Preparing for Knowledge, Questions and Answers, 1996
1996 was the 25th anniversary year of Prem Rawat's arrival in the "West". The highlight of the 1996 video "Like The Rain" is a speech ("satsang") of his set to music extolling the importance of and the Blessing of the Master. In that video Maharaji gives one of "his deepest and most poetic" depictions of His own importance and the incredible awakening and magic that he produces in the yearning hearts of his students. So deep! So Poetic!
This video shows him in another light altogether, the organised, file carrying administrator dealing with questions and resolving aspirants' queries knowledgably. The video deals partly with the difficulty that Prem Rawat in all of his three public personas (Guru Maharaj Ji, Maharaji, Prem Rawat) has not been able to overcome. The fact that there is a great discrepancy between the vision that the sales spiel talks up about the receiving and practising of Knowledge and how most people actually feel after receiving Knowledge. There has always been a large, immediate drop-out rate. This explains how the number of Divine Light Mission members was so grossly over-reported in the media prior to Millenium '73. He and his minions have tried to prevent this by increasing the time of preparation or "brainwashing" as critics might call it. In the mid-1970s introductory courses, aspirant courses, pre-Knowledge courses, Knowledge courses, Divine Shelters, pre-ashrams were introduced. These were partially successful as were the longer waiting periods before receiving Knowledge which allowed more aspirants to become embedded in a Divine Light Mission lifestyle of satsang, service and meditation in their local community.
That all went by the board when the ashrams emptied in 1976/77 and during the crazy super devotional period of 1977 - 82 when aspirants were either swept along by the crazy excitement or not. The mid to late 1980s was a time of recovery from the dramatic changes when Guru Maharaj Ji became Maharaji, the ashrams were closed permanently, Divine Light Mission became Elan Vital and the Indian trappings were burnt on a pyre. By 1996 this attempt to cut the drop-out rate had become a 5 month period of watching videos of Maharaji's speeches. We can deduce by Maharaji actually addressing negative questions that this was creating complaints among the aspirants and members of aspirants' families were also unhappy. Eight years later this process would become the even more onerous original Keys program. The aspirants are obviously ones who are close to 5 months so Maharaji doesn't hide his position, he is the Master.
There are some of his catchwords: "trust, deep place, journey of a lifetime, the heart, true joy, the thirst, feel the magic, the hunger." There are two of Maharaji's standard fables. The premie miracle story: a woman whose husband was negative but Maharaji's advice brought them both to understanding and receiving Knowledge and a Grass is Greener example of how He and Knowledge are being incredibly successful somewhere else, far away, in this case Ghana.
- I'm not telling you what is right, I'm not telling you what is wrong - Like he can tell the difference
- Maharaji's logic is inverted, the aspirants shouldn't have to prove to the guru they are sincere, the guru should prove to the aspirants that he is sincere
- Maharaji isn't confident of the possibilities of Knowledge - so he needs aspirants to be committed before receiving Knowledge
- Most people are not interested in Maharaji's sales pitch: "They have learnt too much."
- it's so simple now. People actually receive Knowledge completely ready - the grass is greener in Ghana
- Most men who want to have a drink in peace go to a pub - Maharaji says what he thinks of his home sweet home
- The chances that they have Knowledge and are negative about it is remote - 90% of people who were revealed Knowledge quit, therefore they are negative
- they hate the guy and they have never even met the guy or heard the guy, is completely different to being negative about your wife joining an infamous cult
- maybe you know 4th or 5th lifetime you might be ready. Maybe - Maharaji still uses Hindu mythical stories when it suits him
This video was filmed at different "Aspirant programs." Part of this was taken from the video "Courting Clarity."
Preparing for Knowledge, Questions and Answers, 1996
Questions and Answers
Listen to what is being said. It's so simple. Somebody coming along and pointing the incredible, obvious thing to you. I'm not telling you what is right. I'm not telling you what is wrong. I'm telling you what is inherently yours? Enjoy it in that trust. Enjoy it in that deep deep place that is inside of you. You need to trust. Listen to what that Master says. Let it go to where those words want to go. You know, when the Master speaks, those words are pretty amazing. I know that everybody else speaks to me in this world. These words go in my ear. Either they go out the other side or they go up in this way, you know, and start to get mumbled, jumbled all around and pretty soon you're going "What in the world is he talking about, you know?" But when the Master speaks, his words have an amazing way of wiggling right out of there and going right right in here And something right here goes "Yeah. That's what I need."
Should there be one Master, or are there many? I understood from you that there should be one Master. Or are there many?
There should be one Master. One. The one that you can trust. The one who can take you through the journey. Because the journey is the journey of a lifetime. The journey is the journey of a lifetime. And the journey is to a destination which is within you. One Master. Try whatever you need. You put one foot in one boat. One foot in another boat. You know what the result of that is? One boat goes that way. One boat goes that way. And you go neither that way nor that way. You go that way. Two boats. Right. One goes that way. One goes that way. And you don't go either way. You go that way.
So everybody has their ideas now what a Master is, what this is, what that is. But that's not the case. It's your heart that will tell you who is the Master. Once you have found that Master, stick to him like glue and get the most and get the most out of what that Master has to give you. Most. Not little bit. Most. I always say a student has to be an opportunist. Master gives. He takes. Now. More. More Doesn't sound good, but it's very good.
What if someone we love is negative about all this?
