Maharaji speaks at a resort amphitheater where over 3,000 people have gathered to hear him. He reminds the audience that the breath, the heart, the life within do not judge. To find joy, he says, requires more than knowing where we don't want to be, but rather, knowing where we do want to be. Discovering the place of joy within, he says, is a matter of being clear about what we want, seeing the possibility for joy, trusting ourselves.
Maharaji addresses an audience of more than 3,000 during the third evening of an event at an outdoor resort. He speaks of how fortunate we are to be here and of the importance of recognizing the value of being alive and of feeling gratitude. While problems will keep coming and going, he says, the possibility exists that we do not have to be confused, that there does not have to be doubt, and that life can be experienced in its true beauty, without chaos and dram.
There are two questions that I hear from people again and again. "Why am I here in this world?" and "Who am I?" Two very fascinating questions. The most important one is, "Who am I?" If I can understand that, I can also understand why am I here.
The world constantly pushes labels onto us. “You are so-and-so.” It started in school with the teacher calling attendance. Is that who I am? A name? Or am I what I do? Am I a doctor or a lawyer or a captain? A graduate of this or that school?
On one hand, I have a body with blood, cells, nerves, brain, eyes—all of that. Then, distinctly inside of me, there is something that is allowing me to exist. The feeling that it brings is not only the feeling of being alive, but the feeling of being in peace. It brings the feeling of joy, of tranquility. There is something that stays untouched by everything that happens around me. I get affected by good days and bad days; the thing that is keeping me alive is apart from all of that. This is who I am. I’m not just my body, and I’m not just my accomplishments. I’m more. All of that put together is who I am.
It comes back to what is important. There is an option in life to be fulfilled. Good and bad will happen. That’s not the point. When it is raining outside and you open up an umbrella, the purpose of the umbrella is not to make the clouds go away. All the umbrella does is to prevent you from getting wet as much as it can. Your feet might get wet, but it will at least keep your head dry. That’s what fulfillment is like.
A lot of people think fulfillment will change the whole world for them. It won’t. What it will do is let you know where your true home is. The reality is that peace is within me whether I am a beggar or I’m a king. It doesn't matter to peace. We see such a big difference between the two—a beggar and a king. But think about it. What does the beggar really dream of? Becoming a king. And what does a king dream of? “I wish my life was simple like that beggar.”
So different, yet so similar. Both are looking for peace. The beggar thinks, “If I become the king, I will have peace.” And the king says, “If I become the beggar, I will have peace.” These are differences that we have created.
There is one simple similarity we all share. Peace is within all of us. And if we want, we can experience that.
Maharaji
