I've heard the same thing from many people over the years -- especially friends of mine who are just starting to hear about Prem Rawat's message.

This time, maybe because he had just come to my hometown, it gave me extra pause. Why, I wondered, was it so common for people to respond to his message with the potentially dismissive "But I already know this" comment?

Could it be they weren't quite open? Not sufficiently humble? Too full of concepts? Well, that describes all people -- Prem Rawat's students, as well.

The real reason is simpler.

The real reason why so many people respond to his message with "I already know that" is because they do. Indeed, this is one of the recurring themes at the core of his message. If it seems familiar to you, that's because it is.

This is where things really get interesting. In fact, if there is a place where the "path" begins, this is it.

A good teacher does not invent anything new. He (or she) does not recycle old truths. A good teacher turns theory into practice. Makes the potential kinetic. Activates the process where seeking comes to an end and finding begins.

For most of us, the essence of who we are has long been forgotten -- like we've all gotten a bad case of amnesia. We know the time, but not the timeless. We know our phone number, but not our heart. We know where we want to be tomorrow, but not where we are today.

Big difference.

Bottom line, Prem Rawat is waking people up to the most ancient thing within them -- the essence of what makes life worth living. And not only that. He's also providing the tools and inspiration to maintain steady contact with this glorious place of being. How cool is that?

The second reason why some people respond to his message with the "I already know this" mantra is because it's very likely they've heard his message before.

Prem Rawat is not the only one talking this talk. What he's saying has been preached, written about, sung, danced, sculpted, painted, whispered, dreamed, and yodeled since the beginning of time.

Strip away the jargon of any path and you'll find his message at the core: What you are looking for is within you!

What, then, is the value of Prem Rawat when his message is as old as the hills -- and the time before hills existed?

Simply this: He helps people make it real. He helps them apply it in daily life.

He has an extraordinary gift for helping people close the gap between theory and practice -- helping people understand, in their bones, that this is it -- that the promised land is beneath our very feet right now, if only we would keep our promise to ourselves.

He's a wake-up call -- not with a bugle, but a breath.

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