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the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle # 3Know Your StrengthThere is something inside of you that isgreater than the sum of all your goods andall your bads. Regardless of how you seeyourself or what you think, there is somethingthat resides inside of you that should be thesingle point of inspiration for your existence.Do you know your truest nature? Your truestnature is not violence. Your truest nature isvery different than you think. I always say thatwhen a person is feeling good inside, theyautomatically show the traits that the societywants everyone to show.Feeling good from the truest place inside iscontentment, not just being satisfied. Lookup the two words in the dictionary. Oneof the meanings of the word content is tobe in peace. To be in serenity, tranquility.Not satisfaction. Satisfied is: job done.Contentment comes from inside.Not ideas. Not survival – living in this junglehoping that some day these trees will fall,the sun will come, and you will be able tobecome strong. No. You need to be in fullbloom. You need to be able in your strength.You need to be in your element.Because then when you are who you are,when you are in your element, when you arenot surviving but thriving, then comes thebiggest bonus of them all. Peace. Happiness.Joy. Tranquility. Clarity.There is a mind and there is a heart — andthe heart in you will choose clarity overconfusion. The heart will choose peace overturmoil. These are irreversible processes ofyour existence. This is how your heart is andalways has been. This is what your heart hasselected again and again and again. And theheart is the place where joy resides.Whatever your circumstances may be andhow bleak and how weak you may be, thereis a strength inside of you that is awesome.There is a strength inside of you that wouldput Superman to shame. You don’t know it,so you look for Superman. There’s a strengthinside of you that can make you out-climbSpiderman. But you don’t know it, so youlook for Spiderman. Know it. Know thatstrength.I have seen that strength, and I am in awe ofthat strength. I have seen that strength sparkin people who I would have thought hardlyhave a spine. Meek and weak. But whenthat strength was called upon, it was there.Do you know that strength? To out-climbSpiderman? Out-fly Superman? It’s there.Know your nature. Know your strength. Knowwho you are — and be that. Then all is inharmony.11

4You have consciousness in you,and you have unconsciousness in you.You have hate in you; you have love in you.You have clarity in you; you have confusion in you.OBJECTIVEWe will explore inner strengthsand resources that help usbecome more self-aware.– Prem RawatSELF-AWARENESSPeace Starts Here“The world is made up of people; it is people whoneed peace. And it is people who will make peacea reality – each one of us.”minutes1:06The Lion and the Sheep“One day, a shepherd was guiding his sheep near ajungle, and he came across a poor helpless littlelion cub.”4:08Know Your Self“Before you can even begin to tackle the job of makingpeace with yourself, the question is, ‘Who are you?What are you?’”9:40You Have the Power“Who is ultimately responsible for making your lifea pleasant experience? You are.”3:45The Instrument“Contentment, peace, joy – these are the notes ofthis instrument when you play it right.”6:12The Battle“Within each one of us, there is a battle betweentwo wolves. Which wolf wins? The one you feed.”notes & reflections12Peace Education Program – Workbook1:40

the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle # 4The MirrorThere was a little village, very remote. Nottoo many people used to go there. People inthis village were very, very simple. They didwhat they had to do.One day, a tourist arrived in this village. In themorning he took out his mirror and put it upon a wall so he could shave. After he shaved,he forgot the mirror on the wall.Then an elder person in the village who hadgray hair and bright eyes came across themirror, and he looked at it. He had never seenhimself. When he saw this mirror, he wasmesmerized. And he said, “Today, I have seenthe face of God.” He left very happy.Then came a beautiful young girl. Whenshe saw herself in the mirror, she was takenaback. “I have just seen the most beautifulwoman on earth, and when I grow up, this iswhat I want to look like.”Then came along a man who had lost hisfather not too long ago, and he looked in themirror and said, “I saw my father again!” Andhe took the mirror with him.Now, these three people got very upset andstarted to argue. The older man wantedthe mirror because he had seen the face ofhis God. The young girl wanted the mirrorbecause this is what she wanted to look like.And the other man also wanted the mirrorbecause he had seen his father in it.Before you know it, arguments and fightsbroke out throughout the whole village, andeverybody was unhappy. Whoever looked inthe mirror liked what they saw, and they allwanted the mirror for themselves.Finally, a wise man came by, and seeing this,he asked, “Why are you fighting?”They said, “Well, I want this thing becausethis is my God.” “This is who I want to be.”“This is my father.” This is my this, my that.So he asked to see this magical thing. Afterlooking at it, he called everyone togetherand said, “Do you know what this is? This is amirror. What you see in this mirror, what youlike in this mirror, is not the mirror. This is justa reflection. What you see is you!”13

