When it comes to learning, even a parrot can learn. A parrot can learn to say, “Polly want a cracker.” But the parrot doesn’t understand who Polly is or what a cracker is. All it understands is that every time it says something like that, it gets something to eat.

We need to go a little bit beyond that and understand what is really needed. We think that if we bring prosperity, riches, everything will be taken care of. But there is something more than all those elements. And that one most important thing for human beings is the aspiration and yearning for peace. It doesn’t matter where we go, what religion we belong to, where we live, what we do. At the end of the day, we all need to experience peace. Why? This is the nature of a human being—the composition of a human being.

When you have something in abundance, you don’t recognize its value. When it is taken away, all of a sudden you’re enlightened as to how incredible this one thing is. We are in this world, we see things, we do things, but we don’t recognize how important it is to be alive, to exist every day in fulfillment, to be grateful for what we have been given—every day. And to understand and recognize our fundamental need for peace.

When it comes to food, our hunger needs to be satisfied. When it comes to peace, it is the same way. We need to feel peace, not just say, “Peace, peace, peace,” like a parrot. But peace needs to be felt by every single person. Fundamental. This is the heart that we have been given. Through our mind, we try to comprehend the universe. Through our heart, we can comprehend our own universe. Through the mind, we try to measure the depths of the ocean. Through the heart, we can measure our own depth.

Every single human being on the face of this earth is a universe unto themselves. Do you know how unique you are? There is no one like you, and there will be no one like you. The way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you cry, the way you hurt, the way you sing, the way you are joyful—every single intricacy is a gift of the Creator that you have been given.

Yet, how do we look at this gift? We look at its shortcomings. We say, “This is what I do not have.” Our scales measure the negative, when we need to understand that every breath is a gift. It is a gift that has been given and given, and nothing is being asked in return.

No one can substitute for another person. Nobody can say, “You go feel peace for me.” That would be the same as saying, “You go drink water for me. You go eat food for me. You go sleep for me.” There are certain things you cannot send a replacement for. Can you imagine being too busy to go to your own wedding and saying to your best friend, “Go get married on my behalf”? It would not work.

So I say to people that it is incumbent upon you, and you alone, to reach out to that one place within inside of you where peace resides.

Maharaji 

I talk about something very simple. These days, when you open up a newspaper or take a look at television, there are so many things one can talk about. Peace is an issue; hunger is an issue; poverty is an issue; social unrest is an issue. One would think I should be speaking about one of these topics.

But what I speak about is something you already know. It isn’t about the world; it’s about you. As a human being, what you are looking for is inside of you. This is who we are.

People say human beings are not born with instruction manuals. They are. But their instruction manuals are automatic because the instruction is: be content. It becomes obvious from childhood, and it stays there till the day you die. You do what you do to be happy. Whether you call it happiness or tranquility or peace doesn’t really matter. Call it anything you want, because it is not in the names. Names came later. That beauty came way before the name.

What is your truest and most sincere desire? I know. Do you know how I know? Not because some angel came and told me. Not because one day I was sleeping and somebody whispered it in my ear. I know because I feel the same desire. I, too, want to be in peace. That’s when it feels good to me. I want to be happy because that’s when it feels good to me.

What do you want? What do you want? You have heard everybody in your life make requests of you. What do you want—not just today—but what have you always wanted?

People want true love in their lives, and true love is inside of us. Experience it. Understand it. Live your life in simplicity because that’s who you are. Be conscious of every day that is given to you because that day is never, ever going to come back. That which you think is yours but can be taken away by someone else is not really yours. And there is one thing that is within you that no one can take away from you. That’s yours.

The passage of life can be very complicated. People say, “When it rains, we don’t want to get wet, so let us get rid of the clouds.” I say, “Carry an umbrella.” Sooner or later, it’s going to rain. And when it does, you’re going to get wet. If you don’t want to get wet, open your umbrella. You don’t have to get wet. It’s as simple as that. That’s your reality.

If you want to understand that reality, look within you. People think peace is the end of war. No, because another one will start. The peace that I am talking about can be experienced in the middle of the war. This peace is in the heart of every human being day and night. It is not a lack of something. It is a peace that is there for everyone—educated or non‑educated, rich or poor.

There is a light burning inside of you. Do you really think you were sent in this world with a lamp that was not lit? No. That would be incredibly cruel. There is a lamp lit. And when it gets dark, you don’t have to bump into things. Let there be light in your life, whoever you are.

Maharaji