All of a sudden, you find yourself alive; you exist. Now what do you do? Try to find some meaning, get some answers. Lots of questions—very few answers. Lots of misunderstandings—very few real understandings. Lot of problems—but very few solutions. And yet, time is like a big hand that keeps pushing you along. You want to stop, but the hand of time will not let you—not even for one minute. Not allowed. So what do you do?

One day you were born, and now you are alive. One day you will have to go. But before you go, you have the opportunity to fulfill yourself. This has been the possibility for every human being throughout time. And this is your possibility.

Why should you fulfill yourself? The answer to this question is written in the scripture of your heart. This is the only scripture that does not require that you be literate. People express themselves in different ways, but what they are saying is the same thing. We are all human beings, and, ultimately, we have the same passion. Ultimately, we want to be in peace, we want to feel content, we want to feel happy. We want to feel that inner joy, that inner peace. Something that doesn’t just come and go. Something that we can call our own.

What is really yours? You cling to so many things, “This is mine.” Then one day, it’s gone, and you wonder what happened. What is your very own? Something that will not abandon you till the very end. Something that is real—not a fantasy. Something that will never leave you, no matter where you go or what happens. Things happen—good times, bad times. Roads turn. The world changes in an instant, and all you thought was a certain way is no longer the same. Sages have called this “The Grand Illusion” because it looks so real.

So what are you doing to fulfill yourself? There are things that bring out the best in our nature and there are things that bring out the worst. What is your nature? Are you kind? There’s no question that there is kindness in you, and there is no question that there is anger in you. There is no question that there is love in you, and there is no question that there is hate in you. Everything you despise in another person is in you, and everything you love in another person is in you, too.

What manifests? Kindness or hate? What are you in touch with? Are you frustrated by justifications or delighted that you are alive? Are you frustrated trying to reason where you are on this highway of life? Trying to look for the answers for why this happened and why that happened?

All the tools you need to find fulfillment are available to you. You are not incomplete; you are complete. It is your nature to want to be fulfilled. And I help people with that. The world has prepared you for the questions. Let me prepare you for the answer. The problem I see with this world is that people are so obsessed with their questions, that even after they get the answer, they don’t want to let go of the question. Be glad to let go of the question when you find the answer.

When I pray, I pray for gratitude to fill my heart. That’s all. My wants will be many. I can want more things than this world can imagine. But sometimes I don’t even know what I want. But when I pray to be filled with gratitude, that suits me very well. To be thankful that I am alive.

A few days ago, I was having one of those days where everything was going wrong. Everything. I just smiled. “You know what? Good day to remember that this breath just came into me, and all is well.” All is well. Just as this breath isn’t permanent, so the troubles of this world are not permanent, either.

Take solace, take comfort. Your problems, too, will go away one day. They’re temporary as well. The only thing that is permanent in nature is in your heart. Recognize that and be fulfilled. Fulfill the possibility that was declared the day you were born, the moment you took your first breath.

Prem Rawat

Los Angeles, September 27, 2007 — In less than a year, the School Breakfast Program funded by The Prem Rawat Foundation in partnership with Oxfam Australia has more than doubled in size and has helped bring about dramatic improvements in school attendance and performance.

Attendance at the Mornington Island State School, which serves the indigenous population, has historically been very poor. Many children arrived hungry, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition. The result was not only sporadic attendance, but also difficulty concentrating on learning.

According to Jenny Sewter, Oxfam Australia’s Community Development Officer, “In addition to the direct health benefits, the school attendance of these children has also improved with their involvement in the breakfast program. Their teachers have commented on the children’s improved behavior and participation in class, with two of the girls recently receiving ‘student of the week.’ This simple program has made a definite contribution to improvement in the lives of these children and their family.”

During the first year of this three-year program, attendance for the daily breakfast has risen from 25 to 56 each day. In addition to providing a healthy breakfast five days a week, the program educates the children and families about nutrition through interactive information sessions.

Families on the island, where many are unemployed, cannot afford the high cost of fruit and vegetables coming in by barge. Having lost the land on which they used to grow their traditional foods, they lack both the means and knowledge to provide nutritious food for their children.

The School Breakfast Program brings several organizations into a partnership to achieve multiple objectives. The program brings PASS, Oxfam Australia, Allied Health, and Tropical Public Health together in a cooperative relationship with the State School to address the urgent needs of the children and families of the area.

With the unexpected steady increase in the number of students participating and the need for protection from the heat, wind, and rain, breakfast is now served in a large hall adjacent to the school that provides tables and chairs for students to sit comfortably inside for their breakfast.

The Prem Rawat Foundation continues to seek out ways to give people in need the kind of help that will enable them to make long-term changes in their lives. Of particular interest are the many pockets of people in areas often forgotten by larger organizations focusing on larger population groups.

 

 

Photographs courtesy of Oxfam Australia.

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The Prem Rawat Foundation was founded by Prem Rawat, known worldwide as Maharaji, whose aim is to improve the quality of life for people in need by providing food, water, medical care, and disaster relief.

Discover more about Prem Rawat, his message of hope and peace, and the humanitarian activities of The Prem Rawat Foundation