One of Australia's celebrated television personalities, Johnny Young, flew to the United States in 1981 and, on August 4, interviewed Maharaj Ji. Here, edited for brevity is the transcript:

Maharaj Ji, is there really such a thing as true happiness or true peace?

Definitely. There is a thing that we call true happiness. The key word is "true," for what we all seek is the Truth. We seek the realization of why we are here. of what makes us tick. of what makes us alive, and we search for an experience of life that is superior to what we may have.

Life is there to enjoy. It's there to experience. And that experience can be beautiful. when it is true. and, when we have that experience, then, yes, there will be true happiness. I have experienced true happiness. A lot of people have experienced true happiness. And we all agree that it is incredible. You see that it is. The experience that Truth has to give you is that true happiness you seek.

A lot of people could say that sounds great, but how do I have this experience? Is it a practical thing that can be shown?

Of course, it's a practical thing. There is something inside of us that's quite simple. Fundamental. Incredible. Life. And there is an experience to it. Without having that experience, we can go on and say to ourselves that everything is fine. but. when we have that experience, then we discover how really fine everything can be. Then we can really say, "I know. I know, because I have understood. I know because I know." It's not a theory. It's not a philosophy. It's not a religion. I don't want to offer theories, philosophies, or another religion. The fact of the matter is that there is something in you, whether you know it or not. And when you know it, it's incredible.

A lot of times, when people speak about religion, it seems to make for a heavy conversation. But the people who have had this experience you speak of seem to be light, somehow. Why is that?

Oh, I talk to many people who are quite dug in with their religions and I talk to many ministers from different religions. It is really beautiful for me, and I hope they enjoy it, too. Sometimes, we are serious about religion. and we have deep discussions. We know there is suffering and we know there are many problems in this world. But there is something else, too. Something to enjoy. There is love of the Creator to enjoy. There is God's magnificence to enjoy.

That's why I'm easy about it. Because I know God didn't make me or any human being in this world to suffer. There are established religions, yes. But there is you, too. And you're wonderful. Every human being walking on this planet's surface - doesn't matter who they are - they're wonderful. They're human beings. They've been created. They have a purpose. They have in them the capability of enjoying the ultimate joy. That's what we need to do: put people in touch with what's in them.

So, what are the steps? What do I do?

Well, first, you have to want it, really want it. There must be a thirst. If you don't have any thirst inside of you, I don't mean anything to you. God doesn't mean anything to you. True happiness doesn't mean anything to you.

But when that thirst is sincerely there, all of these things I talked about start making sense.

That's all it takes. No more, no less. When that thirst is there, when it's strong enough, then you're ready. Then you're ready to accept that experience and gain the realization of the Knowledge of God.

Would a person have to give up belief in Judaism or Islam or Jesus Christ or whatever, or change his or her religious outlook in order to experience this?

There is a simple story about the Prophet

Mohammed. One day, he went to sleep by a mosque, with his feet pointing toward the mosque. A man came along and said. "You can't do that." And Mohammed asked, "Why not?" And the man said. "Because that's the House of God! You can't put your feet toward the place where God dwells!" And Mohammed said, "So? Pick up my feet and put them in a direction where God is not!"

God is everywhere. God is in you. You can experience the Knowledge of God, you can enjoy it. You don't have to be sad. You don't have to suffer. You can have that heaven. What you only dream about otherwise, that dream can become real in this life.

There are many established religions. They are pointing a finger toward God. We should not get too caught up with the finger, but concentrate our attention instead on what it is pointing to. If you have a religion, go right ahead.

I am simply offering an experience of life. It is for every single human being alive. It doesn't make any difference how young or old you are, or whether you are black or white, or what your beliefs are, or whether you are rich or poor. To have that incredible experience, you don't have to change your religion, you don't have to change yourself. you don't have to do anything drastic. Just be who you are. And there it is.

Maharaj Ji, you have a family and yet you travel the world just about all the time. What's your motivation? Why do you do it?

Well, I know that, by , I can bring Knowledge. And it's wonderful, going from people to people - because that's what I do. I don't go from country to country, I go from people to people around the world, and just show them who they are. And then, once they have seen who they are, and I see their smiles and their bliss, that true happiness … it's the most wonderful thing. That is my motivation.

When people do receive the Knowledge you reveal, does their life style necessarily change? Do they have to be different in any way?

No, of course not. They may be different in that they know more now - that they're really happy. That, I would say, might be an obvious difference - that one would be happy. But, otherwise, there doesn't have to be a change. Some people say they gained everything through that experience, through that happiness, but I can assure you they don't have to give up anything.

One big problem seems to be fear. A lot of people are too fearful to come forward and say, "Please help me." How do you deal with that?

Such fear stems from ignorance, of course. We are full of fears because we don't know. But that is as natural as the Knowledge that is already within us. And that's the thing. It's already within. And when we know. the fear goes away. The people who come to me need that Knowledge to replace their ignorance and end their fear. Humanity gets caught up in games, with rules that say that has to be this way, and this has to be that way. And yet, does any of it make a difference? We all have the gift of life. This life is pure. It is simple. It is beautiful. Life is to be experienced.

What do you say to people who believe they can find it on their own?

The problem is they may run around searching for a long, long time. The question they should ask themselves is: "I only have one life to live. Am I going to blow it away in trial and error or am I going to have a wonderful experience of my life?" They should realize that they won't live forever. Now is the time for them, now is the time to be alive.

We need to grow. We need to experience this life. Some people may think that it is too ego-shattering to admit that they went to someone for help. But really, you go to yourself for help. You open up yourself. You say "I am thirsty. I need water." That's all. It's as simple as that.