorrow is. Not what tomorrow brings - what tomorrow is. Existence is an incredible miracle. My yearning, my truest want is to feel alive, to feel this existence. I want to be dazzled by that miracle. I want to witness it.

It truly is about knowing the freedom inside - the freedom to understand. Are you free to understand or are you a slave of other people's ideas that prohibit you from understanding anything else? Because if you're not free to understand, you're not free.

Are you free? Are you part of a fairy tale, a story that doesn't exist? Or are you part of a story about your time and your life in which there is no limit to appreciation?

Every moment in your life is unique. You will never have two alike. Never. This is the science of living: when you begin to appreciate every moment. To have a heart so open, an understanding so beautiful, and a yearning for appreciation so complete that when that moment comes, you see exactly what it is.

To rest in the most profound way. To come home for real, not in a fantasy. To feel alive, not because somebody gave you permission to, but because you feel alive yourself. You're not borrowing somebody else's understanding, but you understand. It's not about the words. It's to break through the wall of words and go into reality.

You are not about a story. You are alive. Listen to the drum of that breath and dance to it. Be excited because you're alive today. Inside, understand. The point of existence is to view this beautiful painting that God has created called you in the most beautiful way. Only when that is happening in your life can you begin to say that you are alive.

When people find that reality within them, joy is the reward. It is not a fantasy, but reality. And the reality is more beautiful than any fantasy.

"An Endless Mine of Peace", by Prem Rawat

There is something that we are all given plenty of, but it's never enough. What is it? Time. We're given lots of it, but we want more. Everybody pretends they don't have enough of it, and it just keeps coming. All the time we get is ours, but we don't get to keep any of it. It comes and goes, and the only thing we are left with is what we do in that time.

What should we do in that time? We are such "Do" creatures that we forget certain fundamental things. We are driven to do so much. So much of what we think we have to do is not from us, it's from somebody else. For once, it would be nice to feel what we really want to do and the quest come from within, not driven by the outside world.

There is another quest, something that moves and inspires each human being. And that is the desire to be fulfilled - not in thought, not in imagination, but in earnest. Peace - the state where there is no confusion, that place which doesn't dwell on tomorrow, but now, where the value of presence is true, and the value of absence is nothing. That there is an understanding of what it means to be alive. What a gift.

What is so special about a human being? It has been said that this is the doorway to knowing how to tap into peace - a peace that resides in every human being. It's not about the good and bad, winning and losing. It's not about solving problems, because every time you have solved a problem, there will be another one. It's feeling the gift that we all have been given.

We have had a dream for a really, really long time - a spectacular dream, an incredible dream which said, "Be in peace." Not fear, not doubt, not pain, not sorrow, not confusion, but clarity. To feel that understanding, to be in joy, to be in reality. True reality is a feeling.

What is your reality? Your reality is that you exist but one day, you won't. It's not about your plans. There's only one game you can play, and it is the game of being fulfilled. That's it. When you awaken and feel your heart full of gratitude, when you awaken and feel peace, you know you are winning. Whenever you feel that, you just won.

The call for peace cannot come from the intellect. It has to come from the heart. Peace is the reward. Joy is the reward. A life fulfilled. That is the most incredible reward, the highest honor.

The quest for peace is always noble, because there's no end to it. It is the truest victory for every human being. It is not about all the deserts you could cross or the mountain you could climb. It is about feeling, admiring the space within. This is life, not the things that happen in it.

Feel the ultimate feeling. When you dig an endless mine, it really doesn't matter how much you've gotten out of it. The only thing you can do is just keep digging and digging and digging. Till you can't.

Feel peace in your life every day. Feel gratitude in your life every day. When you have that contentment, you truly have a life. That's how simple it is.

"The Lion Who Believed He Was a Sheep"

What I talk about is really simple because it is about life. Life, for so many people has become incredibly complicated. We are all drowning in the sea of definitions. A simple question is asked: "Who are you?" And the number of answers you get is unimaginable.

Recently, I was speaking somewhere and they had this motto: "Service above the self." I said, "But if there is no self, what is it going to serve? There has to be a self." This is what Socrates said: "Know thyself." What does it mean to know the self that you are?

I have a simple little story that my father used to tell. One day, a farmer was walking through a jungle and he came across a tiny lion cub that had been lost. He picked it up, brought it home, and put it in the barn with his sheep. As time passed, the cub got bigger and bigger, playing and grazing with the sheep. This was all he knew.

One day, while the sheep were grazing, a big lion stepped out from the jungle. All the sheep got scared and started running around, and so did the little lion. The big lion went over to this little lion, who wasn't that little any more, and said, "Why are you scared of me?" He said, "I am a poor little sheep, and you will eat me!" The lion said, "You're not a sheep. Come with me." He took him to a pond and said, "Now, look." And when he looked, he was shocked: "I'm not a sheep. I am like you!"
The lion said, "That's right. You are like me. Now stop mimicking sheep and roar like a big lion should." So the big lion roared and the little lion roared. And the little lion began to thank the big lion. And the lion said, "All I did was show you who you truly are. Even before I stepped out of that jungle, this is who you were, because this is what you truly are."

We, too, lose who we are on the face of this earth. Your ability to feel joy is unique. This is your nature - a part of you. You have an aversion to suffering and an attraction to joy. Then find in your life the joy that never ends, the joy that you cannot leave behind, the joy that you carry with you wherever you go.

If you have a boat and want to dock it in the harbor, you need to tie it to something that will not drift. That's why people bring an anchor with them. What is it that does not drift? To find the answer, you need to be able to know your true self, because the true self does not drift. In thought, the lion was a sheep, but when he could see the reality, he understood that he was not a sheep.

Your reality is simple. The want to be fulfilled has always been there. The want to be content has always been there. That is not new. And this want will be there till the very end. It is there from the beginning; it is there to the end. That want to be in peace does not change. That thirst to be fulfilled does not change. Anchor then to that reality, and you will not drift. Anchor to that beauty that is inside of you, and you will not drift. Everything else will change as it always has. As it always will.

Everything keeps changing, but you. There is something about you that does not change. Find the changeless. And tie well this boat of life to the changeless. Then, relax.

"Where Is Freedom?" - 2006-07

My message is not about what you could do in this world. My message is not about your neighbor, world politics, or the economy. My message is about you. Just you. In this world, you have been forgotten. You have forgotten yourself. I go around the world to remind people of themselves-you, who were given the opportunity to be alive.

What we need in our lives is to understand what we have been given. We judge our lives by the amount of troubles we have, and we pray, "Take away the troubles." We never say thank you for what we have been given. If we understood what we have been given, we would understand that our troubles are trivial. They come and they will go. They come like a fly, and all you have to do is let it go. But we don't understand, and we struggle. We struggle to be free.

I don't have to struggle to recognize my freedom. Within me-within you-is a light so bright that never again do you have to be in the darkness. And the majesty that is inside of you is unchanging.

Where is freedom? Freedom is within you. Where is joy? Joy is within you. People want to grow trees of joy, to plant memories so they can have joy. But joy is something that is fresh every day, like a crystal clear spring that wells from the depths of a human being. You are the well. And from this well comes the spring of clarity. Clarity, joy, simplicity are beautiful angels that reside within you. These are your companions, but you don't know it.

You have never been introduced to the clarity inside of you, to the simplicity inside of you, to that beauty inside of you. When you are, the journey of life begins, not ends. You understand that you don't have to be confused. You understand that you don't have to be in sorrow. You understand that you don't have to be in doubt.

There is a plan here. And in this plan, you're here. Life is happening. And one day, it will not. Your troubles will be over. Nobody will bother you anymore. You won't be there to be bothered. People will come and say nice things about you-finally. But you won't be able to hear. That day, you won't have uncles, you won't have aunts, you won't have brothers. Everything-gone.

When people hear this, they become worried, but the wise begin to see how precious an opportunity it is that they are alive. You shouldn't feel worried; you should be thankful for having this life.

Inner contentment is there. It never goes away. All you have to do is turn inside.

In this life, you don't have to wander. We don't have to walk around confused. We don't have to wonder, "Where did I come from? Where am I going? What am I doing here?" The wondering should be changed to knowing. You should know. Know where you are. Know what you have been given. Know the truth about you.

I'm not here to change your religion. Follow whatever religion you feel. I'm not here to teach you other things. I'm not here to teach you how to try to fly. I'm here to teach you to recognize your true self. That's all.

'Love That Which Is Within'

I was driving recently in a place where there were mango trees, palm trees, and pine trees. And I started thinking, if somebody were to shape a mango tree so that it looked like a palm tree, would it change its nature? Would it start giving dates? No. You can try to change its appearance, but you cannot change its nature.

Yet, sometimes we think that if we can change our appearance, we will change our nature. We give ourselves labels: I'm a father, mother, son, doctor, lawyer. But who are we?

On one hand, we seem to have the potential to move mountains, go to the moon, create huge cities, and we try to alter nature. We seem to know so much about so many things. But when it comes to us, to our nature, we have no idea. Who are we?

I raise these questions because the answer, surprisingly enough, is beautiful. When we look for our truest nature, we will find that there is peace, understanding. There is the truest love.

Do you know that wherever you go, whatever you do, there is love in you, and there is hate in you? There is pain in you, and there is joy in you. Do not be under the misunderstanding that the love is in someone else. No, love is in you.

There are catalysts. Today, they spark love in you; tomorrow, they could spark hate in you. But when you are in pain, joy is really close. When you are confused, absolute clarity is not that far away. When you are lost, being found is very close. When you are suffering, relief is as close as it can be. And in this world, the one that we are looking for is always within us-not where we think, but inside.

Have you searched for that which has always been within you? You have searched outside, but have you searched inside? This is why my message is so different, because everybody points outside; I point inside. I say: what you need, you already have.

People want a magic formula. We have faster chariots, better forms of communication, big houses, but we still don't have peace. And the request for peace has been there as long as there have been human beings. This is the accomplishment that has to happen. There has to be peace. No exceptions. No excuses. The time has come to stop making excuses.

This is where peace begins. It doesn't begin with big buildings or with big government. Unrest begins with you, and peace begins with you, with every single human being on the face of this earth. It is not the palm trees that need peace; it is not the whales that need peace; it is not the North Pole that needs peace; and it is not the equator that needs peace. We, the human beings, we are the ones who need peace.

Search. Whatever it takes, find peace in your life. This is what's important. If you cannot find peace, come to me. I can help. As one human being to another, one to one, I go to people and say, "If you need this, here it is."

Understand your true nature. Understand what this life is. Understand what you have been given because it is magnificent. Be in love with this life, which means see the good in this life of yours.

If you want to be in love, begin by loving each breath. Begin by falling in love with understanding, with clarity, with the truest sincerity. These are the angels in your life. When all is dark, they come-all lit, graceful, beautiful with clarity. One second of clarity, and all the darkness vaporizes. Don't try to remove the darkness-it won't work. All you have to do is usher in the light. Fall in love with living. Fall in love with that which is within you.

'Whatever It Takes'

Let me begin with a little story: There was a lion who was feeling very good one morning, very happy. He came out of his den, saw a little rabbit, immediately pounced on it, and said, "Who is the king of the jungle? And the rabbit, terribly afraid and shaking, said, "You are."

This made the lion even more proud. Bouncing along, he found a deer, jumped on it, and said, "Deer, who is the king of the jungle?" And the deer said, shaking, "You are."

Now the lion was feeling really, really good. He was the king. So he goes along, sees an elephant, jumps on it, and says, "Elephant, who is the king of this jungle?" The elephant spun the lion around his trunk, pounded him on the ground again and again till he was senseless, then let go of him. The lion looked at the elephant and said, "Don't get upset if you don't know the answer!"

Sometimes we accept other people's definitions of things, but forget about one simple thing, and that is you. What I am talking about is not what you can accomplish, not what you can do, not about your hopes, dreams, and ideas-but, you, as a gift that came into this world.

It was no mistake that Socrates said, "Know thyself." Know who you are. Understand who you are, your nature. Understand that if you do not feel peace, you may not be able to give it to anyone. If you want to quench the thirst of another, the least you need is water. The water of peace flows within you. The serenity of understanding flows through you-your life.

In all that you are trying to understand, add one more-understanding about yourself. In all that you're trying to complete, complete one more. And besides all those you are trying to help, help one more person-you. You need to feel content regardless of what is going on. You need to feel whole. Yes, you are the building block of your existence. And if that first step is missing, the next and the next and the next will also be missing.

It is not impossible. It is not mysterious. It is not strange. And, indeed, it is not selfish. To unwrap a gift that has been given is not selfish. If I do something at the expense of others, that is selfish. But if I feel an itch and I scratch it, not at the expense of anyone else, it's not selfish. The gift has been given; the gift is you. Life has been given; it is in progress. Your understanding is there, your thirst is there, and the idea of peace is at hand.

I invite you to take a peek inside to know what this existence is all about. The person who said, "Know thyself," didn't make it up to make your life more difficult. But, there was something there, some mystery that could be solved. Humanity will face many, many challenges, and one of the biggest challenges is to find the peace that is within every single being. That has been an incredible challenge. People say, "Peace is not possible." But the personal peace-the peace that you have inside of you-is very possible and has always been there, and that is why it is said, "Know thyself."

It begins with the simplest of understandings, to listen to what something simple is saying to you. It's not about your responsibilities, but about the chance to be fulfilled. The want.

I remind people that what you are looking for is inside of you-not outside. Always has been and always will be. Even if you decide not to discover it, it will always be inside of you. Always. The answers will come from within, not from the outside. The true sense of accomplishment will happen here, not somewhere else. Be who you are.

Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill others. Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill the responsibilities that are ahead of you. But it begins with you. What I talk about, you have, whether you decide to pursue it or not. Search if you must. Do whatever it takes to find that self and fulfill that self, so you may serve and serve well. Be fulfilled. Be happy. One lifetime. And only one like you on the face of this earth. You are unique. Shine with that uniqueness.

"Our Nature"

What I talk about is very simple because it's about you. Most of us think about ourselves, about what we are doing here, in the most complicated ways. Ideas abound. But if you can begin to understand your nature-who you are-maybe some simplification can begin to happen.

Simple as it is, it's worth observing what our nature is. Why is it that when you are content, when you are happy, you actually become kind? You forgive. If somebody cuts in front of you on the road, it's okay. When you are not content, when you are frustrated, if somebody cuts in front of you, you honk your horn.

Contentment, peace, joy, fulfillment-when we have that, we actually act and react to things totally differently. How we talk, how we react, how we actually cope with problems is totally different. The child comes up and says, "Dad, Mom, can I have some money? I want to buy ice cream." "Sure, and while you're at it, get me one, too." The outlook is different: Things are good. The sun is shining-even on a cloudy day. Food's burnt in the kitchen? "No problem. Let's order pizza and have fun!"

But when something inside is not fulfilled, any little thing is intolerable. If you concur even slightly with that, what should you try to work on? What should you try to do in your life? The keyword is try-to make some effort towards feeling that peace, that contentment.

The idea of peace did not start yesterday. This goal was set a long, long time ago. Civilizations are very proud of what they have achieved, but that goal that was established a long time ago for the whole of humanity has not been accomplished. Going to the moon has been accomplished. But peace has been ignored.

Whoever came up with the idea of "world peace," did a great disservice because it took the burden of peace off of us and put it on the world-this myth called world. Peace is the responsibility and charge of every single human being. And it is that individual peace that needs to be sought, acknowledged, and achieved in this lifetime. This is what has to happen.

Where is that contentment? It is within you. What you are looking for is within you. People spend thousands of dollars trying to alter their behavior, and yet it is so easy. Be content and your behavior automatically alters. Outlook? Positive.

You weren't made with a cookie cutter. But someone, something, created all these people, and no two are alike. Not even twins. That is so personal-to craft every single being with so much care. Every day to have that breath come-that is an amazing amount of detail. Every day, to have the heart sing out a song that is never the same-and always the same.

How do you begin to say thank you? How do you begin to feel that magic in your life? How do you begin to celebrate that kind of beauty? The answer: Look within. Listen. Listen to your longing without fear. Listen to how sweet it is, how delicate it is, how strong and persistent it is.

There's only one life-many days, but one life. From the bottom of your heart, enjoy every single day. It is the most priceless thing there is. Every breath that comes into you-you cannot buy it, you cannot exchange it, you cannot give it. It is yours.

'Personal Peace'

It is a privilege to talk about something that may be a little different, but very familiar. For me, this is a personal quest-the importance of peace. A peace, not of consequences, but a personal peace, an individual peace for every human being. People want to stop wars and conflicts, but nobody addresses the individual with whom peace has to begin before one can even dream of stopping the wars and conflicts that exist in this world.

We live on planet Earth. We have an opportunity to do something so unique that it cannot even be imagined. We have the most incredible planet. And yet, it is so sad to see that people don't have clean water when that's what rains down.

Nature, in its infinite wisdom, says, "You need clean water. You need food. You need the sun. You need air to breathe." These are things everyone needs. They are obvious, but placed in the heart of every human being is also a want, a wish to be content, to be in peace. Food is important, water is important, clean air is important-all the basic necessities-but so is peace. Without peace, whatever structures are built, they crumble.

The fighting decimates. These conflicts are a disease. And like any disease, they affect anyone involved with them. The solution does not come from words, ideas, debates. The solution comes from within the heart of each human being. This is our humanity. There is a cry from within every single person that has been there since time immemorial, wanting to reach out and say, "Let there be peace." Personal peace. Individual peace. The peace that is for everyone. The peace that can be felt on a battlefield or in a prison.

Relationships change, but there is a relationship that you need to have with yourself, a relationship of reality built on fact, not fiction. Built on bricks that you can hold in your hand, not dreams and imaginations in midair. And that is called experience. When a thirsty person tastes good clean water, it is automatically sweet-without sugar. The experience of peace also has a very sweet taste.

We try to resolve all our problems. But when the baby cries, it doesn't matter how many times the mother says, "Don't cry," the baby will keep crying till the problem has been resolved. And then the baby will start cooing. Let's for a minute think of cooing as peace-people feeling something real within them, not created, but something inherent to every human being.

You are here, and that means something. Of all that you can accomplish, there is one more, and that has something to do with you. Generations down the road will scrutinize us, looking at our wars, our failures, and our successes. They will say, "Oh, they were so excited when they got to the moon." Will they say, "One of the most important things they pursued was peace"?

The face of peace has not changed. It has nothing to do with technology. It was talked about by the Greeks, the Romans, the Indians-the idea of people being in a state where they feel real joy. The expression of peace, of joy, is distinctly different from the expression of anger, frustration, conflict. Self-conflict is a war that rages. Only one thing can bring it to an end, and that is the individual peace, felt and understood.

Personal peace. The time has come to do it. It is incumbent upon our generation and generations that follow to pick up this banner and bring peace to this world.

This is a subject that is very, very close to me. Three years old, standing in front of people and speaking: Be happy. Be content. Be in joy. I am so fortunate that, 40 years later, I am still saying that: Be happy, be in joy.

"Beyond Success"

Each one of us judges our day, our year, and indeed, our lives by what has been accomplished. "Was it a good day?" People will say, "I accomplished this, I went there. I did this, I did that, and, yes, it was a good day." Or, "No, I had problems. My tire went flat, my car broke down, this problem happened, that problem happened. So, no, it was not a good day."

What is really important? Is it really the breaking down of the car that can destroy a day? I agree that it is inconvenient. Things happen in people's lives and they say, "I am ruined! I am destroyed!"

I want to point out that there's something happening in your life that is more important than the sum of all your accomplishments and your mistakes put together. What is it? It is so simple. It is the coming and the going of each breath.

This is the greatest miracle that you will ever witness. No miracle in your life will ever be greater than the coming and going of each breath. In times of trouble, it doesn't leave you. And it is one thing that never judges. Each breath brings the possibility of being fulfilled. Each breath brings the possibility of being in peace.

I know that everyone has an idea of what peace is. When people hear the word peace, they think of world peace, no more wars. Take a look at it from a different angle and you will see real peace. Peace is something that manifests inside of human beings.

I will tell you what I am talking about. I received emails from people in Lebanon and Israel who have experienced peace within. And what do you think these emails said? "Thank you. Thank you for what you have shown us in our lives." They were being bombed, but even in the middle of the war, there is a gratitude for the peace they feel inside of themselves.

You see, what I talk about is not just words. I have nothing new to say. Everything I say, you know. Your heart, your being, your self, has been saying this to you again and again and again and again: "Be in peace. Be content."

To be content. To be in peace. To understand. To enjoy this life. Look at this journey not by failures, not by successes-but as the most precious gift. That's what it is: the most precious gift that could possibly be given to a human being. And here, you have it. It is the sum of all desires fulfilled. It is everything that you have always wanted. And it is everything that you will ever want.

This one place within you is where there are no doubts and no questions, where there is clarity and understanding, where there's a celebration of life going on and you are welcomed. You are welcome to take part in the celebration of existence. You are the only one who can go there. No one else. Only you can go there. It's made for you.

Each one of us can experience that peace in our lives-not in words, not in concepts, not in ideas, but in reality-every single day. The peace that I'm talking about is the peace that people experience in the middle of rocket-falls.

This is not about religion. Follow whatever religion you want. This is about finding the place within inside of you that still remains untapped. I'm not here to offer formulas to you. I can put you in touch with the peace that is within you. As impossible as it may sound, it's happening right now. Somewhere in the world, somebody is being put in touch with that beauty that is inside of them. And it is no surprise that when a person feels the beauty within, the next words they say are, "Thank you. Thank you for letting me feel the peace inside of me."

