Prem Rawat: 99% of our Well-Being Begins from the Inside

Prem Rawat: Barcelona 2010-03-10

Well, thank you very much, and I have just been in India for about a month, so fresh out of India. And what I would like to talk to you about is something that, when I was very young, I would actually hear my father talk about, and he would give his discourses. And for a long time, I really didn't understand because, you know, when I was going to school, only would study Hindi for about 45 minutes every day. So when it was a little bit sophisticated Hindi, I didn't really understand. I would understand a few words of this particular song that he would recite. I'm not going to recite it. But the song was from Kabir, and it's politically very incorrect. So I'm not going to recite it. But I would like to talk about it because I think it's real. And in today's world, people would consider it very incorrect, inappropriate, because it goes right to the heart. And so this time, I looked it up, and I found what he was saying to be incredibly fascinating. And one of the things that I think needs to happen again and again for all of us is that somehow those things that are really important are brought out in this context of us living now. Somehow made relevant to our existence, our day-to-day existence as we exist. Not something that begins with a long, long time ago.

Once upon a time. Because life is not a fairy tale. It is not somebody's imagination. It is as real as it gets. And how real is that? One day I was thinking about this. If you took a cup of coffee in the morning, took it, were about to drink it, and then realized that that was not what you wanted to do. You didn't want to do that. You wanted to do something else. And so you say, okay, I will undo that, undo, undo. So you say, huh, uh, uh, and you put it back. You undid it, right? Wrong. You didn't. You picked it up, and you put it back. And as that sequence of events happens in time, there is no undo. There is no undo. In life, there is absolutely, think about it, there is absolutely no undo. I mean, we say something to somebody, we don't want to say that, but we say it anyways. And then we go, oh, I'm sorry. You actually said what you said. And there is no taking it back. Not all the technology of the universe. Not NASA. Not the European Space Agency. Nothing, nothing can take it back. You think you undid it. You didn't. You have this command on your computer called undo. On a Mac, it's Apple Z. Undo. Don't be fooled. Even though for the computer there is a command called undo for life, there is not. And you did what you did. And in the sequence of life, that's still there. You did it. And then on top of doing that, you did undo. You didn't actually undo. You did that, and you did undo. So you said what you said, which you didn't want to say, and you said sorry. There is an and involved in life. That's the only thing that makes the subject a little serious. Otherwise, it is funny beyond belief. And why is it funny? So, I'll refer back to the song. Kabir had a great sense of humor, believe me. And he said what he said, and it is, of course, politically incorrect, but he said it poetically. So it's poetically incorrect, politically incorrect, but what does he say? In essence, what he says is that you are so involved in making it right on the outside, so busy in making it right on the outside, that you now don't even care of what you're actually feeling on the inside, paraphrasing it. Not exactly what he said, close. So you know, in his humorous thing, he goes, you know, that the person who wants to be this great, great, great person goes in the jungle, grows long hair, grows a beard, and becomes a goat. As a lot of you probably, after hearing the translation, are going, who is he talking about? Kabir, the holy man, Kabir? Yes, Kabir said that, because that's it. And the outside, that's all that concerns us.

What do people think of us? Oh, sorry. Some of you spend hours being the gentle giant. Some of you spend hours being the lady, calm, organized, cool, perfect lipstick, perfect makeup, perfect pulling of the eyebrow, perfect hair, perfect. Some of us spend hours wanting to look different, gel, color. Some, I mean, in India, piercing was very common. People would pierce their nose, pierce their ears, pierce the ears here. Everything that became a fad was actually happening in India. But then people took it one step more, pierce everything pierceable. I'm not passing any judgment, I'm just saying how we spend hours. The right suit, the right tie, the right vibe. And inside, oh my God, a train wreck. Inside, no idea what's happening. Inside, no idea of what life is. Inside, no idea of how the time is slipping away. No idea of what your role is. No idea of who you are. No idea of what you know. No idea of what your thirst is. No idea of what it is that your heart desires. No idea. None. And the outside, perfect. And the inside, nothing. Not even nothing. Who am I? What am I? What truly makes me happy? Am I a passenger on this journey? Is this a journey? I was born and one day I will die. And what is it? Between those two, what is it? This is one thing I was mentioning in India. Good. What was that one thing that caused you to come home? When you were born, wherever you were born, what was that one thing that caused you to come home versus end up at a mortuary, being prepared to be buried, do you know? It's one thing. And it's that one thing that is going to finally determine whether you are actually alive or not. This is so good. You've been to hospitals, you've seen at least, if you haven't been to a hospital, at least you have seen those medical emergency rooms and they have gadgets, right? They have television with CRT screens, now going to LCD screens. Your heart is being monitored. Your blood pressure is being monitored. Your oxygen level is being monitored. Your age is being monitored. Your grandmother is being monitored. I mean, everything is being monitored. Things you didn't know you had are being monitored. Now, let me ask you a question. I mean, that is a lot of investment of money. That's a lot of expensive equipment. If all that equipment says you're dead, flat, and the doctor comes and sees you and you're still breathing, what would happen? Have you thought about this at all? The doctor would actually say, faulty machine, you are not dead.

