With great respect for Prem Rawat’s contribution to encouraging peace in the world, the Mayor of Tainan, Tain-Tsair Hsu, awarded him the Golden Key to the city as well as an emblem of the Sword Lion, a symbol of the cultural capital of Taiwan.

Welcoming Prem Rawat, Mayor Hsu said, “Today the Peace Ambassador has finally arrived in Tainan City, 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.”

Speaking to over 800 people, Prem Rawat began his address by asking them to think about what peace really is. “There are 6.7 billion people on the face of this earth, give or take a few,” he said. “What do these 6.7 billion people want? Definitions of peace? No. If we look for the peace that is defined by our minds, its definition will change. But there is one reality of peace that we all have in common and that has never changed—the desire for peace that resides in the heart of every human being.” Later he continued, “The journey to [that] peace is full of enthusiasm and newness and discovery and openness and feeling beautiful.”

Judging by the thunderous applause at the end of his address, the audience appreciated Prem Rawat’s fresh and inspiring approach to a possibility that many give up on.