"Work in Progress"

Today, a breath came into me and brought me the gift of life. For this, I am filled with gratitude. For this, I'm eternally thankful because today I am alive.

What does that mean? When I am in that thankfulness, aware of what I have been given, it doesn't have to mean anything. When your child was a little baby and looked at you and just smiled one of those smiles that melted you, did it have to mean anything? In that moment, all that was needed was a smile back, and everything was said. I don't think there is enough paper on the face of this earth to write what it meant.

In this existence, what I have understood traveling so many places, seeing so many people, is that there is a song that has been written but never sung. There is a symphony that has been composed but never played. There is a poetry that has been written but never recited. And each one of us carries this song, this poetry, this symphony, within us.

There's a lot more to every moment of your life. The question is: How much do you take home at the end of the day? Is it enough to satisfy your hunger?

There are many kinds of hunger. Some people hunger to be more successful. Of course, that kind of hunger will never be satisfied no matter how much you have. But do you recognize the one thing that you can satisfy? The one thing that is real-not a definition from someone else. That is the most important thing.

When I begin to understand that, something incredible happens. When you are fulfilled, something amazing happens automatically. People spend a lot of money trying to make it happen, but sometimes all the money and effort in the world doesn't do it. Then something happens, and when it does, it does amazing things.

It's contentment. Once in awhile, you find yourself content. And when you are content, you become happy. And when you become happy, all of a sudden, you become kind. Your level of tolerance goes sky-high. Could it be that kindness is automatic for you, that gentleness is your second nature, that you appreciate peace, that you like love, that you wish another human being well who you may not even know? All because you happen to be content for a few minutes? If that's true, there is a chance for peace. Maybe peace is not that elusive after all.

Kindness towards yourself, kindness towards another human being-kindness. Instead of so much noise, a symphony begins to play that is so sweet, and every moment begins to fill with gratitude.

Living life should be a beautiful thing every single day. For me, it is work in progress. A conscious effort has to be made. Every day, I have to be able to turn within and find my reality. This is about living your life-eyes wide open-with a feeling. For the first time, to dance to a song that comes from within you. To not just think of being alive, but to actually feel alive every single day. That is the possibility.

Peace was set as the threshold for humanity a long time ago. It is only one of the dreams that we have not been able to fulfill. We have gone to the moon. Now the real challenge is: peace. Peace begins with every single human being.

I love peace. I have found peace in my life. I'm so thankful that I have. I want you to also find that peace in your life. And for those who have found that peace, to feel it every day. If I can feel it, you can feel it. It is possible. It's not a dream; it's not a philosophy; it's not an idea. I'm talking about a well where you can quench your thirst. I'm talking about an ocean, and I'm saying, "Come. Swim. Jump in. Feel yourself refreshed every single day. Not just one day. Every single day."

"Where Peace Begins"

When I travel and speak to people, my message is about the very real thing that peace is and the possibility of feeling that peace in this life every single day. So where does it begin? Let me tell you a little story that might put it in perspective.

One day a tourist arrived in a very remote village where the people were very simple. The next morning he put his mirror on the wall to shave, but forgot to take it down. Later on, an elderly villager with gray hair, bright eyes, and a beautiful shining face came across the mirror on the wall. He had never seen himself before, and so when he saw his reflection in the mirror, he was mesmerized. "Today," he thought, "I have seen the face of God." He left completely happy.

Then came a beautiful young girl. When she saw herself in the mirror, she was taken aback. "I have seen the most beautiful woman on earth, and when I grow up, that's how I want to look!" Next, a man came along who had lost his father. When he looked in the mirror, he said, "Oh, my God, I saw my father again!" And he took the mirror with him.

Now, these three people who had seen themselves in the mirror started to get very upset. They started arguing, and before long, fights broke out throughout the entire village. Soon everybody was unhappy because whoever looked in the mirror saw something they liked, and they all wanted the mirror for themselves.

Finally, a wise man happened to come along and asked, "Why are you fighting?" One said the mirror showed him God, another that it showed him his father, and others told him what they had seen. So he called for this magical thing, and when he saw it, he smiled, "Do you know what this is? This is a mirror."

He called the old man and said, "You did not see the face of God. You saw yourself."
He called the young girl and said, "You did not see the most beautiful woman-you saw yourself." He called the young man and said, "You thought you saw your father because now you look like him. But it was you." One by one, he called everyone and he said, "Look. What you see in this mirror, what you like in this mirror, is not the mirror. It's you!"

How does this story relate to peace? Peace begins with us. Try to understand where the idea of peace came from. Was it somebody's invention? Was there some intelligent person walking along high mountains somewhere who said, "Peace. That's a good idea. Let's have peace." No.

As long as there have been human beings, there has been a desire for peace. The need for peace comes from within. Peace is the desire of the heart. It is as simple as the coming and going of breath. The movie of life begins with the first breath. And we all know how the movie ends.

We are fascinated by the in-between part. This is what we live for: "Who am I? What am I? What have I accomplished?" That's all fine, but never, ever forget the importance of where it began and where it ends.

Within you lies the possibility of peace. Peace does not belong to any nation, any society, or any religion. Peace belongs to people like you and me. Where will peace manifest? It will manifest in the cathedral of the heart. That is the only place where peace is welcomed. It is people like you and me who want peace and welcome it in our lives. It is here in our existence that peace resides.

"The Reflection of Peace"

Everybody wants peace, everywhere you go. Not long ago, I was talking to some prisoners, "Do you want peace?" "Of course!" You can speak to people in the Army, "Do you want peace?" "Yes, of course!" So everybody wants peace. And then, you ask, "What is peace?" And here, you get a surprising answer. Everybody has their own version of peace and everybody looks at it from a totally different angle.

The other day, I was talking to my niece, and she said, "Oh, I love that color." I said, "You love that color? Or you like that color?" She said, "What's the difference?" I said, "There's a very big difference. 'Like' is really what you want to say, and you can emphasize that, 'I like that very much,' but love is a little more interactive than that color can provide you."

And in the same way, when it is quiet, people say, "Oh, it is so peaceful." All it is, is quiet. People think the absence of war is peace. They have their ideas of peace. There are people who think peace is when everybody walks very slowly, wears flowing robes with flowers in their hair, and everybody is greeted by the peace symbol. You don't shake hands anymore. Perhaps you just touch two fingers and say, "Peace." Well there's no limit to it, is there?

Let me tell you a story. Once there was a queen, and she had a very beautiful necklace. One day, after her bath, she was on the balcony drying her hair. She took her necklace off and put it on a hook. A crow was flying by, saw the necklace shining in the sun, and flew off with it. But the crow dropped it in a tree, and it got caught on one of the branches.

Beneath the tree was a filthy dirty river. Now, when the queen reached for her necklace and found it missing, she threw a tantrum. "Who stole it?" She had everybody searching for it. Nobody could find it. She said to the king, "If I don't find my necklace, I'm never going to eat again." The king was very concerned and sent all his army and others looking for it-but nobody could find it. So the king finally made an announcement. "Whoever finds the necklace gets half of my kingdom." Then people started seriously looking.

One day, a general walked by the tree and saw the necklace in the river below it. He immediately jumped into the sewage-filled river because he wanted half the kingdom. The minister saw the general jumping in, and he, too, saw the necklace, and jumped in. The king saw his general and his minister looking for it, jumped in, and now all three were fishing for it. By then, more soldiers and the villagers had come, and they all jumped in.

Finally, somebody with a little wisdom said, "What are you doing? The necklace is not down there; it is up there. You're jumping after the reflection." And so the king said, "Since you found it, half of the kingdom is yours." And the wise man said, "I don't need your kingdom. You keep it."

Why did I tell this story? Because that's what we do, too. We just see the reflection of peace. It's nice when there are not wars, but that's a reflection of peace-that's not peace in itself. Peace begins with every single human being on the face of this earth. That's the necklace. Everything else is a reflection.

When the heart is full, when the human being is full, then automatically, the person is not in duality, is not in questions, but in answers. Not the complicated, but the simple-that we are. This is what we favor; this is who we need to be. This is our nature. When we are in that equilibrium where our hearts are full, our true nature shines. And the true nature that we have is beautiful. It's real. And that is the place of true peace. We look for it far away when it is so close to us.

Even in the most hopeless of situations, there is hope. This is who we are. There is a resilience, there is an understanding, there is a strength to every human being. And that is the strength to march towards the gateways of inner peace.

Sometimes, even in my dreams, I'm talking to people, and sometimes I wake up, remember the dream, and write it down. This is a story I dreamed about.

There were three brothers-all very, very poor. They decided to sell whatever they had and buy some gold. And each one knew that this gold could give them everything they wanted. It could make them rich and give them nice clothes, food, a house-everything.

So they got the gold, and each made a little hut for himself far, far away. One was a very religious man. He put the gold on the altar, and every day he prayed to it, "Oh, please, gold, make me rich. Give me food and a house and new clothes." And he would write beautiful prayers and sing beautiful songs: "Gold is everything. Gold, you will make me rich."

The second one also made an altar, but it wasn't called an altar. He was scientific, and so it was called "a display." He would display the gold and write essays. He wasn't religious, but he also prayed in his own way, "Oh, gold, you have the potential to remove my hunger, give me a house, give me new clothes, give me food."

The third one sold the gold. In the opinion of the first brother, he would be sacrilegious. To the second one, he would be very impractical, very unscientific. To get rid of the very source? Very bad. But, anyway, he sold the gold. With the money he got, he bought a farm, plowed a field, raised vegetables, grew fruit. Whatever he needed, he ate, and whatever he didn't need, he would sell in the market. With the money he made, he built a house, bought new clothes. And every season, he got more and more and more. Whatever he wanted to eat, he would. Whatever he didn't, he'd sell. And he just kept getting richer and richer and richer.

After a few years had gone by, the three brothers decided to get together. The first one explained how he prayed to the gold every day, and one day the gold would answer his prayers. The second one, who was very scientific, said, "One day, this gold will fulfill everything that I have in my mind it can do. Its potential will come through."

They both turned to the third one and said, "What do you do? You're doing pretty well. You look bigger and have new clothes, a nice watch, nice shoes. What do you do?"

He was very shy and said, "Oh, well, I sold the gold. Out of that, I bought a farm. And, hey, come visit me! I've got a home, a beautiful orchard. I grow my vegetables and I'll cook for you and give you some clothes." And they said, "You sold the gold?"

Every time I think of this story, I find it to be deeper than I first realized. Those two couldn't see the obvious-that what they were praying for had in fact happened for this brother. The only thing they could see was, "You sold the gold?!! You're doomed now." No. He wasn't doomed. He had unlocked the potential of the gold and he has all that he needs.

You, too, have all that you need. It lies within you. Every day-even in sadness, in sorrow-there is a joy unparalleled inside of you waiting to be discovered. People think, "Does that mean that you don't get upset?" Of course I get upset. But even when I am upset, I know that within me is unparalleled joy. Do bad things happen to me? Yes. Do good things happen to me? Yes. Am I any different from you? No. And if I am, it's only one thing: In all that I do, I know that inside of me resides the One I have always sought; that when I feel lonely, I know that I am not alone; that when there is darkness outside, I know there is a lamp. I know. Not, "I think" or "I wish. . ." or "Wouldn't it be nice. . ." No. "I know."

The journey of being fulfilled is very simple. You. You have that whether you decide you want to experience it or not. Even if you decide you don't want to experience it, you still have it. You have the possibility to be fulfilled. That is what the journey is all about. How do I know? I have felt it.

'War and Peace'

It's a great honor and privilege to talk about something that is so fundamental to each human being. Usually, we talk about things that are good for society or for a country. Very seldom do we actually come across something that addresses each human being specifically - not what a human being could create or achieve but the potential that every human being has within to be content and to be in peace.

What kind of peace am I talking about? I'm talking about the peace that is innate to every human being. Now, what good is it? This is the big question. The formulas that we are using in the world today for war - economic formulas, solutions, ideas about what war means - have been tried for many, many years. We come up with a slight variation, and we all become happy, "Yes, yes. This is the solution."

A long time ago, Socrates said, "Know thyself." This, we have not pursued. We have pursued going to the moon. We thought, "Going to the moon will do everything." Well, it made wristwatches cheaper, little LEDs possible, and a lot of technology. But, peace? No.

There are two words that have been used in parallel throughout history. And they are: Peace and prosperity. "Peace and prosperity," not "Peace or…" This formula has some importance. That's why it was placed there so long ago. We have pursued prosperity. Peace? No. And what do we end up with? No peace and no prosperity. Prosperity seems to come and go. One day, you are a millionaire. The next day, the stock market is down and you are nobody, because you have not identified who you really are.

What I am looking for is not outside of me. What I have, I do not acknowledge. I acknowledge my friends, everybody that I meet, but do I acknowledge me?

There is great significance to knowing who you are. What you are looking for - the solutions you seek, your most fundamental needs - are based upon you being a human being.

It is no accident that you want to be happy. Nobody taught you to be happy. There is a fundamental reason that, again and again, you choose joy over pain, light over darkness, happiness over sadness, clarity over doubt.

Nobody goes to a temple to pray, "God, you have given me too much happiness. Please take a little bit away." Never. There is no limit.

The desire to be happy is immortal within you. The desire of peace is immortal, and it has been steadily marching with every generation on the face of this earth.

It is a great credit to humanity that there are people in the middle of the war hoping for peace, that they have not given up. For me, they are the heroes. They might be people who have no tools, no authority, no microphone, no audiences. They might live in a little village on top of a mountain in Afghanistan or in the middle of a desert in Iraq, hoping against all odds that there will be peace.

War isn't just the tank kind. There is another war. This is an incredibly powerful war, and it is devastating. Its bombs are much more powerful, and its bullets are relentless. This war can rage day and night. No cease-fire. It goes, and it goes, and it goes. And even then, there is something inside every single human being that wants peace. The real dignity of a human being is preserved when a human being not only listens to their mind but to their heart, and there is a balance between the two.

Make that heart your friend - that heart that even in the middle of war wants peace. Make that heart your ally, and you will have a friend for life. You will have a friend that is real, a friend that is true.

Can you Change the Story of Your Life?

Here we are.

Somehow it all happened. There is this beautiful planet earth-just gorgeous. The blue is just amazing. The rivers-the way they run, the way they sound, the way the sunlight shines on them and creates all these ripples. The green leaves-the turning of the leaves in the fall, and then the dancing of each leaf in the wind. It is spectacular. Deserts-just sand and more sand and rock formations.

And then you, who can appreciate it all. This earth cooled down to just the right temperature so that you can exist. Variations. The seasons-winter and the thawing of winter turns into spring, where life begins anew.

You are placed on this earth. You're not going to last for billions of years. This story unfolds from almost nothing. One part unfolds, then another and another. It does a little dance of unfolding, and then it folds back up into that nothing. From that nothing to the unfolding to the folding back again is your existence, your story. Not somebody else's story or their story for you as drafted by them, but your story as drafted by you.

Some people say, "Destiny is prewritten; whatever is written on each one of those pages is already written." So then why pray? Whose mind are you trying to change? And if you pray and you think it works, then you have to change the definition of destiny. It's not prewritten; it can be influenced.

Other people say, "I am responsible for unfolding every bit. I am the one who writes everything." How about a happy medium? The fact that each part of the story is going to unfold is destiny, but there's nothing written on the pages. The paper feeder is automatic. You write the story. What would you like to write? What should your story be like? Should it be about suffering, pain, anger, and a list of all the things you don't have? Or should it be a really interesting story? The adventure.

The biggest adventure is not climbing Mt. Everest. That's been done. The biggest adventure that will ever unfold in your life is you finding you. The story is fun. It is delicious, and it is the biggest mystery: You are never far from yourself, ever. The closest you will ever be to anyone is you, and the one you don't know is you. You know everybody else, and what you have to do is find you.

Talk about an adventure-this is Dragon Land. Here, dragons are not imagination. They really exist. If you don't tame the dragon in your adventure, it will eat you. And if you do tame the dragon, you get to fly on its back wherever you want to go.

In this story, there are swords, but there is one sword that has unbelievable powers-the sword of clarity. Everyone has it but is afraid of it. They're not afraid of the dragon. They should be, because the dragon has only one mission in mind: Food. And if you are not careful, some of your most treasured things will be taken away from you.

You are the protector, the knight in shining armor of this story. You have the sword of clarity that can make everything right, but you're afraid to pull it out.

Does this adventure start from your birth and then there is a happy ending? No, this story plays out every single day. You get to make a happy ending and you get to be victorious every day. Can you change the story? That's a million-dollar question. A lot of people will tell you, "No. You cannot." Me? Yes, of course you can change the story. And not only that, I have seen it changed. Even in your most frustrated, darkest day, there's a place inside of you where you can go, touch that place within, and your story has changed.

If you choose to change the story, I'm here to help and I can help. I've helped a lot of people. But the most important thing is that there is a lot of hope. If you really understand that you can change the story, there's a tremendous amount of hope-hope that this life can be fulfilled every single day. And that is a mighty nice hope to have. And not only hope, but tools to make it real.

Story of an Existence

I have a lot to say about something very, very simple: that you are alive. And because you are alive, there are amazing possibilities.

Recently, I saw a TV documentary titled "Death of the Sun." It was very interesting. They were talking about what will happen to the sun. It is brighter now than it used to be a few million years ago because it's burning up, tapping into more and more inner gases, which is also causing it to expand. It is growing so big that one day there will be no blue sky, only a massive red sun glowing. By this time, life on earth will be gone. The oceans will be dry. Because it has become so big, the sun will start pulling other planets away. Jupiter, Mercury-gone. Earth could possibly escape, but not likely.

When the documentary was over, I turned off the TV, closed my eyes and started to think.Everything we do has some implication for tomorrow. We go to sleep; we like to wake up. And that waking up will happen tomorrow. We eat today, but in a way that has some implication for the future. "I don't want to eat this because it will make me feel sick." Or, "I'm looking forward to a big dinner, so I'm only going to have a light snack." To live, to exist has some implications for tomorrow. Going somewhere, coming from somewhere, doing something, talking to somebody-most things we do have implications for tomorrow.

So, to put it in perspective, the whole of humanity, as we know it, is definitely going down a road. Is it a good road or a bad road? I'm not here to pass judgment, but we're going down a road. Some people are going down the road happily; some are being dragged down it but everyone is going down a road. But is it obvious to us? We know about our mortality, but it is not obvious to us. That's when people get shocked-when it becomes obvious.

And here, on this road, as humanity is marching along, there is something coming the other way. It is not just a possibility. It is afoot. The destruction of the sun is afoot. It is in the process right now. After that documentary, the word "future" seems very wavy and twisty.

This isn't going to happen tomorrow; it is supposed to take 500 billion years. But it is going to happen. So, what does it mean to you and me that this beautiful earth will no longer be? It means that every day you have must not be taken lightly. I know that may seem impractical, but this documentary put it in perspective.

Ultimately speaking, there cannot be any compromise in your existence. None. Do you know about your existence? You know about the things that happen in your existence-your responsibilities, your family-but do you really know about your existence? Do you know that all the things that matter to you so much do not matter to existence?

You have to understand the value of your life. Then, and only then, can you begin to reflect on the value of someone else's life. Then, and only then, will it be possible to stop the wars. Will that bring peace? No. Because peace does not need to be brought. Peace is in the heart of every human being already. No one is born or dies without having that peace inside of them. When that becomes obvious, something changes. The value of every day, every single moment, needs to become obvious to you.

Knowing that it's all going to end, what matters to you the most? What option do you have? If you were thirsty and water was leaking from your bottle of water, what would you do? By the time you could fix the hole, the water will have leaked out.

My advice? Drink as much as you can. What else are you going to do?Knowing that it's all going to go, you may as well enjoy every day that you can. Don't waste even one.

This is the story of an existence. In this story, there are beautiful things. The story should have hope. And hope is tied to clarity. Try to understand what your objective is. Clarity will bring hope. Hope will bring light and make it obvious: "That way." And the strength comes.

'A Spectacular Dream'

Here is a riddle: There is something that we have all been given plenty of, but it's never enough. We want more. Everybody goes around pretending they don't have enough of it. We're given this one thing, but we can never keep it. What do you suppose it is? Time.

We say, "I don't have time. I don't have time. I don't have time." And it just keeps coming and coming. All the time we get is ours, but we don't get to keep any of it. It slips through, and the only thing we are left with is what we do in that time.

So what is it that we should do in that time? Don't underestimate this little question. This has been debated for centuries: What should we do? We are such "do" creatures that we forget certain fundamental things.

The thirst for fulfillment is innate; it is within you. If you feel the thirst, you are doing what you should be doing. We are driven to do so much in our lives. We think we have to do so much. All our responsibilities, all our ideas, all our thoughts-it's, "Do, do, do."

But once in our lifetime, it would be nice to sit down and feel what we really want to do. The quest for doing it would come from within, not from the outside. It would not be driven by this world. So much of what we think we have to do comes from somebody else.

What does the bathroom cabinet of life look like? All the fixes: "Take this anti-stress thing. Go for a walk, go for a jog, go do this, go do that." Nobody says, "Why are you getting stressed?" It's something to think about because there is one more element to living that we have not included. It's not about going to the moon, and it's not about accomplishments, and it's not about what we could do.

