Happy for No Reason
When I was 21, I came within five seconds of drowning.
As I was going down for the third time, I looked to the shore and realized that this, my last moment, was the most lucid moment of my life.
Everything else was a cartoon. Unreal. Fake.
In the state I was in, only one thing was certain. I wanted to live. And in that moment, which felt like my last, something extraordinary took over -- way beyond my exhaustion -- and got me to the shore.
It swam me, until I -- completely out of breath -- could finally stand. And when I did, I fell to my knees and kissed the ground. I cried. I sang whatever children's songs I could remember. I laughed.
In that moment of pure exaltation, I had no philosophy, no religion, no politics, no family, no friends, no future, no past. Only the simple joy of being alive.
When I think about my teacher, Prem Rawat, and the experience he has shown me, it feels much the same.
In such a simple and loving way, he has connected me not only to the will to live, but to the primal force that moves me.
As my teacher, he has taught me how to be a student. And as his student, I have learned that it doesn't matter what I know, but who I am. Or more correctly, what I am.
It's what the poets pray to feel, so finally they'd have something worth writing about.
When I feel it -- and I do a lot -- I am happy for no reason at all. Happy like someone on permanent vacation. Completely alive. Grateful to the max. Content in a way that requires no action to prove itself whole.
Unconditional love it is. No strings attached. First kiss. Second chance. Unexpected snow day. Home for the holidays. More fun than I've ever had and absolutely nothing is happening. Just the peace that passes all understanding -- even when my hard disk crashes.
Who is the one who showed me what it's all about I cannot say.
All I know is this: When I'm with him, I never want to leave. And when I do, it's like starting over once again -- whatever I once was being left behind like a second skin. I am refreshed, renewed, re-awakened once again.
If you'd like to attend one of his events in North America this summer, click here to find out where and when and how to get an invitation.
A musical invitation to see Prem Rawat
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:28 PM | Comments (4)
June 28, 2012Searchin' USA
Here's a fun musical slide show announcing Prem Rawat's July 29th event in Long Beach, CA.
Melody: The Beach Boys.
Everything else: Stuart Hoffman, Jennifer Edwards, and Hannah Blake.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:02 AM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2012Prem Rawat in Montreal: July 11
Beautiful 3-minute slide show (with French sub-titles) announcing Prem Rawat's upcoming event in Montreal. Music and show produced by Stuart Hoffman.
Click here to request an invitation.
Other North American events
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2012The Glowing Ember of Your Heart
Everybody I know has something within them -- ember-like and glowing -- that is completely capable of flaming up at any given moment.
This "something" has been called many things by many people throughout the ages, but it does not need a name to give off light.
Primal, elemental, and pure, it is the innate potential every human being has to be fully alive.
What fans the flame of this unnameable ember varies from person to person, but its essence is the same: the power to ignite a transcendental sense of wholeness, goodness, and joy.
Some people have this moment once in their lives. Some have it every day.
Here's my wish for you: Find that which fans the glowing ember of your heart. And when you do, give thanks.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:11 PM | Comments (3)
June 24, 2012The Social Media Revolution Revelation
PREM RAWAT'S SUMMER EVENTS ON FACEBOOK:
Toronto: July 8
Montreal: July 11
Washington, DC: July 15
Chicago: July 19
Denver: July 22
Los Angeles: July 29
Asheville: August 4
Thanks to Isis Marks for the video link
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2012Excerpts from Munich: 5/31
Here are some brief excerpts of Prem Rawat's May 31st talk in Munich, Germany.
If his message speaks to you, feel free to request an invitation to one or more of his July/August events in North America.
His events are open to everyone. Admission is free.
Toronto: July 8
Montreal: July 11
Washington, DC: July 15
Chicago: July 19
Denver: July 22
Los Angeles: July 29
Asheville: August 4
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)
June 19, 2012Sweeping the Path
As a middle class American male with a healthy dose of resistance to household chores, the broom has never been one of my favorite tools.
While I've certainly appreciated its timeless design and universal appeal, the act of sweeping has always felt like somebody else's job.
This belief radically changed for me one fine Spring day in 1980. That was the day I got word that my teacher, Prem Rawat, was coming to visit the house I was living in -- a funky old dwelling on Detroit Street in mile high Denver, Colorado.
Clearly, my housemates and I weren't ready. The kitchen was dirty. The bathrooms were a wreck. The lawn needed mowing. Mucho stuff needed to be done.
My task? To sweep.
Grabbing a broom like some kind of over-caffeinated Clint Eastwood on steroids, I pushed open the front door, surveyed the scene, and got busy.
The porch was a piece of cake. A few flicks of the wrist, a few energetic downward strokes in both directions and I was done -- leaves, twigs, and dust sailing over the edge onto the waiting lawn below.
Now it was time for the front walkway.
A sweep to the left. A sweep to the right. A sweep to the left again -- me a human metronome in tune with something beyond time. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
I paused to view my handiwork. "Not bad, not bad at all," I thought to myself.
But though the porch and walk were much cleaner than before, my increasingly perceptive sweeper's vision was seeing things it hadn't noticed just ten minutes ago: a pebble stuck between cracks, a rusty bottlecap, a flattened piece of wax.
Whoosh to the left. Whoosh to the right. Whoosh to the left again.
