What if the bad wolf ate the good wolf?

Prem Rawat:

It’s been a while, but here I am again. And doing a lot of things, as you can see; this is all a new setup getting ready for the PEP. And, you know, taking care of things, and as slowly, things start opening up, the possibilities of starting off and going different places are looking better and better, whenever that happens....

The most important thing, of course, is to stay safe—for you, for me, for all of us. You know, and if it’s two more weeks or four more weeks, or whatever it happens to be, it’s okay. You know, just stay fluid like water. Remember that tree that knows how to bend, how to flex in the wind—and by that flexibility, it is actually assuring itself a long life—so that’s really wonderful.

Anyways, so what inspired me to come out here and talk to you? Well, I was saving the questions—but there was one question that came up that got me thinking. And let me begin with a little story. So, I hope you’re not bored with this, but this could be, you know, your mouth could start salivating—but let me talk to you about a samosa. And so, what is a samosa?

So, it’s a thin dough—and it’s whole wheat dough, but it’s thin. And you make a filling. And one of the very popular fillings in India is potato. And you add, you know—everybody has their own version of samosa filling.

So, why am I talking about a samosa? Well, so it hit me that there was a time when I was a little boy—and I remember this particular day, because what happened was all my brothers and my mother and some other relatives, they all decided to go to the movies. And they weren’t going to take me; I was too young, I guess.

So I stayed home—but I was devastated. I remember I was absolutely devastated that I wasn’t going to get to go. And I was crying and it was terrible.

So, my father happened to be at home—which was rather rare, because he would always be traveling somewhere—but he happened to be home that day. And he was, you know, a little concerned that I was crying. And so he said, “Why are you crying?” And I said, “Well, you know, they didn’t take me. So, I’m, I’m”—I was heartbroken. (I didn’t tell him that, but I was.)

And he says, “Okay, you and I will go and have a good time.” So I said, “All right.” It wasn’t going to be the good time that I had imagined—because it was a real suffering from my idea of how it should be—they didn’t take me and I was, you know, I was devastated....

So, he took me, and we ended up going to this restaurant—and I was a little boy—and I remember this. And I remember he ordered—he looked at me and he says, “Would you like to eat something?” And I said “Yes,” and he said, “Okay, how about a samosa?” And I said, “Oh, that sounds good.” And I said, “I’m also going to have some ice cream.”

So, believe me, I have had a lot of samosas and I do have ice cream—but that day, that particular day, that samosa and that ice cream, I remember.

Do I remember the filling of that samosa? Absolutely not. Do I remember what kind of ice cream was it that I had that day? Absolutely not. I don’t know if it was vanilla, it was strawberry or it was chocolate. But, boy, I tell you, it was the best samosa and it was the best ice cream that I have ever had in my life.

Now, I had—another time I had samosa, and it was really delicious. And, you know, samosa having that thin dough and then it’s deep-fried, the caramelization happens and it gets crispy. And it’s just, the aroma, the—you know, it’s just amazing. Umami is just amazing.

And this particular day, I was traveling—I was older—I was traveling. And the people where I was, where I had started from had forgotten to pack the lunch—they had packed the lunch but they had forgotten to give it to us.

So I was really, really hungry and so we pulled over, and there was a little place on the side of the road. And this samosa filling I remember—and it was this, just the simplest samosa filling—it was the potato, a little bit of black pepper, salt, little bit of chilies, (chopped green chilies and a little bit of red chilies), and coriander.

And so it was just, when you bit into it, that umami of the fried bread was there; the dough—and the potato, you could taste it, the coriander, the pepper—and the salt and the chilies. And all of these flavors and the smells were there. So, anyways, my mouth is watering; I don’t know about yours.... But it was just something that really hit the spot.

So, now, why am I telling you about samosas? Well, you see, that other one, that other samosa I had that was the best samosa I’ve ever had—and the best ice cream I have ever had—had nothing to do with the flavor, had nothing to do with that particular stuffing. It had to do with the company that I had—and how much it meant to me.

And so, sometimes we don’t understand what “good” is. So, anyways, now let me come back to what caused me to, you know, what—this question that I saw and it really got me going....

So, the question was, “What if the bad wolf ate the good wolf?” So for, (if some of you don’t know this story), I’ll just very quickly reiterate the story. A little boy traveling with the tribe came to the chief and said, “Chief, I have a question.” Chief said, “What?” He goes, “Well, why is it that some people who are good sometimes are bad the other times?”

And the chief said, “Because there is a good wolf in us and there is a bad wolf in us, and they fight.” And so the boy thought about it, and then a few minutes later he said to the chief; he says, “Which one wins?” And he said, “Well, the one you feed. So if you feed the bad wolf, it gets strong; if you feed the good wolf, it gets strong.”

So, when I first read the question, I giggled—I mean, I’m sorry but I giggled, because it’s like, well, you know, here I talk about these stories; I give these analogies—and here is somebody giving this analogy back to me, “What if the bad wolf ate the good wolf?” I mean, “Ate the good wolf?” And then I started thinking about it—“Is that even possible—the good and the bad?”

