Peace Is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat

by Andrea Cagan

Book Overview

Peace Is Possible is the first full and complete story of Prem Rawat. It documents his extraordinary life, from growing up with a father who was a revered master, to the day he first addressed... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978869494
• ISBN13: 9780978869496
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Mighty River Press
• Length: 349 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Beautiful Life

Biographies and autobiographies tell stories about admirable and not so admirable people. Amongst the most fascinating I have read are those by Bill Clinton, Mark Latham (sometime leader of the opposition in Australia), and Fred Hollows, the Australian founder of the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program who brought eye health to thousands in Eritrea and to Aborigines in Australia. The commonalities amongst these books is that, in whatever way they could, the subjects tried to do something to leave a positive mark on the world. They did it in different ways. While Clinton tried to develop understanding and some form of lasting peace through renegotiating the "rules of the road" and Latham tried to "crash through or crash" (the latter in his case), Hollows used every trick known and unknown to ensure he was able to do the job he set out to do—rules, bureaucracy or lack of funds notwithstanding. In many ways, Prem Rawat has paralleled the Hollow path rather than the Clinton. Setting out with a drive, a desire, to let every person know that peace is a possibility and second, that he could show people how to touch a peace that already was within them, Rawat has not been distracted nor diverted from this personal objective. This book narrates this story. And to be quite blunt, Rawat's work in both its scope and its success hugely overshadows the undoubted success that others have achieved. It rolls glibly off the tongue: "to let people know that every person know that peace is a possibility". Yet this biography details the initial halting steps in that story, the rocks that seemed to have threatened to shipwreck the whole expedition, the amazing successes, and the enduring humanity, humility and humour of Rawat in the face of what might appear to be a quixotic task. Indeed, in a video some years ago, Rawat spoke with a sculpture of Don Quixote in the background. Yet there is nothing vaguely dreamy or wistfully blasé in Rawat's approach. With most biographies, one reads with a sense of familiarity, perhaps regarding the contexts or events of people's lives. Most people are unerringly like you or me, in many respects. We can relate to the situations they find themselves in, or the things that happen to them, or their loving (or alcoholic mother) and so on. Reading this biography invokes a different set of responses. From a very early age—when most of us might have been hurtling around the suburbs in home-made carts pulled by possessed billy-goats, or for recent generations, attempting to ensure that Yankacan's (sitting in his house in the U.S.A.) Zergs do not overrun Wunsun's (sitting at his computer in Yeppoon, Australia) Terran outpost—Rawat was focused on a different world-view, whilst still enjoying being a child. For Rawat, his desire was to assist his father, to the extent that, whilst still a youngster when most of us in world Ideal would have been fishing with Grandad, he put together a public program that his father could speak at. Hi

A Rollicking Good Story

I have enjoyed biographies my whole life. The ones I have enjoyed the most are about people who have been faced with enormous challenges. The human side of the story particularly fascinates me: What created in these individuals the burning desire to accomplish their goal? What obstacles did they have to overcome? What motivated them to keep going? How did they feel about it? And what can I learn from them? Peace Is Possible, by Andrea Cagan, tells just such a story. It is about Prem Rawat, a man whose single-minded goal in life has been to touch the lives of every person in the world to let them know that peace is possible if they will only look within themselves. He began his mission at the age of eight when his father and mentor, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, passed away. (When I was the same age, I was in the third grade, and I must confess -- my life's goals were not quite as clear.) For those readers merely looking for a rollicking good storyline, they will find it here. Cagan has apparently interviewed dozens of people who have known Rawat at various points in his life, and the book is filled with colorful anecdotes. All the things I like best about biographies - the challenges, the single-minded desire, the overcoming of obstacles, the motivation - are illuminated here as we follow the story from his early childhood in northern India to his present life as a world-renowned voice for peace and a beloved mentor for millions of people in over ninety countries. For those who may also be looking for something more meaningful, they will find that, too. Cagan writes with positive affection, and in my opinion, does an excellent job of conveying Rawat's deeper message - that true contentment and joy in life are to be found within the heart. However, Rawat also makes it clear that what he is talking about goes beyond mere words. To the sincere of heart, he teaches something called "Knowledge" which allows the individual to actually feel the inner contentment of which he speaks. Receiving Rawat's Knowledge seems to have been a life-altering experience for many of the people interviewed for this book. All in all, I think Peace Is Possible, is an outstanding biography of a fascinating person. It will be especially appealing to anyone who has ever wondered if there is more to life than meets the eye.