It felt good getting ready, good preparing the way for the man who, nine years ago, had shown me -- in a heartbeat -- what life was really all about.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Ta da! The porch was clean! The path was clear! All was right with the world! But wait! The sidewalk, in front of the house, was a complete mess. Bits of paper were everywhere. Plastic spoons. Shards of glass. And dirt, dirt, dirt.
Obviously, I had more work to do.
Whoosh to the left. Whoosh to the right. Whoosh to the left again.
I closed my eyes. I took a breath. I opened my eyes again. But wait! The road in front of the house was a wreck -- the very same road the person I loved the most in the world would need to cross if he parked his car on the north side of the street. Cigarette butts, oil spots, and leaves were everywhere. My hands began to twitch. My mind began to race. Wherever I looked, nothing was ready to receive him. Nothing was good enough. The world, it seemed to me, was one gigantic mess.
I wondered how far onto Detroit Street I needed to sweep -- how far I needed to go to prepare the way. At this rate, I might never come back.
And then, like one of those moments I used to read about in Zen Buddhism books, it hit me.
It wasn't the front porch that needed sweeping. It wasn't the path... the sidewalk... or the street. It was me. I was the one that needed to be swept -- swept of my clutter, swept of my assumptions, swept of whatever junk stood in the way of being able to receive my teacher in a way that was clean.
I didn't need to sweep the porch. I didn't need to sweep the street. I didn't need to shine my shoes... or cut the grass... or buy a suit... or lose five pounds... or iron my shirt... or paint the house... or wash the car... or buy a dozen roses. I could, of course, if I wanted to. I could if these things really needed to be done. But something else -- much more central to my life -- was going on.
And that something was me getting ready for the one whose gift of Knowledge had, long ago, opened my eyes and my heart.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Prem Rawat in North America this summer
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:09 AM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2012Prem Rawat in Denver: July 22
If you live within 10,000 miles of Denver, Colorado, you might consider attending an inspiring event there on July 22nd. That's when Prem Rawat will be speaking about his timeless message of peace. Open to everyone. Admission is free. To request an invitation.
Prem Rawat will also be speaking in Toronto, Montreal, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Asheville.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:08 AM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2012Running Up and Down the Aisles
One of the good things about having a living Teacher is that often he/she says something that goes in so deep it becomes a kind of radioactive isotope of truth -- radiating from the inside out, forever.
One particular moment like this happened for me a few years ago. I was at an event where Prem Rawat was speaking and, in a very casual way, he used a modern image to make a very ancient point.
He was talking about the phenomenon of impatience and likened the human condition to being a passenger on a jet plane traveling at 650 mph, but running up and down the aisles trying to get there faster.
Nailed!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:29 AM | Comments (1)
June 15, 2012Einstein on Mistakes
"Anyone
who
has
never
made
a
mistake
has
never
tried
anything
new."
- Albert Einstein
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:25 PM | Comments (3)
June 12, 2012How to Request an Invitation to a Prem Rawat Event in North America
I just got an email from a friend who is interested in attending one of Prem Rawat's events in North America this July, but was confused about how to get a ticket.
HERE'S HOW:
1. Click this link of confirmed events.
2. Scroll down to the event you want to attend.
3. Click that city (for example, Toronto)
4. Click "Request an Invitation" and follow the instructions.
5. Space allowing, you will receive a confirmation, via email.
NOTE: If you want to let someone know about Prem Rawat's upcoming events (Toronto, Montreal, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Asheville -- and soon-to-be-announced, Denver), simply click the "Tell a Friend" button on any one of the event announcements.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)
Now Is the Moment
Prem Rawat's message of the peace helps people live fully in the moment. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. NOW -- the only time there ever is.
Hear him speak in Toronto, Montreal, Washington, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Asheville this summer.
The events are open to everyone. Admission is free.
If you want to attend, please request an invitation. Simply click the city of your choice. Space allowing, you will receive a confirmation, via email.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2012Prem Rawat in Montreal on July 11
Montreal, consistently rated one of the world's most livable cities, will hear a little more about what makes life livable on July 11th.
That's the day when Prem Rawat will be addressing an audience of 2,300 people interested in learning more about his much-celebrated message of peace.
If you want to attend, you will need to request an invitation.
Admission is free and the event is open to everyone.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:29 PM | Comments (0)
June 06, 2012The Crosswalk of the Future
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June 05, 2012Your Virtual Fortune Cookie
Thanks to Lynn Kindler for the image
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:42 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2012Facebook Announcements of Prem Rawat's North American Events
I like the way Prem Rawat's upcoming North American tour is being announced on Facebook -- an elegant way of getting the word out via social media.
Feel free to invite your Facebook friends to any of the pages below or to this page on the Words of Peace Global website that lists Prem Rawat's upcoming events for Europe and North America.
Toronto: July 8
Montreal: July 11
Washington, DC: July 15
Chicago: July 19
Los Angeles: July 29
Denver; Date TBA
Asheville: Date August 4
More
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)
Prem Rawat in Toronto on July 8th
Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities, with about 49% of the population born outside of Canada.
On July 8th, residents of that fine city, along with lots of other people, will get a chance to hear about what they all have in common -- regardless of birthplace, language, or religion.
That's the day Prem Rawat comes to town to speak about a simple way to find personal peace.
Admission is free and the event is open to everyone. To request an invitation, click here. Or here. Or here.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:15 AM | Comments (0)