So, that’s where the samosa example comes in—and by the way, samosa is not from India; it’s from Persia, and it was developed at the court. A lot of people used to come and they would be standing all day long to hear the verdict of the king, you know, and in different cases, and so there was nothing for them to eat....

Somebody came up with the idea, “A little bit of bread, fry it; stuff it with something,” and it became samosa. And of course, when—anything that makes it to India becomes Indian very quickly. And Indians have made it their own—and done a fabulous job of it.

So, good is much bigger than you realize. And the bad is much bigger than you realize—it is more than the sum of your life—it’s huge; it’s massive. This unsettled war of the good and the bad has played out on the face of this earth as far back as stories go—they are about the good and the bad. It is all about the good winning over the bad.

And how far does that go? (Not in terms of time), but how big is that good? Because if that good wasn’t good—and that good wasn’t big, then in this life, things become uncertain. If truly it was possible for the bad wolf to ever eat the good wolf, we’re in trouble; we’re in serious, serious trouble.

But then, if you remember what Krishna says, “That even in your darkest moment, I will not abandon you.” There—that’s about the good: “You will not be abandoned,” even if it seemed to you that the bad wolf is eating the good wolf or has eaten the good wolf—as dark as it gets!

Because for me, that day when I didn’t get to go with my family, (my brothers, my mother), I was devastated. You know, there wasn’t the good wolf coming along and saying, “No, it’s, you know, it’s all right; you don’t need to worry about it; you don’t need to be bothered.” I was very bothered; I was crying.

And it had such an impact on me, the bad—and then, going to the good, the most wonderful samosa and the most wonderful ice cream; I mean, my goodness, you know, that flavor.... That you’ve got that hot samosa, the crispy samosa, the salty samosa, and then you take a bite of that cold ice cream. I mean....

You know, and of course, the temperature of the ice cream has to be right. Because if it’s too liquidy, it won’t taste good. And if it’s too cold and it’s like a brick, it won’t taste good—so, everything was just right. But more than that—it was the company.

So there is something that is good that goes beyond the scope of everyday activity that you’re involved with. That everything that happens in your life, for whatever the period is, five years, six years, two years, one day, one minute, one second, whatever, there is a good that prevails. And it’s much, much, much, much bigger than you realize.

Never underestimate the value of darkness; it’s huge. It is very powerful; it’s very potent. But for us human beings on the face of this earth, whatever our challenges may be, there is a good—and that good is more powerful, is backed up by more. There is a power behind it. There is a strength behind it. And this is the strength that we have to, in our lives, latch onto—the strength of the good.

To remember that even in my darkest hour, I am not abandoned. I may feel abandoned, but I’m not abandoned. Because I haven’t latched on; I haven’t made it my home, the goodness that is in me. I haven’t made that good wolf my companion. Not just something that I feed, but that that goodness becomes my companion.

And that that other wolf is something that I stay away from. Not only is a question of feeding it, but I stay away from it—because that’s something that I don’t want a relationship.... I want my relationship with the good, with what is powerful. Because this is who I am.

You know, what is the difference between day and night? Not much. There are the stars; there is the planet Earth, still going around and round and round. But there is a huge difference. And that difference is that during that day, there is the light of the sun and I can see. And that seeing makes all the difference—that I can be, now, awake. It’s not just that I can see, but I am awake too.

And that I have a fundamental need to sleep—and it works very well when the darkness comes because I need that darkness to be able to fall asleep in.

So, one great disadvantage is that when it is dark, I don’t know what’s out there. I need to know that. If somebody is challenged visually, they use a stick to figure out what’s out there. But we need to know what is out there.

And the same thing about the good in our life. That is the beautiful, truly the beautiful, amazingly the beautiful that resides in the heart of every single person that is alive.

Now, you know, of course, there are people—I’m sure they’re going off on this tangent of, “And this could have happened, and that could have happened and, you know, there are people out there that have done horrible things, that have done terrible things.”

True. I’m not saying that that’s not true. But as a human being, we always carry in us the possibility of a change—that we can go from darkness to light. That this war that we engage in can be won. That it isn’t about winning every single battle, but it is about winning the war. And we can win that war. We can win.

I mean, I know that we’re faced with this challenge—and, you know, seeing this, how governments are reacting to it—absolutely unbelievable.

I mean, here is a moment in which humanity needs to come first, not politics. Humanity needs to come first—that those people who are going off and harping on these politics and politics and making this a game and making this a terrible thing, really need in their lives to understand that they are, first of all, they are human beings.

And their decisions of how they handle things affect so many other human beings. So many people that die—and now, I read, so, and they want to manipulate the data! I mean, okay, they’ve been manipulating the data ever since, so it’s not going to be a big shock to anybody.

Because, you know, one of the things is—and this is true, that not all politicians are like this—but I think they all take an oath, or most of them who are just, have got their head buried somewhere else, take an oath that—they take an oath of telling the truth all the time, that they will always lie. (And something like that.)

Because it seems to be so confusing, with “Do this and don’t do this; do this; don’t do this.” And it’s all about ego....

But here is a chance to do something good. And if—and here is my point of it. If they can’t do it, you can—because you find the goodness in you. And you keep safe—and you keep your neighbors safe. And you keep the people around you safe—because the good is in you.

