No Restrictions

Life isn't all about suffering, says Prem Rawat, known widely as Maharaji. "There's a misconception that everything good comes after great effort, great pains, great suffering," he says. Instead, he calls life "a process of discovering what you have been given."

The discovery he talks about is a personal one. He urges people to make a priority of searching for peace within themselves.

"Amid all the pain and suffering that could be, and all the joy and laughter that could be," he says, "there is one more thing that also could be, and that is the possibility of feeling peace within.

"The peace that I am talking about is the peace that exists innately inside every single living being on the face of this earth—no holds barred, no restrictions."

Maharaji, who first began speaking about this personal experience of peace as a preschooler, addresses audiences of every size and nature, from villagers in remote outposts to university professors and diplomats in the world's major cities. In every case, he says, his message is addressed to the heart of each individual.

"I have been all around the world," he says, "and it doesn't really matter what kind of social cross-section you come across—whether they're rich or poor. They all have the same need to feel—not talk about, not read books about, but feel—this peace in their lives. Nobody has to put a banner up that says, 'You need peace in your life.' Everybody knows that."

Maharaji doesn't stop at encouraging people to find peace for themselves. He also freely offers assistance in the process. "You need to have peace in your life," he says. "With my help or without my help, I don't care. Find it. If you can't find it, I can help."