There is another quest within each human being, and that is the desire to be fulfilled, not in thought or imagination, but in earnest. It is the desire to be in that one place which is surrounded by certainty, peace.

Life is not about solving problems. Every time you solve a problem, there will be another one. In fact, some days you feel that you better not solve problems because that is the only way to avoid new ones.

People make excuses why we cannot have peace, but how many recognize that the quest for peace has been going on for an extremely long time. We have had a dream for a really, really long time. A spectacular dream, a dream that said to be in peace-not fear, doubt, pain, sorrow, or confusion-a dream to be in clarity.

Peace is to be in clarity, to feel that understanding, to be in joy not sorrow. And there dwells reality-not a theory, an argument, a definition-but a feeling. True reality is a feeling, to know in clarity.

Peace is the reward. Joy is the reward. A life fulfilled-one at a time. That is the most incredible reward you can ever have. It's the highest honor, the most noble quest-the quest for peace. It is always noble because there's no end. Those who have felt the peace rejoice. The truest victory for every human being is not all the deserts you could cross or the mountains you could climb. It is about feeling, joining, admiring the place within. This is life, not the things that happen in it.

Each breath is a blessing. Be a fisherman. Somebody can show you how to cast that net within and catch as many of those blessings in your life as you can. Reel them in. Fill this vessel, understand, and rejoice. Feel free, really free. Feel the ultimate feeling. Feel happiness, peace every day. Feel the gratitude in your life every day. That's what life is about.

'What Makes You Happy?' - by Prem Rawat

Let me begin with this: What makes a cow happy? I've been around cows, and I can tell you one thing. When a cow is being a cow, the cow is the happiest. When is an alligator happy? Being an alligator. You can put a diamond-laced chain on the neck of that alligator, put lipstick on it, tie it onto a very expensive chair, and say, "You look beautiful." But the alligator doesn't really care about those things. It just wants to be an alligator; it just wants to do the alligator thing-whatever that is. Being a cat is what makes a cat happy. Being a dog is what makes a dog happy. So what is it that makes the human being happy?

The question is: what makes you happy? Before you answer that, keep one thing in mind. The alligator is not dependent on anything else-just being itself is what makes it happy. For the cat it is being a cat.

It would be a sad day if your happiness depended on someone else or something else. If it did, you're in trouble. Now your life is dedicated not to enjoying happiness, but to having that person around who makes you happy or preserving that situation that makes you happy.

People ask: "What are we doing in this world?" We try to preserve all that we think is good, that we like. The whole world is busy trying to make that happen. Nobody's enjoying themselves because enjoyment is not important now; what has become important is to make sure that those circumstances are there, that those people are there.

Can true joy be dependent on anyone else? Is that a harsh or a sweet reality? For those who have felt true joy, it is the sweetest reality. It's a reality that says, "I exist. I am alive. The most beautiful gift, most incredible wealth of breath is being given to me and I am conscious. I am aware. I have not only a yearning to be happy, but I have the source of happiness within me." Both things. Having the yearning to be in peace and the source of peace within you are both important. A lot of people want to know about peace and ask me, "So where is it? How can we get it?"

I tell them, "Peace isn't the problem. Peace is inside of you. I know that. And in fact, you know that. The problem isn't peace; the problem is the yearning." Standing in the middle of the farm where you have tomatoes, eggplant, oranges, and a peach tree, the problem isn't food. The problem is hunger. Peace is innate. The issue is your desire for peace.

How can I be dependent upon myself when I don't even know who I am? Who am I? An alligator knows who an alligator is. A cat knows who a cat is. A dog knows, "I'm a dog." The human being, who has the biggest brain per body size, who has the run of the earth and the surface of the ocean, asks: "Why am I here? What am I doing here? Who am I?"

Maybe I will be happiest if I can just be me-if I only knew who I was. In your life, things change and have kept changing. There were things that were not good, and they went. And there were things that were superb, and they went, too-an indiscriminate throwing out of stuff. The only thing that has remained constant is the desire to be fulfilled.

When I am fulfilled, the desire to be fulfilled even grows greater. It's like love. When you don't love, there is no love. When you love, then you love even more, and then you can love even more. And then you can love even more.

A lot of people think the objective in life is to be fulfilled so that they won't have the desire to be fulfilled. That would be a sad day. When you fall in love with someone, you don't actually fall in love so that you can stop loving-do you? You fall in love so you can love even more, and that has remained constant.

You can truly enjoy your life. I offer the possibility of knowing you so that you can be you. Without knowing you, you cannot be you, and if you cannot be you, you cannot be happy-like the cat, the crocodile, and the cow. It's important for you to know you so that you can be as happy as you can be. This is how simple it is.

Find out who you are so you can be who you are. Whenever, wherever, even in the dark hours, be who you are so you can be happy, so you can be content, so you can find peace. Yes, you have many, many important things that you have to do. Place this one at the top, and then all the rest will fall in place.

"Peace Begins with You"

I travel a lot and talk to people about peace. People have so many different interpretations of peace. Using the analogy of a lamp, we want to see lit lamps of peace on the borders of India and Pakistan, Beirut, Israel, Palestine-wherever it may be. But peace is a little more than lit lamps. And that's what we have to consider.

The body of an oil lamp is made of clay. In the lamp is a cotton wick, and in the bowl is oil. If you light the wick, it will burn for only a few minutes before going out. If you want the lamp to stay lit for a long time, you need oil. You may not actually see it, yet it is the oil that is helping the wick to stay lit and give light.

There is a peace that is not just a surface peace-not just a peace of ideas or conditions, but a peace that goes far beyond those things. The peace that we need to get in touch with and that we should be discussing around the world today is the peace we would like to see reflected on the borders of nations.

People not fighting each other is just a reflection, a consequence of something else that happened. Not the real thing.

A mother or father would like to see their child smile. It's a wonderful feeling. So how should they go about that? Pull their cheeks? Put a piece of wood between their lips?

This is what we try to do. We have created a qualification for peace, and that is: no wars. But "no wars" is a consequence of something, just like war is a consequence of something. Peace will happen when every one of us can feel that feeling of peace within us.

If you want to light a room, you light the lamps. Each lamp is a human being. If you want peace on this earth, you will have to light these lamps called human beings.

We have fundamental needs, and unless they are fulfilled, it really doesn't matter what we do. We have traded today for tomorrow. Today was spent planning for tomorrow. But tomorrow will never come because tomorrow always comes as today. How will tomorrow be spent? Planning for the next day.

The world is in a rut. We have traded peace for prosperity when the formula has always been peace first, then prosperity. Not prosperity, then peace. We think that all we need is prosperity. If everybody had food, everything would be fine. But even when people have food, they still have needs.

There is something that has been the quest of every civilization on the face of this earth. The thirst for peace. The thirst for peace lies within you, and peace is also within you. Begin with yourself. Begin with respecting what today means to you, instead of trading it for tomorrow. What does this moment that you are alive mean to you? Your life is like a necklace-one moment, another moment, another moment, another moment.

You are the first step. Peace begins with you, not somebody else. All our lives, things have come from somewhere else. But the process of peace begins with you. It begins with you understanding the possibility that being alive brings.

So much happens that attracts our attention. Maybe one other thing should attract our attention, and that's the possibility of peace. So much happens that distracts us. Maybe there is one thing we should never be distracted from, and that is the possibility brought by life itself.

I present people with the possibility of themselves. I remind them to pour the oil in the lamp. It's fine to decorate the clay, and you need the wick, but don't forget the oil. There are many priorities and demands, many things that have to be done. But begin with the very simple formula of peace and prosperity. That formula was laid out a long, long time ago. And peace begins with you.

'Explanations'

Not too long ago, I had an interview with a magazine. The interviewer was saying that people have so many explanations. I agree. Who is considered good? The one who can come up with the best explanation. People want to explain God. People want to explain life. People want to explain what is good, what is truth, what is salvation. And these are things that can only be felt but not explained.

You cannot explain what life is. You need to feel it. You cannot explain breath. You need to breathe it. You cannot explain water. If you are thirsty, you need to drink it. You cannot explain food. If you are hungry, you need to eat it.

You cannot explain what this existence means. It can only be felt. If you understand that, an entirely different door opens up to you. You begin to understand by feeling - not through explanations. You begin to understand the preciousness of life, the joy, and the truest responsibility to be in gratitude to the most magnificent power that has made it possible for you to be alive. That's what it means to be alive. Not doubt. Not confusion. Not pain, not suffering, not misery, not darkness. Not sorrow and lamenting and wishing. Being alive means to be crystal clear.

You have imagined this entire existence and what it means. Day after day after day, this monster that you have created could never survive except that you keep feeding it with explanations. Every day, you have to explain what happened, what it means to be alive. Every day, you have excuses for why you were unable to feel gratitude, why you lived another day unconsciously. And before you know it, you run out of days. And then you finally know without a doubt all that you should have done. But now you don't have the means to do it! People have explanations for that, too: "Life is cruel."

When you live in the world of explanations, what will you hear? More explanations. And what I am telling you is that more explanations is not what you need. What you need is real water to quench your thirst, not another explanation of water. What you need is real food to satisfy your hunger. Otherwise, you're going to go hungry from here on out. Satisfying your hunger is not about explanations or ideas or being close to food. If that were the case, hungry people would lean on restaurant walls and be satisfied.

If it won't work with food, why would it work in the inner realm? Is the hunger for peace an illusion? Or is it real? Is the hunger to be content an illusion? Or is it real? A very good question. And the answer is: It's not an illusion! It touches every single human being on the face of this earth, and it has been an issue since time immemorial. What people have done is to learn how to evade the issue - not tackle it but evade it.

I tell everyone who will listen to me that you don't need to evade it. Peace is real, joy is real, contentment is real, and there is a way to get to it. I know. I've been talking to people about it for a long time. Don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself.

Somebody told me, "Here is a person who is very independent." I said, "He is dependent on being independent." We would all like to be "independent" because we are so dependent on being independent. Another explanation.

We're drowning in our own explanations. Why do you have so many explanations? You cannot explain it. Who can? Everybody has an explanation. Why are there people dying? People have explanations. Why are there people hungry in this world? People have explanations. But why do you have so many explanations for these things? Nobody knows.

Feel at home in peace, not in confusion. Feel at home in the feeling, not in explanations. Feel at home in your true self.

If you want to be independent, then be independent of confusion. Be independent of doubt. Be independent of all that is not yours. And feel. Feel reality in its magnificence. Not from fear. Because fear is not yours, either. You were made to behold joy. This is what belongs in this vessel, in this human body. This is what it was made for. Not all the other stuff.

Who you listen to is up to you. That's always your choice. You can listen to the voice inside of you that says, "Everything is wrong." Or you can listen to the voice that says, "Be. Be free. Be clear. Enjoy this life."

Many people will tell you that you don't have a choice. I know you have a choice. Every day that you hear the two voices, you have a choice which one to listen to. You won't be able to stop hearing them. But which one you pay attention to is up to you. Know. Understand. And be fulfilled. Every day. No excuses. No explanations. Be fulfilled every single day.

When I talk, people say, "I have never heard that explanation before!" I tell them, "This is not an explanation. I'm offering you the real thing." Feel it. Feel that peace in your life. This is the real thing. The magazine interviewer asked me, "So, do you just go around showing people pictures of wells?" I said, "No, I make sure that their thirst is quenched. This is the possibility that I present."

'Asking the Right Question'

Something from within tells us that joy is a possibility, happiness is a possibility, that being fulfilled is a possibility. But we want to invent a tool for that, not realizing that an incredible tool has already been given to make this possibility real. This tool is called life. Consider this: life is a tool to accomplish something. This life you have been given can make this possibility real.

Do you want to accept that possibility? The question is not, "Wouldn't you like to be happy?" Everyone would say, "Sure." But do you want to accept that this life is a tool and with it, you can accomplish the greatest of all joy, the greatest of all happiness?

Everything we do, we do to be content. But we don't make the connection that what we do to be content doesn't bring us contentment. All the things we do may be necessary for many reasons, but they are not going to accomplish the one objective called the real joy.

Every day, you are given an opportunity for that. Do you have the ability to look at every day anew? To recognize the value of a moment? To be content? Yes, you do. Do you? Are you?

We are perfectly satisfied being frustrated and expressing our frustration to other people. When something goes wrong, that's what we talk about. No one wants to talk about all the good things that happen. It's not interesting to talk about being alive.

You have the ability to recognize what is good. Do so. If life were a canvas with colors, would you paint? If life were a drum, would you play? Or would you say, "I don't know how to paint. I don't know how to play." "I don't know how" is an excuse. If you really don't know how, you can find out. It takes searching and understanding. That's the tool you have been given. It's called life.

Learning is so far removed from us that we don't understand what it means. We measure our existence by our accomplishments or failures. We live in a world where everything is fixed instantly. There's a fix for everything. People think, "I want to be happy. No problem." This is the message they have ultimately gotten. You don't have to learn or understand anything; everything has a shortcut.

In this world of instant fixes, I tell people, "You need to learn. You need to learn about what this life is." That must come as a really odd message because they think they have come to watch another commercial. "Unhappy? No problem. Here, pop this pill." But I'm saying, "Learn. Open your eyes. See. Look around you. Everything you see and experience, one day you will not be able to see or experience. Understand, because there will be a time you will not be able to understand or know the joy of understanding."

Somehow we want a license to be able to look into the future. You won't get it. And what future do you want? The one you shape? Or a future like a kite that has come undone from the string? Flopping. Randomly, things are happening. What future would you like?

As you see it, the future is uncertain. But for you to be content in the uncertainty can be very certain because that is not sparked by this world. The source of that is within you. And this is what you should learn-the knowledge of the self, the self that you are. And for that, you need to understand that life is a tool.

If you could understand the possibility that exists in this moment, you wouldn't have to look at the past or lament the past. We say, "This is how life is," because somebody we thought was credible told us that, and we never questioned it. But did we ever ask, "How do I use this tool of life I've been given to accomplish what I want to accomplish?"

Some people will say that's the wrong question. Your heart's going to say that's a wonderful question. Ask that question to somebody who knows. The heart knows when it receives the true answer. Everything that happens is meaningful-not meaningless-to further the accomplishment of being fulfilled every single day.

When our conversations are about all that is wrong, listening to news that is good can be difficult. But it is good. It is good that you are alive. It is good that you exist. It is good to be happy. It is good to be content. It is good to be clear. It is good to learn, to understand. It's all about good. It has always been good news. And it always will be good news.

'Fear or Trust?'

This world is full of people looking for solutions without identifying what the problem is. It is like the analogy of a house with dirt all around it. Every day the wind blows and the dirt ends up in your house. Every time you watch a commercial about a vacuum or you see a new invention to get rid of dust, you listen. This is how most people's lives progress-waiting, hoping that somebody will come up with a lighter vacuum cleaner with more power. You hear, "Bring in your old one; we'll give you a discount, and you can take home a new one, a better one." Isn't everybody waiting for a better mousetrap? A solution to our problems.

And somebody says, "You don't need a vacuum cleaner; you don't need a duster. This dirt problem can be taken care of." "But, how can that be?" Some people with a touch of wisdom say, "Okay. Tell me." Solution? Plant some grass. Maybe tile the surface. Your problem is dust, but it is exacerbated by the fact that there is so much dust outside and when you open your windows, the wind blows it in.

Does that make sense? Of course. In your life, take notice. What solutions are you looking for? What are you trying to solve? What do you as a human being-not as a parent, relative, employee, employer-what do you want in your life?

If the one thing you have identified keeps changing, you haven't discovered your real want. Because the truest want does not change. That is its nature, its beauty. It's not influenced by what happens around you-who comes and goes in your life. It has nothing to do with that.

You live in a world that constantly changes. You live in a house that changes every day. All the door seals are deteriorating a little bit. No matter how strong your house is, it slowly sags. The earth shifts. All this dust you've been trying to get rid of came together, compacted, and created this planet earth, and now it is shifting. Every day that you just go on with your business, this is what's happening. And here you are.

Imagine that you're going on a week's vacation, and you know the vacation is going to end from the day you begin. You can say, "Oh, this is terrible. It's going to end." Is that what you do-lament? "I dare not have a good time because I know it is going to end." No. Quite the contrary. You want to have the best possible time you can in those days. You don't want to miss a moment, an hour-you want it all. And that is how your life should be lived. Because this vacation called lifetime is going to end. Being afraid is not the point. Too many people are caught up in that. This life cannot be lived in fear or lamenting. This life needs to be lived with a passion-of understanding, of clarity, a feeling of being fulfilled every single day.

We look for solutions to our problems in the concept of utopia. Do this and that, and at the end comes this wonderful time where everything is perfect, I have total realization, all I see is clarity, and I know everything.

There is no such utopia. Your utopia comes every day, because every day that you are alive is perfect. Open your eyes and see how beautiful existence is, what a gift it is. The possibility.

Recently, a hummingbird built a tiny nest outside my office, and laid two little eggs. The mother would come and sit, and then the eggs hatched. I made sure nobody disturbed it. First one came out, sat on a branch, and then flexed his wings. I was able to take some beautiful photos. The mama sat on another branch watching. We got a honey dispenser so she could get food close by, and she was okay with it.

This baby bird had to have total trust. Fear or "it's okay" were the two choices. No logic, no reasoning. Not, "Anybody with a Canon camera wouldn't harm me" or "Somebody who has allowed me to exist up till now won't harm me." No. It could have been total paranoia and panic, but it wasn't. I would come with my camera, and the bird would look, until he got his flying business straightened out and took off. Then it was the next bird's turn, and he was even smaller. He sat on the branch and wouldn't go. It took him longer to get his wings flexed. Then one day, he was gone, too. Same thing: Total fear or trust? Both opted for trust.

What do you opt for in your life? Fear or trust? You can reason and find fear. But with understanding, you realize there is so much more beauty than I could ever fathom, so much more clarity than I could ever understand. That this life is the sweetest gift I will ever have, the most precious gift, given most freely. A car or a house can be replaced, but a breath can never be replaced. And all I have to do is accept it.

People create their scenarios. "Oh, I'm so busy. Got to do this; got to do that." What can I do? Learn in my life how to appreciate. And my appreciation needs to begin with one solitary thing-breath-to understand how precious that is. One life. It is critical that you be clear, determined. Like taking that vacation, no moment shall be wasted.

'Voyage of Life'

In this life, we hear many things. We hear about the road of life, about what is the purpose of life. But the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Each one of us, because we are alive, will make a voyage. What will it be like? No one knows.

You are given a vessel-this human body. By the very fact that it exists, it will make a voyage and go where no one has been before. You might think it will be similar to another person's voyage. No. There are infinite little changes, variables that will make your voyage unlike anyone else's. How you perceive, how you understand is completely unique to you.

Every day is different. Even if you do the same thing every day, no two days are alike. It is not just a question of good or bad; it is how you view it. One day things could be really bad and you're feeling good inside so, "It's not so bad." There could be a day when things are really good but you're not feeling good inside, so you think, "Oh, no. Everything is bad."

How do we make this voyage? What is the purpose of this voyage?

To understand this, you have to begin at point zero. Why? Because you've heard a lot, read a lot of books. This is all information floating in your head. You need to begin at zero-no information. Let's look at the facts, not ideas.

You try to make this body comfortable. You want a soft bed, a soft pillow. When you buy shoes, you walk in them to make sure they're comfortable. We spend a lot of time and energy to make sure our body is externally comfortable. Do we also spend that time to make sure that our existence, our life, is internally comfortable? Or do we learn how to live with disparity, with anger, with confusion?

You start out as a baby. As you get older and older, the body deteriorates. You know it's going to deteriorate, but you try to take care of it, preserve it. You want to be comfortable because this is how you are made. This body does not like pain; it reacts to something hot. It wants to see and hear that which brings you enjoyment. This is how you are.

So, is it any different for what is within you, that the heart also wants to enjoy? Your existence wants to be fulfilled.

What is the ultimate experience? Without being a rocket scientist, I would have to say that the experience of the ultimate would be an ultimate experience. The ultimate would be that power that makes everything possible. Powers it. Moves it. In the whole universe. I'm not going to try to define it because one of the definitions of the ultimate is that it's indefinable. I'm not going to try to explain to you what infinity is; we cannot understand what infinity is.

This universe is amazing, but the fascinating thing is not understanding the universe, but understanding that what powers the universe happens to be within us right now, and we can experience it. And when you do, you are filled with peace, with clarity, with joy. This is when you experience the truest, truest happiness.

How beautiful is this opportunity to make this voyage of life. What do you need to take with you? Do you need anger? Do you need fear? No. These have been given to you, but so has kindness. There is confusion, but there is clarity. There is pain, but there is joy. Pain is the absence. Kindness and joy are the presence.

Your life is about absences and presences, and you need to know the difference. To make doubts go away is impossible, but to bring clarity into your life is very possible. This you can do. In your life, have you put on your list what you do not want or what you do want? For most people, there are all the lists of what they don't want: "I don't want confusion; I don't want poverty; I don't want pain. I don't want this; I don't want that."

Let me help you prepare for this voyage. You try to pack everything, and your back hurts from carrying all those ideas. You don't need everything. Lighten your load. Carry the essentials; that's all you need. Pack clarity. It will see you through most problems. Confusion weighs a lot; clarity weighs so little. Pain weighs so much, and joy so little. These are good things to carry with you because they hardly weigh anything and they make you lighter, too.