And what are you doing to do when this coronavirus is no more, and everything goes back to, quote-unquote, “being normal”? Are you going to remember this period? Are you going to bring out your best? Again, not measuring how much, but bringing out your best—because it is in you? Are you going to let that shine? Are you going to let that manifest?

Or are you going to be like, “Well, I don’t have the time for it”—another excuse. You have time to make excuses—and as human beings, we are very good at excuses: “I don’t have the time; I’m too busy; I’m this; I’m that.” And yet, your life; you make the decision.

So, going back to my samosas and ice cream and everything else, just to remember how powerful this possibility is. And one thing that I have to say—and my father used to say this; I’m saying it—that the seed is never destroyed; the seed is always there.

So, yes, the seed of bad is never destroyed—but the seed of good is never destroyed. You can hold your head and go, “Oi, you know, it’s all over,” or “the seed of bad is never going be destroyed,” but the good news here is not that—the good news here is that the seed of the good will never be destroyed. And you carry that good inside of you.

And it’s much bigger. However long you’re going to live, however, whatever is going on in your life, the seed and the cycle of the goodness is more, is bigger than you. It’s huge; it’s massive.

So, I don’t know—I thought that there were so many questions being asked that are actually connected to this question. So, answering this particular question, (which, at first, I thought it was hilarious)—but then when I started thinking about it, I saw the depth of what it means.

This is the drama that’s been playing out—again and again and again and again; this is what Mahabharat was all about; this is what Ramayan was all about—that the good won. The good was victorious.

And at the end of the day, we always, all of us, have to make that effort to make the good win in our lives every day. And if it can be boiled down to that, sure.

Now, when pain comes, when trouble comes, you know, that flattens us. It’s like, pegged against the wall, “What are you going to do? Oh my God, oh, this is terrible; this is horrible.”

But—there is something else too—and that “something else” is bigger than the sum of all the problems that are on the face of this earth. And there are a lot of problems on the face of this earth, a lot; I mean, from small problems to huge problems....

And just imagine what’s happening in this world today. You know, whatever is happening in your little life is happening in your life, but imagine what is happening. Somebody was just born—just born. Another person was just born. Somebody just died. They’re gone—they’re gone forever. They’re never going to come back.

Somebody just became really rich. Somebody just became really poor. Somebody just lost their way. Somebody just found their way. The dramas that are going on all the time out there, they’re not trivial. They affect human beings deeply.

But the way that the good affects the human being is also very unique. And that goes back to “I don’t remember the filling of the samosa but it was the most delicious samosa; I remember that. I don’t know what kind of ice cream it was—but it was the most delicious ice cream I have ever had, bar none.” And I have had some good ones, but nothing as delicious as that.

So, stay safe; be well. Stay fluid. This thing hasn’t played out yet. You know, God knows—it’s, what some of the politicians are doing just to make a name for themselves—they have no interest, human interest in sight. That it’s just about their name, their fame, their two minutes of glory—at your expense. At your expense.

I don’t want to talk about that so much—because I can talk about the good that is in you. And that is much bigger than all those trivial little things that still have to play out with this coronavirus thing—this coronavirus thing has got everybody—it’s got everybody’s attention like you wouldn’t believe.

Now, if we give the attention to the good inside of us, we will have a different world, a beautiful world. So, again, be well; be safe. Take care of yourself. And I’ll talk to you soon. Thank you.

FINDING THE BALANCE

Finding the Balance

Hear Yourself Author Event

Madrid, Spain

Prem Rawat:

I know you have problems, troubles, challenges—and sometimes these challenges, these issues weaken you.

And I always remember that when we are faced with this big mountain, we look at the mountain; we look at the sheer size of the mountain; we look at the height of the mountain—and we’re overwhelmed: “What’s going to happen? How am I going to survive this? How am I going to be able to take care of the challenges that I have?”—whatever the challenge may be.

And in that moment, I want you to remember that nowhere, going on top of the mountain is the challenge. That’s not the objective. To get to the other side of the mountain is the objective. And to get to the other side of the mountain, you don’t have to go through the mountain, and you don’t have to go over the mountain. You can go around the mountain.

Because at the end of the day, the story becomes very simple, (even though it seems like it becomes very complicated). You, as a human being, need to understand what every day is. I know; I know it’s, that doesn’t sound right: “Every day?”

Well, wait till you hear what I really have to say. I go way beyond every day—I go down to every moment! Because every moment that you are alive, that you exist, is the most amazing possibility, most amazing occurrence that’s happening, most amazing thing that’s taking place.

What a blast; what a—what a trip to have come through that one wall and to be here—and then it goes on and on, every day, every moment....

You want to extend your life? You want to live longer? [Audience: Yes.] Yeah, there is a way. Cut it down to size, as many little pieces as you can, called “moment.” Get it as every moment—it’s going to seem a lot more. It just is!—because you’ve been enjoying every single moment.

To understand in your life that this gift of breath is unparalleled. And the wisdom to enjoy it, you have been given that too. Like I said earlier, you look at one mirror, but learn to look at another mirror that’s there. And in that mirror, you will see a lot more of who you truly are.

