The Centaur at Prestbury Park Racecourse provides an ideal setting for Maharaji to deliver his 54th event this year. The racecourse is surrounded by gently rolling Cotswold hills and beautiful wooded valleys. This part of the world is known as “The Heart of England”.

The Centaur is the most prestigious multi-purpose venue in Britain to be opened this millennium. It offers a spacious contemporary lobby and a state-of-the-art auditorium. The Event Management Team has put tremendous care into their preparation, in hopes that every attendee will have a straightforward and seamless experience.

Seating reservations were fully booked within hours of the event announcement. Over 2,100 people are expected to attend.

As buses and cars begin to arrive at the racecourse, attendees gather outside in the warm sunshine, chatting quietly together. Close by in the lush green paddock, brown and white ponies trot by. A light breeze stirs the trees. Overhead the blue sky is filled with fluffy white clouds. It is a typical English summer’s day.

The doors open, and the hall begins to fill with attendees. Some are young; some are old, some touchingly frail. Clearly, they have made a courageous journey to hear Maharaji speak. The auditorium is “packed to the rafters”. On stage a simple orange backdrop is softly lit. The atmosphere is calm and expectant.

The lively upbeat signature tune of the Words of Peace Global video opens the event. Next, we settle down to watch “One Man’s Passion”, a documentary of Maharaji’s life’s work.

Then a surge of joyful applause swells up, as Maharaji takes the stage. “If what I have to say to you could simplify your life even a little a bit, that would make me very happy. Your life, your existence, the gift you have been given—it’s all so simple, the breath that comes into you and then leaves and then comes again. The question is, how did it get so complicated?” Then he describes the difficulties and distractions people encounter in their lives, reminding his audience how easily the simplicity of life is lost.

Maharaji seems to speak effortlessly from his heart, encompassing the many facets of human experience—from the longings of early man to know the purpose of life to the current economic crisis. This “house of cards” has come crashing down for many who believed they had attained success. But Maharaji has another perspective on success in life: “The day your heart fills with gratitude”, he says, “is the day you will be successful. That's true success”.

After speaking for over an hour, Maharaji leaves the stage while a forest of arms waves goodbye to him. The hall is profoundly still; a sweet simple joy fills the air.

Later in the lobby, I ask a few of the attendees about their experience of tonight’s event.

Kathy has travelled here from London. “Nothing touches me like Maharaji’s words. Everything about his message is important. If anybody is looking for peace in their lives, then what he is offering really works”.

Jo, who lives near Harrogate, shares, “This is not just an interesting philosophy. What he offers is extraordinarily relevant for my life. Maharaji has taught me to know something personally, not just to believe”.

It is time to return home again. I am touched by the calm faces of the crowd as they depart, each with their quiet and personal memories of this wonderful event.

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