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When I first got the invitation for this event, you know, there was a little line there that said about “the hands, the head, and the heart.” And for me, that was very, very interesting—that an institution that is promoting education, giving education, is talking about something so basic, something so fundamental.

So, I know what a head is—it’s right up here—and I know what hands are. I use them every day, and head too, try to. Sometimes it doesn’t work. But the question becomes, “What is the heart?”

And of course we are here to talk about peace, but we also have to understand that the matters of peace come from that heart. That when somebody says, “kindness is important,” that that has something to do with the heart.

So, what is that heart? I mean, obviously it’s not that physical thing that pumps, because that gets attacks, gets infarctions, you know, gets stents put in. So I mean, it would very different to say, “Okay, that’s your heart.” So, what is the heart? And I don’t stand here to be an expert on anything, but I can tell you that in each human being....

Every single human being—and when I say this, I mean it—is perfect. Every human being is perfect. And what do I mean by that? And what makes them perfect? Because fifty percent, exactly fifty percent of them is bad—perfection. And the other fifty percent is good. And that’s what makes you a human being!

So there is the fifty percent that is terrible. And the good news is—that’s the bad news—the good news is that there is the fifty percent that’s incredible. And that fifty percent is what peace is all about. That fifty percent is the goodness of every human being.

And where the heart comes in, over the mind, is the ability to choose that fifty percent “good.” Choose. It’s a choice! Do you know, peace is a choice?

– Prem Rawat

People say, “Are you an inspirational speaker?” and I say, “Nope.” Because sometimes, what I say, people don’t like. But I say it.

I don’t know where a human heart exactly is, but I know what lives there. And in the human heart lives the courage, lives the clarity, lives the understanding, lives the joy—and lives the Divine.

Joy is your need, has been your need, and will be your need. Peace has been your need and will be your need. War is what is wrong with the society, wrong with the people, not right with the people. Peace is what is right for the societies, right for the people. And no matter how many changes we go through, these things hold their own value; they are true.

So! You are interested in winning your battles—and I am not interested in telling you how to win your battles, because I don’t care about the battles. For me, it is perfectly okay if you lose a few. Lose a few battles and don’t feel bad! Don’t feel bad! But, don’t lose the war. Don’t lose the war.

Battles, you win some, lose some, no problem. Don’t lose the war. You’ve got to win the war! And the war where the good is victorious over the bad—the good, that generosity, is victorious over the greed, compassion is victorious over hate, knowledge is victorious over ignorance, joy is victorious over sadness—that’s winning the war.

The challenge for mankind is to be interested in peace—and it’s a challenge! Is it possible? Of course! No question about it. Because I have hope that each one of you has the possibility in your lives to encourage all that is good, and to be victorious in this battlefield, not by winning all the battles, but by winning the war. I know this is possible.

– Prem Rawat

There was a time when I was named “Prem”—and I couldn’t say “Prem.” I couldn’t pronounce my own name! Who was I, then? Somebody else? “Gaga goo-goo”? Can you imagine, all of us would be named “Gaga Goo-Goo.” We all said “gaga goo-goo”.

So, “Nice to see you, Gaga goo-goos.” But, it’s not that! It has nothing to do with it! “What is the reality?” Unless you can get to that, the rest doesn’t matter.

People in their lives: “Oh my God, I have this problem.” You know, you’re not that unique. You’re pretty unique. You’re not that unique. Let me explain something. This problem that you’re experiencing? It’s used. Somebody else had it before. And now you have it. And when it’s done with you, it’ll go find somebody else. They’re not unique! It feels like they’re unique, but they’re not unique.

Because in this life, in this existence, find that lake—the lake of serenity—and swim and feel. And that’s how gratitude comes. That’s the true gratitude. True gratitude does not have to be taught! We teach our kids, “Say ‘thank you.’”

My own daughter, with my grandson: “And what do you say?” And he goes, “Thank you.” And I was thinking about that one day...what is gratitude? So, gratitude truly is when somebody does something for you that is good, and because that made you feel good, you take some of that goodness and you give that in return to that person. That’s gratitude. Not “Thank you.”

This is what we need to teach—because gratitude is extremely important. But we have shortchanged it by these words called “thank you.” Indians have the similar word; it’s called “sorry.”

They say it for everything—“Sorry. Sorry? Sorry. Sorry-sorry-sorry! Sorry. Sorry-sorry-sorry, sorry, sorry-sorry, sorry.” It’s almost like “thank you” to them.

But we’re starting to teach words, where what needs to be taught is feeling. So, in the same way, peace is not this word, “peace.” Peace is something else; it cannot be described. And that’s what you need to feel every day in your life.
– Prem Rawat

What happens when a person is in peace? What happens? There is a recognition; there is a simplicity; there is an appreciation. There is a gratitude. This is what happens: recognition of each other; recognition that “my need is like yours.” That it isn’t about power. That it isn’t about destruction. But it is about preserving that which is precious. It is about appreciating the gift that we have been given. It is about being alive.

You think being alive is to walk? No! Being alive is that person that has a heart full of gratitude, that has an understanding, that has the aroma of kindness, a passion for peace, and a singularity—not confusion, but a clarity to the objective of being alive. That’s when the reason why sun is where it is makes sense. That is when being on this earth makes sense.

When I say, “The knowledge of the self, knowledge of the self,” this is connecting to the message, the very message that Socrates said. “Know thyself.” He could have said anything. He could have said anything. He could have said, “Dates are too expensive.” You know?

But he didn’t say that. What did he say? “Know thyself. Know thyself.”

What effort do we make in a day to know yourself? Everybody else? “Oh, I want to know that person, I want to know that person, I want to know that person, I want to.... Can I have your phone number?”

What is your phone number? What is really your phone number? The one that goes to you? That number that nobody else can pick up? That only goes to you? You don’t know, do you? Area code? “Human being.” Human being. Need? Peace.

That’s your nature. And when you understand that, then you begin to feel the thirst, the thirst for peace. And do you know, the day you find peace begins with the day you feel the thirst for peace. Once you feel the thirst, water is there.

You know, before you come into the desert, people go...people go with the tents into the desert. “Oh, look at the stars.” I’ve done this, see. “Look at the stars. Oh, look at the sand. Oh, look at the sunset. Oh, look at the sunrise. Oh, listen to the quietness.” But when you get thirsty, “Bye, stars. Bye, this. Bye, that. Water. Water. Water, water, water,” till you find it.

There’s good news. And the good news is that the peace you are looking for is inside of you, is inside of you. Always will be. And the day you recognize it, the day you experience it, you will start living.

– Prem Rawat

Whatever happens in your life, the goodness is in you; the joy is in you; the clarity is in you; the peace is in you. This is what makes a human a human. That’s what makes you so special: that we have the possibility to feel peace, this power to reason, this power to be able to communicate, this power to be able to understand, this power to be able to transfer knowledge, to understand and fulfill, as a human being. Try! Try, in your life.

That positive effort that you make towards knowing yourself, every step that you take, will not go in vain—whoever you are. In the realm of knowing, age does not matter. Age doesn’t matter!

Because you’re not trying to create peace. See, if you were trying to create peace, then age would matter because your physical dexterity and strength would all come into play.

That process of peace is undoing, not doing. Anybody can undo. It’s removing those blocks that are here, to be able to get to that heart where that courage resides, where the simplicity resides within you.

– Prem Rawat