That you’re not without wisdom; you have incredible wisdom inside of you. You’re not without the thirst; you have incredible thirst inside of you. You are not without courage; you have incredible courage inside of you.

Why am I using the word “courage”? What has courage got to do with anything? Well, to accept wisdom, it takes courage—it takes courage. To love takes courage! To understand takes courage. To be kind, it takes courage. To be free takes courage. To choose peace takes courage.

None of this stuff is for the weaklings, no, no, no. This takes the real human being, that super-human that you are. That’s what it takes. It’s a reality. Your reality isn’t the pain and sorrow and the suffering. But on the other side of the coin of that pain and sorrow and suffering is the joy, is the clarity, is the understanding, is the wisdom—beckoning you, calling you.

This is why you have a heart! “What heart are you talking about?” Oh, you know that little thing—that says, “Yeah, be kind,” that says, “I love you,” that says, “It’ll be all right,” that says, “Don’t worry”—that’s called a heart. You have it.

And all you need to do.... I’m not saying to shut down the mind. I’m not saying that. That would be nice, but you can’t do it.

I used to say that when I was ten years, eleven years old; people used to come to me and every morning, you know, the setup—but I, but actually, I was thirteen then when I came to England—every morning, we would have a session; I would sit down; people would sit down. And they would ask questions every day.

And the questions were, “I can’t shut down my mind.” So but why are you trying? You don’t need to shut down your mind. You need your heart to come out and balance your life! If your life does not seem balanced, it’s because it’s all mind, no heart.

And what does the mind do? “You’d, you blew it. You didn’t do that right. Oh, you could have done it better. Oh, you are going to get it. Oh, you are not going to succeed. Oh, you will never make it. Oh, you are useless. Yeah, oh, and nothing good will come of you.” Already the tape is playing.

What do you think is that thing? You haven’t taken the test yet, right? You’re sitting there to take the test—and are you nervous? And why are you nervous? Because something has already introduced the idea of failure in you. “Failure. Failure.” And you have bought it; you have accepted it.

When was the last time you allowed yourself to adjust to the light that was inside of you—so you could see the courage; you could see the clarity; you could see the understanding; you could see the wisdom that you have in you?

But we do get bored—because we don’t have the patience to let these eyes adjust to the sight within. If you could have just that much patience, oh, so little patience, you will be the king of your universe for the rest of your life.

Just that’s all it takes. Then joy will be yours; understanding will be yours—and gratitude will be yours. To be thankful every single day—every single day, nay, every single moment will be yours. “Thank you. Thank you for this life. Thank you for this existence. Thank you for this breath. Thank you for joy. Thank you for clarity. Thank you”—for all that is good in your life.

What Do You Choose? Peace is Possible Event Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

What Do You  Choose?

Peace is Possible Event

Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

https://www.premrawat.com/pages/lockdown-with-prem-rawat/item/5584-lockdown-with-prem-rawat-56#!mediaplayer-5584

Prem Rawat:

What is this thing called “life?” What is this thing called “being here,” what is this thing called “peace,” what is this thing called “existence”?

And like I say many times, you’ve got two walls. And I’m going to put this as simple, as simply as I can put it—you’ve got two walls. You came through one wall—that was when you were born. And there is a lot of stuff going to happen between the two walls—a lot.

And then, you hit the other wall—and it’s all gone; it’s all done; it’s finished. No more. No more drama. No more paying the credit cards. No more wondering about what life is about. No more wondering, “Is there really a Satan? Is there really a God?” No more wondering, no more philosophizing, no more—nothing! As quiet as a quiet, a person can be. And that’s it; it’s over.

You exist—but you don’t understand what existence is. You live—but you don’t understand what life is. You know certain things, but you don’t know what wisdom is. And all that you do in your life sooner or later comes back and haunts you, tortures you, bothers you—and you wonder.

Birth and death that encompasses the start to the end—has been going on on the face of this earth for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. And it doesn’t seem to matter what happens in between, whether you drive a Chrysler or you drive an Italian chariot—something has you figured out.

 

You were born; one day you have to go. Whatever you do in between, it’s up to you. And what have you chosen to do? What have you chosen to do?

Have you chosen in your life to experience joy, joy? Joy. Have you chosen in your life to experience peace? Have you chosen in your life to experience the serenity? Have you chosen in your life to swim the beautiful waters of tranquility? Have you chosen to sit in the shade of the tree of understanding, to bask in that simplicity of life, of existence, of who you are?

Elation, clarity. Not desperation. Not confusion. Not revenge. Not misunderstanding. Not anger, not fear. Not hate! Not judgment. (Don’t you love judgment?)

We love to be unconscious—but we don’t like the consequences of being unconscious, so we look for people who can give us a way out of the consequences that happen when we are unconscious. And I am saying, “That is not possible.” You want to avoid the consequences of being unconscious, then you will have to be conscious.

Is there a shortcut for clarity?—no. Can you have clarity in your life? Of course. Is there a shortcut for love?—no. Can you have love in your life, of course. Is there a shortcut for joy? No. Can you have joy in your life? Of course.

