Here are some excerpts from his talk:

All I am trying to do this evening is to draw your attention to certain things that you usually don’t pay attention to — even though you know them. Like clarity, like understanding, like simplicity, like fulfillment. Like your heart. You know these things. But you don’t acknowledge them — not always.

Nobody has to bring peace to you. You have peace already inside of you. You have consciousness in you, and you have unconsciousness in you. You have hate in you, and you have love in you. You have clarity in you, and you have confusion in you. You have the mortal in you, and you have the immortal in you. Talk about everything. Right there, you’ve covered it — the mortal in you, and the immortal in you.

I can tell you one thing: Every person that has been within has called out to all of humanity and said, ‘Wish you were here.’ Because there is no place like home. And that’s your home. And because it is a reality, it works — even in the confines of a correctional institution. That’s just a façade. A human being is a human being — and as long as there is a human being, within them is this most precious thing that is available to them.

On January 22nd, Prem Rawat returned to the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach to speak to almost 2,300 people. It was the first event of 2012, and he asked those who came to make a commitment this year to their own personal peace and happiness.

Here are some excerpts from his talk:

I’m here to tell you it all begins with personal peace — not world peace. It begins with personal peace: peace within you. Is there one? Yes. Then the question is: What does it feel like? And this question can only be answered with a question. Have you never felt it? Because if you haven’t, you should feel it.

If I wasted today, I’m not going to waste another second lamenting that I wasted today. But I’ll come up with a plan for tomorrow. I will try a little harder, and that’s all it takes. That’s all it takes to be a little more conscious. To see. To appreciate. Appreciation begins — not from other people — but from within yourself. To appreciate first that you are alive.

Make a difference this year. Of all the years you have been alive on the face of this earth, make a difference this year. Light up that lamp inside, because that’s the only way there can be light on the outside. It’s not about what you have accomplished or what you are going to accomplish — it’s about what is already there.

Against a backdrop of international uncertainty, including riots in many European cities, government change and continued unrest in the Middle East, an audience of institutional representatives and MEPs joined academics and business people from more than 25 countries to explore the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today: peace and well-being.

Gianni Pittella and keynote speaker Prem Rawat were introduced by Dr. Anthony Seldon, political historian, author, journalist, and current Headmaster of Wellington College (UK). Referring to Ambassador of Peace Prem Rawat, Dr. Seldon commented, “Peace — what a wonderful country to be Ambassador for.”

Dr. Seldon then set the scene for the event by inviting the whole audience to pause for a moment of silent reflection, describing the feeling of peace as an “ineffable and indescribable experience, which is here now.”

Ambassador of Peace Prem Rawat spoke from the heart and without notes, focusing on the personal need for peace, “one day at a time, one person at a time.” He touched on the issue of conflict, pointing out that “wars happen because people lose respect for each other.” Emphasizing the human connection people have with each other, he added, “Every single being on the face of this earth is your neighbor.”

Referring to the recent low General Election turnout in one European country, Mr. Rawat commented, “Democracy is a few serving the many. Today, democracy has become the many serving the few. I’m not a politician, but I am a human being who holds very close to his heart the fundamental possibility of peace on this earth.” He said that “peace is in the heart of human beings, not in the mind of human beings” and concluded, “Peace needs to be given the chance to happen. We have tried everything else.”

Mr. Pittella and Mr. Rawat took questions from students from the Red Cross Nordic United World College, and then the EU representatives present were invited to show public commitment to peace and well-being by signing the “Pledge to Peace.” Inspired by the lectures of Prem Rawat and his message of personal peace, the Pledge to Peace was created under the patronage of Gianni Pittella. It is a call to action to do something tangible for peace in 2012 and beyond.

Mr. Pittella explained, “the Pledge to Peace is based upon the founding principles of the European Union, the core principles of the Lisbon Treaty 2009, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It promotes the development of peace and peace education to enhance the well-being of its peoples.”

After the Pledge to Peace was signed by Mr. Pittella and Mr. Rawat, the first signatory was Linda Pascotto, President of The Prem Rawat Foundation. The Foundation promotes Prem Rawat’s message of peace and his vision of addressing fundamental human needs so that people everywhere can live with dignity, peace and prosperity.

Founding signatories of the Pledge included UN Peace Day creator, Jeremy Gilley from England; Mr. Seemanto Roy, son of Subrata Roy Sahara, Chairman of the Sahara Group in India; and the Honorable Nicolo Cristaldi MEP (Italy) and Mayor of Mazara Del Vallo, Sicily, who had recently invited Mr. Rawat to speak on the topic of peace in that region. Each took a few moments to explain to the audience why they were adding their names to the document, and their own projects in service of peace. Their signatures were followed by those of representative dignitaries from across Europe.

The Secretariat for the Peace and Well-being conference was provided by Associazione Percorsi.

Photos courtesy of The Prem Rawat Foundation.