5In our lives, what should we practice?Clarity? Understanding? In this life, it matters.It matters what you understandand what you don’t understand.OBJECTIVEIt matters what you knowWe will explore clarity asan inner resource that can bedeveloped to help us in allaspects of life.and what you don’t know.It matters whether you feelcontentment or not.– Prem RawatCLARITYPeace and War“Conflict does not begin on the outside. Conflictbegins inside.”minutes1:28The Queen’s Necklace“One day a crow saw the queen’s necklace on ahook, picked it up and flew off. Landing on a tree, hedropped it on a low branch, where it dangled over afilthy river.”4:34What Is Clarity?“Do you know your possibility? Do you know thegift you have been given? When you do, that’s whenyou become clear.”9:50A Human Trait“Being alive is when a person has a heart full ofgratitude, understanding and clarity about theobjective of being alive.”8:28Clarity: The Most Important Component“In this vehicle of existence, the most precious thingyou have is your steering wheel. Keep your eyesopen and steer.”notes & reflections14Peace Education Program – Workbook1:14

the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle # 5The Archer and the OilmanThere was a man who was very good atarchery. He would shoot his arrow and hitthe target. As he went from village to village,people would gather, and he would showthem how good he was. He was very proudof himself, “Look at all these people whohave come to see me. I am so good! I am sofamous!”One day, he went to a village to show hisarchery. A big crowd gathered. He shotthe arrow and hit the target. Then he shotanother arrow and split the first arrow.Everybody clapped. Then a voice from theback said, “It’s only a matter of practice.”He was very disturbed. “Who is saying this isjust a matter of practice?” After his exhibition,he went looking for this man, and he saw aman sitting on the ground. He had two potsfull of oil and a bamboo pole to carry them.He sells oil!The archer went up to him and said, “Are youthe person who said, ‘It’s only a matter ofpractice?’”And the man said, “Yes. I’m the one.”The archer said, “What do you mean ‘It’s amatter of practice’? I have the power. It’sme that can do this — shoot one arrow, splitanother arrow. This is what they come towatch.”And the oilman said, “Okay, I’ll show you.” So,he took a bottle, put it down on the ground,picked up a big clay pot and started to pourthe oil from the big clay pot, through theneck of the bottle and filled the whole bottlewith oil without spilling a single drop! Thenhe turned to the archer and said, “Now, youtry it. You pick up the big pot and you fill thebottle!”The archer said, “I can’t!”And the oil salesman said, “That’s whatI mean! You practice archery; you havebecome good at it. I practice pouring oil;I have become good at it. Whatever wepractice the most, we become good at it.”What do you practice? Whatever you practiceyou will get good at it. So, what do youpractice?15

6When you are touched with admiration, gratitude comes.When you have gratitude, passion comes.When you have passion, compassion comes.When you have compassion,OBJECTIVEthen you have understanding.We will explore thedifference betweenbelieving and knowing.The cycle continues, andyou evolve in this cycle.– Prem RawatUNDERSTANDINGThe Ancient Beatminutes“The ancient beat plays within. The endless song isbeing sung. Be in sync with the drums of your heart.”0:34The Courage to Understand“You need to live every single day to its fullest. Youare happy because you know yourself. You are happybecause you have the courage to understand.”5:43The Two Parrots“A person raised two very special parrots and taughtthem everything he could: formulas, Newton’s lawsof physics, and great literature, but there was onething they hadn’t learned.”3:26What the Heart Is“Peace emanates from the place called the heartwhere courage lives, where compassion, clarity andunderstanding live. This is your reality.”8:48Miracle“Life is a gift. I want to understand it as clearly aspossible before I lose the ability to understand thatthis life is a gift.”notes & reflections16Peace Education Program – Workbook3:48

