Prem Rawat

Maharaji

Born in India in (1957), Prem Rawat started speaking to audiences about inner peace at the age of three and gave his first published address when he was only four years old. [That Prem Rawat could give a speech at such an early age could be seen as extraordinary, compared to most other three-year-olds who are only beginning to talk. ] At the age of eight, when his father, also a teacher of inner peace, passed away, he accepted the responsibility of bringing this message to people all around the world.

At the age of 13, he was invited to speak in London and Los Angeles. Since then, he has presented his message to more than 6.5 million people in over 250 cities and 50 countries. His message is made available in more than 88 countries and 60 languages.

When he started his work, Prem Rawat was given the name Maharaji which denotes affection and respect. This is indicative of Indian culture, where it is not proper etiquette to call a Master by his birth name.

When he was 15, he married a stewardess by the name of Marolyn Johnston. His mother and two eldest brothers were so incensed they denounced him as the rightful heir to his father's "throne" and retreated to India.

Maharaji's message

Maharaji provides inspiration and guidance about the possibility of knowing inner peace and contentment through four techniques which he calls "Knowledge". Some excerpts of his speeches:

"Peace needs to be in everyone's life. Of all the things we have tried in this world, there is one thing we have never given a chance. That one thing is peace. If we want to hope for something, maybe we could hope in our heart that peace will come in our life. The peace that we are looking for is within. It is in the heart, waiting to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. It is not the world that needs peace; it is people. When people in the world are at peace within, the world will be at peace."

His students come from all walks of life. They range from farmers and fishermen in poor countries to executives in global corporations and diplomats in the highest echelons of government and international institutions.[1] Some of his students are in their late teens, and others have been his students for more than thirty-five years.

In a recent tour in India, he spoke to more than a million people about the possibility of inner peace and contentment [2].

He travels on average 11 months each year and, between tours, lives with his family in Malibu, USA. He is acknowledged by many public communities, business associations and magazines[3] for his contribution to helping bring peace into people's lives.[4] On the other hand, Rawat has assiduously avoided giving any interviews at all to the regular press since 1973.

His students practice daily for at least one hour the techniques of "Knowledge" to help them experience peace and fulfillment.

There are daily digital satellite video broadcasting and cable TV programming in stations around the word See TV programming schedule. Video tapes and printed material of his addresses are also available.[5]

Excerpt

Posted with explicit permission of The Prem Rawat Foundation [6] Excerpt of Maharaji's address at the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona: www.barcelona2004.org

"So often peace is defined as the absence of war. There is war that happens between two countries. There is war that takes place between two people. There is war that does not even require two people; it takes place inside of a person. For a war on the outside, maybe a cease–fire can be negotiated. Between two people, maybe an understanding can be negotiated. But even in the absence of those kinds of wars, there is a war that takes place inside a human being—a much more ferocious war that devastates the very elements that are the foundation of a person. Which of these wars will become absent so that one day we can stand up and say, 'Now there is peace'?

Whatever it takes, find that peace, and for the rest of your life, enjoy that beautiful peace that has been lying in wait within you. It begins with you. You are the source. You are the source for the thirst, and you are the well in which the sweetest water resides. Within you are both the thirst and the means to quench it. Begin by accepting this possibility in your life. That is where your answer lies. You have had the question for a long time. Now it is time to get the answer and get on with your life—in joy, in harmony, and with understanding. Now is the time to begin to enjoy the rest of your life.

Enjoy every day for the rest of your life. If there ever was a gift, this is the gift. If there ever was a time, this is the time. If ever there was an opportunity, then this is the opportunity. This is my message.

It begins with each one of you. It will be everyone's effort that will make peace possible—each one of us. And yes, peace is very, very possible. I see the possibility, and you need to see it, too.