About time!

I've been a fan of Prem Rawat for over 30 years and I'm delighted that someone has finally written a book about him. Like many others I have read the sensationalist media articles from the 70s and have always wondered "When is someone going to take this man seriously?". His message is simple and yet important to every human being but our media has become so cycnical that "good" news is generally treated with suspicion and ridicule. Thank goodness Rawat has continued on regardless. Andrea Cagan's book paints a picture of person who understood the need for peace and happiness at a very young age and has relentlessly proclaimed it for more than forty years. Her anecdotes and stories bring Prem Rawat to life and I am pleased to be able to peek behind the curtain of the man I have seen on stage for 30 years and find courage, humor and boundless optimism. Well done Andrea for taking on this book.

Maybe Peace Really is Possible.

Andrea Cagan's simple narrative provided me with an understanding of Prem Rawat's life and the numerous challenges he has overcome to make his message available to people around the world. Plentiful quotes from Prem Rawat gave me a clear insight into the message itself and had me wondering whether the peace he talks about really is possible. This book reveals a human being who has found a way to be true to himself without becoming a renunciate. From child prodigy to internationally-respected advocate for the individual's right to experience peace, this compelling story needed to be told and deserves to be read. If you've never read biography before, start with `Peace is Possible'.

Andrea Cagan's best book ever

I was fortunate to obtain an advance copy from the publisher. First, let me say that this is Cagan's best book ever. She has finally found a topic that has enough breadth for her prodigious writing skills. The book gives the word "biography" a new value. Its fast paced, interesting, alive, the writing is very cinematic, and the reader is touched. I could not put this book down, last night, and had to keep reading and I intend to read it several times more. The book opens with several statements by world leaders in support ot Rawat, including one from Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Vice President of the Republic of India, the world's largest democracy. This one particularly impressed me. Here is what he says: "I'm convinced that the people of India and from other countries need to embrace in their hearts Prem Rawat's call to peace I would like to express my heartfelt feeling towards him as a most trusted and respected person who takes a message of joy to society and society puts it into practice. Doing so is the greatest success there can be in life. I want his message to reach the people around the world." This set very high expectations for me as I started reading, and I must say that I was not disappointed. The book opens with Prem arriving in the West from his native India, in 1971. It gives a fascinating account into what the young generation was like at that time, how intense and genuine their search was for finding peace and truth within themselves, and how powerful the encouter between them and Prem was. The book then flashes back into the household of Prem's father and mother, in the 50s. Cagan's beautiful prose transports the reader into the foothills of the Himalaya. The reader then follows Prem as he grows up in this colorful family. I loved the many endearing anecdotes, like when ever curious Prem locked himself in the brand new refrigerator--a novelty at that time--to find out if the light stayed on when the door was closed. The book follows Prem during his school days, and the reader feels the grief of the young boy when his father passes away. The book lifts the veil on the succession process, through which Prem became the Master and started revealing the same "Knowledge"--a means to go within oneself and find peace- that his father was imparting before him. One sees Prem giving his first press conference at age ten, handling the journalists with stunning dexterity. The book then follows prem's eventful life, as he travels the world bringing his message of peace up to 2006. Cagan takes the reader through a labirynth of breathtaking developments, interespersed with finely chiselfed quotes from Prem's addresses. The book is called "Peace is Possible," and as I read through it, I could not but think of anyone wth a story like Prem, and even more of someone with a message of peace like him. One only wonders why he is not better known, and why we dont see him mon TV more often. Hopefully this book will help shine some light among