Take the voyage. It's a good voyage. Feel the heaven here. This earth was designed for you. Be in that peace. Be in that joy.

'Garden of Life'

This is a metaphor, but it's true: when we come into this world, we're given seeds, and the opportunity truly is what we do with these seeds. What are they?

We can begin with very simple stuff. One of them can be the seed of anger. There is a seed of doubt and a seed of confusion. But there is also a seed of kindness, a seed of love, a seed of understanding. Whatever seed you sow in your garden, in this garden of life, ultimately, this is the tree you will rest under. How restful it will be directly depends on what kind of seed you sow.

There are certain trees that have beautiful flowers, but they produce a sap that does not allow grass to grow underneath. Every seed has a particular quality, something that it offers. But when it is sown, when it grows and becomes a tree, it will have very particular characteristics that you may or may not like.

I'm not here to pass judgment or say what kind of seed you should have sown. I merely point out some of the characteristics. You are capable of making that decision for yourself. You have enough intelligence to choose from a place of clarity what will benefit you the most. Human beings, given the circumstances that they can see clearly, will make the right decision.

What is it that you have planted? If you want to know what you have been nurturing, just open the window and look in your garden. You will see all the trees that are there.

Most of us have sown the seed of anger. There seems to be no hesitation to go near it, but what you end up with-the droppings from this tree-you don't like. And you promise yourself you will never go near this tree again. But either you forget or you have become so used to living this life unconsciously, there is no hesitation to go right back to that tree and get that sap all over you. It's disgusting, and sometimes this sap is so nasty that it can take a lifetime to get it out. Two people love each other, and then each one in turn visits their own little tree and gets sap, and then it's, "I hate you. I wish you were never made."

People plant the seed of doubt: "Is it really going to happen?" The tree of doubt comes. It's also disgusting, because this tree has a dust that comes out of it that gets all over the place, and it takes what could be beautiful and turns it into nothing. In life, one of the biggest lessons to learn is to give every new day the benefit of positive doubt, "Maybe today is my day. Maybe today what he will say to me will be different."

What about understanding? That seed may never have been sown, but it doesn't matter. Whenever you sow these seeds, they will sprout, so it's never too late. But what is the tree of understanding? We are taught to believe-"leap of faith." That could be highly risky, and you don't have to take that. You can replace that with understanding, understanding what it means to be alive.

Most people think, "I know what it means to be alive." But your life is associated with your job, the things that happen around you. That is not your life. These things exist because I do, but they are not my existence. They will change; they may appear and disappear, but I will be. At the hub is your life, your understanding, your steps, your journey, your elation, your filling of heart, and the process of utter and total contentment.

What is it to be content? It is a feeling that emanates from within you, your basic core. Somebody asks you, "Are you satisfied?" You can say, "Yes, I have a good job, a good family, a good car, great friends, and even my pets listen to me, so I must be satisfied." But are you content? Did you sow the seed of contentment?

Look and see what kinds of trees are in your garden. Did you sow the seed of understanding? We breed unconsciousness and then wonder what happens to us in our life. It cannot be. Take a look again at those seeds that you have been given and make some simple decisions, especially if you look in your yard and find a few trees that you assumed should have been there but are not. No problem. Seeds are in hand, sow them. Take care of them.

Nurture kindness in your life and you will be rewarded with the gift of kindness. Sow the seed of love and you will be rewarded with that most incredible feeling of love dancing in your heart. Sow the seed of understanding and you will be rewarded with understanding. Sow the seed of clarity and you will be rewarded with clarity.

Why should you do it? To feel kindness. To feel that true love. To feel that true understanding. To understand what it is like not to be in doubt. To understand that there is a place where there are answers-not for other people, but for you.

'What We Reflect'

What is the nature of light? We all know that when light comes, darkness cannot stay. It goes away. Light is the only thing that can make darkness go away. But that's not the only quality of light. There's another quality. Whatever it falls upon, it illuminates. And this process happens by reflection. Each object-each person, the walls, the ceiling, the carpet-has the quality that it can reflect light. When it does, light falls on your eye, and you can see that object.

What does this mean to us as human beings? It means that when light falls on us, what we absorb and especially what we reflect gives us a color. This is the color we will be seen as.

If you absorb everything and reflect hate, if it's all dark, no problem. But if the light falls on you and you are reflecting hate, it will become visible. If you are reflecting peace, that will become visible. A family knows when the father is angry just by one look, "Oops. Father is angry. Disappear."

So, the question is, what do you reflect? What do you want to reflect? Do you reflect the color, "I know everything"? I'm not making a judgment. I'm not here to say that's a pretty color or an ugly color. I am not an interior decorator.

Somebody once asked me, "How would you describe what you do?" I said, "I am the one who carries the mirror, puts it in front of people, and says, 'Look at yourself. Do you like what you see? Great. If you don't like what you see, maybe you can fix it.' This is all I can do-carry the mirror."

Some people don't want to look in the mirror. A lot of people feel threatened by the subject of peace because they don't want somebody to redefine their world by telling them what peace is, what joy is. I am here to point out some simple facts: This is your life. You exist. You're here temporarily, and this earth is temporary. One day-not tomorrow-it is not going to be here.

Recently, I was on a veranda overlooking the city. It was still early. All you could see were lights in people's houses. It looked so tranquil, but there are incredible dramas going on. There are people who are happy or unhappy, people who are fighting or just want to sleep. Amongst those lights, new hopes are being formed and dreams are being shattered. A drama behind a veil that seems so tranquil. An incredible drama.

So, you have this ability to reflect. What do you want to reflect? Do you want to reflect peace because you feel peace, contentment because you feel content? Would you like to have a slight tinge of gratitude? Do you want to feel joy? A joy that is real, that comes from within you, that does not seek triggers from the outside? These hues are not imagination. They have to be real. If they're not real, their reflection will not happen.

A lot of people say, "Oh, I have felt peace before." This is like saying, "I don't need to eat today; I ate last week!" Some people think you feel peace once in your life, and that's it. No. You need to feel peace every day of your life-that's the kind of peace you need.

People go near a quiet lake and say, "Oh, it's so peaceful." Quietness is not an attribute of peace. They have a definition of peace and go around looking for it. But if you're looking for peace by description, you will never find it. Why? How do you search for something you already have? The word "searching" assumes you've lost it. But you never lost it. It's within you.

You have an amazing possibility, and that is to reflect the color of the infinite that is within you. Forget green, blue, and yellow. If you are going to reflect a color, reflect the infinite. This color has shades of peace and hues of contentment. Not questions, but answers. Not ideas, but realities. When you begin to be filled with the color of what is within you, you shine.

As long as you're alive, the light is shining. You need to shine, too. It can happen.

'When You Find Yourself Alive'

All of a sudden, you find yourself alive; you exist. Now what do you do? Try to find some meaning, get some answers. Lots of questions-very few answers. Lots of misunderstandings-very few real understandings. Lot of problems-but very few solutions. And yet, time is like a big hand that keeps pushing you along. You want to stop, but the hand of time will not let you-not even for one minute. Not allowed. So what do you do?

One day you were born, and now you are alive. One day you will have to go. But before you go, you have the opportunity to fulfill yourself. This has been the possibility for every human being throughout time. And this is your possibility.

Why should you fulfill yourself? The answer to this question is written in the scripture of your heart. This is the only scripture that does not require that you be literate. People express themselves in different ways, but what they are saying is the same thing. We are all human beings, and, ultimately, we have the same passion. Ultimately, we want to be in peace, we want to feel content, we want to feel happy. We want to feel that inner joy, that inner peace. Something that doesn't just come and go. Something that we can call our own.

What is really yours? You cling to so many things, "This is mine." Then one day, it's gone, and you wonder what happened. What is your very own? Something that will not abandon you till the very end. Something that is real-not a fantasy. Something that will never leave you, no matter where you go or what happens. Things happen-good times, bad times. Roads turn. The world changes in an instant, and all you thought was a certain way is no longer the same. Sages have called this "The Grand Illusion" because it looks so real.

So what are you doing to fulfill yourself? There are things that bring out the best in our nature and there are things that bring out the worst. What is your nature? Are you kind? There's no question that there is kindness in you, and there is no question that there is anger in you. There is no question that there is love in you, and there is no question that there is hate in you. Everything you despise in another person is in you, and everything you love in another person is in you, too.

What manifests? Kindness or hate? What are you in touch with? Are you frustrated by justifications or delighted that you are alive? Are you frustrated trying to reason where you are on this highway of life? Trying to look for the answers for why this happened and why that happened?

All the tools you need to find fulfillment are available to you. You are not incomplete; you are complete. It is your nature to want to be fulfilled. And I help people with that. The world has prepared you for the questions. Let me prepare you for the answer. The problem I see with this world is that people are so obsessed with their questions, that even after they get the answer, they don't want to let go of the question. Be glad to let go of the question when you find the answer.

When I pray, I pray for gratitude to fill my heart. That's all. My wants will be many. I can want more things than this world can imagine. But sometimes I don't even know what I want. But when I pray to be filled with gratitude, that suits me very well. To be thankful that I am alive.

A few days ago, I was having one of those days where everything was going wrong. Everything. I just smiled. "You know what? Good day to remember that this breath just came into me, and all is well." All is well. Just as this breath isn't permanent, so the troubles of this world are not permanent, either.

Take solace, take comfort. Your problems, too, will go away one day. They're temporary as well. The only thing that is permanent in nature is in your heart. Recognize that and be fulfilled. Fulfill the possibility that was declared the day you were born, the moment you took your first breath.

"Supreme Wisdom" 2007-11

Sometimes we get carried away with everything that is happening in the world, and it's incredibly confusing. People tell you, "This is how it is." They tell you about God, about afterlife, about before life.

Life is about now. Somebody told me once that I was an emperor in my last lifetime. So what? If you live your life by explanations, maybe it would important to know what you were in your last lifetime or what will happen after this lifetime. But if you live understanding the value of this life, all those things are irrelevant. The only thing that is relevant is that I am alive. Now.

When you live with explanations, only one thing is created. Confusion. When you live by the value of your existence today, what is created is clarity, simplicity, gratitude, understanding. Not speculation. If you say, "Explain to me why my tire went flat," you will surely find someone who will explain it to you. There is no shortage of explainers.

Why? Because we truly do not know. It's easy to say, "I am Jose or Maria or Patrick." Excuse me. You are not that. You're something else. It's easy to say, "My mother's name is this, and my father's name is this." But you're something more than that. "I am a college graduate. I have a degree, I'm a doctor, I'm a lawyer, I'm a this, I'm a that." No. You're something more than that, too. "I'm a housewife." No. You're something more than that, too. "I'm a mother, a father." You're something more than that, too.

All these relationships you measure yourself by are relative. They are, and then they're not. You are in the process of moving on. It doesn't feel like it. You need to understand what is moving and what is not moving. In this river of life, you are sitting on a boat, and it's moving. When you look out of the window, it looks like all the things you see are moving. They're not moving. They're there, and they willbe there. You are moving, and you won't be there.

What is perishable? This vessel that you are in is perishable. One day, it won't be. This vessel is moving. You are moving. Since when? Since you took your first breath. First breath. Most amazing thing. Before that, you were blue. Then you took a breath, and the process of life started to unfold. Powerful. And another breath and another and another.

The unfolding of the same power that unfolds the universe is what just came and touched me, bringing me this gift of life. Bringing me every day, every moment, every star. This is a miracle. Every baby that is born is a miracle. We do not understand that, and that's why we suffer. Having everything, we think we have nothing. Burdened by our problems, we hobble through life.

Yet how beautiful it is in this moment. I cannot go back to yesterday, however hard I try. And no matter how much I try, I cannot go to tomorrow. To me, that is supreme wisdom. Here I am in this moment, and here, everything is wonderful.

Young people want to live in the future. Older people want to live in the past. Nobody wants to live in the present. And where has joy placed itself? Where has understanding placed itself? In the present.

So if you ever wonder why it is so hard to have understanding about life, maybe the answer is: You don't live where it lives. You have gotten used to confusion, and it's not nice.

What can you do? Learn how to live in today. And what is today? Another chance you have been given you to fully feel what it feels like to be alive. Amazing. And this is what life is all about.

"Passion" 2007-12

I'd like to talk about the importance of passion in our life. Often when you ask a person what their passion is, they answer something like, "Oh, I just love gardening-that's my passion." They like it; they enjoy it. And I'm not saying they shouldn't. But that's their hobby.

What can you have a real passion for in your life? What can truly ignite the fire in you to admire, to love? Something so special, so real. You cannot be passionate about something that is just in your imagination. It cannot be, "Oh, I love dragons." Well, I like dragons, too. They're powerful, they can fly, and they breathe fire. But I can't touch one or go talk to one.

To be passionate about something, I need it to be really real-not a figment of my imagination. If you need to sit down on something, you check to make sure it will support your weight. You can't sit on air; you'll fall down.

When I was very young, I used to love to listen to stories. If a story took all night to tell, it was fine with me. Every night, it had to be a new story. And when they would say, "And then they lived happily ever after," I would say, "No, no, no-keep going. I want to know what this happily-ever-after is," because that was a big assumption. The stories just freeze everything. It's done, finished; reality is locked up. What happened?

So if we're going to talk about passion, maybe we can begin with clearing up a few assumptions. People think, "If I have this, this, and this, all my problems will be taken care of." But that's not what happens in real life.

Most people have a nice long list of what they don't want in their lives and their list of what they do want is zilch. That's not how things work. Do you know what drives you? Do you know what inspires you? Do you know this thing that doesn't like pain? Do you know this thing that wants you to feel peace?

With all our reasoning, we haven't understood our nature. We haven't understood that there is such a thing that, if our consciousness were plugged into it, would bring not just joy, but supreme joy. Joy unparalleled.

That's what we should be passionate about. If we were, the floodgates would open. All our reasoning would not be needed. Just to understand the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is so simple that you have to be utterly simple to be able to understand it.

How simple? You have to have the heart of a child. What does a child have that you don't? You're sophisticated. You have a lot of ideas, a lot of concepts; you have seen the world. You're a little bit seasoned. So what is it that a child has? The child has simplicity. So if you want to experience that passion, you will have to have a heart of a child.

People ask, "What do I do to become simple?" It's not about doing; it's about undoing. We get bogged down by the very things that we have placed in our bag as we go along in life. The burdens we have placed upon our own shoulders-we did it ourselves-are the very things that bog us down.

The key is not to measure how many miles you have come, but to enjoy every single step you take. And don't walk so fast that it tests your endurance because, in reality, there are no benches on the side of the road. You do not get to sit down and rest because there is this thing called time attached to existence. And that is why passion becomes important. Because without passion, this life is like food without any taste. You can eat it, you can chew it, but you won't enjoy it.

A human being is an incredibly fine, sensitive experiencing instrument. Play it with the passion it deserves and you will hear sounds that you have been yearning to hear all your life. Fortunately or unfortunately, till you play it, that yearning will never go away. And if you do play it, that yearning will simply increase. For me, when something is like that-without it, the yearning never goes away and with it, the yearning increases-this is the most accurate description of true passion.

"Congratulations!" 2008-01

Congratulations, you are alive. Here you are. Once, you weren't here. And one day, you won't be. All your drama and trauma, all your ideas, all the things you like and don't like, all the things that happen that you judge your life by are but a dream. Just a dream. Dreams are not to be taken lightly, but they are dreams.

In the middle of all these dreams, there is a place within you where you can truly be awake. In that awakening, there is no judgment. There aren't issues of good and bad, right and wrong. You are not judged. There are no yardsticks and no races. Nobody is standing there saying, "You won" or "You lost." Just a beautiful reality that you are alive.

You have the ability to understand, to know, to admire. These are your qualities. You have the ability to get angry and the ability to be calm. You have the ability to be in turmoil and the ability to be in peace. Which do you use the most? Frustration. Anger. Disappointment.

Once in awhile, you actually find yourself happy. When you are, it is such a big deal that you think about it for years to come. And when you get older and your short-term memory goes, you will say, "I remember when I was there. Oh, that was so beautiful."

You have some other qualities: You can appreciate this existence. You can truly be happy in a timeless way - no camera needed, no special circumstances required. You can be in the joy that springs from your heart every single day.

Most people are trying to understand their mind. People have been trying to do that for an extremely long time. And they never will. They write books and say beautiful things, but it is like having a garden that looks spectacular though every flower is made out of paper and every tree is plastic. The grass is fake, so you don't ever have to cut it.

The disadvantage is that flowers don't bloom there and spring never comes. Bees never fly, no flower has a beautiful aroma, and the trees do not sway in the wind. Even though it all looks pretty, it is static - as in dead.

That is why it is so important to have a living experience. Living. Breathing. Existing. Feeling. Thinking. Understanding. Knowing. That's what is real.

What does your garden look like? Have you smelled the flowers? Have you ever seen a bee? Are there birds in the trees? Is there a season when it looks fine and you are content?

People get used to being frustrated. They get used to being mad, upset. They say, "That's life. Good times, bad times - it's all okay." What is okay? Me being lost? Me ignoring my own nature? Me being away from myself? Me not recognizing myself?

That's why every one of us needs so desperately to understand that there can be no compromises, that an effort needs to be made every single day to see, to feel what we have been given - from the heart, from our very basic being.

Know that a time will come when all that you rely on will slowly fade away. What will remain? You. You will still be able to experience, but erosion is afoot. It happens so slowly you don't notice it, but it's afoot. Every day, every second, it marches on, but above it floats a beautiful reality that is timeless. You are alive. And till the day you are alive no more, you can go inside and feel happiness; you can feel joy.

There is hope. Your heart is knocking on the door. Open up. Feel, see, understand, realize, know. Be in that joy, be in that feeling every moment. Understand the beauty of the possibility to feel clarity, to feel gratitude, to be thankful to be alive. I'm here to remind you: don't wait. Wake up. See, feel, admire, be a part of your existence.

"The Success Story"

There is the possibility that one little understanding can change the whole equation of life for you. This life can actually become a joy - not tedious, not living in bewilderment, not trying to duck - but making every day meaningful, filled with gratitude.

A lot of people may think that's a challenge. It's not. Because it is not a process of creating something. It's putting things back where they belong. Things have gotten so mumble-jumbled. What is the key? Place the self above everything that goes on during your day.

I'm not talking about being selfish or the self that says, "I need to be in front of the line." That's not placing the self first. That's being arrogant. The self I am talking about is that which you are, by whose presence you exist and without which you are nothing. You place everything else above that self. And what are the consequences? Confusion, doubt, wondering, coping, trying to explain.

Do you know how much time people spend trying to explain everything that happens? "This is why I got the parking ticket, why my tire went flat, why I lost my keys, why I don't have a good job, why I lost my promotion, why this happened." So many explanations.

People today are more content with explanations than with reality. How often do they say, "I can change that. It's not about losing my keys, getting the flat tire, getting a ticket. It's not about things going according to my plan or not. But something else is taking place. I am alive."

One day you will have to go. Don't look for immortality. Look for the immortal. What is immortal? Can we even imagine what is immortal? No. It's just a definition - something that never dies. Well, what is it that never dies? Everything that the eyes see will go. One day, the sun and the Earth will vanish. Once they weren't. And one day, they'll be gone.

That's the nature of all that you see. All that you thought is permanent never was. It just pretended to be, and you wanted to believe it, desperately. Do not be saddened by this, but awaken. That's the point.

You have learned to trust. That's all you can do. Bank on the kindness. Trust that there is a kindness. That somehow, whatever you go through, whatever happens, it will turn out okay. You are alive. And you have a choice: you can either get frustrated, bewildered, sink in the deep hole of doubt, or you can understand.

Life is a powerful thing. The desire to be fulfilled, to be in peace, is powerful. In these things, I trust. In these things, I find my comfort. Something within me perseveres to achieve that clarity in my life.

This human being is a success story. It is a success that started a long time ago and is still unfolding. And it will be a success story until the very last breath. If the heart is full, that's it. That is the success.

This understanding, this clarity is possible. To be in that place, to take advantage of the joy, is a conscious choice you can make. It's all about joy. This is the one life you have. Get it right. Now. Now is never too early and never too late.

Be in peace. Be in joy every single moment of your life. Because it's possible, and it's possible in your lifetime.

'Nothing Trivial'

An Indian poet once said that human beings have all the wealth they could possibly want. They just don't know it. The infinite is in every heart, and when it is recognized, everything changes. Everything becomes beautiful.

Not knowing what we have, we measure ourselves by what we don't have. And we are told that if we have this, this, and this, we will be happy. I know a person who was very successful, and in one week everything turned upside down. He went from being at the top of his game to being nobody. He even became distant from himself.

I know that solitary confinement is considered the harshest punishment for people because we are social animals. What if you had to be just with yourself? How would that be? Have you made peace with your existence? Or would you be hounded by questions you do not want to ever be asked but that you carry within you - the darkness of the unknown, of your fears?

Everyone has fears. There is the fear of failure: how you appear in the eyes of others - what your colleagues, your neighbors, the world think of you. But have you learned to live with yourself? Have you socialized with this human being that you are?

You, as a human being, what is your value? You judge yourself by all the scales that people put in front of you, "This is what's important, this is what's important, this is what's important." And you say, "Let me see where I am on this scale." And that becomes the measurement of your success. Get rid of that scale. You don't need it, because it is relative. You can be extremely sad, but on that scale, you're still right up at the top.

