What is the nature of light? We all know that when light comes, darkness cannot stay. It goes away. Light is the only thing that can make darkness go away. But that’s not the only quality of light. There’s another quality. Whatever it falls upon, it illuminates. And this process happens by reflection. Each object—each person, the walls, the ceiling, the carpet—has the quality that it can reflect light. When it does, light falls on your eye, and you can see that object.

What does this mean to us as human beings? It means that when light falls on us, what we absorb and especially what we reflect gives us a color. This is the color we will be seen as.

If you absorb everything and reflect hate, if it’s all dark, no problem. But if the light falls on you and you are reflecting hate, it will become visible. If you are reflecting peace, that will become visible. A family knows when the father is angry just by one look, “Oops. Father is angry. Disappear.”

So, the question is, what do you reflect? What do you want to reflect? Do you reflect the color, “I know everything”? I’m not making a judgment. I’m not here to say that’s a pretty color or an ugly color. I am not an interior decorator.

Somebody once asked me, “How would you describe what you do?” I said, “I am the one who carries the mirror, puts it in front of people, and says, ‘Look at yourself. Do you like what you see? Great. If you don’t like what you see, maybe you can fix it.’ This is all I can do—carry the mirror.”

Some people don’t want to look in the mirror. A lot of people feel threatened by the subject of peace because they don’t want somebody to redefine their world by telling them what peace is, what joy is. I am here to point out some simple facts: This is your life. You exist. You’re here temporarily, and this earth is temporary. One day—not tomorrow—it is not going to be here.

Recently, I was on a veranda overlooking the city. It was still early. All you could see were lights in people’s houses. It looked so tranquil, but there are incredible dramas going on. There are people who are happy or unhappy, people who are fighting or just want to sleep. Amongst those lights, new hopes are being formed and dreams are being shattered. A drama behind a veil that seems so tranquil. An incredible drama.

So, you have this ability to reflect. What do you want to reflect? Do you want to reflect peace because you feel peace, contentment because you feel content? Would you like to have a slight tinge of gratitude? Do you want to feel joy? A joy that is real, that comes from within you, that does not seek triggers from the outside? These hues are not imagination. They have to be real. If they’re not real, their reflection will not happen.

A lot of people say, “Oh, I have felt peace before.” This is like saying, “I don’t need to eat today; I ate last week!” Some people think you feel peace once in your life, and that’s it. No. You need to feel peace every day of your life—that’s the kind of peace you need.

People go near a quiet lake and say, “Oh, it’s so peaceful.” Quietness is not an attribute of peace. They have a definition of peace and go around looking for it. But if you’re looking for peace by description, you will never find it. Why? How do you search for something you already have? The word “searching” assumes you’ve lost it. But you never lost it. It’s within you.

You have an amazing possibility, and that is to reflect the color of the infinite that is within you. Forget green, blue, and yellow. If you are going to reflect a color, reflect the infinite. This color has shades of peace and hues of contentment. Not questions, but answers. Not ideas, but realities. When you begin to be filled with the color of what is within you, you shine.

As long as you’re alive, the light is shining. You need to shine, too. It can happen.

Prem Rawat

The Prem Rawat Foundation Brings Disaster Relief to Indonesia

PR newswire

Los Angeles, August 20, 2007 — The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) has responded to recent multiple natural disasters on two Indonesian islands by making two critical donations to Yayasan IDEP, a local non-profit, non-governmental organization providing community-based crisis response.

One grant will assist the remote mountain village of Kinahrejo, on Java Island, where an earthquake caused massive flooding in 42 villages. More than 70 people died and 4,000 more were displaced and in need of emergency refuge, food and water. This community’s health and hygiene are threatened due to the lack of proper water storage facilities and only having access to hard-to-reach or polluted water sources. The grant allows rescuers to truck in emergency drinking water for 80 families and milk for 125 children while a replacement water system is being built. 

The other grant will help villagers in isolated parts of Sulawesi Island where unusually heavy seasonal downpours in the deforested areas have caused deadly landslides. Seventy people died, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and thousands of displaced people were crowded into makeshift refugee camps. The problem has spread into surrounding areas, affecting nearly 45,000 people and severely taxing rescue resources. TPRF’s grant will help recover non-operable wells, provide emergency fresh water and nutritious food to disaster victims, and re-establish an ongoing local water supply. The grant has already enabled the delivery of emergency supplies of food and water and restored 200 local wells to operating condition.

Petra Schneider, Executive Director of IDEP, said, “We are so very, very grateful. When I notified the team on the ground about TPRF’s decision, I could hear them cheering through the crackling phone line! I hope you know the massive impact that these grants will have on the people that are being helped. Thank you for your very quick turnaround on these grants. It means everything in an emergency situation.”

On the website www.idepfoundation.org, Yayasan IDEP states that its own mission is “to work with a nationwide network of local partners to get people the assistance they need as quickly as possible.” IDEP’s aim is to ‘help people help themselves’ through community capacity building, demonstrations and practical hands-on education.

The Prem Rawat Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Prem Rawat, an internationally recognized ambassador for peace often referred to as Maharaji. A main focus of TPRF is to help provide clean water and nutritious food for those most in need around the world.

Photos courtesy of: © Yayasan IDEP / BAHARI