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Born in India, Prem Rawat started speaking to audiences about inner peace at the age of three and gave his first published address when he was only four years old. At the age of eight, when his father, also a teacher of inner peace, passed away, he accepted the responsibility of bringing this message to people all around the world.
When he started his work, Prem Rawat was given the name "Maharaji" which denotes affection and respect. This is indicative of Indian culture, where it is not proper etiquette to call a Master by his birth name.
At the age of 13, he was invited to speak in London and Los Angeles. Since then, he has presented his message to more than 6.5 million people in over 250 cities and 50 countries. His message is made available in more than 88 countries and 60 languages.
Maharaji speaks to people around the world about the possibility of knowing inner peace and contentment, for example:
- "Peace needs to be in everyone's life. Of all the things we have tried in this world, there is one thing we have never given a chance. That one thing is peace. If we want to hope for something, maybe we could hope in our heart that peace will come in our life. The peace that we are looking for is within. It is in the heart, waiting to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. It is not the world that needs peace; it is people. When people in the world are at peace within, the world will be at peace."
His students come from all walks of life. They range from farmers and fishermen in poor countries to executives in global corporations and diplomats in the highest echelons of government and international institutions. Some of his students are in their late teens, and others have been his students for more than thirty-five years.
In a recent tour in India, Maharaji spoke to more than a million people about the possibility of inner peace and contentment .
Mr. Rawat lives with his family in Malibu and is acknowledged by many public communities and business associations and magazines for his merits for young people and for personal management and leadership .
His students practice the self-knowledge daily for at least one hour and feel peace and fullfillment. Maharaji is travelling around the world (many times a year) and gives addresses to interested people and to his students.
There is daily digital satellite video broadcasting and cable TV programming . Video tapes and printed material of his addresses are also available.
Excerpt
Posted with explicit permission of The Prem Rawat Foundation Excerpt of Maharaji's address at the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona www.barcelona2004.org
- "So often peace is defined as the absence of war. There is war that happens between two countries. There is war that takes place between two people. There is war that doesn't even require two people; it takes place inside of a person. For a war on the outside, maybe a cease–fire can be negotiated. Between two people, maybe an understanding can be negotiated. But even in the absence of those kinds of wars, there is a war that takes place inside a human being—a much more ferocious war that devastates the very elements that are the foundation of a person. Which of these wars will become absent so that one day we can stand up and say, 'Now there is peace'?
- Whatever it takes, find that peace, and for the rest of your life, enjoy that beautiful peace that has been lying in wait within you. It begins with you. You are the source. You are the source for the thirst, and you are the well in which the sweetest water resides. Within you are both the thirst and the means to quench it. Begin by accepting this possibility in your life. That is where your answer lies. You have had the question for a long time. Now it is time to get the answer and get on with your life—in joy, in harmony, and with understanding. Now is the time to begin to enjoy the rest of your life.
- Enjoy every day for the rest of your life. If there ever was a gift, this is the gift. If there ever was a time, this is the time. If ever there was an opportunity, then this is the opportunity. This is my message.
- It begins with each one of you. It will be everyone's effort that will make peace possible—each one of us. And yes, peace is very, very possible. I see the possibility, and you need to see it, too.
- After all, wherever you go and whatever you do, your heart will not leave you alone because it, alone, holds the quest for peace. You cannot run from it. You cannot evade it. Be sincere toward this existence. Be sincere toward today. Be sincere toward tomorrow as it comes and unfolds itself into today. All those promises will only come together today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is just an idea. Today is when all tomorrows manifest. In today, find your reality; in today, find your courage. And today, find the possibility of being in peace, being in joy, being in the reality that you are."
Controversy
Some ex-followers became vocal critics. The Elan Vital movement considers these vocal critics a hate group. See Maharaji - Controversy.
External Links
Official websites
- Maharaji's own web site
- The Prem Rawat foundation
- Weekly newsletter with highlights of Maharaji's work
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Information about hate group that harassess Maharaji's students.