And what will it take? It will take that you will have to pay attention to yourself. You will have to learn how to go within you—and feel. And feel; feel the magnificence that dwells in you; feel the knowledge that you’re filled with; feel the simplicity of the child that you are; feel the gratitude of this heart that you are. Feel all that that is so good, that is so wonderful, that is so beautiful!

And that is the way to live this life—not burdened by problems. I say to you, this, not because I am sitting on this chair—but I have been burdened by problems, and I know what it is like, as it pushes on your shoulders, as it pushes on your body, on your being. And what does it do? Drives you so far from you, into another world, dark, dingy, weird, absurd. No hope. No hope.

And then you realize, “It’s not me. That’s not who I am. That’s not how I want my life to be.”

And you look, and you turn inside—and it’s like coming home; you come home. And everything that is the most familiar begins to greet you. There’s a welcoming that you have never experienced—and it’s to come home: “Welcome. Come on in. Come on in. Be, exist, flourish, nurture, rest, relax, understand, see, feel, think, experience, joy, love, understanding.” And it’s like, “Yes. Yes.”

And this welcoming is the most profound. And then my focus shifts from my problems to my life, to my existence. And now I know what is valuable. The valuable that I have is the day today.

The moment that I have been given—and the value of this moment is not the moment itself, but the fact that I can do anything in that moment—including being miserable, or being elated. That’s why a moment is powerful, my friends.

You want a ticket out of your problems? You have one: it’s called “now.” Because now holds the power. And you can have it either way—you can make yourself as miserable as you want, no holds barred—or as elated as you can be, no holds barred. 

The power of now is so powerful that if you want to connect with the divine that is in you, you can. (Wow.) So powerful, if you want to understand the oneness that you have with this universe.... (Universe? Yes, universe.)

In this whole game between the two walls, coming from this wall you had no choice, and when you hit that wall you won’t have a choice—granted. But everything else in between these two walls, you have a choice. What do you want?

Easy to say “I want to be happy.” Easy to say “I want to be happy”—hard to say, “I wonder how I can be happy.” And the day you can—easy to say, “I want to be clear,” but hard to say “I wonder how I can be clear.” And the day you say that: “I wonder how I can be happy; I wonder how I can be clear,” look me up—because that’s the day I can help you.

How do I do it? Very simple—very simple. I put the focus on you—not your problems.

There’s one journey that, all the things that are happening in your life—that is one journey—and then there is another journey that is happening in you. And it is the coming and going of your breath. That’s a journey too. Each breath comes in; what does it bring you? Oh, it brings you this thing called “life, existence, being alive”—brings you that.

There are a lot of people in this world—but there’s no one like you. You’re alone. Your journey, that’s what matters—and that’s what should matter to you, your life, your existence, your now, your now—and what did you ask your now to bring you? What did you choose in that now? When that now said, “Your wish is my command,” what did you choose?

Did you choose clarity; did you choose joy; did you choose understanding in your life? Because if you did, you would understand, then, exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m here to tell you about the power you have, the power of being alive, the power of all that is so good that dwells in your heart. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget that. Will you come across hard times? Absolutely. Will things look difficult, yes. Will there be darkness, yes. Does it have to continue like that? No.

Awaken; open your eyes; look around; see—and most importantly, see who you are. See the light that is in you—and the darkness will be gone.

Because the day you hit that wall, not everybody else is going to hit that wall. There’ll be other ones coming out of the other wall as you hit that wall. This is your story. The world’s trying to make it its story. You have to refrain from that happening; you have to make sure that it stays your story and yours alone.

No mixing, no meddling—that it remains your story. That’s what it has to be. Anything else is a compromise, not fit for existence, not fit for life.

There’s your heart: feel it, understand it, accept it—and you will then be so filled with gratitude, thankful, thankful to be alive, thankful to have this breath, thankful to have had this time on the face of this earth. Then it’s not about the two walls anymore. Then it all becomes about you, about the good, about the life, about the real, about the divine, about the universe that you are. That you are.

Unlocking Hope Prem Answers Questions Cape Town, South Africa

Unlocking Hope

Prem Answers Questions

Cape Town, South Africa

Graeme Richards Host

MC:

You talk about being attractive, and us generating this energy that is attractive to other people—but it has to start within oneself.

And this next question, I think, (as we were discussing which to take out of the multitude that came through), I think hit everyone backstage, and I think it’s going to hit all of you. And I hope that the person who wrote it really does light up now and take note of the response.

But the question read as such: “How can you love yourself when you’ve started to believe that you’re ugly and a failure?”

Prem Rawat:

Well, fortunately, it is not a fact; it’s only your belief. Beliefs can change. So, you know, really, you can believe anything you want—but what is the reality? What is the reality? The reality is that darkness is never far from light.

Last time you flipped on a switch and turned on a light in a dark room, how long did it take for that darkness to disappear? You turned on the light bulb, and it’s just like, djjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj, like, you know, a drain—or like a toilet flushing, schhhhhhhhh? No! Boom?—boomf.

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

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

But so is kindness. So is understanding; so is gratitude; these things are also there because they are the other side of the coin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

This beauty will be gone one day. The same thing that people come and kiss, they’ll be like, “Huh-hah, no way.” So, it’s not here; this is not the “beauty” part. The beauty part is here, in your heart, in yourself.