the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle # 6Your MissionDo you know what is common to everysingle human being on the face of this earth?You were born, you’re alive, and one day youhave to die. Everybody. Rich or poor, not anissue. Educated or not, not an issue. Everyhuman being shares these three things. Andone more: The coming and the going of thisbreath.Each one of you carries a lamp, and whenit is lit, there doesn’t need to be darkness inyour life. There is a sweet, beautiful realitywaiting to be discovered inside of you. Thetime has come in your life to stop doubtingand start knowing that you, too, have thatlamp in your heart, knowing that you are herefor a reason.Every human being has been placed onthis earth with a special mission. Do youknow yours? Maybe the mission is tomake someone smile. Maybe it is to bringsomebody happiness for 30 seconds. Maybeit is to help somebody in this journey of lifefor half a second.It begins with you. Find your freedom. Findyour peace. It begins with you, not withanybody else. Stop doubting your potential,your reality, your lamp that you carry insideof you.You have those possibilities. Every day youhave to decide, “What is this day going tobe like?” And that’s the decision you have tomake every day because that is what livingconsciously means. Peace is within you.Instead of looking outside, look inside, andyou will find the freedom that is within you.I’m not telling you to stop thinking. I’m justtelling you to start thinking a different way.Maybe up till now, all you thought aboutwas what you don’t have. You need to startthinking about what you do have. And whatyou have is immeasurable.I talk from my heart only about what I knowto be true. I want you to do the same. Feelyour goodness, feel your beauty, feel yourjoy from within your heart. Don’t doubt it;trust it. And you, too, will understand what Iam talking about. Live your life consciously.Understand the gifts that you have beengiven. And accept those gifts that you havebeen given.You have the power to change; you have thepower to transform. Use it! What else are yougoing to use it for? You can’t make flowersgrow with it. All you can do with that poweris transform yourself. So, use it to transformyourself, to fulfill that purpose in your life.This is my world. How can I make my worlda better place? How can I bring a smile topeople’s faces? Peace is just one part ofit. Peace is essential, but being aware andconscious of what you’re doing in this worldis also very, very important.17

7Dignity is that elbow roomthat every human being needs.We are so different, but we all have the same thirst.Ultimately, we want to know.OBJECTIVEWe will recognize thatthere is an innate dignity inbeing alive, regardlessof circumstances.– Prem RawatDIGNITYPeace Is a Fundamental Right“What I say to people – and this is where my messageis so different – is that peace is fundamental to humanbeings. You have to discover it within you.”minutes4:41The Box“If you had the knowledge that inside this box is theworld’s most precious diamond, you would knowthis is no ordinary box. This is a very special box.”1:57Ibarra Peace Forum“Learn to respect yourself. Become beautiful, strong,from the inside.”6:58Your Kingdom“You are the sovereign king of your world within you.In your world, are your citizens content? Do peopleprosper?”7:06A Possibility“This is a possibility that is being awakened becausethat which you are looking for is already inside of you.This is introducing you to you.”notes & reflections18Peace Education Program – Workbook2:29

the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle # 7DignityIn the middle of all this progress that wehave made, there is one thing that is notprogressing, and that is peace, the dignityof human beings. And this is something thatshould give cause for concern to all of us.I have dedicated my voice for over fivedecades to awaken in people this onemissing element. The rest of it we can figureout. We can figure out how to get to themoon. We can make vehicles that can gounderwater. We know how to produce creditcards. We can make cameras smaller andsmaller. As far as technology is concerned,nobody needs my help.There are more religions in this world thanever before. There are more universities thanever before. There are more countries andmore people than ever before, and yet thebillions and billions of people on this earthdo not know how to come together andput aside their differences. We seem to belearning how to create more differences.I’m afraid that the road that humanity is onright now does not go anywhere. It is ourdiversity that makes us who we are. Thesedays the causes of humanity outweighhumanity itself, and this has weakened thebridges, eroded the roads, and killed thepeace that human beings need to feel forthemselves.It is very, very important for all of us tojoin, in whatever way we can — throughour understanding, our perseverance — toincrease the consciousness, the awarenessof the people of this whole world, to try tocome together and tackle the issues thatdivide humanity.And so today I am being challenged to takethis voice even further, so there can be adifference.19

