« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »
I was driving recently in a place where there were mango trees, palm trees, and pine trees. And I started thinking, if somebody were to shape a mango tree so that it looked like a palm tree, would it change its nature? Would it start giving dates? No. You can try to change its appearance, but you cannot change its nature.
Yet, sometimes we think that if we can change our appearance, we will change our nature. We give ourselves labels: I'm a father, mother, son, doctor, lawyer. But who are we?
On one hand, we seem to have the potential to move mountains, go to the moon, create huge cities, and we try to alter nature. We seem to know so much about so many things. But when it comes to us, to our nature, we have no idea. Who are we?
I raise these questions because the answer, surprisingly enough, is beautiful. When we look for our truest nature, we will find that there is peace, understanding. There is the truest love.
Do you know that wherever you go, whatever you do, there is love in you, and there is hate in you? There is pain in you, and there is joy in you. Do not be under the misunderstanding that the love is in someone else. No, love is in you.
There are catalysts. Today, they spark love in you; tomorrow, they could spark hate in you. But when you are in pain, joy is really close. When you are confused, absolute clarity is not that far away. When you are lost, being found is very close. When you are suffering, relief is as close as it can be. And in this world, the one that we are looking for is always within us—not where we think, but inside.
Have you searched for that which has always been within you? You have searched outside, but have you searched inside? This is why my message is so different, because everybody points outside; I point inside. I say: what you need, you already have.
People want a magic formula. We have faster chariots, better forms of communication, big houses, but we still don't have peace. And the request for peace has been there as long as there have been human beings. This is the accomplishment that has to happen. There has to be peace. No exceptions. No excuses. The time has come to stop making excuses.
This is where peace begins. It doesn't begin with big buildings or with big government. Unrest begins with you, and peace begins with you, with every single human being on the face of this earth. It is not the palm trees that need peace; it is not the whales that need peace; it is not the North Pole that needs peace; and it is not the equator that needs peace. We, the human beings, we are the ones who need peace.
Search. Whatever it takes, find peace in your life. This is what's important. If you cannot find peace, come to me. I can help. As one human being to another, one to one, I go to people and say, "If you need this, here it is."
Understand your true nature. Understand what this life is. Understand what you have been given because it is magnificent. Be in love with this life, which means see the good in this life of yours.
If you want to be in love, begin by loving each breath. Begin by falling in love with understanding, with clarity, with the truest sincerity. These are the angels in your life. When all is dark, they come—all lit, graceful, beautiful with clarity. One second of clarity, and all the darkness vaporizes. Don't try to remove the darkness—it won't work. All you have to do is usher in the light. Fall in love with living. Fall in love with that which is within you.
Maharaji
in Maharaji: Life, Maharaji: PeacePermalink
Let me begin with a little story: There was a lion who was feeling very good one morning, very happy. He came out of his den, saw a little rabbit, immediately pounced on it, and said, "Who is the king of the jungle? And the rabbit, terribly afraid and shaking, said, "You are."
This made the lion even more proud. Bouncing along, he found a deer, jumped on it, and said, "Deer, who is the king of the jungle?" And the deer said, shaking, "You are."
Now the lion was feeling really, really good. He was the king. So he goes along, sees an elephant, jumps on it, and says, "Elephant, who is the king of this jungle?" The elephant spun the lion around his trunk, pounded him on the ground again and again till he was senseless, then let go of him. The lion looked at the elephant and said, "Don't get upset if you don't know the answer!"
Sometimes we accept other people's definitions of things, but forget about one simple thing, and that is you. What I am talking about is not what you can accomplish, not what you can do, not about your hopes, dreams, and ideas—but, you, as a gift that came into this world.
It was no mistake that Socrates said, "Know thyself." Know who you are. Understand who you are, your nature. Understand that if you do not feel peace, you may not be able to give it to anyone. If you want to quench the thirst of another, the least you need is water. The water of peace flows within you. The serenity of understanding flows through you—your life.
In all that you are trying to understand, add one more—understanding about yourself. In all that you're trying to complete, complete one more. And besides all those you are trying to help, help one more person—you. You need to feel content regardless of what is going on. You need to feel whole. Yes, you are the building block of your existence. And if that first step is missing, the next and the next and the next will also be missing.
It is not impossible. It is not mysterious. It is not strange. And, indeed, it is not selfish. To unwrap a gift that has been given is not selfish. If I do something at the expense of others, that is selfish. But if I feel an itch and I scratch it, not at the expense of anyone else, it's not selfish. The gift has been given; the gift is you. Life has been given; it is in progress. Your understanding is there, your thirst is there, and the idea of peace is at hand.
I invite you to take a peek inside to know what this existence is all about. The person who said, "Know thyself," didn't make it up to make your life more difficult. But, there was something there, some mystery that could be solved. Humanity will face many, many challenges, and one of the biggest challenges is to find the peace that is within every single being. That has been an incredible challenge. People say, "Peace is not possible." But the personal peace—the peace that you have inside of you—is very possible and has always been there, and that is why it is said, "Know thyself."
It begins with the simplest of understandings, to listen to what something simple is saying to you. It's not about your responsibilities, but about the chance to be fulfilled. The want.
I remind people that what you are looking for is inside of you—not outside. Always has been and always will be. Even if you decide not to discover it, it will always be inside of you. Always. The answers will come from within, not from the outside. The true sense of accomplishment will happen here, not somewhere else. Be who you are.
Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill others. Be fulfilled every day so you can fulfill the responsibilities that are ahead of you. But it begins with you. What I talk about, you have, whether you decide to pursue it or not. Search if you must. Do whatever it takes to find that self and fulfill that self, so you may serve and serve well. Be fulfilled. Be happy. One lifetime. And only one like you on the face of this earth. You are unique. Shine with that uniqueness.
Maharaji