MC:

I think a big part of that journey to self and that getting to that point of seeing the beauty within you, a part of that has to be about forgiving yourself.

And one of the questions that was posed is, “If forgiveness is difficult for you to begin with, (forgiving someone else is hard enough), turning it inward to the person that you know better than anyone else, the person that you probably judge more than anyone else—how do you forgive yourself?”

Prem Rawat:

Well, that’s a wonderful question—because that is so important, to be able to forgive yourself. And let’s just not even bring “you and somebody else” into the picture; let’s just talk about forgiveness, what forgiveness is.

And a lot of people think, “Forgiveness is granting license to mediocrity, granting license to somebody’s mistake.” That is not forgiveness. Forgiveness is to sever the relationship with that action that is dragging you down.

So, now, whatever—and, you know, somebody did something to you that was terrible. And that happened a long time ago, but that person still has a clutch on you. They still have a clutch on you. Because every day that you wake up, perhaps, and in a solitary moment, you curse that person; you think of that person; that person is still connected to you.

And forgiveness is saying, “No more. You will not have control over me. I want my life back. I want my life back and I do not authorize you any more to haunt me.” That’s what forgiveness is.

That’s what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is very powerful. It’s really saying, “No! I’ve got my life. Thank you very much.” Regaining—it’s regaining. Because if you don’t, then the clutches will still be there.

And it—and what it does to you; what this clutching does to you, these claws that are buried inside of you, it causes anger; it causes fear; it causes you to shut down; it causes you to stop moving forward; it stops appreciation....

And you cannot allow yourself to be a victim; you would—some of the things, you will never be able to say, “Oh, yeah, I’m fine with that.” But it’s up to you, whether you allow the talons of that person and that activity still to be gripping you. Because if you don’t, then use the sword of forgiveness and free yourself. You move on.

You know, and I understand. I mean, sometimes these stories are easier said than actually translated into your life. But at least, if you begin to chisel away....

I mean, maybe the rope is so thick that you won’t be able to cut it in one day. But at least, you start severing it, start understanding the dynamics that you have the power to sever that rope, that this is what forgiveness means—that ultimately one day you will weaken that rope; that it will, it’ll be severed. But you need to begin. You need to start understanding that.

Because whatever you practice the most, that’s what you get good at. You know, and practice, practice being yourself. But, then there is a problem with that, that if you don’t know yourself, how do you practice being yourself?

So, now it’s back to that “point one”.... [MC: Giggle. You go back to giggles; you’ve got giggles.] And, yeah, know yourself.

MC:

I’m so glad that you’ve honed in on—you mentioned a couple of words there, but the word “victim” came up so many times in so many questions: “And how we move beyond feeling like a victim,” which is very much a South African context, and as you’ve explained, I think, an energy that’s shared across the globe....

Prem Rawat:

Somebody has to keep trying—and be it the citizens of this country, that in the face of what is absolutely, absolutely, impossibly cruel and horrible—but the good has to keep trying. That’s the victory.

And there are two kinds of victory. In one victory, you win but somebody has to lose. But when the victory is of yourself, then you win and nobody has to lose. Nobody has to lose.

And so, yes, in the face of all this horrible stuff, there is hope. And if we humans can dip so low as to do things like that, then we humans can also climb so high as to make the difference to not let it happen.

So, it’s up to us. At the end of the day, it’s going to always come down—we play a part in it. We play a part in it. And we wait....

How many—I mean, I shouldn’t ask this question, because I know what the answer is going to be. But I sincerely, sincerely—because my platform is humanity, I sincerely ask you to ask yourself one question. “How many of you are waiting for the others to change?”

And that is the biggest disease worldwide—everybody is waiting for others to change. No, you have to change. With the others change or not, you change. And then they will see “the change is good.”

The time has come to take ownership, find peace in your life, know yourself. That’s the time. You want these things to stop; they can stop. They’re not.... This is not God at work. You know, this is not, “Oh, yeah, it was his karma....” Stupid explanations! (This is the fifty-year-old talking.)

How many of you disagree with that—“That it’s somebody else up there who controls the destiny; you are just a puppet”?

Because this is what we are taught; we didn’t know this—we’re taught this. Because it gives an explanation to all the unfortunate things: “Oh, yeah, God works in mysterious ways.” And we go, “God works in mysterious ways.” And I say, “That’s it? That’s your explanation? ‘He’s mysterious’?” I mean, why is God mysterious?

There is only one way you can take away darkness. You cannot get an empty bucket to take away darkness. An empty bucket, to fill it with darkness and throw it out the window won’t work—sorry. There is only one way to take away the darkness—and that is, bring on the light.

Do I see hope? I see hope. And I saw hope when I went to that school. And they were little kids—so cute—little kids. And I saw hope in them. And you need to find some too. And you need to find the end of uncertainty, end of that fear, so you can find the end of anger.

MC:

You’ve helped me to unlock hope tonight; you have—I can feel off this audience, helped them to unlock hope tonight. And so I hope you’ve received some of that love from us as well. What an absolute pleasure and a privilege.