Think about it for a minute. The chances that they have Knowledge and are negative about it is remote. OK. You probably don't have Knowledge and they're still negative. When a person is negative about a person who have, they have not even met yet, it indicates something else. A rational, normal person will only make up that mind that they don't like somebody after they have met them." I hate that guy." But when a person has already decided that they hate the guy and they have never even met the guy or heard the guy, there is something else behind it. 99% of the time and this happened before.
There was a lady in England. Very sweet and she wanted to receive Knowledge and her husband was completely against it She came to me. "What do I do? Give me Knowledge. I need Knowledge. I need Knowledge." I said listen "your husband is against it. You're not receiving Knowledge so that you can have fights at home, are you? Look, he needs love from you and he needs understanding from you. He is your husband after all. Give him that." And she did. And you know what happened? Yes. He became interested and both received Knowledge at the same time. So. (applause)
Fear of losing "Oh you would become strange, you will not, you realise you tell "Look it's alright." You know, it works.
Why do aspirants need to watch videos for five months before receiving Knowledge?
Just in the backstage I was talking to the instructors and they were telling me about a question that a lot of aspirants have been asking and some aspirants have been asking, you know, why only five months, why do we have to listen to 5 months, to the videos, whatever? How did you come up with this number? So the instructor told me what the what that instructor had answered that question as. "It's like look, you know, you come and you listen and that is a way to demonstrate to Maharaji. that you are sincere, that Maharaji has made it, through the videos, through these materials, very clear that if you listen to him for five months, he feels that if you really listen to him for 5 months, that you will understand what he is saying.
So it's a good answer and I said "Well, you know I would have answered that very differently." And the way I would have answered it is like this. One lifetime is not long enough to be ready for Knowledge. One lifetime is not long enough. In one lifetime you can barely make up your mind if that's what you want. Then it would take another lifetime to clarify and plot of how it is that you would achieve that, and it would take another lifetime to come up with the commitment that it takes towards the practise of Knowledge. Because not only a question of practise. It's a question of commitment. It's a question of clarity. And then maybe you know 4th or 5th lifetime you might be ready. Maybe. (applause) Of course, I would add, I would add that there is a great uncertainty as to whether there is another lifetime.
People have been debating this for a, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time. And they still are debating it. You do not know. So my answer would be to this person. "The fact that you are getting it in 5 months. You're really lucky. (applause) Take it. If five, if five lifetimes have been reduced to five months, it's a good deal. (applause) It's a really good deal.
Why is it so essential to come and listen to the video events?
A farmer, a farmer is very particular about where he sows his seeds. He does not want any seed to be wasted. He's very particular that the seeds are sown in the area where it truly it has been prepared for it. To come and to listen, to be committed to this life. A lot of people don't have time for the heart.
I'm going to be very straightforward. A lot of people don't have time for true joy. They have learnt too much. There's a limit to learning, too much, from this world. I have a passion for learning, but I don't want to learn so much that it takes me away from what I know is important to me and something inside is very, very important to me. I have no limit to learn. I have no limit to learn, but I definitely have the ability to lose sight of what is precious to me. And that I must be aware of.
So come. Listen. Listen so that you can get in touch with you. That's why come and listen. So you can begin to feel the magic that is within you. Come home. Come home.
Some people they haven't been going to video events, video program because they think that's stupid. I understand. Yeah, they don't. "Well, what's the point of going and seeing a TV?" I understand that. There isn't. But there is a big point to listening and seeing what's on the TV. There's no point in carrying around the plastic case and saying what's in here? What is this? I understand that. But there's something on that tape, recorded, that has changed people's lives. So it's not the miracle of cathode ray tube. Believe me, it's not a miracle of a television. It is a miracle still of the same thing. Because I'm sure you know, to a lot of people. Cassettes are acceptable and there was probably a time when people when they didn't have cassettes, like really, "We're going to listen to that?"
And it's so simple now. People actually receive Knowledge completely ready. Just gone through the whole process just by watching the videos. And the amazing thing was, I was in Ghana, right, I haven't been to Ghana in ages. But people there were right there. (snaps fingers)I mean, the aspirants were right there. They've been watching the same videos as anybody else. And all these. are all these little events that happen, all these little places, all these people watching these videos just hooked. Hooked on these videos completely. Not because of the plastic, but what the content is. So simple.
Why do we have to go to the events to watch the videos? Why can't we just watch them at home?
Ha. Most men who want to have a drink in peace go to a pub. There's your answer. Ha ha ha ha. Think of the local event as the pub to watch the video. Now don't drink there.
Just this is the example, you know, at home the phone is ringing. The kid is whanging, you know, the cat is cooing and the parrot is eating the cat and - Things we have at home. I mean, my God, a miracle. Dishwasher vibrating its head off. You know, phones ringing. The answering machine going crazy. The fax flying off, you know, the the the things burning in the kitchen. The bulbs out, the I mean, Home. Sweet home. Sure.
You know, I've said, when you are ready, when I am ready, when we are both ready but now when I am ready, you will have Knowledge. So till then relax. and enjoy. Enjoy that hunger because it exists within you. Enjoy that love because it exists within you. Nobody has created the thirst. You must remember that. Nobody has created the thirst, the thirst is uncovered from within you. That's what's happened. Nobody has created the thirst. It's just been uncovered. Enjoy it because it is the driving force that will lead you to were you want to go. To where you need to be.
