Unlimited Joy

The things we run after will one day be left behind. This is a human being’s nature. When young boys see a nice car and a beautiful girl in it, they will turn around and look at her. Their necks start to bend. This doesn’t happen to an old person. A time comes in a human being’s life when they can’t see properly or they are in pain when they turn their neck. Nobody is exempt from it; this will happen to everyone. The things you run after will one day leave you. Whether you lose them or not, they will lose you.

The things that are valuable for us we keep safe. What is the one thing we need to keep safe? It is our joy, our happiness, our heart. If we do not guard our joy, who will guard it? Everybody worries about their own happiness. It is not possible to worry about somebody else’s happiness.

If somebody is uncomfortable, I can give him a cushion. If he is hungry, I can give him food. If he is tired, I can give him a bed. If he is thirsty, I can give him a glass of water. But if he is unhappy from the inside, what type of cushion can I get him? What kind of water can I give him? What can I do for him? Nothing. When he listens to his heart’s cry and takes steps to receive joy in his life, then it will become possible for him to feel that joy.

The real joy is within us. That is who we are. Not experiencing this joy in life is like eating food that has no taste. You can have everything in life and still be missing that one thing that should be there. If a human being doesn’t recognize himself, how can he recognize anybody else?

When I was growing up, we had a little dog named Tommy. He was so hot tempered that he bit everyone except my father, Shri Maharaji. When Shri Maharaji sat outside, if somebody came toward him, Tommy would start barking. Everybody teased that dog. If you put a mirror in front of him, he would start barking at it, and he could spend the whole day barking at it. Why? He couldn’t recognize his own face. If he couldn’t recognize himself, how could he recognize anybody else?

We do the same thing. We don’t recognize our own face. We look at everybody and ask: “Who is that person?” “He is black.” “He is from India.” “He is from China.” That person is just like me. He feels pain and joy like I do. He gets hungry and thirsty; I get hungry and thirsty. He goes to sleep; I go to sleep. When it rains, that person gets wet like I do. The world has taught us how different we are. When you haven’t seen your self, you will see the differences. Yet, we are all one.

How much joy can you feel? It’s up to you. It depends on your effort. If you are thirsty and drink only a spoonful of water, that’s how much your thirst will be quenched.

Fulfill this life. Receive joy. All the other joys have limitations, but the joy within has no limits. We are here for that joy, not for anything else—just for that joy. The outside joy will come and go, but the joy of the heart is stable. It is inside of you; it is happening, and it will stay with you until your last breath.

Maharaji, Prem Rawat

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