« The Passage of Life | Main | Unimited Joy »
When it comes to learning, even a parrot can learn. A parrot can learn to say, "Polly want a cracker." But the parrot doesn't understand who Polly is or what a cracker is. All it understands is that every time it says something like that, it gets something to eat.
We need to go a little bit beyond that and understand what is really needed. We think that if we bring prosperity, riches, everything will be taken care of. But there is something more than all those elements. And that one most important thing for human beings is the aspiration and yearning for peace. It doesn't matter where we go, what religion we belong to, where we live, what we do. At the end of the day, we all need to experience peace. Why? This is the nature of a human being—the composition of a human being.
When you have something in abundance, you don't recognize its value. When it is taken away, all of a sudden you're enlightened as to how incredible this one thing is. We are in this world, we see things, we do things, but we don't recognize how important it is to be alive, to exist every day in fulfillment, to be grateful for what we have been given—every day. And to understand and recognize our fundamental need for peace.
When it comes to food, our hunger needs to be satisfied. When it comes to peace, it is the same way. We need to feel peace, not just say, "Peace, peace, peace," like a parrot. But peace needs to be felt by every single person. Fundamental. This is the heart that we have been given. Through our mind, we try to comprehend the universe. Through our heart, we can comprehend our own universe. Through the mind, we try to measure the depths of the ocean. Through the heart, we can measure our own depth.
Every single human being on the face of this earth is a universe unto themselves. Do you know how unique you are? There is no one like you, and there will be no one like you. The way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you cry, the way you hurt, the way you sing, the way you are joyful—every single intricacy is a gift of the Creator that you have been given.
Yet, how do we look at this gift? We look at its shortcomings. We say, "This is what I do not have." Our scales measure the negative, when we need to understand that every breath is a gift. It is a gift that has been given and given, and nothing is being asked in return.
No one can substitute for another person. Nobody can say, "You go feel peace for me." That would be the same as saying, "You go drink water for me. You go eat food for me. You go sleep for me." There are certain things you cannot send a replacement for. Can you imagine being too busy to go to your own wedding and saying to your best friend, "Go get married on my behalf"? It would not work.
So I say to people that it is incumbent upon you, and you alone, to reach out to that one place within inside of you where peace resides.
Maharaji
