Lockdown with Prem - Day 4

“Reflect on the importance of existence, the importance of having joy in your life, the importance of having clarity in your life, the importance of having a heart that is full, the importance of having serenity in your life, the importance of having the feeling that you are complete.” — Prem Rawat

Prem Rawat:

Hello everyone; Prem Rawat here again. And I can’t believe it, it’s already Day Four of these broadcasts. And I really hope everybody’s enjoying them for whatever they’re worth.

So, today I’d like to talk to you about “gratitude.”

So, you know, I can imagine people going, “What? What are you talking about gratitude for? I mean, look at this, you know, the world, the uncertainty, the economics of it, you know—don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, the leaders in turmoil. The country is in turmoil; society is in turmoil. So, what possibly could there be to be thankful about?”

Well, let’s begin with this. First of all, yesterday, you may have noticed that yesterday’s broadcast had no video of me, just pictures, stills. So what happened?

Well, I thought, you know, I’d try doing something better. And so, (I don’t know if you know this, but), I’m just using my phone to do this—and really don’t have a big setup or anything like that; I’ve just got a little tripod, my phone—cleared the picture behind me and I’m just standing there; there are no lights; this is the morning light that you see.

So, what happened? Well, this is what happened, is that, to use the better lenses which are on the back side of the phone, I flipped the phone around so I couldn’t see myself—and of course, you know, whatever software they’ve got in there, it doesn’t recognize a face and say, “Okay, I’ll focus on that.”

So, after I’d finished, I looked at the footage and it was like, “Whoa! What happened?!” And it was all out of focus, didn’t look good. But what I was saying, (and it was very spontaneous) was good.

So, at first, it was just that same thing. It was just like, “Oh my God, this is terrible! And how’s that, da-da-da....” Something wants to come and rip you apart. You know, it’s like, “How could you do that?” You know, “That was the dumbest thing” and da-da-da-da, dah.

And then I thought about it. And it’s like, “Look, it’s already done. And you said something that was very good; it came from your heart. And you know, make the most of it.”

So I sent it anyways—and I said, you know, “Just put some stills on it and send it out.” Because I couldn’t repeat it; it’s not like I’m reading from a script; it’s all very spontaneous.

And it always reminds me of that story that, after the Mahabharat, the great war of Mahabharat was over, Krishna went to say “Hi” to Arjun—and said, “You know, how is it going?” And he said, “Ah, yeah, it’s going pretty good—it sure beats being in exile, you know, living in the jungle and all of that. Now I’m living in this palace and everything is good.”

And Krishna said, “Well, is there anything I can do for you?” And Arjun says, “Well, actually, you know, all that wisdom you imparted to me on the battlefield, I’ve pretty much forgotten what that was. You know, it was a pretty intense time. So, could you just run that by me again?”

And Krishna said, “Geez, you know, that was spontaneous! I don’t know if I remember what it is, but”—anyways, he did run a very small and compressed version of it for Arjun, and it’s called “Anugita,” “little Gita.”

So, it was one of those things; it was like, “Do I throw away this footage? Or, what I did say was good; it came from my heart; it was very genuine; it was very spontaneous. Do I save it, some way?”

And I’m very thankful that that happened. I’m not particularly thankful that I goofed and, you know, the camera goofed and the phone goofed and this happened, that happened, but I’m very thankful that—not for what should have happened and it didn’t happen; I’m not thankful for that. I’m thankful for what came out of my heart, of what I felt—and talked to you about “living consciously.”

Because that’s what living consciously is about—is to see, to look around, to have some cognizance of what’s going on in this world—as it relates to you, as it relates to your existence.

Because what you see, you see from your eyes. What you see, you see from your perspective. From everything that’s happened to you, the sum of all those things tunes in your vision.

Now, somebody who sees mountains all the time, they see a mountain and it’s no big deal. Somebody who doesn’t see mountains, who lives by the ocean, they see a mountain and it’s a big deal. It’s like, “Whoa! Look, there is a mountain there.”

And vice versa; somebody who lives by the ocean looks at the ocean and it’s like, “Well, there is the ocean.” And somebody who doesn’t live by the ocean, maybe lives by the desert and they see the ocean, it’s like, “Wow! There is the ocean.”

So, everybody has a different perspective; everybody is slightly different in the way they take in. And so, this life is not objective; it’s very, very subjective. How you perceive it, how you look at it.

So, you know, easy enough—it’s like, one time I went to the prison. And it was in Australia, the Wolston prison. And the inmate there, one of the inmates, when the time came for questions and answers, he goes, “Well, how do you know what it’s like? You know, you don’t live here; you’re not in the jail.”

And I think about that quite a bit. And it’s like, “Yeah, his perspective of what life is, what freedom is, what all these things are is totally different than mine.” But that’s the way it is—and I’m not trying to make everything objective. I’m not saying, “You know, it should be, the experience that you can have of your life should be the same for everybody.” No. It’s different.

And therefore, because that is different, gratitude will be different—for everybody. Every single person will express their thanks in a different way—because your experience is different.

So, if you live your life consciously, you will recognize the need for knowing yourself. And then when you get to know yourself and you then live your life consciously, it’ll be different. And your gratitude would be different. Because you’re looking at it from a different perspective; you’re not looking at it from the same way.