So how steady are you? How steady is your house? Instead of wasting time trying to measure up, strengthen your house, because the storm is going to come. Maybe it will be a little storm, maybe a big one. It's irrelevant, if your house is strong. Inner strength is the strength that lasts.

The person I was talking about had everything. All he needed was inner strength. But when his house of cards fell, he fell with it. His house wasn't strong. If he had had that inner strength, it would've been okay. He would've been happy. He's still not poor, but that's not the point. That scale will fluctuate. The question is, will you fluctuate with it?

Don't judge yourself by what the world has done to you and what the world tells you, by what has happened or what has not happened. You are alive. You're breathing. And because you are breathing, you are rich, not poor. You have a great gift. The same power that's backing up the entire universe is backing you up - something I cannot even pretend to fathom.

I know the word infinite. I cannot fathom it, but I can feel it, because that infinite is also within me. And that's my strength. The universe breathes; it comes together and expands, comes together and expands. It's a living thing. Something is keeping it all intact. And breath is coming to you, courtesy of that. Most people ignore it: "Breath? What is this breath?" But don't ignore it, experience it.

This thing called life has been described as a portal, a gateway. This is as close as the infinite and the finite can get. And here, in this life, the finite can experience the infinite. Just like in space, eventually the infinite will consume the finite. The finite will go back to being dust again, and the infinite will remain.

That's amazing, I think. There's a lot of nothing out there. And then there is something, and that something is really something. And then, a lot of nothing again. Expanding and contracting. Breathing, existing. Disappearing, reappearing. Colliding. Becoming something else. It's quite a thing. Amazing. Here you are; you are something. Don't compare it, "Oh, that's so trivial." In this universe nothing is trivial - nothing. Even dust is not trivial, because that's all there is - compacted dust and loose dust. You're dust. But it's something, not nothing.

So let go of your confusion, doubts, misery. Do not always worry, "What's going to happen? Where am I going?" This is what you've been wondering all your life. People have so many ideas. Fine. I absolutely believe that heaven is here. And I not only believe, I know this is the vessel that can feel the beauty of heaven. This is what has been given to you.

A Single Source

I'd like to talk about the gift of this life you have as a human being. What is a human being? What makes us so different? On one level, there isn't a lot of difference between us and other animals. Maybe the difference is no greater than the difference between a cat and a dog, but we are different.

What is that difference? There are animals out there that can outrun us, so it's not running. And there are animals out there that can out-jump us, so it's not jumping. It's not the smile, because monkeys smile quite frequently to show their teeth and let everybody else know they're the boss. So it's not smiling.

What is it? This is not based on science, but my inclination is that it is our power to appreciate, to enjoy, that makes us who we are. Dogs enjoy what they enjoy. There's no question about it. They wag their tail, and their eyes light up. They even get a smile. They enjoy what they enjoy. Cats are the same way. They enjoy what they enjoy. And birds enjoy what they enjoy.

But there is something we can enjoy because of who we are. And that, in my opinion, is what makes us a little bit different.

Now look for a moment at plants. I was driving along one day, and I noticed that even though the ground was undulating, the trees were growing straight up, not perpendicular to the ground. Why? Because their roots are on this earth, but their relationship is with something that's in the sky. They need to expose leaves to the sun, and the more the better. That's their relationship.

A tree takes many things into account - storms, wind, and that relationship it has with the sun. There are plants in Antarctica that grow very close to the surface because they know about wind. They know that if they try to pop out, they'll be gone, so they grow very, very close to the surface, but their relationship with the sun is still constant.

You see a myriad of designs - intricate leafs, branches, root systems, bark. And the tree has a relationship with something that is so far away from it. The tree doesn't know how far the sun is. But everything in its design, in its existence - as we call it - is in balance. If that balance is compromised, it cannot exist.

If we were to take a look at our own existence, how balanced is it? Most of us think, "I've got to survive in this world, and whatever it takes to survive is all I need. Period. That's it."

But who do we have that ultimate relationship with? What is the single source of inspiration in our life every day? For me, it can't be a hero. It can't be something you learned. It can't be an ideology or a great poet or artist or philosopher. It is something that resides in the heart.

The fact is that power is within everyone - period. But the only question is whether we recognize it, whether it manifests. And that is what I am here to talk about.

I'm not here to fix your problems. What I want you to realize is that there is something real inside of you that is greater than the sum of all your goods and bads, regardless of how you see yourself. Whatever you have read or whatever you think, there is something that resides inside of you. And that is what can be the single point of inspiration in your life.

I hope you will discover and pay attention to that thing that is within you and that you will forge a relationship with it. For then you will not just survive, you will thrive.

'By Design'

My message is not entwined in a philosophy. It does not come from a book. It is not a concept or an idea. It is based on one thing: you are alive. And because you are alive, there is a possibility that you can be content. You can have a joy in your life that is unaffected by anything, a joy that is independent of everything.

For some people, betterment means having a better job, being more successful or more productive. For some, betterment means having a better family, a bigger house or bigger car. But think about it: who are we? We are here on this planet Earth for a limited time. We think we will live forever, but that is just an illusion.

The reality is that one day you weren't. Then you were born. Today, you exist. And one day, you will have to go. It's a universal rule. Nobody is exempt. It applies to everyone, whether you are poor or rich, educated or not. It doesn't matter.

Do you know who you are? Somebody calls your name and you say, "Yes, that's me." But have you understood that within you there is magic unfolding, and this magic is the reality of your existence?

Before you were born, everybody wondered, "Boy or girl?" But when you actually came into this world, everybody's focus was only one: breathing or not? And when you leave this world, everybody will watch for that last thing: breathing or not?

So, what is the big deal about breath? The big deal is: Without it, you are nothing. And with it, you are everything. With it, you can be an uncle, a father or a mother, a son or a daughter; you can be successful or a failure. You can laugh or cry. And without it, you are dust.

As long as there is breath, you're not dust. With breath, you can say, "Come in! Welcome! Good morning!" Without it? People will say, "Take it away."

The big deal is: Here is the most incredible blessing, and we don't pay attention to it. We pay attention to what we consider a blessing: "Give me a child, give me a job, give me this, give me that." But you are more blessed than you realize. And the day you begin to count your blessings, you will be amazed. That is when you will understand what it really means to be thankful. When the heart is truly full and you begin to understand, confusion vanishes and clarity comes. You begin to see the simplicity of existence. It's not about success and failure, but being grateful for this life.

Some people say, "My purpose in life. . ." Not your purpose in life. What is the purpose of you having life? What is this?

This body, due to breath, moves and dances and feels. All day long you're feeling, feeling, feeling. You feel cold, hot, soft, rough. You are a feeling machine. And everyhuman being longs to feel joy. Since we were little, we wanted to feel that, even before we had a name for it.

The human heart is filled with a joy that you can feel whenever you want to, wherever you are - a joy that you can never have enough of. Do you know that you cannot tolerate sadness very well? You're not made for it. When you are sad, you want to leave it as soon as possible. Joy - no problem. You would think that would give you a little clue as to what you are about. The clue is: there is no limit to joy, and we are extremely allergic to pain and suffering.

Have you found the source of endless joy? It is not far from you - by design. If you have a longing for joy, it would be pointless to have the source of that joy inaccessible to you. So, in the clever design of this life, the source of joy goes with you wherever you go.

Enjoyment in this life is a possibility. There are no restrictions. Find that infinite source of joy within you.

'The Grand Miracle'

I'm not here to try to point out all the problems of the world, because there are too many. But, despite all the problems, all the things that are wrong, there are some things that are really, really good. Despite all the ugliness, there is something very, very beautiful. Despite all the mistakes, there is one thing that is perfect. And that perfection, that beauty, is in you.

There are people who like to point out all the problems, and in a way, I'm glad they do. But I think there should be some people who point out the good, the beautiful, because this life, despite all the problems, is beautiful. And sometimes, caught up in our troubles, our turmoil, our ideas, our concepts, we forget what we have been given.

Who are we? Are we just the sum of all the things that happen around us? Are we just people who wake up in the morning and realize our responsibilities, "I have to do this, I have to do this"? Or is there something more, something inside each human being that wants to smile, to be thankful, to feel gratitude, to feel joy?

I speak from my own experience. I have responsibilities. There are good days, and there are bad days. In the good days, I want to be happy. I want to feel peace. I want to feel connected to myself. Then there are the bad days. And even then, I just want to be happy.

Nobody can explain happiness. You know what it is. It isn't just smiling or laughing or a time of day when you become happy. Happiness comes because you feel good. We think it is feeling happy about something - our child graduates from college; we win a lottery ticket; we get a promotion. We think our happiness is associated with all these things.

There is only one person who can make you happy, and it happens to be a person you know very little about. Strange. You know about your friends, other people - your associates, your colleagues - but very little about yourself, who you are. And you are that one person who can make you very happy.

I see people driving on the highways honking their horns, yelling, screaming. Somehow I get the feeling that they don't really think life is important. They just want to get to where they're going. I want you to take a moment and understand something - that your life is incredibly important.

You're not a number. You're not a name. You are more than the sum of all your goods and bads. So many people live in fear. But there is a place inside of you that cannot have fear, where you can feel freedom. When somebody has to tell me I am free, I'm not free.

We have our formulas. Happiness has nothing to do with formulas. "This plus this, minus this, equals happiness." Either you feel happiness or you don't. Either you feel joy in your life or you don't.

What do you feel in your life? Because this life is the stage where peace will dance, where happiness will sing a song for you. This life holds promise after promise after promise, gift after gift after gift for you.

I have been watching spring coming. Ah, it is so beautiful to watch spring come. Right outside my office at home, there is a tree, and in the winter, it shed every leaf, down to just bare branches. And then slowly but surely, spring began to come, and not a day was wasted for those green shoots to start appearing. This I call dedication. This I call life. This I call "the grand miracle." If that tree was human, it would say, "Why are we doing this? Winter will come again, and I will have to shed these leaves again. So forget this - just hibernate."

It is not logic, but something that transcends logic. Love is not logical. These little shoots wait and wait. They can't forecast the weather. They don't think: "These two days are warm, but then the next two days it's going to rain again, so just wait." No. For them, it is: "Here it is. The warmth has come. The sun is shining. The temperature is right. Let's go." And as tender and delicate as those shoots are, even with two days of cold and rain, they keep on going. There is a drive that is more powerful. And this scene plays out for billions of trees every year.

Your spring has come. It is time to reach within and allow the hope for peace in your life to resurface, to see the good, to understand that good, to once again know and to once again say yes to what you have ignored for so long - you.

Kindness

Recently, someone was asking me about being kind. He was frustrated in his life and wanted to become a "better person." I told him, "Don't try to be a better person, because you already are. The kindness that you want to feel, you have. Ask a farmer how they prepare the field. It's not by frustration. When you get frustrated, you have the want, the desire, but you don't know what to do with it. So, prepare the field."

You're the field. Prepare it. How? Whatever you do most in your life, you will become good at it. Maybe you are good at being frustrated. If you practice this the most, you will become very good at it. So instead, start practicing kindness.

To practice kindness, just become a little more conscious.When you're going to talk to somebody, first think, "Who am I talking to?" Many times parents really want to tell their children, "I love you," but that's not what comes out. Instead they say, "Why did you do that? Why can't you be like this? I've told you so many times..." What they really want to say is, "I love you."

Being conscious has many benefits. I know this because when I am not conscious, I say things that I regret. So I'm not coming to you as an expert. I'm coming to you as a person who has a lot of experience.

Consciousness. This is your life. Don't let circumstances run your life; you run your life - what you want, how you want to be. Do you want to be angry? Sometimes it is good to be angry. Sometimes you want to be kind.

You are like a painter. There are many colors on your palette. You don't have to use only one. It's your life. Kindness is in you. Unconsciousness is in you, and consciousness is in you. The only thing you need is to take a moment to be conscious. This is easy to do. Just take a little moment before you do something and think, "What is it I am about to do? What is it that I want to do? I'm going to have this conversation - how do I want to feel afterwards?"

These are little things that you can do. And of all the little things you can do, the easiest one is just to take a little time.

What about the "reality" of all the things you have to do? That's not reality - that's fiction. To me, there's no difference between thinking about all the things you have to do and thinking there was a monster in the closet when you were little. There's no monster in your closet. Do all the things you have to do have to be done now? Maybe you wake up at 6:00 in the morning, and the office doesn't open till 9:00. But you think, "I have to do this. I have to do this. I have to do this."

Take a little time to be conscious. It only takes fraction of a second. If you are in the cockpit of an airplane, you don't want to be unconscious and hit the wrong switch. Hitting the right switch just takes a fraction of a second. And if you want to be conscious, it only takes a fraction of a second to think, "What am I about to do?"

Kindness is in you. You don't have to create kindness. There's more kindness in you than you can possibly imagine. There's more love in you than you can possibly imagine.

Why should you be kind? When you are kind, it makes you feel good. A lot of people want to be kind so that people will approve of them. But when you are kind, it makes you feel good. A very good incentive. And it's very contagious.

You want to be kind? Be kind to you. Yes, people get angry and this and that, but you need to forgive and to forgive yourself. This is where kindness begins. If you cannot be kind to yourself, being kind to other people is arbitrary. We all make mistakes and will continue to make them. If we did not make mistakes, we would not be able to learn from them. But we need to learn from them and move forward, whatever it takes. As long as you learn from them, making mistakes is not a problem.

So, you have kindness; you have everything you need. Practice it. And what you practice, you will become good at. It's very simple. It really is.

'Bridge of Life"

I want to tell you a story. It is a very different story, because it's not about a king or a queen or romance or victory or failure. The purpose is not to occupy your time or entertain you. There is a simple and beautiful reality, and it's the most magnificent story. It is about what is - this beautiful creation in an incredibly hostile universe.

We've been given an opportunity to be here. Is that good or bad? That's not the point. Let me give you an analogy. Let's say there is a very beautiful painting by one of the masters - trees, ocean, clouds, sun - but you have never seen it. Then one day you do. However, the painting was packed improperly, and it rubbed against the box. The greens, blues, oranges, and whites have all gotten mixed up. It almost looks weird. All that is left is the master's signature. And you think, "He painted that?"

Everybody looks at reality with a twist and wonders why reality isn't beautiful. When it comes down to this little thing called peace, I have found that nobody in this world has a clue what peace is - none, zip, nada, no idea. It's so sad that it's almost humorous.

Some people think, "Oh, the end of war is peace." So you mean that before the wars began, there was peace, and peace led to wars? Some say, "Eliminate the hunger in this world, and there will be peace." Listen, there are people who purposely go hungry trying to lose weight. If you created a "hunger detector" and drove down all the roads in the world with it, and anybody who was hungry would get food shoved in their mouth, would there be peace? You would have more wars.

So we have concepts. It's as though we have a film in front of our eyes, while reality is sweetly dancing. All that you see that is so beautiful will not always be there. This time you have is about the opportunity to be alive. It is not about the semantics of your life. It is not about the circuit diagrams of your existence. It is not about all the other things we allow ourselves to be distracted by. Peace is. And peace manifests within the heart of every single human being. That is the only place.

Don't look at reality through the eyes of all these formulas. Look through the simplest eyes that you have been given, and what will you see? You will see a perfection, hear a rhythm, discover a magnificence greater than what you could ever imagine. That is what this story is about.

The viewpoint we have latched onto because of our ideas is so different that we are incapable of simply appreciating what is - just seeing, understanding the beauty of the breath that comes in and out. It is the simplest act that takes place. It happens naturally. And its existence verifies that you are alive. So powerful is this breath that as long as it is happening, all is well. And if it isn't happening, the story changes.

The coming and going of this breath is a gift. And absolutely, as long as the breath comes into you, all is well indeed. When you feel that simplicity, you can begin to hear the real rhythm of your life. You can appreciate what you have been given, and the story will be complete.

You will be set free when you understand that you do not need the support of all the ideas, that you can just stand on this bridge of life, and that it is solid, good, strong. You can jump on it, and it won't fall down. You will be able to appreciate its strength. And then your heart will fill with gratitude for all that you have been given. And when your heart fills with gratitude, you will have the answers without needing the questions. It gets better and better, because there is no limit to that better, and there is no limit to the ability you have been given to enjoy.

"When Spring Comes"

Here we are in spring. And the tussle is on. On one side, winter does not want to let go of its hold. On the other side, the warmth of summer wants to break in. And this is played out in the skies, the clouds, the lightning, the rainbows, the sun. And on the ground are delicate little plants. They're fragile. Last fall, they gambled. "To survive the winter, we will need to shed our leaves." And they did. The gamble was, "Summer will come again and, when it does, we will be able to put out our leaves and once again become whole."

Now they are prepared, and the slightest hint of summer coming has spurred them to start putting those delicate leaves out again - ready to make that commitment to being complete.

My question is, are you ready for the spring in your life? If you are, I have some very good news for you: Spring indeed has come. Bloom! This is not the time to reason or question or argue whether spring has come for real or not. It is not the time to lament that leaves have to be shed again, so what's the point.

Do you know that every day you are alive, spring comes? Yes, pain comes, too. What is pain saying to you? "Hello, haven't we been a little unconscious lately? Awaken." When pain comes, people think, "Let's look at this. Let's analyze it." That's not what pain is for. The grinding of the gears inside is because something isn't right.

As a human being, you have a rhythm. And this rhythm says, "Move. March. Go. Move. March. Go." Move. Understand your mortality and be inspired to move on, not stop. Understand also that a part of you is immortal.

You're like a sandwich. One part of you, that you have paid a lot of attention to, is the wrong slice of bread. You should have paid attention to the other slice, because this one will disintegrate. That is its nature. Don't let that scare you. Let that inspire you to focus on the part that is truly delicious. And the inspiration to do that resides in your heart. Within you is the drum that plays the beat to know, to understand, to dance to the rhythm of the dance of understanding. "I understand what a gift I have been given. I understand my urge to blossom."

The beauty is, spring will come. And when I look at those tiny bright green leaves emerging, I say to myself, "Go. Do it. Don't be threatened. Don't be disheartened because it is cold today. However strong this grip of this cold is, it will be broken."

For you, however strong the grip of ignorance is, it will be broken, because the seeker within you is stronger than the sum of all the questions and confusion there is in this world. Such is the drive from inside. And this is the most beautiful drive - to search. If a person searches, I say, "Good. If you search genuinely, you will find the person who will fulfill that quest." It's called the thirst, the thirsty, and the water. Because there is a thirst, there is the thirsty. And because there is the thirsty, water will be found.

Some people go through a lot to find the water. And it will be found, because the water you are looking for is within. You don't have to go to a particular place. You don't have to look for an oasis or a well or birds or anything. Anywhere you are on this desert, every breath is pumping the most incredible water that will quench your thirst, day and night.

Look within your heart, and you will find the truest essence of your existence. Look within you, and you will find the most beautiful waters. Look within you, and you will find your answers to which you don't even have questions.

I'm talking about the passion and compassion in this universe and beyond, the most incredible energy that created the sun, the moon, the Earth from dust. From nothing to create everything. To create this Earth with ceilings without pillars, incredible textures of carpet, alive, beautiful, ever-changing. To create a magnificent light, made up of every shade. To create night lights that are unimaginable - the moon, the clouds, the stars, all of it. And for you to have the ability to witness this, not only to see but be able to admire. To make every day and never to make two alike - this is craftsmanship. To make the trees and snowflakes and never two alike. And to make human beings and never two alike.

When the rain pours and pours, remember the magnificence that you have been blessed with. Remember what the possibilities are. Remember that you're part of it all. You're not some abstract, good-for-nothing thing that just happened to be. When the craftsmanship is so good then every bit needs to be looked at and admired, nothing is frivolous. Not a grain of sand, not a leaf, not a snowflake, not a raindrop is out of place. And if you accept that, then you must also accept you're not out of place. See and understand the reality, because it is more beautiful than anything you have imagined. And as spring comes every day in your life, without hesitation, sprout.

'It's Your Choice'

Someone told me that they wanted peace so that they could give it to others. But you can't give your peace to anybody else, just as you can't give anybody your time. You cannot give a person who is dying even five more minutes.

Peace is very personal. By having peace in your life, you can become a catalyst for others, this is true, but you cannot give them peace. They have to find their own thirst, have their own understanding, and find that peace within.

That possibility is always there in your life. If you have the wisdom, you will take advantage of it. Sometimes people think wisdom is enlightenment. They see an old painting of a saint with a light over their head and think, "Oh, that's an enlightened person." But true enlightenment is when you recognize, and wisdom is deciding to choose the joy that is within you. It is not about knowing what's coming tomorrow. Problems come and go. If you have a problem, one day it will go just like it came. Things will change - you will change - but the passion for joy, for clarity, will remain with you for the rest of your life.

My thirst for clarity, for joy, has not changed since I was very little. Everything else has changed - my likes, dislikes, what I eat, what I don't eat. Everything has changed, but that thirst has not changed.

Choose that in your life. This is a choice that has to be made every day - to enjoy your life. You have to come as a free person, not with baggage, not in fear, because that won't work. Problems come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes they change their appearance. But what do you want in your life? This is a choice you're going to have to make.

People have hesitation. I cannot do anything about that because this is you. Personally, for me, hesitation is a waste of time. I can tell you a story about hesitation.

Once there was a man who went to a fair. His teeth were really dirty - almost black. As he was walking along, he came to a display where a doctor was selling medicine for 15 cents. The doctor was showing it to people and offering that if somebody came from the audience with completely black teeth, they could wash their mouth with the medicine, and their teeth would become sparkling clean.

