Prem Rawat Receives Key to the City from Mayor of Tainan

Los Angeles, June 2009 — On May 23, at the invitation of Mayor Tain-Tsair Hsu of Tainan, Taiwan, Prem Rawat, known as Maharaji, attended a ceremony where he was awarded the Golden Key to the city as well as an emblem of the Sword Lion, a symbol of the cultural capital of Taiwan. The ceremony was held at the National Tainan Living Arts Center. Over 800 people attended including guests of the mayor, dignitaries from other towns in Taiwan, as well as international and local students of Prem Rawat.

After a brief introduction from one of the Mayor’s staff and a video, Mayor Hsu said how honored he felt to receive an “Ambassador of Peace” in Tainan. Prem Rawat was awarded the title of Ambassador of Peace at the International University of Peace in Brazil because of his worldwide efforts over four decades to bring a message of peace to millions of people.

“Today the Peace Ambassador has finally arrived in Tainan City,” said Mayor Hsu, “and we have to collaborate with him to contribute to peace and harmony in this world. We have to encourage each other. We have to trust in peace. We cannot wait for peace to descend. We have to have the confidence in ourselves that there is a source of peace within us that is not only for ourselves but for everyone in this world.”

The Mayor welcomed Prem Rawat to the stage where, after receiving the key to the city, he spoke about the early human being’s fundamental questions that are still being asked today. “Maybe he could not imagine cell phones or cars. He could not imagine nations or flags,” he said. “But he asked the questions: ‘Who am I? Why am I here?’  

“Do these questions intrigue you?” he continued. “And yet, where do you find the answers? In a book? In some philosophy? On top of a mountain? No. The answers exist in one place only, and it is in the book of your heart. What you are truly looking for—whether you call it peace,contentment, happiness, or joy, these are all names for one thing—that thing is your truth. You begin to live the day you embrace the peace that dwells in your heart. You begin to live the day you acknowledge the fundamental question of who you are. When that question is answered, clarity prevails, because you have witnessed the source of peace in you. That is the day your thirst will be quenched.”

After speaking, Prem Rawat returned to his seat while the Mayor led the audience in a standing ovation. 

Prem Rawat’s visit to Taiwan was part of a speaking tour that began in February in Italy, and continued to India, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and Taiwan. His efforts have been recognized by public officials and private organizations. He founded The Prem Rawat Foundation in 2001, which has a dual purpose of bringing his message of peace to people worldwide and providing essential humanitarian aid to those in need.