Prem Rawat:

Thank you.

MC:

Thank you so, so much.

PEACE EDUCATION PROGRAMME - PREM RAWAT

Prem Rawat

https://www.premrawat.com/pages/lockdown-with-prem-rawat/item/5237-lockdown-with-prem-rawat-40#!mediaplayer-5237

Hello, everyone; I hope you’re all doing well. Very quickly approaching towards getting the Peace Education Program prepared, so we can go through it—and there are ten different chapters in the Peace Education Program and, of course, the first one is “Peace.”

I think I’ve talked a lot about peace, but still, the understanding—because we live in a world that has defined so many things for us. And we take those definitions and we apply it to everything.

So, what does it mean when you see somebody on the street that is not from a certain place or a certain country? So, again, there are definitions that come in; there are ideas that come in; there are concepts that kick in. And you, when you look at that person, all those things are afoot; they are playing.

So, the same thing happens when it comes to “what is peace,” what is “infinite,” what is “clarity.” Any one of these things actually triggers a whole plethora of ideas of what one is talking about.

But the peace that I’m talking about is not the peace that is created—or that is a consequence of something. (So, if two people have been fighting and all of a sudden they call it quits, you could say, “Well, they’re in peace now; they’re, ‘cease-fire.’”) That’s not the peace I’m talking about.

So then, you know, you go to a nice place; it’s wonderful, and a nice lake and the forest—and people go, and people go camping and so on and so forth, to these wonderful places.

And I know a lot of people step out and the first thing they say is, “Oh, how peaceful it is.” But that’s just absence of noise, the absence of all the noise that you heard when you were in the city. So, that’s not the peace, what I’m talking about. So, what is that peace that I’m talking about?

Well, in you, you know, obviously, you know what your turmoil looks like—it’s not fun. And you have been rattled by that turmoil at times. It has been severe.

I see it when things don’t go your way—and you are tired, or you’re, you know, something is already amiss—and then on top of that comes some kind of a bad news. And the feeling is, “Oh my God, this is too much to take, too much to handle, too much to have”—and off you go. Fair enough.

But then there is an opposite of that inside of you, something that is capable of looking at this whole world and its workings and everything else from a very disconnected way—and being able to observe it for what it is—not how it should be, but what it is.  

Things happen—neither good nor bad. It’s not a detached judgment. But it is just simply far enough away to see your existence, you being in this life, you being in this world, just the way it is—neither good nor bad.

Somebody actually wrote this to me; it’s like, you know, “How come nature is so cruel? Today I saved, you know, some kind of a bug from the clutches of a spider—because of, you know, they were caught in a spider’s nest.” And I started thinking about that.

“And is it?” It is. It is. And I don’t have to sit there and pass a judgment on it. It is what it is.

Bugs eat bugs; fish eat fish; animals eat animals. It happens. Is that good? Well, why do I have to bring my hat of “good” and “bad” to every party that I go to? Why is everything divided into that “good and bad”?

Because this is how I’ve been trained: “Either the things are good—or bad”—but I have lost the ability to admire something for what it is worth—for what it is. To look at the moon and admire it for what it is. Not what it isn’t. Not what it could be. Not how it could have been—but just as it is. This is—not everybody has this ability.

To look at rain.... And we don’t like rain; most of us don’t like rain. We think that’s, you know, a real bummer; “It’s ruined your day,” and da-da-da-da, da. But just to look at the rain for what it is.

It’s a natural process; it has been happening on this planet Earth for a really long time. And thank God that it happens—and otherwise the distribution of that freshwater would not happen the way it should happen. To admire something the way it is.

Well, okay, so we have talked about, you know, fish and we’ve talked about animals and we’ve talked about spiderwebs.

But what happens when that “to just see something the way it is” comes to you? And you start to see, without judgment, a reality, a very simple reality? A reality that is about you, that, something that touches your heart, something that makes you feel fulfilled—makes you feel like, “Yes,” that gratitude is touched, the thankfulness is touched.

That no more do you flounder between the answers and the questions—but you understand the answer, even if there isn’t a question. That peace becomes, for you, a journey inside to that beautiful place where you are in that presence of the complete, of the whole, of the infinite.

That from thereon, it isn’t “more” or “less”—but all that goes away. “Right and wrong,” all that goes away—and it’s not about time and it’s not about your agendas and it’s not about your definitions and it’s not about that printer you carry here—but it is that you witness what is the true, beautiful reality.

Peace, then, is that one feeling which is not objective; it is subjective for every single person. It is what they feel. And when there is no need to want to describe it, when there is no need to say, “Hey, come here and look at this....”  It is beyond that threshold—that it is. And you accept.

You accept because it’s so beautiful. You accept because it’s within you. You accept because it is you. You accept because it is a gift that you have received. And no more dualities.

So, peace is that place, not full of definitions, but full of feeling. And that’s what you have to understand about peace.

And of course, you know, this is discussed more in the Peace Education Program, but this time, it’s not about words but you’re going to have to pay attention. And that, that’s the big difference. That’s really the big difference. And all of this for appreciation, to be able to appreciate what it means that you’re alive, that you have this life.