This man wanted the medicine, but he couldn't decide. Maybe it's too expensive. Maybe he doesn't really want it. Maybe he does want it. Does it work? He's standing there thinking, "Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I?" He's got a five-cent coin and a ten-cent coin, and he's rubbing the two coins together over and over. "Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I?"

Finally, all the bottles are gone except for one. So, the man takes his coins, throws them at the doctor and says, "Here, I'll take it." The doctor picks up the coins and says, "With what?" The man said, "Well, I just gave you 15 cents." And the doctor said, "I've been watching you going, 'Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I?' And in this process, you have totally worn down the coins. They are no good now."

Hesitation is like that. The coins are our time. "Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I?" If you are ready to make the commitment that joy is what you want in your life, you will be welcome. It's never too late, but don't hesitate, because in hesitation, you're wasting your time.

When this breath comes into you - and it just did - nobody can say, "I have been breathing for 60 years, so it's okay if I don't breathe for six hours." No, it's not okay. Each breath is needed. Every day joy, peace, needs to be accepted, felt, understood. This is the dance. This is the symphony of life.

'Pulse of Life'

It's so important to understand the subject of this life. I don't think the importance of truly grasping what this means can be over-emphasized. As human beings, we have an incredible brain, incredible talent. We can accomplish so many things - almost too many. Because we are alive, we can experience peace and joy. We can go to the moon and create space stations. We can peer into the deep, deep reaches of the universe. And because we are alive, we can also create wars, decimate this planet, and make it impossible for everything to exist.

Cell phones have saved many lives. But the same technology that is saving so many lives is also being used in weapons and a weapons delivery system that is wiping out more lives than it is saving. And the saving might happen over a period of a year, but the destruction happens within days.

So, it becomes obvious that we have to choose. And what should our choice be? Well, to put it in context, there is a place you can go that is not really real. It's virtual. There, you can create an alter-personality of yourself. You can fly. You can do all the things you've always wanted to do but could never do, but only virtually, not really. In this virtual place, people buy apartments and sofas for apartments. But when you buy the virtual apartment and the furniture, you pay for it with real money. It's a million-dollar-a-day business - $365,000,000 a year. And it's growing. People even meet in this virtual place and get married!

I bring a message about reality, a message that says, "What you are looking for is inside of you."

Who are you? What are you? What is your core? We need to know that in this day and age more than at any other time. Otherwise, our choices will be virtual or make-believe, but the consequences will be real. Unfortunately, consequences are always real.

What is your real potential? There is a power, a beauty, that resides within. When I turn within, my heart is filled with joy, peace. I have to choose this every single day, because in this world, the line between the virtual and the real can become too faded. And I choose reality, because it is far more beautiful.

An Indian writer named Tulsidas once said, "All that you see is illusion. As far as your eyes can see, it's all illusion. If you want reality, turn within." The problem is that we don't like what we see, but we don't understand why. So we create an alternative world in which our fantasies can come true. People like Tulsidas said, "Turn within and all your fantasies will come true. The truest wish will come true." But we have to choose. Every single day, we have tochoose.

Reality is beautiful. Don't try to measure it, because contentment, joy, love, understanding cannot be measured. There is no scale for them. Understand. Open your heart. Look within and see how beautiful it is. Feel your life filled with joy, filled with gratitude, not explanations or ideas. This is reality; no formulas or philosophies are needed to truly receive the gift every single day.

You are the vessel for the sweetest satisfaction, joy - the pure clear water of contentment. When you are filled with this, you come alive, because that's what life is. You can understand. You don't have to be confused. It's that simple. Realize the pulse of life.

What an incredible opportunity it is to choose a gratification that is given every day when you turn inside. It's not about the struggles you've had or the list of failures, but about each success that took place. You will still make mistakes, but the beauty is it's not about mistakes or failures. It's not about the length of the night. It's about the rising of the sun. The light comes, and a new day begins.

'Walking with Strength'

What is this life all about? One day, we all have to go. You know that; it's in the back of your mind some days. Other days, you don't bother thinking about it. For most people, the subject is very unpleasant. But the issue is your existence - you being alive. Just what does that mean to you?

So many people say, "If we could just find a solution to this problem, everything would be fine." People everywhere basically know that they want to be happy. They want to be content. They want to feel good. Every human being is innately like that. This is our nature.

We seek equilibrium. The storms in our lives are not a good thing. When a storm comes, we seek shelter. We don't say, "I'm going out in the storm now. This is the perfect time." We need the equilibrium of feeling good. I'm not going to define "feeling good." There are certain things that work for you, and certain things that don't. Feeling good works. Feeling bad doesn't. You don't get bored with feeling good. When you are feeling bad, on the other hand, you want to get out of that situation. This is your nature.

Do you concur with your nature? Do you try to nurture a good feeling and perpetuate it as much as possible? Or do you carry around a pocketful of band-aids? A pocketful of band-aids is: "There is no way I'm going to be conscious or perpetuate happiness in my life. I will do things that are unconscious, and when I get hurt, I will simply pull out one of the band-aids, take care of it, and I will be okay."

Being unconscious will get you hurt - no question about it. When you don't listen to your own fundamental needs, something will happen, and it will not be pleasant.

So what is pleasant? Pleasant is when the priority of life is acknowledged and my heart is filled with gratitude. When I know the friend within, when my house is built on the foundation of knowing - not beliefs, wishes, and ideas - it is very, very pleasant. This is what life is all about - filling yourself with the pleasant, filling yourself with infinite joy.

Can life really be filled with infinite joy? Is that possible? If you doubt this, you don't understand the nature of what resides within you, because what resides within you is complete joy, complete clarity.

Think of life like this: It is your opportunity to spend time with the best friend you ever had. It is your chance to be with the ultimate clarity, the ultimate kindness, the ultimate joy. That's what a life is. It's not promised to be forever. But the possibility exists that you get to spend time with that which is the most beautiful. And that resides in your heart.

So, wherever you go and whatever takes place, just remember this: Life is not just ups and downs. They happen. That's our doing. By our unconsciousness, we allow greed, anger, and fear to overtake the sanity of being alive. If there is suffering on planet Earth, it is brought by the people, for the people. We are the ones that set the expectation of how everything should be. "You should be like this, live for this long, look like this, look like that."

Did God create the problems in this world? No. We did. It is about human beings. If you could just know that this life is the chance to spend time with that which is the truest, unconditional love… This is the opportunity for every living being to spend time with the Beloved within, to feel gratitude for life and rejoice. When that happens, you feel alive, and you begin to live. And the most magnificent movement is the coming and going of the breath. It needs no proof, no buildup. Its blessing is obvious. Is it obvious to you?

You exist. You are alive. Gather your strengths, not your weaknesses. What are your strengths? Your strengths are consciousness, kindness, understanding, acknowledging, rejoicing, loving. And when you walk with these, the outcome is beautiful. Every second you spend with the beauty inside of you, you are liberated. You are free.

'Acceptance'

We all want to have fun, to enjoy. The most fun of all is to be alive. Not everybody understands that, because we get caught up in what "fun" is, what life is, and how that should be defined. And all of a sudden, we find ourselves coping with what is happening around us rather than enjoying.

Coping is totally different from enjoying in the truest sense. I'm not talking about parties and balloons, but about something so essential to a human being - the fun of the heart.

People say, "Life is terrible. If you think life is fun, if you think life is about joy, then you need a reality check."

What is your reality? My conviction, my understanding is that of all the days you have in this life, if just one day you are fulfilled, then this life was worth it. If it was just six hours, three hours, one hour, one moment, one second of being able to realize what you have been given - this life was worth it. You cannot realize what you have been given until you have accepted it from your heart. Look at what you have been given in its entirety. Even if it is for one second, it is so beautiful, so precious, that it is indeed enough.

When the call from within comes, when the heart says, "Be fulfilled," we ignore it. We think it is not significant enough, or we say, "I don't have time for this stuff."

We think that, as this breath has been coming and going, it will continue to come and go, and that there will be no end to it. Excuse me, there is. And the humility that it evokes is so amazing. It's not like a hammer falling down. It's a fine line. One day, I have to go. And when that becomes certain, the value of this time, this life, this breath becomes clear.

It's not about the beginning or the end of life. It is that one day, one minute, one second you are touched by the pure joy, the pure reality, that resides in you 24/7, that never abandons you. Wherever go, whoever you are, the gift keeps coming. All you have to do to put your world right is to accept it. That's all. You don't have to ferment it, reshape it, cut it, wash it, frame it.

Do you know what the greatest form of worship is? Acceptance. In that acceptance, in that understanding, clarity begins to come, not confusion. What comes with joy is clarity. These things are paired. Clarity is paired with joy, not with confusion. Confusion comes with doubt, anger, fear - all the things we don't like and don't know how to get rid of.

What is being offered is not just to feel that joy for one moment - which would be enough - but to feel it whenever you want to. There is no question that whenever you turn within - be it your last breath or not - you will be rewarded with joy, with peace.

What do you want? Look at your heart. It hasn't changed. You may have gotten older, but your heart has not changed. What you desired when you were very little, you still want today. And it's not the toys. It's the joy of being alive - to wake up, to want it, to grab it, to accept it in earnest.

I want you in your life to feel that feeling of fulfillment. That's all. I'm not here to confuse you or tell you that everything you know is junk. I'm not here to say you should follow a religion or not follow one. Do whatever you have to do. But of all the things you do in your life, do this one, too: feel fulfilled. And of all the things you do, do this one also: accept the gift that has been given to you so abundantly.

This breath, accept it. The day you do, that will be the most incredible act of worship you will have ever done. Your heart will instantly fill with gratitude. And when your heart is filled with gratitude, there is no greater heaven on the face of this earth. Time stops; worries are gone. The heart is filled with gratitude. The heart is the best. It will bring you back home.

Making a Difference

I have traveled the world many times speaking about peace. And people ask me, "How is peace going to be possible?" I tell them, "Maybe you have ten reasons why peace is not possible: There is too much greed. There are too many people who are hungry. I have 6.7 billion reasons why there should be peace on this earth - 6.7 billion being the population of this earth, approximately."

I have the same interest you do, the same quest as you, the same dream as you. And we, the people, can make the difference for peace on this earth.

We have relied on institutions long enough. Institutions can bring us prosperity - ways to flourish on the outside. But when it comes to feeling the peace on the inside, this remains our responsibility. I have gone from village to village. I have seen the poor, and I have seen the rich. These are society's differences, the glasses they give us that say, "Look at me. I am rich; I am poor. I am tall; I am short. I am a woman; I am a man. I am educated; I am not educated."

These divisions have pushed people further away from each other, not brought them together. Look at the condition of this world. There are more educated people today than there have ever been. And look what that has brought. If the solution lies anywhere, it is, and has always been, inside of us. It is incumbent upon human beings to bring peace, to bring kindness to each other.

Peace and the quest for peace will persevere. You are the little seeds that, when they germinate, carry on the cause of peace in this world.

What is peace? People think, "If everybody had food, then we would have peace." Excuse me. Who creates food? Do people create food? No. We can sow the seeds. Nature does the work. Nature grows the trees and the fruit. Is nature partial to what language you speak? Is nature partial to any of the divisions that we have created? No. Can the people of this world be fed? Yes. What does it take? Kindness.

There is a saying: "If you are strong, you should be kind. If you are smart, you should be simple. If you are wealthy, you should be humble." I agree. The kindness that needs to exist is in the heart of people, but skepticism hides that kindness.

Some people say, "If all the children were taken care of, there would be peace." God takes care of that child for nine months in the womb. That's not where the problem begins. It's when the child comes into our world. Nine months - food, water, sleep - everything is perfectly taken care of.

I am not here to give you peace. I am here to put the idea in your head that peace exists inside of you. Start thinking, that's all. The thirsty will find the water, because they have the thirst. But if there is no thirst, they could be standing next to a lake, and it won't make any difference whatsoever.

I am saying, "Let us know the dream of our heart to have that crystal clear water." Everybody can not only drink from it but bathe in it. This is the dream; this is the possibility. One step at a time. ?

People come to me and say, "Give me some peace!" How can I give you what you already have? You have that peace inside of you. The attitude that needs to change is: Is peace a possibility or not? This is what you have to decide. I have decided for myself. Yes, peace is a possibility. The drums of peace have been ringing on this earth for a very, very long time.

Your strength lies in understanding your thirst, your need to be in that joy, to be in that happiness. There is a dimension inside of you that is greater than all that you see on the outside. You are more than the sum of all the bad that happens in your life. Peace is inside of you even in turmoil, and you can experience that peace. It begins with understanding your thirst for it.

'A Singular Quest'

Many times, I ask, "Does light really know about darkness, and does darkness really know about light?" This is a very interesting question, because maybe we wonder, "Isn't there some point where the two meet?" Think about it. Does light know about darkness? They have never met. Can they ever meet? I don't think so, because their natures are so fundamentally different.

It is the same way in the world of the heart. There are principles that guide and dictate the heart, and then there are principles that guide and dictate the mind. Do the two know about each other? I don't think so, because their natures are so fundamentally different. One does not rely on feeling or understanding. The other does. There is something in you that, just by reading a description of food, can say, "That's good." But your nature is that only after food has touched the tongue and the aroma has reached the nose can you say, "Wow! This is good!" So for one part of you, description is good enough. For another part of you, something has to be real. Then, and only then, is it accepted. In that part of you that belongs to the realm of the real, there is something very beautiful called the heart. In the realm of the heart, description means nothing.

Imagine that you've bought a house, you're cleaning it, and in the corner, you see a shiny diamond. You pick it up, and your first reaction is, "I bet this is fake." But, if in that corner, there's a beautiful box with a fake diamond in it, your first reaction will be, "I bet it's real."

Aren't you curious which part of you dictates your life? Both are parts of you, no question about it. Which is the part that makes decisions for you? It's a very simple question, but it has incredibly profound consequences.

I'm not talking about decisions of what to eat, what movie to see, what clothes to buy, or even who to marry. I'm talking about the decisions that really matter to you. The heart is incapable of making decisions in an illusive world. It does not understand it. The mind is quite capable of making decisions in this world. It does understand it, because it created it. "We need this, we need this, we need this…." The mind has made the world situation confusing. But in the realm of the heart, there is no confusion. There never was and never will be. In the realm of the heart, there is only one thing: To be fulfilled. To find that joy, to find that feeling - not a description of the feeling. What I talk about is not dogmas, theories, descriptions, explanations. This is about finding the joy in your life. And not just once, but to have that joy available to you every single day for the rest of your life. That's it. If you're looking for descriptions, explanations, rules, something to believe in - you won't find them here, because this is the realm of the heart.

In the realm of the heart, there is knowing. To know, not have faith. To walk in clarity, not in doubt. People say, "Have faith, and that will overcome doubt." I say, "Have clarity, and that will overcome doubt." Which one? Faith or clarity? Clarity. Not just, "I hope, I wish, I pray." But, "The next step will be taken with clarity, not wishful thinking."

The joy that you seek already exists in the heart. All you have to do is awaken to this possibility. Understand. Feel. Do you understand who you are? You are conscious. Because you are conscious, you can feel the infinite. And when you do, joy happens - the truest joy. Not "Happy Birthday" joy. Not becoming a dad or mom joy, graduating joy, finding a job joy. It is the joy that happens when the consciousness experiences the beauty inside - that joy. The joy of being full.

So, while you have this consciousness, feel the joy in your life. This is who we are. Come and accept clarity in your heart. Pay a little attention to this other world that is also a part of you - the world of the heart, the world of knowing, the world of clarity, the world of simplicity. I guarantee you that you will feel good - a good that cannot be described in words. And then, walk every step with clarity, with confidence. Every day that you have, of all things that you can do, you can also be fulfilled.

Touched by the Magic

You know, as human beings, there is a lot that is good. But there are certain habits we have that are not so good. And one of the bad habits we have is that we are so attracted to distractions. Any minor little distraction somewhere, and that's where our attention goes.

Why is that a bad habit? Because it robs us of the essential things we need to make this life a beautiful occasion. And this is the possibility. This is what you can do - you can make this one lifetime the most incredible time. How?

You are in this world; you exist. One day you weren't here; today you are; and one day you will die. I can guarantee you that you don't understand what that means - because of the distractions. When the time comes that you lose the capacity to be distracted - and such a time does come - then and only then will you begin to understand what life is about.

How do I know this? Have I reached that time in my life where I'm not distracted? No. But I also know that there was somebody who was kind enough to show me. Because when I get caught up in my own tune, in my own definition of what life is, I become careless.

Look at a person living an "exciting" life - bungee-jumping. This is what some people think is exciting. They actually challenge death, "Take me on!" And they think that's excitement. Or they climb a vertical rock without any safety lines, just using their fingertips and powder. The only reason Death doesn't take them on is because it is laughing so hard - just bowled over with laughter. One day Death sobers up. And just like that, they're gone. Their body becomes dirt again.

So what is life about? Is it about the excitement? Or is it about feeling a heart full of joy?

All the things that we think are important will one day turn around and become unimportant. I have been reading letters from people who are either at the very front of the line or maybe two or three people from the front of the line. The other day, I was talking to somebody, and he said, "Oh, so-and-so is close to dying."

I said, "Well, we're all in the process. Join the line." I guess some people are more in the front of the line, and some are a little further back in the line. But there is a line, and everybody is headed that way. That is the law of existence. And the law states: "You are here, but for a limited time." And no one - no one - gets to change that law.

People say, "Oh, but there are cryogenics and all those things." Excuse me, but this earth is made out of dust. The metal cylinder that holds the cryogenic agent and your head is made out of compressed dust. And the innate vulnerability of dust to return to the state of dust is tremendous. The miracle is not dust turning into dust. It is: How come it hasn't already? That's the miracle. Destruction should've happened a long time ago. I mean, all that needs to happen is for one small celestial body to head this way and get a little too close, and it will be pulled towards the earth. And when it does, it will obliterate this planet.

This dust is more fragile than a gold or silver leaf. Have you ever seen a silver leaf on a piece of paper? In India, they put them over dishes and foods. That silver is so delicate that, if you breathe the wrong way, it will just go all over the place. That is how delicate it is. And from this dust, many, many things have been created, like rocks and mountains.

I am here to tell you what I have been telling people all my life: Don't let another day go by without being touched by the magic of what has been placed inside of you. Don't let another day go by that is filled with doubt, anger, and confusion. Don't let another day go by without feeling the fulfillment of this heart. It is possible to be fulfilled in this life. It is possible to be in peace. It is possible to be conscious. It is very, very possible.

'Beyond Description'

There is something in you that, just by reading a description of food, can say, "That's good." But your nature is that only after food has touched the tongue and the aroma has reached the nose can you say, "Wow! This is good!" So for one part of you, description is good enough. For another part of you, something has to be real. Then, and only then, is it accepted. In that part of you that belongs to the realm of the real, there is something very beautiful called the heart. In the realm of the heart, description means nothing.

The mind has made the world situation confusing. But in the realm of the heart, there is no confusion. There never was and never will be. In the realm of the heart, there is only one thing: To be fulfilled. To find that joy, to find that feeling - not a description of the feeling.

What I talk about is not dogmas, theories, descriptions, explanations. This is about finding the joy in your life. And not just once, but to have that joy available to you every single day for the rest of your life. That's it. If you're looking for descriptions, explanations, rules, something to believe in - you won't find them here, because this is the realm of the heart.

What's the Point?

There is a lot to appreciate. One life, and in this one life, to understand what is real, to understand the quintessential, important thing: the value of this existence. Life is life. Breath is breath. To wonder is to wonder. To wander is just to wander. And when people wander, I ask them, "What are you looking for?"

I know that we seek to quench our thirst. We may never say to ourselves, "I'm thirsty." But we are. We might say, "I have everything," but we don't - not unless we have found the water that quenches our thirst.

People ask, "If I acknowledge that I don't have everything, does that make me weak or incomplete?" No. The water you search for is inside of you, and the thirst that causes you to search for it is also inside of you. You do not become dependent on something outside; it is within you. Understand what that means. You do not create anything; you come to know what is already inside of you. And not only know that, but fall in love with it.

When you know and have fallen in love with that one thing, you will be rewarded with peace. Many say, "Oh, when we stop fighting, we'll have peace." No. You will have exactly that - no fighting - but not peace. There have been times when people have not been fighting, and then they started fighting with each other, so could you say that peace leads to war, and war leads to peace? That would be a dangerous statement to make. What is peace? Is peace an absence of the external war or the internal war? You see, the peace you are looking for is from the internal war, the war that rages inside of you.

A lot of people read a beautiful book and say, "Oh, it brings me so much peace." What did the writer read? The writer couldn't have read that book till he had written it. I'm not against books, but books are not enough. That's like hanging a picture of a well on a wall and saying it will suffice. You would never say, "I don't really need a kitchen. What I need is some wall space where I can hang a picture of food, and every time I get hungry, I will look at this picture and be satisfied." Yet, when it comes to peace, people do exactly that. "I don't need anything. All I need is this little place in my house. I will hang this picture, put this book there, do this, do that. And then I will come and spend a few quiet moments."

You have two ears that let outside noise in. But this mind has its own set of ears. It listens to things that were never said, sees things that never existed, talks to people that were never born, and goes to places that don't actually exist. So, when you talk about being quiet, are you talking about a quiet room or real quiet, even here inside?

