Heaven on Earth

"There are people who are so busy trying to figure out what's going to happen to them when they're not alive anymore," says Prem Rawat, an internationally acclaimed voice for peace known by the honorary title Maharaji, "that they have forgotten how to live. They are so preoccupied with heaven after death that they have forgotten the heaven on earth.

"There is a heaven on earth, and you are fully equipped to take full advantage of it. With this body that has been given to you, you can truly enjoy."

Maharaji speaks of a universal thirst for joy that all human beings share. He has addressed this thirst before audiences around the world for a number of decades. His message focuses on discovering this joy, which he says resides within everyone, in a place called the heart.

"Where is this heaven?" he asks. "It's not in some building. This heaven is in the heart of every single human being on the face of the earth."

Since he was a child in India, he has addressed more than 10 million people in 51 countries, and his message has been made available in 70 languages in 97 countries.

In addition to the inspiration his words express, Maharaji offers assistance in turning towards the heart. "I offer the possibility of knowing you, so that you can be you," he says. "It's important for you to know yourself so that you can be as happy as you can be.

"When you can experience joy in your life, then you have truly begun to understand what life is. When I am me—who I really am—that's when I am happiest. That's when I feel gratitude in my heart for being alive."