"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."
Jul 11, 2007
Heaven on Earth
Jun 14, 2007
May 5, 2007
Peace Is Human Nature
Conflict is not a part of human nature, says Prem Rawat, known to many as Maharaji—peace is.
"There are people who say that all the things that happen in this world are examples of human nature—all the wars, all the conflicts," he says. "I disagree. When we're centered, when we're placed in that true equilibrium where our hearts are full, then our true nature shines. The true nature that we have is beautiful."
The solution to predicaments is not to chase the problem, he says. "The solution lies within the heart of every single human being."
Maharaji spoke publicly before he began the first grade at school in India, saying it's not nations but individuals who need to experience peace. He was invited to speak in the West in his early teens and since has shared his message with more than 10 million people in 97 nations.
"When the heart is full," he says, "then the human being is fulfilled. Then, automatically, a person is out of duality, and there are no questions, only answers. It is then that people favor the simple over the complicated. That's how we need to be. That's our nature."
To those who think peace is not possible, Maharaji suggests a re-examination of what peace really is.
"Some think it's when no one in this world ever gets angry with anyone," he says. "That's not going to happen. People get angry even with other members of their family. Yet some people think that’s what has to happen before peace can manifest. The peace I am talking about is the peace that can be experienced in the middle of a battlefield, and that peace is at our very essence."
Apr 8, 2007
A Peaceful Solution
Solutions to the world's social problems will come when individuals are experiencing peace, says Prem Rawat, an influential voice for peace widely known as Maharaji.
"Police departments and governments try to assure that society runs well," he says. "It seems to me such a simple thing. When human beings are content, everything runs well, but when individuals are not content, nothing runs well, in spite of all the police and rules and regulations in the world. Nothing runs well when the human being is not running well.
"So don’t you think it is now time to focus on each individual? To look at the reality of each human being?"
The reality Maharaji talks about is an experience of peace that he says is at the core of human nature. Since childhood he has dedicated his life to making people around the world aware of this experience, and encouraging them to embark on a journey of self-discovery. He offers his help to those who respond to this message.
"People say, 'We need solutions to our problems,''' Maharaji says. "As soon as I say the word peace, they say, 'Oh, yes. The world needs peace.' And I say, 'No. You need peace, not the world. Forget about the world. You need peace.'
"The formulas that we are using in this world today—economic solutions, ideas of what war means—have been tried for many, many years. How much money do you think is spent preparing for war? Billions and billions. How much for peace? Very little. Sometimes people hold a conference to discuss peace. Peace needs to be felt, not discussed.
"We need to look at the possibility of how true peace can be brought to people. The good news is that true peace is already inside every single human being."
Mar 31, 2007
A Very Big Adventure
The most challenging quest anyone can undertake in life has nothing to do with climbing the world's highest mountains. It's finding out who you really are, says Prem Rawat, popularly known as Maharaji.
"The biggest adventure," he says, "is not climbing
Each life, Maharaji says, is like a story unfolding. "What should your story be?" he asks. "Should it be about suffering, pain, anger, and all the things you don't have? Shouldn't this life really be interesting, an adventure?"
To know yourself, he says, you have to tame the dragon of anger and desire that's within all human beings.
"If you don't tame that dragon, it'll destroy you," he warns. "If you do tame that dragon, you get to fly on its back to wherever it is you want to go."
Even before he started school, Maharaji began talking publicly about the need within every individual to be at peace. He traveled to the West in his early teens in response to invitations from people who had heard him speak in his native
"It's fun. Here it is —you are never, ever far from yourself. The closest you will ever be to anyone is to yourself. Yet the one you don't know is you. You know everybody else. What you have to do is find yourself, the one person who is closest to you."
While many people find Maharaji's words inspiring, there is more to what he offers. If you choose the adventure of discovering you, he says, "I'm here to help. I can help."
Mar 12, 2007
Every Breath Can Be Filled With Peace
Regardless of the circumstances in which people may find themselves Prem Rawat also known by the honorary title Maharaji, says, everyone can be at peace now, and the way to find inner peace is to look within.
'To make this life successful is not about tomorrow,' he says, 'it is not about retirement, not about ten years from now. It is about this time, in this life. But for that, we need inner peace. And inner peace is not a matter of words. Peace needs to be felt. It is a matter of experience.'
Prem Rawat started speaking to audiences at the age of three and gave his first published address at the age of four. Since that time, millions have come to hear him in more than 250 cities in 50 countries. Today, he speaks to people around the world about the possibility of knowing inner peace and contentment. His message is profoundly simple:
'The peace that you are looking for is within you, and I can show you how to get in touch with it.'
Prem Rawat’s focus is on helping individuals find peace and fulfillment within “When people are at peace, there will be peace in the world.” While many people speak about peace, Prem Rawat offers a practical pathway to inner peace, which he calls Knowledge.
Those interested in Prem Rawat’s message come from all walks of life. Prem Rawat’s addresses have found growing audiences in the Indian subcontinent as well as on all the other continents. His message is now heard in 80 countries in over 60 languages.
Mar 10, 2007
Thought and Feeling
While thinking is the right tool for problem-solving, it's no good for understanding what will satisfy the heart, says Prem Rawat, a long-time voice for peace also called Maharaji.
"Tools are very important," Maharaji says. "But more important than the tools themselves is knowing which tool works on what. The wrong kind of screwdriver will not work; the wrong wrench will not work."
Similarly, he says, in life it's important to know whether thinking or feeling is appropriate to what we're trying to do. "Thought is a tool. Feeling is a tool," Maharaji says. "Thought satisfies our curiosity, satisfies our mind. Feeling satisfies what we are yearning for from our heart."
Maharaji has been urging people not to forget the importance of feeling since he was very young. Feeling is the tool we need, he says, to unearth the feeling of peace necessary to a full experience of what it is to be alive. He has dedicated his life to introducing the possibility of feeling peace within, and to offering his encouragement and assistance to those who wish to pursue it. Although his efforts have earned official recognition from many governments, he reminds people that the need for peace is individual, not institutional.
"I travel the world to bring this message to people," he says. "I'm not preaching, nor am I teaching. All I'm doing is presenting a possibility. Peace is important to me, and I hope that peace is important to you."
"Once we have understood that it is important in this life—that it is necessary in this life—to achieve completeness, to achieve fulfillment, that is the day we begin to understand the necessity of peace. You have to feel peace in your life."