After all, wherever you go and whatever you do, your heart will not leave you alone because it, alone, holds the quest for peace. You cannot run from it. You cannot evade it. Be sincere toward this existence. Be sincere toward today. Be sincere toward tomorrow as it comes and unfolds itself into today. All those promises will only come together today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is just an idea. Today is when all tomorrows manifest. In today, find your reality; in today, find your courage. And today, find the possibility of being in peace, being in joy, being in the reality that you are."

Controversy

Critics claims

For some ex-followers, Maharaji is the head of a cult, who teaches platitudes and fluff, and lives off the gullibility and credulity of his followers. Some ex-followers believe that he discouraged critical thinking to maintain followers’ unquestioning loyalty and devotion to him. To his followers, he is a friend and guide providing ongoing inspiration and guidance. [7] These ex-followers have become vocal critics. Élan Vital (one of the organizations that support his work) considers these vocal critics a hate group [8].

See Maharaji - Controversy.

Responding to the critics

Followers of Maharaji see the vocal critics of him as a small group of ex-followers, not representative of the many followers who have left silently and moved on. They reproach the vocal critics of repeatedly defaming, libeling and harassing Maharaji and his students. The group of vocal critics accuses him of resorting to ad hominem attacks on them because of his inability to confront the evidence directly. Ex-followers claim he also has a long-time mistress who lives near his home in Malibu. Ex-followers justify their campaign as public service.

Maharaji in the Press

Newspaper and magazine articles about Maharaji, most of them paid for by Rawat and his followers (PDF downloads)

• The Times of India
• Leaders magazine
• Venture Magazine
• Trinidad & Tobago Newsday
• Varsity Magazine, UK
• Élanadu magazine (Canada)
• Performance Magazine , Canada - PDF
• Canarias 7 Magazine. Spain
• Asia Pulse Magazine
• Soleil Levant Magazine, France
• Mauritius Time

External Links

Official websites

• Maharaji's personal web site Short poems set to music. Available in Chinese, Danish, English, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, Greek, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Slovenian, Finnish and Swedish
• The Prem Rawat foundation A non-for-profit Foundation that promotes and dissminates Maharaji's speeches, writings, music, art and public forums.
• Contactinfo.net News, Event information, Materials, Contacts around the world
• Inspire Weekly newsletter with highlights of Maharaji's work
  • Inspira Spanish version (Version en español)
• FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Unofficial websites

• Voices of people around the world about their experience
• An up-to-date blog of Maharaji's activities around the world
• Excerpts, video, and audio clips from recent addresses by Maharaji
• Showcasing the work of Prem Rawat

Organizations that support Maharaji's work

These organizations, setup as non-profit orgnizations in most coutries, are mostly run by volunteers to promote Maharaji's message in their localities and organize events to which Maharaji is invited to speak.

• Élan Communication, Europe
• Élan Vital Foundation, Switzerland
• Élan Vital, USA
• Élan Vital, Australia
• Élan Vital, Canada
• Élan Vital, Greece
• Raj Vidya Kender, India
• Élan Vital, Malaysia
• Élan Vital, Netherlands
• Élan Vital, New Zealand
• Élan Vital, Portugal
• Élan Vital, Slovenia
• Élan Vital, South Africa
• Fundación Élan Vital, Spain
• Insight, Singapore
• Élan Vital, United Kigndom

Grassroot websites of followers

Some localities have groups of volunteers that support Maharajis's work:

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Ireland
• Switzerland
• London, United Kingdom
• USA, Southwest region
• USA, Midwest region
• USA, Northeast region
• USA, Northwest region
• USA, Northwest region
• USA, Southeast region (FL)
• USA, Southeast region (GA, NC, TN)
• USA, Southwest region
• Venezuela

Other

• University of Virginia, Scholarly information about Élan Vital, including obsolete practices Contains outdated information. Mostly based on accounts provided by ex-followers.

References

• Barrett, D. V. The New Believers - A survey of sects, cults and alternative religions 2001 UK, Cassell & Co ISBN 0-304-35592-92-5 [9] pages 65, 305-329