8We are each given seeds.There is a seed of anger and a seed of kindness.There is a seed of love and a seed of hate.There is a seed of understandingOBJECTIVEand a seed of confusion. How restful it will bein your garden of life depends onwhat kind of seeds you sow.We will recognize thatwe have freedom and powerto make choices, and these dailychoices affect well-being.– Prem RawatCHOICEYour Secret Weaponminutes“You have a secret weapon – the most powerfulweapon on the face of this earth. And that weaponis choice.”1:20The Ant Story“There were two ants. When they met, one ant said,‘I am from the sugar hill.’ The other ant said, ‘I am fromthe salt hill. What does your sugar taste like?’”3:51The Power of Choice“All your life, you’re going to have to make choices.And you are where you are because of theconsequences of the choices you have made.”11:40Your Choice“Choose peace over chaos. Choose love over hate.Choose respect over disregard. Choose clarity overconfusion. And you will find your power.”4:30Power to Transform“Every single human being has the power to transform.”4:48Just Right“This is your time on this magnificent earth. Wasted,and it’s too short. Lamented, and it’s too long.Fulfilled, and it is just right.”notes & reflections20Peace Education Program – Workbook0:26

the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle # 8What Do You Choose?If I were to ask you, “What is the experienceof being alive?” you would be shocked.I mean, nobody asks you that. They ask:“Where are you going?” “Where’s your ticket?”“What’s your shoe size?” “Are you married orsingle?” “Are you feeling well?”What is my experience of being alive? I’vehad good days, and I’ve had bad days. I’vehad challenges, and I have had easy times.Some things I would change; some things Iwouldn’t change. But every day that I’ve beenalive is an opportunity.I have a choice. I can make an effort everyday to be fulfilled. This is not about otherpeople; it’s about me. I need to live in thisworld, and I need to experience, not justthink.There is the possibility to make the choiceto capture the day, to make the choice to befulfilled. Instead of being victimized, we canunderstand our own strength, each one of us.On one hand, we are human. We have angerin us. We have fear in us. But we also haveforgiveness in us, and we have understandingin us. Life is not a problem. It is how you usethis time. Whatever you choose, the day isstill going to happen. It’s not the day that it’sabout. It’s about now, what you choose inyour life.You’ve looked at your problems. And yourproblems have really been that you had aplan, and things didn’t go according to yourplan. When things went according to yourplan, no problem. But regardless, you’vebeen alive all those days.Is there a problem so big that it cannot besolved? Absolutely not. Every human beinghas the capacity to understand and tochange and cause that change to happen. Ifwe’re talking about moving the orbit of themoon, or moving the sun a little bit furtheraway, or changing the ocean to fresh water,that would be very difficult. But we’re talkingabout something that is very changeable.We have been telling people what theycannot do. We have to start telling peoplewhat they can do. We have to increase theirunderstanding. We have to empower people.We have to give people choice! That’s yourpower – choice!Look at the world today. It is a direct resultof the choices that people made. Nothingjust happens. If you’re having a good day,it’s because you chose to do something thathas brought you happiness. If you feel sad,you chose to do something that has broughtyou sadness. We choose! And these are theeffects all around us.What do you choose? Do you choose to havepeace in your life, to realize your potential, torealize your possibility? Or do you choose tobe a victim and say, “Well, this is how it is.”Time encapsulates what you do. It does nottell you what to do. It’s up to you what youdo. We have a choice, and that’s what makesus human. We can choose!21

9Look within you.The fight is within you,and the resolution is within you.The war is within you, and the peace is within you.The bad is within you, but the good is within you.– Prem RawatOBJECTIVEWe will understand that hopeis an inner resource availableto everyone, and that it canassist in moving throughchallenging times.HOPEPeace Begins with You“We need to look at ourselves as the source of peace.If we take that approach, peace will come.”minutes1:38The Seed“We have been given an incredible opportunity, anincredible field. It is the field of life. Nothing has beenplanted, but it is capable of growing anything.”4:44Hope Comes InWhen people “understand that they’re the angel thatcan change their lives, nothing is the same anymore.Doors go wide open; hope comes in.”8:50Always Remember“It is not about the length of the night, but that thesun does rise and the morning does come. It’s notabout the lists of the failures, but about eachsuccess that took place.”notes & reflections22Peace Education Program – Workbook9:02

the Peace Education Program Collectionarticle #9Find the DreamI have something very special to tell you:there is hope every day. It is not a matter ofyears or months or weeks. It is not abouttomorrow, and it’s not about yesterday.This breath comes into you — and it bringsyou the

Peace Education Program The Prem Rawat Foundation self-awareness. appreciation. hope. contentment inner strength