Who are you? Let me give you a bit of an economy lesson here. If I were to say you were going to receive $25,550, is that a lot of money? For some people, it’s a lot. For some, it’s not. It won’t buy you a house, a car, a refrigerator, a washing machine, and pay for your food for too long. These days, $25,550 is just not that much. If this is all you had, it’s not going to last that long.

What does the number 25,550 have to do with you? Well, if a human being lives for 70 years, which is an average, that’s how many days you get. That’s it. That’s it? Only 25,550 days?

That’s what my calculator says. A measly 25,550 days, some of which just blew past while walking around in diapers and trying to learn how to walk. Then others blew past me as I was trying to learn how to count up to 25,550. Then when you get to the last 550, it comes in nickel and dimes. You just go day by day, and that’s it. And every day I lose a dollar. There’s nothing I can do to hang onto it. All I have is 25,550.

When I speak, I don’t want to make people feel guilty. I just try to give a sense of urgency because people have so much going on that I want to call their attention to themselves and their existence. After me, will this world go on? You bet. Will flowers bloom? Yes. Will rain come down? Yes. Will the sun shine? Of course. But the thing is, I won’t be there to enjoy it.

And so, 25,550 is a good way to bring it to a point where you can start to see the urgency of this life—how precious, simple, and beautiful it is. Whether you decide to spend it or not, the dollar will be gone. What do you want to buy with the dollar that you get every day for 25,550 days? Me? I want to buy the truest joy, the sincerity that only a human being can have towards the infinite that resides in me. I want to be free.

A person who is happy can spread happiness. If you want to do some good, learn how to be fulfilled. Finding a way to be fulfilled is the most incredible art there is. Why? Because what you are looking for resides within you and always has. That’s how the 25,550 came to be. And the departure of that thing will be the end of the 25,550. But though you never lost it, you search for it.

Many people tell me, “I’ve been searching for a long time.”
I say, “But you never lost it.”
“Oh, good. Then show me where it is. Is it in that drawer? That cabinet? The glove compartment?”
“No. No. No.”
“Is it in my bedroom? Is it in my car? Is it over there?”

The more places you have searched, the longer your list is because you want to verify that it’s not there, not there, not there—because you want to be able to say, “Well, I’ve already looked there.”

Where is it? Within you. And what I am saying is you need to know it. In this life, you have to know. There are no other alternatives. You are like an amplifier. Amplify the knowing. Amplify the fulfillment. Amplify the joy of this heart. Bring into your life the beauty of existence itself.

Your life cannot be just for the fulfillment of the ideas of what life is about. The show that you are attracted to will go on. You are walking in this fairground of life. When you are gone, others will come, and they will continue to come for a long, long time.

Understand the opportunity that you have been given. In this vessel, the most amazing gift of breath comes. What will tomorrow be like? In one sense, it will be no different than today and no different than yesterday, but if you are fulfilled, it will be unique. And then you won’t have to count the 25,550 because it won’t matter. Each one is making you infinitely rich.

To have lived a lifetime and not know is a tragedy. In your life, know and be fulfilled. If you don’t find it, I’m here. But the main thing is to find it. What you are looking for is inside of you. If you are alive, that’s your lottery ticket. You won. On average, it’ll come in 25,550 times. You don’t ever have to be poor again. This is the gift: 25,550. It still gives me shudders every time I think about that number. That’s all? It’s not enough! But whatever you have is the ultimate blessing in your life. Kindness has been given. Capture it. Be in joy. Be fulfilled.

Prem Rawat

Nutritious food to be provided immediately to over 2,400 survivors in remote areas

Los Angeles — After two consecutive earthquakes struck the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) is providing immediate food aid to over 2,400 survivors in remote areas. TPRF is working with the Yayasan IDEP, a local non-profit organization, which reports that thousands of survivors in the Padang Pariaman area have not received “help whatsoever to date” and are “homeless and desperate for food and clean water.”

According to their reports, IDEP is targeting people in the outer vicinities who have been impacted not only by the earthquakes but also by massive landslides. The report stated: “Helicopters carrying food and medical supplies had been dispatched to the highland, but they are not carrying enough supplies to fulfill needs on the ground. The few that have received help to date have only been provided with some instant noodles, not nearly enough to help people survive. They have not had any proper food for more than a week now, and are getting weak and desperate for immediate assistance.”

Over the next two months, using small trucks and vehicles, volunteers from the local Lumbung Derma Coalition, a coalition over 10 NGOs from the West Sumatera region, are partnering with IDEP to directly distribute rice, eggs, tea and milk to at least 2,400 people, with special provisions for children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly. Additional provisions of enriched milk will be provided for children who are malnourished and ill. This emergency response support will help reduce immediate suffering and the ongoing impact of disease and malnutrition for the affected homeless people in the area.

TPRF has provided several grants to IDEP after earthquakes, mudslides and a tsunami. IDEP Executive Director, Petra Schneider, said: “We cannot begin to express the depth of our gratitude for this excellent working partnership that has resulted in the relief of thousands of people in plight to date in Indonesia. Your support will make an incredible difference in relieving some of the suffering and helping people to build up their strength and ward off potential disease, especially children and the elderly.”

Photographs courtesy of Yayasan IDEP / Lumbung Derma / Taufik Hidayat.