You have a thirst to be fulfilled, a thirst for peace. If you ask why, then may I give you my observation? There is all this dirt floating around in space. It's compressed and brought into this beautiful planet called Earth. Then it goes through an amazing process. From dirt, dinosaurs come and go, this comes and that goes, and from this dirtcomes another dirt. And thisdirt is a little different, but it's basically dirt.

Dirt makes goals and says, "This is what we should all achieve." It says, "I have gone to the deepest ocean, the highest sky." But there's dirt out there much higher than you. It says, "I have ten degrees. I am the youngest at this, the oldest at this." Amazing what dirt thinks. So, what is the point of this dirt being able to think, perceive, recognize, feel - when it will just become dirt again? When somebody will outdo you in whatever you do?

One day, my children wanted to go on an amusement park ride. I asked, "Why do you want to go on this ride? It goes round and round, and it's just going to come right back here." And the answer was, "To have fun." I remember this, because it had a profound impact on me. I started thinking, "From nothing came this body, and to nothing it will go. What is the point?" Well, I will give you the same answer that a very youngperson gave me a long time ago: to have fun. It's just my observation.

To me, fun is where truly the heart is entertained, where a person is filled with gratitude, where the dirt is filled with joy. Turn within and feel this blessing of breath. This is the most incredible miracle there is! Dirt can dance. Very unnatural, but with so much charm and grace that it is completely natural - the dirt can speak, the dirt can think, and the dirt can feel the ultimate.

A Matter of Reality

There is a lot going on around the world. But I want to talk to each one of you about this life, about this time that we have. It's not often that somebody points out the importance of life itself. We live in a world that sees it very differently.

I'll give you an example. Today, I wanted to know about the latest hurricane. So I turned on the TV. They were talking about how many people might get hurt, how many millions of dollars in damages the last hurricane had caused, and how much damage this one could do.

Then, all of a sudden, there was an advertisement saying, "Are you overweight? Would you like to lose five to ten pounds? Then this medicine is for you!" And I'm thinking, "Wait a minute. Half of the United States is in trouble, and we're talking about being five to ten pounds overweight?" That's the world we live in. What reality is and what it is not has become an incredibly fine line. So fine, in fact, that it is almost indistinguishable.

A long time ago, someone said, "As far as your eyes can see, you can consider it to be an illusion." In our little world, we have made compartments for everything. So when we hear a deep statement like this, we don't really want to act on it. If we did, the consequences would be amazing. You'd come out of your garage and realize, "My house is an illusion." You'd look at your wife and say, "You're an illusion, honey." You'd look at your kids and your car in the same way. I mean, it would be almost paralyzing. You'd wonder, "Wait a minute - as far as the eye can see, it is all an illusion?"

So, we have compartments, and we say, "Well, this is one of those deep thoughts." And then we move along. We go on our way because we don't really want to change. If it means saying, "Oh, I love changes," and not having to change, we say that, too. And people actually make these declarations, "I love changes." As long as nobody causes them to change, it's okay.

I ask people, "Do you have peace in your life?" "Yes." "Really?" "Oh, yes, yes. I read scriptures, I go jogging every day, I do yoga. I have peace. Now, where is the ice cream?" And that's it.

Why am I talking to you about illusion and reality? Does it matter that all this is an illusion? Does it matter that there is a reality? Yes, it does. Why? Because I see myself in relation to all the things that I am surrounded by. If I didn't see any relationship between those things and me, then it wouldn't be a problem. But when I see that relationship, I am caught.

The point is that all we consider to be real is not. We have our relatives or "relations" and all the people we love. There will be a time when all these relationships will come to an end. There will be a time when they can no longer reciprocate our love. So, why am I talking to you about this? My point is, if you're going to have a relationship, have a relationship with something inside of you, too. If you're going to have loved ones, find the love that is inside of you as well, because this is the one that transcends the limitations of this world.

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. When you go to somebody's house for dinner, what do you carry away with you? Well, you still have food in your stomach, but you also carry the memory of the enjoyment you had. Learn how to truly enjoy, because when you know how to enjoy, you take that with you in a heart that is full.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, whatever situation you go through, you carry a joy with you. But if you have not understood and included your true self in this life of yours then, yes, you live in a world of illusion. Somehow, you think that this will all be here forever. But it won't.

There is something real in you. There is something beautiful in you. If you want to be mesmerized by beauty, be mesmerized by the beauty that is within you. If you want to understand something, understand yourself. If you want to love, love this beautiful breath that comes into you. If you do this, you will be given a gift of peace, joy, love - not in thoughts, not in words, but in feeling. And that is no ordinary gift.

The Company You Keep

A fifteenth century Indian saint used to talk about how all the trees that grow around a sandalwood tree begin to smell like sandalwood. They aren't sandalwood, but as they grow, they take on that beautiful scent.

So is it possible that if I keep the company of the most beautiful thing in my life, I will begin to take on its characteristics? Yes. That's the significance of the analogy.

If keep the company of ignorance, I will take on the characteristics of ignorance, but if I keep the company of clarity, I will begin to take on the qualities of clarity. If I want to have the beautiful aroma of understanding, I need to keep the company of understanding.

If this is even remotely possible, what a possibility exists for me in my life!

Kabir, another fifteenth century saint, says, "We are like cloth that is washed with the soap of clarity again and again until it sparkles. You need to sparkle, to shine, because that is your potential." You are not sandalwood, and you won't become sandalwood. But can you take on some of the beautiful, beautiful aroma of sandalwood? Yes. Therein lies your hope.

I hear from people around the world. Many are in difficult situations. Some are in prison, some with life sentences. My message goes to them, and it's an incredible dynamic, because what hope can they have? Even in that situation where there is so little hope, they are looking for hope. They are looking for joy. They are looking for clarity!

We become busy doing so many things that we think are important. But listen to the human being that you are. What is your truest need? Your truest need is to be content.

We go along the highway of life saying, "I need this, I need this, I need this." Some of it is what we think, and some of it comes from other people telling us, "This is what you need this is what you need, this is what you need."

I have heard people rave about Krispy Kreme donuts. I hear that the bakeries have a light that goes on when the donuts are fresh out of the oven and that people actually slow down as they pass by the shop in case the light will go on. And if it does, no matter what they are doing, people will stop to get a donut and satisfy that desire for something delicious.

It's tempting. Sometimes the thought comes to me, "Hmm, maybe I should try a Krispy Kreme donut." Then I realize, "I don't want to." Does it matter? No.

But everything in this journey of life does matter: what is mine and what is not mine; what I know and what I believe; my thirst and the thirst that has been superimposed upon me. This is a big subject. The way we talk, the way we think, the way we imagine things is directly influenced by the society around us, not us.

What is our true thirst? Who are you? Are you just a puppet, built with the papier-mâché of concepts - one layer of paper over another and another? Or are you something more than that? Pray that the answer is "Yes," because if the answer is "No," we're in trouble.

The good news is that we each have a thirst. We each have a quest to be fulfilled, to be in peace. You may not be aware of it, but deep down you know about it.

Keep the right company, and you will soak in their traits. Keep the company of light, and you will begin to glow. This is the transformation of a human being becoming a true "be-ing." Simple, conscious of existence.

There is a beauty within you that you can be in touch with for the rest of your life. It's ageless. Timeless. Beautiful. Simple. There aren't too many things like that in this world.

If you want to keep the company of that, I can help.

Keep What Is Yours

I have been traveling with the message of hope for people - that you exist, that you're alive, that you've been given something that is so precious. I tell people that what they have - not what they need to achieve, not what they need to create, not their need to climb a mountain or swim an ocean - but what they have is the most beautiful thing.

For most people, the hardest thing to understand is that they already have everything they could possibly want. On one hand, there are desires, expectations, aspirations. We are told, "Do this, do this, do this." Remember when you were young and your mother or father would tell you, "Study! Study hard so that one day you can become something"?

I understand the intent behind that statement. The intent is that parents want their children to succeed. But it also implies something else, which is: you are nothing. And that is simply not true.

I don't really want to tell you that your mother was wrong. I want to be able to say that your mother was right. And maybe she was right about everything, except for that one thing - you are something. Not only that, but you are, in fact, something divine. And so, my message brings hope - not just making something up to give you good news, but real hope.

What is the reality? The reality is that within you the blessing of breath is coming and going. What does that mean to you? You judge yourself by what you have accomplished. You judge yourself by what you think your world is. Everybody is proud of something. There are mothers and fathers who are proud of their sons and daughters, children who are proud of their parents - and it goes on and on. Everybody's proud of something.

But go beyond the expectations. Right now your bucket is full of ideas. It's your bucket, but it's full of ideas. And these ideas are not yours. It's your bucket, so if it's full of ideas, at least they should be your ideas, right? But that's not how it is. It's full of other people's ideas.

We buy into the idea, "That's how it is." In this life, it's important to put in your bucket only that which is tried and true - and good enough to bear your stamp. Only what you want to put in, not what somebody else wants to put in.

You think this only happened when you were young? No, it happens every day. You walk around with that bucket and people keep chucking things in it, keep chucking things in it - every day. That's why this bucket is full of nothing - nothing that will help you.

What am I saying? Just walk this life on your feet, not somebody else's. Understand its value for yourself, not because somebody else said this life is valuable.

What is really yours? I'm only pointing this out because I think you should take care of it. What is really yours? This breath that just came, is really, really yours. It didn't go into someone else. It came just for you. From the workings of the universe, something stirred, and this breath came exclusively for you. That's yours.

So, are you going to keep what's yours? Or only keep what's borrowed? People who keep borrowed things end up without anything. Because it was all borrowed, one day it will be taken away. Those who keep what is truly theirs will be rich beyond belief. Keep it. It brings with it life. Live it. It brings with it joy. Grab it. Fill yourself with that joy. It brings with it hope. Squeeze out all of it. This is for you, and you get to keep it.

A Moment Forever

This life, in a way, is too short. It would be nice if you could make all your mistakes, get it all together, show up somewhere, and say, "Okay, I've figured it out, and I'm ready."

But it doesn't work like that. We're given some time, but we don't know how much. In the beginning, we just want to be happy. That's all we know. We don't know about responsibilities. We don't know about right and wrong. We don't know about being human. But we know that we have the thirst to be happy - whatever that means.

Good things happen; bad things happen. As a child, the level of optimism is at an all-time high. Whatever happened yesterday happened, but today is today. No memories are kept, no blame. Whatever we did in that state was not pre-planned. We call this innocence, and to each one of us, this state of being is very beautiful.

And then we go through the period of learning - the grinding, pounding of information into our heads. The alphabet - A, B, Cs. You don't know why A is A. It just is. You don't know why one is one. It just is. And you are tested on it.

This keeps on going; you are being prepped for this world. What does that mean? It means that you have given up on your ideas, and you are now ready, willing, and able to take on the ideas that the world will give you, including how you believe in God. This is defined as responsibility. I call it "the giant leap of faith."

And then an amazing thing happens. It doesn't happen to everybody; it happens to some people. They meet someone who says, "No giant leap of faith necessary. You don't have to jump. Just feel - feel your own thirst."

"What?" They find this idea to be novel, but they see in it their own innocence.

"The happiness, the joy, that you want in your life is within you, and the thirst for that feeling has to be within you, too."

Then they ask, "Could something really be so simple?"

Yes, it could. Because you need to hear, you have ears. Because you need to breathe, you have a nose. You need to be able to see, and eyes have been provided for you. If you need this fulfillment - not want, but need - the thirst for it has been provided for you as well.

Find the thirst. That is the first chapter - recognizing, understanding your own innocence. And not by concept, thought, ideas, or prompting from someone else. The need for fulfillment is embedded within - not in your logic, but in the innocence of the heart. That's where you will find it. And that's where you have to begin. If we are thirsty and go looking for water, we won't get distracted: "Did you see that bird? Did you see that rock? Oh, look at that contrail in the sky." No. Water, water, only water. It is a need, a passion.

A human being's true passion is to be fulfilled. And that passion has survived all our discoveries, turmoil, successes, failures, disasters, catastrophes. However fragile it may seem, it has survived. As human beings have become busier and busier with weapons of destruction, going to the moon, mapping the earth, inventions, discoveries - you might have thought this would have been forgotten. Languages have been forgotten; customs that survived for thousands of years have been forgotten. But somehow, the quest to be fulfilled has survived.

Why am I telling you this? It is a bigger need than you realize. It's huge. And you get to try every day, consciously, to be fulfilled, to be happy. There is no rewind button.

When I have come home to this moment called now, I feel my heart dancing with gratitude. Perhaps tears come, but they are of joy, not sorrow. Every fiber in my being rejoices to be alive. I have no quest for tomorrow, or even the moment yet to come. And that's good, because it is a moment that I could live in forever.

Emptying the Bucket

When I travel and talk to people, what is my challenge? Of course, what I say has to come from my heart. It's not a written speech; it's not from a book. But my challenge is for you to empty your bucket.

It's not about saying wise things, believe me. People think I will tell them something that's going to help them. And I do, apparently, because people write back and say how they've been helped since they've been listening to me. But that's not what I try to do, because I cannot push wisdom into somebody's head. All I try to do is to help people to empty their bucket.

Our biggest limitation is our imagination. I've never said this before because I know people will immediately say, "No-no-no, we can imagine some outrageous things!" Yes, you can. But there is something so amazing that exists beyond your capacity to imagine. I call it the peace and joy that reside in your heart.

The brain is a funny thing. It tries to fill in as much as it can. If we see an object that we have never seen before, our brain gets very confused. It responds, "What is this?" Imagination can only take you so far. But in the realm of the heart, in the realm of this inner beauty, there is something that is indeed divine, not by our making, but by its very nature.

I'm not talking about conjecture. You see, I'm not going to answer your questions. Is that a favor to you? You bet. All I will keep saying is to empty your bucket, and when you do, you will finally make room for answers to come. Because you see, the answers are inside of you.

Do you believe that? We live in a society where if we want to know something, we search on the Internet to find out. But have you found out?

Where is the understanding in this world? People are more educated now than they've ever been. Everybody has their reasons for why things are as they are. But understanding is not about reasons. Understanding is about what you have understood, what you have felt. It's not about preaching. It's about reaching and grabbing the answer and realizing, "Yes, now I understand."

That's what I want for you. I don't want you to say, "Now I have been given the answer." That's pointless. I want you to be able to say, "Now I understand. Now I know." That's the way it needs to be - because that is the cry of your heart.

There is an opportunity, a simple opportunity - if you can see it. How can you see it? Empty your bucket. How do you do that? It's easy. Just start throwing out all that's not yours, and I guarantee you the bucket will be very, very empty. Because nothing in that bucket is yours.

In your life, you were told things and you said, "Okay." Every time you agreed, something was placed in the bucket, again and again. Unfortunately, it has gotten to a point where there's no room for anything else. It's full.

What's in the bucket? Part of all that goes around in this world. People fight over God. Nations get polarized. Human beings express anger towards one another just for their opinion. We have created a world where, instead of saying, "Okay, we'll never be able to figure God out. Let's just feel God, respect God, and sing God's praises." No. It can't be as simple as that. "Let's give God a gender." Do you think God needs a gender? "Let's give God hands." Does God need hands? That power, that energy is everywhere: nowhere to come from and nowhere to go to. Does that power need legs? Think about it.

Maybe I've inspired you to empty your bucket. Or perhaps I've given you a notion to at least look at your bucket and see how full it is. See if you can recognize that those things are not yours. You never put them there. They are the voices of the people before you, who told you how it had to be. And you said, "Okay."

I'm not saying that's good or bad. I'm saying this is your bucket. At least, it should contain what you think should be in it. Because this life is about you. This gift of life has been given to you. When you accept this gift, it fills you with amazing joy. It brings unparalleled clarity. And then your life is filled with gratitude, gratitude to be alive. Could you think of a better story? Could you think of a better ending to a day? Could you think of a better start to a day than to be filled with gratitude? This is the ultimate gift.

A Simple Story

I am here to tell you a story that is simple. This story is not about animals or kings and queens. It is not about the fulfillment of somebody's fantasy. This story is about you and me - as we exist, as we are.

It's not a story about aspirations, because people's aspirations depend so much on where they find themselves in this world. If somebody lost their child, they wouldn't pray for money. They would pray for one thing and one thing only: "God, can you please have my child returned to me?" That's it.

If somebody has been told by a doctor, "You have cancer, you're dying," what do they pray for? Do they pray for higher education? Do they pray for another child? No. They say, "God, either make this as painless as possible or take away my cancer." And if somebody finds themselves poor? They pray for money.

Where we find ourselves in our lives dramatically changes our viewpoint on what our needs are, what the world is all about, what religion is all about, what God is all about - what everything is all about.

But there is a reality: the reality that you are alive. This is the most beautiful reality there is. Whether you are poor or you are rich - what do you really want? In this story, this story about you and me, we have a chance to fulfill our real want. If we want this story to be nice, to have a happy ending, it can be so. So the question becomes, "What is our want?"

Do you know what you want, what you have always wanted, what you will always want? Other people's opinions and your own needs are two different things. If you have not looked at your real need, your want, all the opinions in the world are not going to take care of it. They are just opinions. What do you want?

Let me tell you about a possibility as one human being to another. I propose that what you want in your life does not need a name. You can call it peace, you can call it happiness, you can call it liberation, you can call it joy - not a problem. Why? Because these are just different names for the same thing. When the heart is content, there will be joy. When the heart is content, there will be peace.

What is the difference between darkness and light? In darkness, you cannot see. When you cannot see, you cannot avoid the obstacles. All of the stumbling blocks, all of the obstacles on the road do not disappear when the sun rises in the morning. But you can see them, and, because you can see, you can avoid them. Light doesn't take away obstacles; light illuminates them.

What do I give? I give an umbrella. I do not take away the rain. Rain cannot be taken away - it will rain. But that's not a problem if you have an umbrella. Without one, you will become wet, and you don't want to get wet.

I give an umbrella. Do I take away people's obstacles? No. I give them a lamp so that they can see, so that they can avoid what they want to avoid. That's how it is. That's what you need.

What does this being really want? This being has the most amazing aspiration it could ever have - to feel the infinite. This is the highest ambition: when a mortal wants to reach and touch and feel the immortal. That's an incredible but beautiful ambition.

Mind over Matter?

The most important thing that I can do is to cause you to reflect, contemplate what you have been given, and make you think about the possibility of having peace in your life.

In some ways, you are very much like me. As human beings, we have a need. It is not a need created by society or by religion. It is a fundamental need to be fulfilled, to be in peace. It is easy to toss around the word "peace." But what is peace? Is it just hearing wind chimes? No traffic? No airplanes or trains buzzing by? To some people, that's exactly what peace means. And it's sad that external noise pollution becomes so irritating that when we find ourselves in the absence of it, we call it "peace."

Or is peace a feeling? An undeniable feeling not born of thought. Everything that comes to us is born of thought. We get good news, "Things are going my way." We get bad news, "Why is this happening to me?" It doesn't take much for us to get unsettled. It happens when we're in traffic and somebody honks their horn. Even if they are honking at somebody else, we get irritated, "How dare you honk at me."

Your son or daughter tells you, "I failed," and you get upset. So is peace simply not being upset? It's sad but true that some people think when you don't get upset you must be in peace. Well, there are people who are in a vegetative state, and they don't get upset over anything. So, what is peace?

Something that is not born of thought, but felt. Something that resides in the ocean of answers, not in the ocean of questions. We have learned to question everything, but we have not yet learned how to accept the answer. Your life. Your being. What does it mean to be here, to be alive?

People read books. I'm not against books. One wall of my office is just filled with books. But what am I looking to the books for? Can they really give me that answer? Can a book really satisfy my hunger? There are beautiful books of water scenes. Can that satisfy my thirst?

You cannot just say, "I'm not hungry. I'm not hungry. I'm not hungry." The other day, I got up early, had a small breakfast, and went to speak. And my stomach was growling. I was thinking, "You're not hungry, you're not hungry…" but it didn't quit. You can say, "Oh, it's mind over matter." But not for the basics, not for those things that really matter.

One time, my father visited a place where there were a lot of holy men. One of the men was standing on one leg praying to God. There was a sign saying he'd been standing on one leg for so many weeks and hadn't spoken a word. My father went right up to him and said, "Oh God, why did you give him a second leg? He doesn't use it. And why'd you give him a mouth? He doesn't use that, either." This man got so upset he said, "How dare you say this!" And the second leg came down.

So, what is peace? I can't tell you what it is. I have felt peace, and I can feel it every day, but I can't tell you what it feels like. Just like I can't tell you what sugar really tastes like. If you want to know what I am tasting, you need to taste it, too. Then and only then will you understand what I am talking about.

This life is a gift. I want to understand it as clearly as possible before I lose the ability to understand it. I want to know what this miracle is. A miracle requires an eye to behold it - a person who truly understands what a miracle is. The most amazing miracle is the coming and going of this breath. Out of nowhere it comes, and to nowhere it goes. From this breath comes the gift of life. And life makes all the other miracles possible: You can be. You can admire. You can be thankful that you exist. You can feel and give kindness.

To know in life that all is well. We only think of this in times of trouble. Do you know that you're fine? You always were and always will be. We live in a world of fear. But there is something within you that you should not be afraid of, and it is the ability to enjoy this life, to appreciate this life.