Faulty machine. Not turn to you and say, faulty patient. He's dead and he's still breathing! This is the power of this breath. What do you know about it? When was the last time you made an attempt, one, to truly feel it, two, to understand it, and three, to acknowledge it? Acknowledge it. Listen, it comes in automatically. I don't have to do anything. I just, I care about my lipstick. I care about my shoes. They're shining. Men, you know men. Men are men. There's some mark on the shoe. They will use the back of their pants to shine it. You know, for men, if they can't see it, it's not dirty, it's okay. So they'll easily take the dirty shoes and clean them up, but so far you can look at them and go, wow, he's got shiny shoes, good. No, that's what we are busy in. What are we busy in? I have to know what's going on in this. I have to be an informed citizen. Right? Don't take it wrong. I read the newspaper every day, and when I can't get access to a newspaper, I have apps on my iPad. But my point here is we want to be an informed citizen. You missed the biggest news. The breath came and brought the gift of life to you again and again and again and again and again. You missed it. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again. I'm not here to change the world. Can't change it. In fact, so far the earth is concerned, it's a pretty good design. It goes round and round. That's pretty good. It's not a square. Can you imagine if it was a square? It's trying to go around and around and all of us being thrown around. You know, one day you are in Spain, one day you are in Australia, and you didn't want to go or anything. But it all seems to be fine. What doesn't seem to be fine, like Kabir said, is that person that comes into this world has the most fantastic opportunity, most incredible gift of all gifts, and that gift is the gift of peace. To feel in their lives the feeling of peace and to somehow have been too busy and missed it. The analogy would be the person who was sent to clean the picture frame of Mona Lisa and he got so involved in the frame that he never ever saw the painting of Mona Lisa because he was cleaning the frame. Seeing Mona Lisa is free for somebody who's going to clean the frame. All you have to do is just slow down as you're walking. Keep your eyes open. And then, of course, clean the frame. I'm not here to change your habit of wearing a tie or wearing a suit or wearing lipstick or having your hair perfect or imperfect or whatever your thing is.

All I'm saying is that unless the inside is in order too, the outside isn't going to matter much. The turmoil will leak through. The train wrecks will be painful. And the shadow of confusion will be abundant in one's life. It's amazing. It's amazing that the sun has the power to remove the fog. You know why? Because it's so far away. It is so far away and it does not actively pursue fog. It doesn't say, ah, fog. Are you all right? No. Fog is formed when the dew point and the temperature comes within five degrees. The sun has the capability of raising the temperature, increasing that differential between the two, and the fog disappears. That's how the sun does it. By shining. Understanding, realization is a process of discovery of what already is within you, of who you actually are, not of synthesis of your own self. It is not that you create something. It is not that you create an understanding. Now I understand. No, no, no. Your truth is within you. And your truth begins with one simple thing, that you are alive. That's the truth. Do you know that? Or are you disappointed? Well, that's too simple. Oh, let me tell you. When you start discovering, you will find it incredibly simple. This is what learning and understanding, that's what they're all about. You may have in front of you something you don't understand one day, and then when you learn, you learn, you learn, you learn, and just before you understand, it becomes so simple, you go, I got it. I got it. It's not like, man, that was complicated. It might have been. But once you understand, you only understood it because it was so simple, that you got it. I get it. You know. You know. You know that you need to value your existence, but you don't know how. You know you need to value your existence every single day.

I'm being generous when I say day. You need to value your life every single second. But we don't know how. Caught up in this mesmerizing festival of the colors, of the ideas, of the theories, and people saying, well, where is God? Oh, God is up there. I just came from the country of up there. Up there, up there, up there, up there, up there. Temples. Temples. Oh, bigger the better. Huge. Massive. And so I say to the Indians, I say, so tell me, you go to these temples, why? Because there's God there? Yeah. So I say, I understand you going in, but I don't understand why you come out. Logic, please. I'm all ears. Logic. Ah, the logic actually is, well, yes, there is God, but sort of. And in the West, house of God. You found God's house? Park yourself. God's house? Yeah. Okay. Let me just ask you a flat question. Would you rather live in God's house or your own? I don't know about you. I'd rather live in God's house, not my own. No taxes. Good food. Nice climate. Very good company. That sounds good. And then, you know, you don't have to say a prayer or anything. You just go talk. Excuse me. I've been meaning to tell you something. And then after you say to God whatever you have to say to God, you say, so what do you think? You know, you say a prayer at your home, you don't know if God heard it or what God thought about it. It's like sending the old emails. It was really nice when you could send the old email and you could write on there or check the box that you would get a verification when the person got the email. And the new emails, you don't know, so you send the email and you hope the person got the email. You hope, hope. A lot of hope, hope, hope.