You know, we don’t even understand what to appreciate. We think we should appreciate our dog; we should appreciate our cat; we should appreciate our donkey; we should appreciate.... (I’m not saying you shouldn’t; of course you should.)

But in life, there are some deeper things that are inside of you that you should also appreciate. So, appreciate this breath that comes into you. Appreciate this existence that you have. Appreciate every day that you’re alive.

Now, these may sound really, really simple things to you—but I tell you one thing; it’s a real challenge to do so. It is a real challenge because our training is not for that. Our training is to appreciate, “Look outside.”

From the very young age that we were babies, when the mother wanted to distract us because we were crying or something like that, a toy, something that made noise, or something—and it’s like, “Lookey-lookey, look at this! Look at this! (Forget about what you’re feeling; look at this.) Look at this. This is more important.”

Has it stopped since then? Now we’re not babies anymore, perhaps. We are adults; we do things—but, has that stopped? No, again—now it’s not the mother bringing these things to us. But now we bring these things to us: distractions—from? Appreciation of what is.

This life is. And it is the most magnificent gift that you will ever have. Every breath is priceless. Every moment, every day, every today that you receive is priceless—and its value and its importance to you, now....

And as I explained, what is that “now”—now is where your actions are going to take place, which will then have consequences for you, either good consequences or bad consequences. This is what’s going on. And if you have no appreciation for that, then you’re missing out on a whole part of your existence—that you’re just not even paying attention to it, because there is no appreciation of that.

So, appreciation, as simple as it sounds, it’s not quite like drinking a milkshake—because you have to see those things. And those things are so hidden from us—not because they are—but we have hidden them from us because we have brought in other things that we are so used to looking at.

And now it’s a question of refocusing and finding those things that we can truly appreciate in our lives, that mean something to us from within—not from a trained idea, not from a trained definition, not from a trained, you know, (again and again and again), “This is how you should be; this is how you should be....”

Not appreciation of that—but appreciation of those things that are simple, that are profound, and that are so yours that they’re amazing.

So, anyways—and then, of course, we’ll be talking about “inner strength”—and the inner strength, you know, the thing is, well, the only kind of strength we know is either the strength of thought—or muscles. And so it’s like, “Yeah, that’s, that’s what I”—and people want to be powerful. And how do they want to be powerful? Power. “Power, power, power,” and the world’s gone crazy over power.

And so people think, “If you have money, you have power. If you have big muscles, you have power. If you have a big brain, you have power.”

But what is your inner strength? Inner strength cannot be measured by muscles; it cannot be measured by thought. It cannot be measured by these things—but the inner strength is your strength of your clarity, of your understanding, of your feeling, of your joy, of you! Your strength, your true, true, true, true strength.

The strength that can take you forward, the strength and the courage that you need in your life to move forward when everything tells you, “No. No, it’s over.” You know, because the world will—will, and yeah, the world’s very well defined when it comes to that: “You have done this—it’s over.”

But it takes an incredible amount of inner strength to say, “No, I’m going forward. I’m going to move forward regardless of all this that is coming my way to stop me.”

So, these are the things that are going to be talked about. “Self-awareness,” knowing who you are, becoming aware that you are not just this bubbling pot of ideas and thoughts in your head. But there is a lot more going on; you have a heart; you have feelings; you have understandings; you have thirsts; you have your needs that need to be fulfilled. And it really comes down to knowing yourself.

Other things that are going to be talked about are “clarity, understanding, dignity, choice, hope and contentment.” And, you know, and briefly about hope—yeah, and but I’m not talking about the hope of “keep your fingers crossed,” you know, “let’s hope everything goes our way.”

That’s not hope. That’s just “wishful thinking.” That’s like, you know, you buy a lottery ticket and then you sit there and you go, “I hope that lottery ticket comes; I hope that lottery ticket comes; I hope that lottery ticket comes.” That’s not the hope that I am talking about.  

The hope that I am talking about is that those basic things that you need in your life, (which, of course, you need the recognition of), to have those things fulfilled. To have the hope to go forward. When everything isn’t clear, when everything is a little bit foggy, when everything isn’t there, something to come along and say, “Continue, continue—and you will feel your way to that reality.”

So, I mean, anyways, I could talk about this more, but let’s wait for the Peace Education Program. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. And that’s coming closer and closer.

And I hope you continue to enjoy. And then, you know, of course, I’ve got to get ready for the PEP—so I just want to remind you again. And we have prepared some nice clips that’ll be shown every day, so something will be shown every day up to the point that PEP comes back and I will return with PEP.

So, it’s really a wonderful.... I, I don’t know; for me, it’s like, it’s a little bit tiring, (actually, quite a bit tiring), but it’s exciting; it’s fun to be able to talk about this, to be able to just talk to you about these beautiful things that I always go and talk about.

But in these circumstances, we can go beyond these circumstances; we can go beyond the ugliness of coronavirus; we can go beyond the ugliness of these things and come to a beautiful place, which is really within us. You know, so, your journey goes all the way and then it comes back to you. And how beautiful it is that it comes back, comes back to you.

So, take care; be well; be safe—and most importantly, be. Thank you.