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Here are some excerpts from his talk:

If there isn’t the rain of gratitude on this field, it will remain a desert. If there isn’t the rain of that deep, beautiful experience of being alive, then this field will remain a desert. And this fundamentally is the biggest human conflict that a person will face within themselves. Why? Because the potential is there, and it is not being realized. Because you know this field should be anything but a desert. Because you know — because you know — that it has the potential to be the most beautiful, green, dense forest. Thriving.

If you are inebriated because you have experienced joy, then I wish you never become sober. If you are inebriated because you understood the preciousness of this breath, and this has overwhelmed you, then I wish you never become sober. Stay in that inebriation of clarity.

One inebriation can make a person totally unconscious. Being in this world, are you conscious? Because if you are not, there is no difference. But if you are inebriated in the consciousness of being alive, of being fulfilled, then let it happen. Let it come. Let this desert be green. Let the leaves rustle. How beautiful, how sweet.

The severe earthquake that struck without warning along Japan’s northeast coast on March 11 and the subsequent tsunami stripped hundreds of thousands of survivors of the most fundamental necessities. While the island nation of Japan continued to endure aftershocks, the results of the tsunami, and the threat of damaged nuclear plants, people from all over the world began to respond with donations to help. TPRF supporters responded promptly and generously, raising over $130,000 in the first two weeks.

TPRF has awarded US$100,000 of the donations targeted for Japan to MercyCorps, a previous partner of TPRF, that is responding quickly to the disaster with its Japanese partner, Peace Winds. The money is supporting the immediate distribution of food, warm clothing, tents, hygiene supplies and other basic necessities in at least four tsunami-devastated cities on the northeastern coast of Japan. An acknowledged expert in disaster response strategies, MercyCorps has joined Peace Winds in a commitment to continue support until the situation has stabilized.

At least 371,800 evacuees are homeless, and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare reports that an estimated 1.4 million households in 14 prefectures have no access to water, 1.25 million households are without electricity, and gas supplies are running low for almost 3.2 million people. The Ministry also expressed concerns about widespread water contamination. In addition, survivors must cope with fears of radiation exposure from the severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

For its initial relief efforts, MercyCorps has targeted four of the worst-affected urban areas in Migayi Prefecture: Kesennuma, a city of 70,000 that was completely engulfed in flames following the quake; Rikuzentakata, where 8 of 11 emergency evacuation points were taken out by 75-foot waves that crashed nearly five miles inland; and the devastated port city of Ofunato.

Speaking from the scene, Randy Martin, Mercy Corps’ director of global emergency operations, said that the response team was making multiple daily deliveries of relief supplies by air and road to hundreds of evacuees living in temporary shelters. The team also brought in emergency supplies including blankets, kerosene, gasoline, tarps, rice, and bread.

Reporting from Migayi Prefecture, Joy Portella, director of communication for MercyCorps, recounted the story of the Satos, a couple who were among 500 elderly people attending a celebratory event when the tsunami trapped them on the fourth floor of a building. Packed like sardines, they remained pressed together shoulder-to-shoulder, standing in floodwater for two days until help arrived.

The Satos are now living in a high-school gymnasium along with more than 200 other people. They still lack all but basic necessities, and their future is uncertain. But the assistance they have received has restored their dignity and courage.

“We know most of the people here—at least we know their faces,” Mrs. Sato told Ms. Portella. “Everyone’s cooperating and doing their best. Our bond is stronger than ever now that we’re all living together.”

MercyCorps is also planning to work with Peace Winds to establish its signature Comfort for Kids program in Japan, which will provide post-trauma psychosocial assistance to the disaster’s youngest survivors and their caregivers.

Here are some excerpts from his talk:

“Sorrow isn’t a ‘thing’ floating around, like a gob in space that comes and descends on you and, all of a sudden, you feel sorrow. Sorrow is just your perception. Fear is just your concept — how you perceive something.”

“Perceptions change. When you were young, were you afraid of a cockroach? Absolutely not. It’s only when you heard your mother screaming that you said, ‘Oh my God, I should be afraid of that’. Perceptions!”

“Changes within a certain realm are okay. We have accepted those changes. Those changes that we have not yet accepted, they are the ones that are the harbingers of sorrow.”

On August 1, Prem Rawat arrived in Seattle’s Lynnwood Convention Center to speak to 930 people about each person’s fundamental quest for contentment. Throughout his talk, he emphasized that each individual has the capability and the need to recognize and fulfill their own life.

Here are some excerpts from his talk:

So subtle is this process — this gift, this miracle — that keeps you alive that you hardly notice it. And I have a means to make you notice it. I have the most incredible tool that will make you notice it. And when you notice it, and when you feel it, you will be filled with joy, peace, tranquility, serenity, understanding — all of them. They all link together.

You should be your hero; nobody else should be your hero. You should be your hero. And there’s only one way to be your hero. Do something spectacular. And I’ll tell you what is spectacular. Be fulfilled. Then you can be your own hero.

Those of you who have this gift of Knowledge, make that effort. Practice. Enjoy. Be fulfilled. That’s the greatest blessing — to be alive! Understand that. What an incredible blessing to be able to sit down and practice this. To be fulfilled. To quench the heart. That’s an accomplishment. What a hero you’ve become.

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