We need hope. And everybody talks about hope and how we need hope, hope, hope, hope, hope. You're there with God. Excuse me. I wanted to tell you something. You know, I could use a little more money. What do you think? I mean, right away. Get an answer. And God says, well, let me think about it. Well, how long do you need to think? You know, you're all knowing. You know I need the money. Come on. You're going to give it to me later? You could negotiate a little. You know, prayer is so one way. There's no negotiation. I mean, you could say, listen, you're going to do it sooner or later. Do it now. You know? No, no. Somehow, that's the position. So we can talk about hope. And then, here comes the breath. Now you tell me, for all practical purposes, what is more hopeful than this breath coming into you? Anything? I mean, because it came, I can think. I can laugh. I can smile. I can be. I can understand. I can comprehend. I can bark. I can crow like a rooster. I can pretend I'm a chicken. I can, I can, I can, I can, I could pretend I want to be the president. I could pretend, you know, and if I am the president, I don't have to pretend. I can gloat. I can say, I am the president. Not goat, gloat. All because that breath came in. But do we consider that hopeful? Eh. But that's too simple. Now isn't it? I mean, shouldn't we talk about the Tibetan Book of the Dead? Probably this guy should have at least come back and written a little footnote on that book saying, and everything I wrote in this book actually is true. But there's no little footnote. Oh, but that's so fascinating. We'll go, and then this will happen to us, and then that will happen to us, and that, when that, so here we are, alive, obsessed with death.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I mean, can you imagine boarding a 14-hour flight from Barcelona to Sydney, Australia, and the captain right after takeoff comes on and says, and then when we land in Australia, please make sure you don't forget anything. And for 14 hours, you hear non-stop announcements being made about vacating the airplane, disembarking, you can't sleep, you go to the bathroom and it's the same voice, you go to the front, it's the same voice, you go to the back, it is the same voice, you go to the left, it's the same voice, you go to the right, it is the same voice. Why? Why? Because we never learned how to enjoy the simplest act that is so incredibly simple so incredibly simple and yet borders on being divine, the coming and going of this. How can I say that? It connects me to life, to existence. Every single moment. It is me. If there is anything like blessing on the face of this earth, then this is it. If there is anything called fulfillment, then this is it. And to focus on you, to focus on your being, not what you look like on the outside, that's fine. You want to look beautiful? Who doesn't want to look beautiful? Beautiful. Beautiful. The peacock wants to look beautiful. It's true. The feathers. So the peahen could see how beautiful he is when he dances. And he dances. And he dances. Could you also become a peacock for that beauty that is inside of you? To spread the feathers of aspiration. To aspire. To want. To understand. To be fulfilled. Become attractive to understanding. Become attractive to fulfillment. You might have heard, become attracted to fulfillment. But what about becoming attractive so that you attract towards you that joy, that beauty, that fulfillment, that sincerity, that simplicity in your life, every single day.

When you do this, you honor, you honor life. You honor the divine. That's when you honor the divine. Not taking gifts. Not lighting candles. I mean, that's what the divine needs, right? Some candles. Just, you know, everything in heaven except candles. Light a candle. Everything, I mean. Perfect temperature, everything, but no candles. The light, the perfect light, but no candles. Our trivial effort that we learn from others of what appeases the divine and not yet take one moment of our lives to honor the divine, to honor peace. If you haven't felt it, how are you going to honor it? So Kabir says, you do everything on the outside and the inside is blank. This is the ultimate conflict. Conflict. Not synchronization, but conflict. The one that is beautiful, the one that is beautiful by its very nature, beautiful always, by its very nature, the only thing, the only thing in this existence that is exempt from the clutches of time, the only thing that'll never have a birthday. Never. Cannot. No way to measure it. The only thing that was never created will never be destroyed. The only thing that was, is, and will be has decided to reside within you. The most beautiful, the word beauty is not a good word to apply. The most beautiful, and even then all words fall short, has decided to reside within you. The ageless has decided to reside within you, and you're concerned about your gray hair? Yes, I looked in the mirror one day and said, geez, you're getting gray hair. Me. Then this just thought occurred. The immortal is inside and I'm worrying about gray hair? See what conflict does? See what conflict does? You see why it is considered a conflict? That should not be happening to one in whom the divine resides. Now, one acts on the planet Earth like this is not true. That the divine does not reside in you. The way we act, the way we behave, the way we behave towards each other, the way we live our lives, the way we exist, the way we are so fascinated by what's happening on the outside and pay very extremely, extremely, extremely little or no attention to what is happening on the inside would suggest that we truly do not believe the divine resides within us. But I'm here to tell you you're mistaken if you think so. The divine does, and that's the only reason why you're here, why you're alive. Because the day, the day, the day this link comes undone, the chariot will turn back into a pumpkin. The only reason why I said that is because before I had said this is not a fairy tale. So I have worked very hard to say yes, it is a fairy tale. But it isn't a fairy tale because it's real. It's real. It's real, and it's real, and everything you do unconsciously cannot be undone. Because everything you do happens in the space of time, and time keeps clicking along, cannot come back, so you cannot do. So what are you thinking? Oh my God.