The Arena of Knowing

I'd like to talk about something very beautiful: you are alive. That's incredibly beautiful. And when we talk about the self, we are talking about recognizing, understanding who you are. When you think, "I am an Australian; I'm a New Zealander; I am English, Scottish, Irish," you are forgetting who you are. You are a human being.

We hear about superheroes who have reached the ultimate state of being. What if I said that you have reached the ultimate state of being? You are alive. That's the ultimate state of being. There isn't a higher state than being alive. This is it.

People go to the movies to be entertained, for some action, some drama. They have a whole ritual of getting their popcorn, their candy, their soft drinks. Talk about planning! The army could learn a thing or two about discipline from these people. They know exactly what and how much to get. Then they sit down in their chosen seat. The movie starts, and the line between reality and the artificial blurs. Some people even start crying. If they could see the real shoot, they'd be laughing, because what they're looking at is maybe the fifteenth take of the same scene.

We believe. Let's believe for a minute that there is a cow in front of you, and the cow moos. Maybe there's no harm in believing in it, but when you need milk, remember one thing: If this cow does give milk, it's only make-believe milk. It's not real. You won't be able to drink it. You can imagine it, you can pretend you're drinking milk, but it won't satisfy your thirst. Everything about it has to be make-believe, because it's all a fantasy.

In the arena of knowing, there's no make-believe. You experience. This is what I talk about. It's not a fantasyland. There is a longing within a human being so deep that it leaves you dry and, in the same moment, fills you up. It's a magical dance of quenching the thirst within.

Have you ever had water when you were really, really thirsty? Water becomes sweet. The focus is on nothing else but to take that water and drink, drink, drink. After you finish drinking, you say, "Ah!" You're satisfied.

What is water? It's something that has no identity. It isn't square and it isn't round. It takes the shape of whatever contains it. It has no color. It flows out of the ground, sometimes out of rocks - unbelievable places. If you were to try to describe water for its physical appearance, you could not do a good job, because it would always sound insignificant. Yet its power is so incredible that nothing can stand in its way - no mountain, no rock. Over time, water will carve what we think could never be carved. Yet water has tenderness, gentleness, softness. It's the softest feeling, and it can destroy mountains.

The lack of water has wiped out civilizations. Yet water has a clear understanding and sense of purpose. It comes from the ocean, it travels through the land, but water clearly knows its destination. It knows it has an appointment, a love affair with the ocean. When it merges with the ocean, its identity is gone. It's stripped of all that it was. It's home again.

Why am I telling you all this? How is this going to help you? Because you can learn from it - about the passion, the desire, the want in your life. You have a thirst in you. You have a thirst to be fulfilled, but many people don't acknowledge it because they're afraid. Why? Because they don't know what will happen to them. They have some concept that if they really acknowledged this thirst in their lives, they might become a vegetable, they might become irresponsible, or they might not be able to hold down a job.

What you do in this world, you do. It has nothing to do with your inner passion, because it will never satisfy that inner passion. They are two different things.

I'm here to tell you to listen to that sweet thirst. How could you not desire true peace in your life? Understand the passion for peace and satisfaction in your life. You have been thirsty. Throw your bucket in the well. And when that bucket is full, reel it in, and you will have a reward. Your reward will be satisfaction.

Something Is Going On

Life is simple. This existence should be simple. True love is simple. All the things that are good - in you, about you, and around you--are simple.

Peace is also simple, but if I ask, "What is peace to you?" everyone will give a different answer. If I ask, "What is God?" the answer will be based on your religion, your upbringing, what your parents told you, what your friends and other people told you.

You have always wanted to feel good. Your desire to feel good goes back a long way. In fact, it goes back to when you were an infant. You wanted to feel good - that was it. You didn't have big agendas. When you didn't feel good, you cried.

Who taught you to cry? This started from day one. When most people are born, the first thing they do is cry. If you didn't, a doctor held you by the legs and gave you a little slap until you did. And most importantly, who taught you to be quiet when all was well? When you are satisfied, nothing needs to be done or said or expressed. All is well. This is you.

This is essentially the way you still behave. When all is well - great. When all is not well, it's, "Why did you leave that door open? What's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me? Why are you talking to me?" The very existence of another human being whom you actually may love can irritate you, just because all is not well. When all is well, everything is very simple, because life is simple.
Some people say, "You cannot say my life is simple. I have all these problems. My cat has left me, my wife is threatening to leave me, my kids keep sending me their bills…"

The complications that we bring into our lives - the good and the bad, right and the wrong, love and hate, doubt - are what make our lives so complicated. We all want simplicity. We have a relationship with joy, and simplicity has a unique way of bringing joy. The question is, how do we get it?

There is a joy that comes from the outside, and there is another joy that comes from inside. I'm not ignoring the joy that comes from outside. But there is a joy that comes from the inside, and it only comes when there is simplicity in your life.

It's simple because since the day we took our first breath, this energy resides in us. All this time, even if we don't know about it, it continues to reside in us. How utterly simple is that?

Life wants to be content. Life wants to be happy. You want to be happy. Something is going on here, isn't it? You can move, you can talk, you can think, you can smile, you can cry. Something is going on here, and one day it won't be. What is this thing that is going on? Is it your appointments? Is it your job? Is it all the things you do? Is it all your likes and dislikes?

There is something that keeps happening in my good days and in my bad days. All the things that I call good or bad are irrelevant to the fact that something else is going on. The coming and going of this breath is automatic, and due to this magnificent thing, I am alive. All the complicated will one day go away. So will you. The challenge seems to be to find the simple and hang onto it for dear life while you are alive.

Does this sound like a challenge--to find it and hang onto it for the rest of your life? It is possible. The joy that you have in you needs to be honored. The love needs to be honored. The greatest of all gifts, this most subtle and most beautiful breath, needs to be honored. Recognize it for what it is worth. Acknowledge this most magnificent but simplest of things in your life.

What happens when you honor this life within you? The energy within returns those honors, and the homage that is paid to you is called peace. Peace is your reward. It's also called joy, understanding, clarity. This is how simple it is.

The Greatest Show

This is a fact: today is whatever date it is. Here is another fact: it will never come back - never, ever. It cannot happen.

What does that mean to you? You woke up; it's another day. We look at our calendars - the years, the months, the weeks - like it doesn't mean anything. I talk about "the moment called now." Well, by the time you finish saying "the moment called now," it's not "now" anymore. It's gone. Time is a force that is so powerful, it just moves, moves, moves. And it touches you. But the question is: what do you do in this time?

Do you act like a human being? Or do you try to be somebody else? A robot. Acting. We are all actors, acting someone we are not. You might think, "I'm not an actor. I'm a responsible person. I have my duties, my schedules, my agendas." But we pretend, "I am so-and-so." On the scale of this universe, you are nothing, absolutely nothing. And yet, in your universe, you are the supreme leader. You want to shape, understand, and control your destiny.

What is your destiny? If you want to know your destiny, you can. But the destiny you have is the destiny of a human being, and you will have to become a human being first, not an actor. Not the imaginary king of an imaginary kingdom in an imaginary time far, far away from the kingdom of reality.

What do I do? I'm not here to preach to you. I have some tickets to the greatest show on earth. I look for people who want the tickets, and they look for me. You are the venue, but you need a ticket. I have one. I'm not selling them; I'm giving them out - compliments of one human being to another.

Who's playing? The most magnificent is playing in this theater for a limited time. How long? As long as you are alive. When can you see the show? Whenever you want. Will you like it? It is a performance of performances, the impossible drama playing out. The infinite, the Divine, has decided to come and join you on this journey.

Recently, somebody asked me, "Why is life difficult?" I said, "Suppose you have a brand new car right out of the factory that runs fine. Then you take the tires and put them on the roof, take the engine and put it in the trunk, take the gas tank and put it where the engine is, and ask the dealer, 'Why doesn't this car run?'"

What have you done to your life? Please, come down to earth. It's not a bad place. Being a human being is not so bad. It's actually very good, very profound. You can accept. You don't have to live in a world of make-believe.

Sometimes I give this example. Make believe there is a cow - black with white spots, cute, small. Does this cow have problems? Yes. It's there, but it exists only through a belief. Can this cow give milk? Yes, but you have to believe it; you can't drink it. In belief, it even moos, winks, has big eyelashes. In belief, this cow is just gorgeous, and she gives a lot of milk, but not any that you can put in your tea. And her milk makes a lot of butter for toast, as long as you believe it's there. But you and I have no use for an imaginary cow. It can't give milk that we can drink.

If this is the only place you're going to live all your life, what's the point of the rest? You are so fortunate to be alive. This is the grandest of all blessings. Make-believers don't understand this. They're looking for the make-believe toast so they can have the make-believe butter from the make-believe cow that gave the make-believe milk. They dream of heaven when they are already in heaven: "I have to work really hard. I have to do this, and I have to sacrifice this, so when I die I'll go to heaven." You know what the big problem with that heaven is? You have to die.

The beauty of this heaven is: You don't have to die. All you have to do is open your eyes. Stop dreaming, start looking, and you will see what a heaven this is. You don't have to make believe. Truth, joy, is within you. Inherent kindness is ever-present. Every day. Explore the gift you have. It's about discovering, feeling. You really should consider that ticket. It will take you to an incredible show of shows. Within you.

Forgotten Opportunity

I hope what I have to say is going to help you in this journey of life. If it could simplify your life even a little bit, that would make me very happy. I'm talking about something that is so simple - your life, your existence, the gift of breath that comes into you, leaves, and comes again. The fact that you're alive is so simple.

How did it get so complicated? Even though I can say it's simple, and it is simple, how is it that it doesn't feel simple, that it feels very complicated? There are all the things that you have heard, that you think about, that you look forward to or don't look forward to. How does it get so complicated?

Look at the simplicity, and it's there. The breath comes. You wake up in the morning, and you find yourself alive. It's not like you have to put in a bunch of coins: "Let me be alive, I've got the money." You find yourself awake. Then you start thinking about all the things you have to do that day, all the schedules you have to keep, all the things you have to remember, all the things that are important and not important. Thus begins your day. And somewhere, the simplicity of being alive is lost.

Make it simple. Exist, accept, understand this moment now. What's going to happen, what's not going to happen - just take it one moment at a time. Begin with the basics of who you are.

Look around you. Do you realize there is no other planet like earth for light years around? There are planets that are full of dirt, too hot, too cold, too far, too strange, too violent. The one you live on is magnificent. This one glows blue, has beautiful clouds, lightning you can see from outer space.

Can you ignore and not be thankful for even one minute, one day, that you exist on this beautiful planet? That you are who you are? On this beautiful earth you are alive. See the goodness in you; recognize the goodness in others. You and I get to be alive. People say, "Nah, I've got this problem, that problem." You are devotees of your problems. This is what you think about.

We are on this magnificent earth, with technologies you cannot imagine: vapor rising from the salty ocean, wind blowing it and carrying it over land, then sweet fresh water raining down. A planet so incredible that all you need is a few seeds and a little water, and it'll feed you. It'll take care of you.

Here, the perfect distance from the sun is a beautiful light for night called the moon; the breeze, the ocean, the birds, the fauna and the flora - divinity dancing in the wind. Beauty. Out of nowhere. A show of all shows. And for me to exist in this time, I cannot help but to feel gratitude. Don't ask me for whom. The gratitude wells up, a letter that needs no address. It is a matter of the heart from where this letter comes and to whom this letter will go. But it is my letter to express my gratitude every single day. We have forgotten what it means - the opportunity to be alive, to have the privilege to be able to take this breath.

A lot of people say, "That's too simple. Talk to me about something my brain can dig into." I don't want to. Your brain has already done enough damage in your own life. You have forgotten what you were searching for. You look, and every day you hope. Then all of a sudden, everything comes tumbling down. This is what is going on right now. Optimism and dire panic. Failure and non-acceptance of failure. Greed. Economic crises happen because of greed. As long as there is greed, there will be crises happening again and again and again.

When you recognize this breath, your heart will fill with gratitude, and when it does, you will be successful. That's true success. Not doubt, not fear. But clarity, simplicity, understanding. I want to enjoy every day I have, all the days I can.

The Triumph of a Human Being

Have you ever heard someone say, "You won't believe what just happened to me"? We hear this and think, "Somebody's going to tell me something that happened to them, but why are they saying, 'You won't believe what just happened to me'?" The keyword is believe because if you had been there, you would know and not have to believe.

Now, belief is okay, but you give it much more credence than it deserves. Knowing deserves the credence you give to belief. Knowing is certain. It's clear. There are no ambiguities, no hypotheses. This is what happened. But when you don't know, is belief sufficient?

I can just imagine a long time ago, a person standing on a ridge, looking at the stars, wondering: "Who am I? Why am I here? What is this all about?"

I call these the questions. Even though since then there have been a myriad of religions, textbooks, stories, ideas, philosophies, wars, contemplation, inventions, exploration of outer space, these questions still exist. They are asked in one way or the other by every human being. Maybe they're asked in times of trouble or in times of plenty - but they are asked.

Until these have been answered for you personally in a clear, concise way, you will not understand the need you have for peace, the need you have to be happy. And once you understand that the desire for peace is innate - not learned - you will pursue it.

Ultimately, you came into this world and you're going to leave this world. And you have a belief system. You do. And whether you have courage to hear it or not I have the courage to tell you that you are here to experience heaven. You have always believed that heaven is something you're going to get to after you die, if you are good. You learned this. The desire for peace, to be happy, to be in joy - nobody had to teach you. You have had this since you were a little baby.

You have been given this body - the ultimate experiencing machine. That's all it does all day long: "Wow. Beautiful. Hot, cold, soft." If you were to make a list of the sounds, the smells, the tastes, the touches that it can appreciate - that list would be huge.

You have this most incredible thing called life. All of a sudden, you can move. You can understand. You can dance. You can smile. You can cry. You can think. You can feel. All this has come together, and while you are alive, you can know. And when you know, peace comes, the truest joy comes. Your life has to evolve around knowing - not just believing. Clarity. Your life has to evolve around this desire from your heart, from within you, to want to know.

What does your life want? People make all kinds of effort, "I have to do this, and I have to do this." Then tragedy strikes, and they lose everything. Then they say, "I just want to be happy." Maybe that's how it is supposed to be. The building block of your achievements needs to begin with the achievement of peace, of joy. Build on it a tower as high as you want, and it'll never fall down because it is built on solid ground. It is tied to the most stable thing in your life. You have taken care of the essentials in your existence. And then, having gratitude is natural. It's not a belief, "I believe I'm happy."

Truth isn't some mysterious thing sitting on top of the mountain. Truth dances in you. Clarity is not something you dig out of a goldmine. Clarity and understanding are not buried somewhere; they are inside of you. They need to be evoked. They need to be invited into your life. They need to be called upon; they need to be nurtured, they need to be truly invited and welcomed. All the answers you want are inside of you. All the wealth you want is inside of you. All the wisdom of the ages is inside of you.

Understand, accept - discover those things that are inside of you. When you experience that joy in your life, it is something special. And when you experience peace, it is the triumph of a human being. You have won every war. You have succeeded. The moment you feel peace, you have fulfilled your destiny.

Days of Our Life

Who are you? Let me give you a bit of an economy lesson here. If I were to say you were going to receive $25,550, is that a lot of money? For some people, it's a lot. For some, it's not. It won't buy you a house, a car, a refrigerator, a washing machine, and pay for your food for too long. These days, $25,550 is just not that much. If this is all you had, it's not going to last that long.

What does the number 25,550 have to do with you? Well, if a human being lives for 70 years, which is an average, that's how many days you get. That's it. That's it? Only 25,550 days?

That's what my calculator says. A measly 25,550 days, some of which just blew past while walking around in diapers and trying to learn how to walk. Then others blew past me as I was trying to learn how to count up to 25,550. Then when you get to the last 550, it comes in nickel and dimes. You just go day by day, and that's it. And every day I lose a dollar. There's nothing I can do to hang onto it. All I have is 25,550.

When I speak, I don't want to make people feel guilty. I just try to give a sense of urgency because people have so much going on that I want to call their attention to themselves and their existence. After me, will this world go on? You bet. Will flowers bloom? Yes. Will rain come down? Yes. Will the sun shine? Of course. But the thing is, I won't be there to enjoy it.

And so, 25,550 is a good way to bring it to a point where you can start to see the urgency of this life - how precious, simple, and beautiful it is. Whether you decide to spend it or not, the dollar will be gone. What do you want to buy with the dollar that you get every day for 25,550 days? Me? I want to buy the truest joy, the sincerity that only a human being can have towards the infinite that resides in me. I want to be free.

A person who is happy can spread happiness. If you want to do some good, learn how to be fulfilled. Finding a way to be fulfilled is the most incredible art there is. Why? Because what you are looking for resides within you and always has. That's how the 25,550 came to be. And the departure of that thing will be the end of the 25,550. But though you never lost it, you search for it.

Many people tell me, "I've been searching for a long time."
I say, "But you never lost it."
"Oh, good. Then show me where it is. Is it in that drawer? That cabinet? The glove compartment?"
"No. No. No."
"Is it in my bedroom? Is it in my car? Is it over there?"

The more places you have searched, the longer your list is because you want to verify that it's not there, not there, not there - because you want to be able to say, "Well, I've already looked there."

Where is it? Within you. And what I am saying is you need to know it. In this life, you have to know. There are no other alternatives. You are like an amplifier. Amplify the knowing. Amplify the fulfillment. Amplify the joy of this heart. Bring into your life the beauty of existence itself.

Your life cannot be just for the fulfillment of the ideas of what life is about. The show that you are attracted to will go on. You are walking in this fairground of life. When you are gone, others will come, and they will continue to come for a long, long time.

Understand the opportunity that you have been given. In this vessel, the most amazing gift of breath comes. What will tomorrow be like? In one sense, it will be no different than today and no different than yesterday, but if you are fulfilled, it will be unique. And then you won't have to count the 25,550 because it won't matter. Each one is making you infinitely rich.

To have lived a lifetime and not know is a tragedy. In your life, know and be fulfilled. If you don't find it, I'm here. But the main thing is to find it. What you are looking for is inside of you. If you are alive, that's your lottery ticket. You won. On average, it'll come in 25,550 times. You don't ever have to be poor again. This is the gift: 25,550. It still gives me shudders every time I think about that number. That's all? It's not enough! But whatever you have is the ultimate blessing in your life. Kindness has been given. Capture it. Be in joy. Be fulfilled.

Perspectives 2009-12

I travel a lot, and I have to cross borders. Some days, I go through three or four immigrations checks. Someone asks me, "How long are you going to be here?" "Just a few hours." "What are you going to do?" "I'm just coming to speak." He has to look at me and look at the passport and say, "Okay. That's you." But I am me. This is somehow to verify. There is some practicality to it, but couldn't it be another way? Where my integrity is intact not because I have a little piece of paper saying I'm really me? But that's how it is.

When you go to school, you are tested on the subjects somebody else has decided you should know, not on what you do know. And if you know everything else except what this person thinks you should know, you fail. Maybe you just forgot one thing, but you have to prove to someone that you know it.

It seems we live in a world that is diametrically opposed to the integrity of just one individual who desires to be fulfilled. I remind people: what you are looking for is inside of you. If you need somebody to hold up a mirror, this is what I do, not define how you should look.

What qualifies me? Well, I don't have a rubber stamp. I started when I was very young. My feeling was, "Maybe I can bring some happiness, some joy to people." My perspective is very down to earth and simple: One, you are alive. This is the best news you will ever receive. Secondly, you didn't come with a manual, but one was built into you. No need to have a printed manual when within you has been placed the want to be fulfilled. Can this want be fulfilled? Yes. So you are alive, the want has been placed within you, and the wish that you carry within can be fulfilled. What's the problem?

Perspectives. Why has the most fundamental need of fulfillment been so drastically changed to, "It's not possible"? People don't address their needs; they address their ideas. And today, ideas have become more important than our needs.

It begins with every individual. No world leader is going to come, shake your hand, and "ta-da," it's done. No. The next time you look in the mirror, understand that lighting this world begins with one candle - you.

This world is said to be an illusion. The illusion is "me and mine, you and yours." The problem with illusion is it looks so real that you can't point out what is fake. For all those people who perform magic, what is the key to their illusion? Distraction. They have to distract you. You look over there while they do the switch here. So, in your life, are you distracted? Oh, yes.

If you have never understood the value of breath, you've been living in a state of distraction - the greatest illusion. You came, and all too soon, it will be time to go. When you were young, the clock ran slow. Every five minutes, you asked, "Are we there yet?" Then, as you get older and older, whoosh, another year is gone. I know that time doesn't change; it is our perception of time that has changed.

Here's a little story about that. Once there was a man who prayed and prayed to God. And one day, God appeared. "You've been praying to me. What do you want?"
The man was shocked, but he had some questions. "God, How long is your day?"
God replied, "Well, actually, millions of your years are but a second to me."
"So God, how much wealth do you have?"
God said, "If you took all the wealth in the universe and multiplied it millions and millions of times, that would be just one cent to me. Anything else?"
So the man said, "God, could I have a cent?"
And God said, "Just a minute…"

The want, the wish, the perspective of time. Do you know that you live on the most special place in this galaxy - the most amazing planet around? And, amongst all the creatures that exist on this earth, you are included. All that looking here and there is the distraction. Look within you. Understand the pulse of your existence. Understand what you're about. Understand your thirst. Enjoy that feeling you have inside of you. Live your life fulfilled, not in some idea but in reality. You will find the reality of this life to be extremely beautiful.