And that gratitude is like a fruit that you, as a healthy tree, put forth. Living life consciously is like a flower—and this existence is this magnificent tree. And it flowers—and then, when you live your life consciously, there is a quest to be fulfilled, to want to know yourself.

And then when you know yourself, most amazing gratitude swells forth. And that’s the fruit. And you can share that fruit; you can share that gratitude–what you are thankful for.

So, can you be thankful for coronavirus—I don’t think so. I don’t think anybody can be thankful for coronavirus. But you can be thankful for something else—and that is that you have this chance, that you have this opportunity to think, to contemplate, to understand, to express, to feel, to see.

And this—see, that’s what’s important, that you can do that. And how important is that gratitude? Because, you look at what “gratitude” means—and gratitude means that you are putting out that fruit; your heart is full. You can express that. You can feel that; you can understand that.

And, that is why gratitude is so important. Because without that gratitude—gratitude is almost the scale of health, if you will. If you’re putting out that fruit, “Wow, good! Good!” And you’re healthy.

And if you’re not, maybe something is amiss; something is not quite right; maybe there isn’t the appreciation; maybe you don’t understand what it means to know yourself. Maybe you don’t know yourself—and the value of knowing yourself.

Because I can see how being locked up at home, you know, and you’re not going out; you’re trying to minimize contact, you know, and the “social beings, social beings....” And okay, you can watch television, but you could only watch so much of it. And sooner or later, it’s going to be you and you and—just you! You know?

And I was looking at the television and somebody said, “Oh, there was this guy in this one particular country and he was locked up for three days with his wife and child—and fourth day, he ran away.” He just couldn’t stand it anymore.

But when you can’t stand that, really, what you can’t stand is something inside of you. Otherwise, if you are comfortable with yourself, you can be comfortable, pretty much, in any situation. But when you’re not comfortable with yourself, it doesn’t matter what situation you’re in—you are going to be uncomfortable.

And knowing yourself is just that. Living this life consciously is because it is important–to see, to perceive, to acknowledge the gifts, to receive the gifts that you have been given. That’s what consciousness is all about¬––the way I speak of it, anyways—is, yeah, to take in all that you have, so you maximize this existence, this “being alive.”

And if you can do that, then, “Wow,” you really have captured what it is all about, you know? You see that—sometimes it’s like, “Oh, this is a wonderful photographer,” and why is this person a wonderful photographer? Because they can capture what really happens; they can really capture the story.

Have you captured your story? Have you captured your existence; have you captured you being here? And, maybe, in day-to-day activities, all the things that go around in our lives, we don’t get all that, you know—because we’re too busy to even think like that.

But here you have this opportunity to just not do be those busy things that, you know, you’re constantly doing—and instead, give it some time to think, to contemplate, to meditate. To understand.

To reflect on the importance of existence, on the importance of having joy in your life, the importance of having clarity in your life, the importance of having a heart that is full, the importance of having serenity in your life, the importance of having that feeling that you are complete, that every moment that you are living, you’re taking and making the most of it, the most of this gift.

And that’s—when all that comes together, when all those puzzles, little pieces all over the place, when they click, then gratitude comes forth.

And for you to be thankful for your existence, for you to be thankful for your life––wow, what can be greater than that? For you to be thankful for every day that comes by, what can be greater than that? For you to be thankful for every hour that comes by, what can be greater than that?

For you to be feeling that completeness with every breath, fulfilled––what can be greater than that? Well, I can’t think of anything else that can be greater than that.

Because the magnificence, appreciated, becomes more magnificent. Magnificence, unappreciated, remains hidden, remains unfulfilled—even though it’s beautiful, even though it’s incredible; it always will be.

Every star, every grain of sand, everything in this world, every day, the sun shines; the clouds come. The rain comes, sunshine happens; the summer comes; the winter goes; the winter comes; fall comes. All the seasons, everything—and then your seasons, that you understand the microcosm, that you understand that there is a universe in you too.

And you appreciate that universe; you look at that universe; you look at the stars; you look at the moon; you look at the sun—and you look at your sun, the light in your heart. You see your moon; you see your stars; you see your universe.

You see the joy that dances in your heart, the symphony that plays within you. The dance that goes on in you, the play that goes on in you, the movie that is you, in which you are the star—wow!

Just like it is outside, and we’ve got these cameras and we’ve got, you know, stereo equipment and we want to capture everything and “Wow, this is an incredible recording” and we want to hear it again and again and again....

And yet, you are your camera; you are the only camera of your inner universe. And if you capture it, if you appreciate it, then gratitude will come.

Just like when you listen to a beautiful music and you want to dance to it and you like it and you smile and you get lost in it and you, it feels so good—well, when you capture your inner universe, then that’s what happens; that’s what gratitude is all about; that’s—oh! That’s, then it all comes alive.

And I can ramble on, I guess, but the point is, if you have experienced it, if you have ever, ever experienced it, even the tiniest bit, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, it’s not going to make much sense—and it’s just a rambling.

Anyways, I hope you sent some questions to PremRawat.com—and of course, if you want to send questions to TimelessToday, that’s perfectly okay too. They will get to me.

I’m looking forward to those questions. I have a lot of questions that have already been sent to me, but I thought, you know, again, this is a unique circumstance. And in these circumstances, people may have a different set of questions, so I want to answer those questions to the best of my ability.

And the most important thing is, folks, be healthy—and be well and be safe. And most importantly, be.

So, thank you very much—and I’ll see you soon.