Oh my God. This is what people think. I tell them there's good news, the divine is within you, and the first thing that comes, oh my God. So I say to people, you cannot undo, and they go, oh my God. You cannot undo, but you can do. So all you have to do is live your life consciously. So you don't have to undo. So you can understand, and learn, and grow every single day. You will learn. You will learn. There is nothing you can do to stop that. Well there are a couple of things you could do. But really, even then, that's just the way you're made, by the way. That's just how you're made. I mean, talk about you. Your eyes are hooked up to the supercomputer. You know, I was reading something, and how this new device has a dual core, quad core. And I sometimes feel like going like this to these people. Wake up! You got a mother of all computers right here. Brilliant. Oh, this has 36 gigabytes. This has been recording things since you were a baby, and it still has got it. Yeah, but this doesn't get credit. A stupid little piece of plastic that will give you nothing but heartaches does. Gets credit. And the new one, you can't even pick it up. You know, it's like, you try to pick it up, and it slips away. It doesn't want to be picked up. You have your phone. Oh, but this, this, this, this. This person got on the world stage, so to say, and talked about the display of the new device, of how incredible the display was, but didn't say about this device, of how incredible this device is, of how much it can discern, how beautiful, how incredible. This not only reads color, but it can look at someone and melt their heart. Write a software for that. You see? You see what I am talking about? No recognition of this. None. Recognition of your, excuse my French, but stupid little phone that doesn't work most of the time. Oh, but praises to be. And this, this has been listening for a long time and remembers. It can extrapolate a tune from a song. This can play the song. Without hearing. This is your existence, my friends.

It's all good news, how beautiful it is that you are alive, that you exist. Don't underestimate that. Don't underestimate that. Not today, not yesterday, not ever. Will this link break? Of course. But it's not about that. It's till it's intact. Party. Party with the divine. That's got to be the best party in town. Dance to the rhythm of this existence. Day and night. To be satisfied. To be in peace. To be in clarity. To be in gratitude. When the inside is such, then your life is complete. Then life is complete. Complete. No conflict. No conflict. But a clarity. A beauty. A joy. This has to be our effort. Because anything less would not be deserving to this incredible magic that has taken place for us to be. For us to be.

I was watching a chameleon on TV. Chameleons have these eyes, and one goes this way, and one goes this way, and one goes this way, and one goes this way. And I said to myself, I said, I wonder if this chameleon feels conflict. And just then, it stuck out its big long tongue, grabbed a bug and ate it. With a big smile. And I said, no, this guy has no conflict. As human beings, if we were a chameleon, we would go first. It would take us hours to be able to open our mouth fully. Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Then we would try to stick out our tongue, and it would come out a little bit, and then go, but maybe I shouldn't. The eyes would be locked in to the bug that has landed in front of us, and then we would go, should I? Shouldn't I? Then we would go, why are you looking forward only? Maybe there's something behind you. Then the one eye would go back, and then we would go, but what if it's on this side? Then this eye would go back, and then we would be looking backwards. And of course, by this whole game that we would play with ourselves, should I? Shouldn't I? Maybe it's my bad karma if I do. Maybe he was my cousin. Maybe he was my nephew. Maybe the bug would fly away, and the chameleon would be very hungry, and then the chameleon would say, maybe if I was red, things would be better. And so the chameleon would become red. And then say, but aren't things better now? And the chameleon would say, no, but maybe if I was yellow, then the things would be better, and the chameleon would keep changing the colors, and the chameleon would be very hungry, because one thing that the chameleon would have never done, the human chameleon, is understand opportunity, that that little, tiny-brained chameleon does. Sees the bug, goes, wrink, hunk, and a smile. I got it. Opportunity. Right in front of you. Right under your nose. Breath. Perfect, no? I mean, you don't breathe through your ears. You breathe through your nose. Right under your, you know, and of course, it's not here, right under your nose is the most incredible opportunity. Do you take it? Because if you do, you will be one very happy chameleon. So, thank you very much, and take care of yourselves, and enjoy this life. That's what it's all about. Thank you. Good night.