Excerpt from Interview of Prem Rawat by Cecilia Valenzuela, Lima

Valenzuela is the host of Look Who’s Talking, Willax TV channel, Peru

Cecilia Valenzuela:

I have read that you have a greater concern for people who are in prison—and, that you have designed a system of teaching, a program of teaching peace in—for prisons. And, that is already being applied in several countries in the world.

How much hope do you have for these projects, that are truly so wonderful?

Prem Rawat:

Oh, I have a lot of hope! And my hope isn’t just blind hope. These projects are yielding incredible results. They’re bringing a profound change in people’s lives. Because a lot of times, society says, “This person has done this wrong.” The justice department gives them their punishment, and then everybody forgets.

I am saying, “This is still a person. This is still a human being!” And maybe what they have lost is the hope in themselves—knowing that the source of their peace is not outside, but within them. And to bring them that hope. To bring them this unique freedom—even when they’re in prison.

Because, that’s what hope does. And when we think about this, all of us need hope—whether we are in prison, whether we are outside of prison. And so, these projects have been incredibly successful—because they deal with the fundamentals. And they’re not even aiming at a particular result. But then, the result is obvious.

Cecilia Valenzuela:

How possible is it for a person who is tormented because they have done something wrong, because they have harmed another person—how is it, for them to find that peace?

Prem Rawat:

The peace is inside of them. As a human being, one of the greatest capacities we have is to learn from our mistakes and make ourselves better, not only for ourselves, but for all the people around us. And when we can do that, that is the best thing we can do.

To be full of hope. To be a productive member of society. To help each other create a better world for ourselves, for our children, for their children, and for the generations yet to come.

And, if we make a mistake, we need to rise above it. We need to learn from it. But I feel these are also the lessons of every day. We make small mistakes. And some people, unfortunately, make really big mistakes.

But, we need to move forward. That’s the only hope we have.

Cecilia Valenzuela:

You have established The Prem Rawat Foundation. Why? What is the main objective of that Foundation?

Prem Rawat:

The main objective of the Foundation is to take the message of peace to people, and secondly, to acknowledge human needs—to help people, with dignity, in their times of need.

But I still feel that in good times and in bad times, we always need peace. So The Prem Rawat Foundation is a very unique foundation. It acknowledges that you need to have prosperity. It acknowledges that you need to have dignity. And it acknowledges that you need to have peace. And, that one does not need to be disconnected from the other.

Cecilia Valenzuela:

What do you mean, specifically, when you say “dignity?”

Prem Rawat:

In our lives, we all come across hard times. And when those hard times come, we still want to feel human. It’s very important for us that somebody acknowledges our existence, not only when the times are good, but even in the bad times.

And, to approach people who may be going through difficult times, and to give them back their dignity, so they feel human, so they feel real. Not, looked down upon. Not, manipulated. The help being given to them is not from any other motive—just to help them.

Dignity is incredibly important—as much as prosperity—and indeed, as much as peace.

To view the entire interview please go to: http://goo.gl/gED7z 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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