"The Face in the Mirror"

Everybody has their own definition of peace. Some people think peace is an absence of noise. Some people think it is absence of wars. Some people think it is a beautiful scene.

If that’s what peace is, there is no shortage of beautiful places in this world. And there are places that are extremely quiet. So why isn’t there peace? Is peace a manifestation of something that happens inside a human being or is peace something on the outside only? This is where we have to slow down, because the definitions are abundant. What is peace? Where does the desire for peace come from? Was it that somebody sat down at their dining room table one day and said, “Good idea to have peace in this world”? Or is peace and the desire for peace innate to every single human being?

This, in my opinion, is the pivotal question because if the desire for peace is innate and fundamental to every human being—like food, like breath, like sleep, like water—then without it, we cannot be. Without it, everything is out of balance. If you put someone in the most beautiful room with an incredible sofa, nice wallpaper, and a view but no air, will they enjoy that room? Or will they bang against the door for someone to let them out?

You cannot explain to them, “Look. Air is a small part of the scene. You have the wallpaper, the room, the sofa, a television. Relax! Enjoy yourself. Why do you care if there is air in there or not?” You can’t see it. But when something fundamental is needed, explanations alone are not sufficient. You cannot explain to a hungry person, “It’s okay.” When you are trying to address something that is very basic to a human being, there are no compromises.

Peace is the same way. A human being without peace is not complete. You were never taught the desire for peace, just as you were never taught to cry. The baby knows how to cry, how to laugh, how to be. These are fundamental things nobody has to teach. The desire for peace is also fundamental. This is who we are. This is our foundation—a need from our heart pushing us to be content every day, to find that missing piece of the puzzle.

If you are putting together a puzzle, and you know there is a piece missing, not which one, you keep trying. That’s what the world is doing. Somebody comes up with a better formula, a better word, a better description, a better book. And people say, “This will do it.”
“If we could all come together and set aside our differences. . .” Great theory. Hasn’t worked. Why? Four kids cannot do it. Have you seen four children come together and put aside their differences? I haven’t. All it takes is one ball, one ice cream, one candy bar…

When we look at a person, we say, “Young, old.” These are our qualifiers. “Indian? American? Italian? Chinese? Japanese? African?” We say, “Where are you from?” We have forgotten how to view a human being. And we have forgotten how to view ourselves. We see a face in the mirror, and we don’t look at the face. We look at the imperfections of the face: “What’s this? What’s that?”

That you exist is a miracle. That this breath comes into you every day is an incredible miracle. And you feel and know and understand. That’s a miracle. In the heart of every human being dances the desire to be in peace. If we want social peace, the first thing that needs to happen is that the cause of the turmoil be taken away. Who fights? People. That’s where the turmoil comes from. If that turmoil has to be taken away, first it has to be taken away in people. People like you and me.

There are people trying to bring peace. Peace does not need to be brought from anywhere because peace exists inside of you. Very humbly, I say to you that what you’re looking for is within you. Peace for you as a human being is entirely possible. Turn within and you will feel it. How? Start with appreciating every day of your life. There is only one thing that can stop the onslaught of unconsciousness, and that is a little bit of consciousness. Live this life with a little bit of consciousness. Be aware of your existence, because all too soon, you won’t have it.

There is no magic wand, because the magic formula has already been unfolded, and it is us—each one of us on the face of this earth. With all our needs and wants, there is one more that has not been identified yet, and that is peace. That’s what we want. Unquestionably, I don’t care who they are—rich or poor, educated or non-educated, tall or short, dark or light—as long as they’re human beings, that’s what they want.

Give it a thought. It’s a very, very special subject to discover in your life.

-Prem Rawat (Maharaji)

" Fulfillment in Every Breath"

Every day that we exist, there is one wish from within that never changes—the wish to be content. No matter what we have gone through. No matter what we have had and not had. No matter what people have been in our life—loved ones who are there or have gone. With all the changes we have been through, that one inner desire to be fulfilled has never changed. And it will never change. we can count on that.

we have the ability to see; we have the ability to understand. Look at our life. Open our eyes. Open our heart. Open the gates of our understanding. It isn’t a question of analysis. It’s a question of observing what is. Understand what we have been given. we’ll never be able to analyze it, but we can observe it. we can admire it. we can see its beauty, its simplicity.

If we’re going to build our house, that is the place to lay the foundation. Don’t lay the foundation in quicksand and then say, “What happened to my house?” Our house will be gone. Find that solid surface—the desire to be content. And build your house on that—as big as you want. Make big plans. Make it huge. It doesn’t matter, because this is one ground that’ll take anything you throw its way.

People think courage is required. It is, but what courage? Our ability to overcome our fear is our courage. There are thieves who have courage. Is that a good use of courage? There are people who climb buildings vertically. They overcome their fear. Is that what courage is? For what? There is an elevator. I can come up and down too.

This is how our world is set up. If somebody does something that most of us can’t do, that’s really special. Most people can talk, so if we hear somebody talking, it’s not a big deal. But not all of us can sing, so if we hear somebody with a good voice, we think, “Wow! That’s good.” And it goes like that. If somebody went to the moon, we think, “Wow! they’re really special; they went to the moon.” Everybody wants to be special in their own way. They want to be different: “I can do something that nobody else can do.”


But there is something that we can do and everybody else can do, too—that we can enjoy and everybody else can enjoy.We can find our satisfaction, our joy, our fulfillment in every breath. It is better than a song. It really is better than going to the moon. It is better than the best. And every human being on the face of this earth can accomplish that. That’s what makes us special. Not just that we can sing, because one day we won’t be able to sing.

Recently, I saw some old‑time singers. They were singing, but they were out of tune. I’m sure they were incredible once. When all that goes, what remains? There is a connection with something within that will be there till the very end. Then being old doesn’t matter because the heart is full. Fill this existence with that. Fill the life with that beauty.

I’ve learned a number of things over the years, and one of them is that not much actually changes. There are people who love their life, but they still love to complain. They complain because this is what they have practiced, and they’ve gotten good at complaining. I just wish they would have gotten used to appreciating, to gratitude, and practiced that. It’s really important.

" By Design "

Maharaji's 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.