The following section contains the collected quotes from Satguru Sirio Ji and earlier Masters of Surat Shabd Yoga.
“We are here in this world and in this life to grow and to become real human beings. That’s the purpose of this life. To become as perfect as this Supreme Being is perfect. It seems impossible. With all our limits, fears, anxieties, imperfections, lust, anger, greed, attachments and egoism. But when God decides to bless us and to manifest His Light within us, than this Light will transform us.”
“We go through a lifetime for learning things. The time spent in this life goes, but the impressions and experiences that we have gathered through these many years that we spent in a lifetime are what stays with us. That’s what we carry with us. And then, in the next lifetime, what stays with us from all the experiences that we have had in this life is the impressions we have gathered. We forget everything. Once we are born again, we don’t remember anything. Most people don’t remember anything of what was in the previous lifetime. But the impressions that we have gathered that’s what determines all our the choices that we make in the life to come. Those impressions are going to direct our lives. Therefore we will like something. We dislike something. We choose something. We refuse something. Because we have gathered the impressions in our psyche that have given us a certain liking and disliking, certain way of being.”
“What stays of our experience in time is the progress that we make through these experiences that we go through in life. The change that they bring in us.”
“Present and eternity are the same thing. In the living present, there is eternity. And what’s eternity? It’s the absence of time. When there is no before and there is no after then there is eternity. So, where do we want to go? What do we want to realize? This we want to realize. Getting out of time and space and absorbing completely in the Divine and being one with Him. One with Him and with everything. So, those who are doing spiritual work and are on the Path are very lucky. Because that’s what they are trying to realize. To become fully conscious beings. Aware of the Divinity, which is in us, that we are, that we were, and that we will always be.”
“It seems that there is a before and after. But in reality, there is only this moment. What was yesterday? It was this moment, this present, which is now. Was different, but that’s what was. And tomorrow will be the same, the same living moment. We keep living this living moment that shifts according to the picture that is projected on the screen of life. So, the only thing which is real is this living moment. Which is always there.”
“Whatever we reach in this lifetime in our spiritual work, it will stay with us. And it also makes a much better experience on the Beyond, when we leave this body. Because there are several levels of consciousness. And the more we evolve in this life, the higher we go when we leave this body. And going higher what does it mean? It means experiencing a greater blessing, a greater bliss, a greater ecstasy and fusion with the Divine until we become united with this Divine Being and we become fully Him.”
“The perception of intensity that life can give if we can stay still preventing the mind from wandering.”
“I know it’s very difficult, I know it’s not easy. Easy to talk, difficult to do. But not impossible. And we have to try again and again and be optimistic that we will succeed. And any piece of the way that we cover in this direction it’s work done and that stays with us. Anything we acquire spiritually we don’t lose it. Maybe sometimes it seems we are losing it because we have other things to experience, so it seems that we are going backward, but it’s not true!”
“Meditation is a very good way of stopping or reducing the wheel of karma, stopping these mind ramifications. Because thoughts are potent and create realities. So, we should be very careful about what we think. Quantum Physics says the same. What we think is going to shape the atoms of our reality and it becomes a fact. Because thoughts are very potent. So, we have to be capable of controlling these thoughts, we have to manage them. We have to learn how to direct these thoughts. That means trying to reduce their activity. Try to be always well-focused on what we are doing. Living the living present. Do not think about the past, do not fantasize about the future, just be present what you are doing.”
“What impedes us from experiencing ourselves as the Divine Beings? It’s our mind. Mind is a big wall. How to calm the mind? The mind ramifications that take are always in the past or the future and do not allow us to enjoy the living present. That’s where the mind goes all the time, in memories and fantasies or fears about the future. What’s going to happen? If you are afraid about the future then we make a scary future for ourselves. So, we should be trusting life, and have faith, hope, and optimism. That’s how we make our life a success. And we should acquire self-control over our thoughts. So, how do we acquire this self-control over our thoughts? By directing the mind by not allowing it to go wherever it wants. So, Master says: “You repeat the Simran instead of thinking of crazy, foolish things. Fantasies and memories. Just do the Simran that will make you feel good.”
“Once we transcend this body, once we transcend this physical consciousness and we raise into the Light, then in a minute you can get so much information that all the books on this Earth do not give it to you. Because this knowledge of this world goes logic and reason, but the real Truth is just revealed in a second.”
“There are two ways of experiencing the Divine. Getting out of this body and going into the Light high above or the Divine descends into you and you feel to be God. And it’s a potential, which is inside of all of us. We are Divine in nature. When Masters say we are Divine in nature it means our true nature is Divinity.”
“We are Eternal Beings. Consciousness is Eternal. It never had a beginning and never will have an end. It’s eternal. The only thing is understanding ourselves as an individual consciousness, an individual being, and becoming a Universal being. The illusion is being a separate being. This ego. This sense of separate I. That’s the illusion. When we get there, we feel to be God. It’s not the matter of what is God, who is God. We are all God. And it’s not a sin to think in this term, because it’s really like this.”
“The more experience we gather in this life, the more knowledgeable we become. So, having understood that we are not this body, we are not this mind, we are not these senses, and that we are conscious entities then we should experience ourselves as consciousness separated from this body. That’s when we experience ourselves to be conscious. When we can withdraw from this physical body. Then we see that I’m not this body because I can detach myself from this body, get out from this body, and still I am alive. There is a wonderful thing about withdrawing from this physical body because this body becomes like a corpse, more or less, but you are not dead! You don’t die! You keep living. And then you understand that I’m not this body. I was mistaken to identify myself with this body. I’m a conscious entity that keeps living even when this body is like death.”
“Life is the phenomenon that we are living. Life and consciousness are the same thing. We are conscious, we are alive. So, we need to study this life, we need to analyze it to understand it. We need to analyze ourselves. Who we are, and what we are to understand what is our real nature. What we consist of and what we are not. So, Master Kirpal something used to analyze this way. Am I this hand of mine? Am I this arm of mine? No, I’m not because this hand is my hand, I’m not the hand. Am I this body? No, I’m not this body. I have this body. It’s something in which I dwell for a certain period. It’s a dress I wear, but I’m not this dress. I’m not this body. Like if you wear a coat or a dress, we don’t say I’m this dress. This is a dress I am wearing. In the same way, we are wearing this body, but we are not this body. We are life, we are consciousness dwelling in this body. So, what are we? I’m not his body. Maybe I’m this mind. But this mind is also my mind, something I use or by which many times I’m used. But it’s not me. These thoughts come to me. Very often I don’t want them, but they come anyway. So, I’m not these thoughts because I don’t even like them. So, I’m not the body, I’m not the mind. What I am? So, I’m a conscious entity that for a given time is wearing this body, using this mind, and going through this life to learn and to progress. To understand better what this life is all about.”
“Inside of us, there is a good guy and a bad guy. The good guy is God and the Master and the bad guy is the mind. The mind always trying to mislead and spoil what is good, making bad what is nice. So, we don’t listen to this bad guy. The monkey man inside of us. The barking dog. But why did God put this crazy monkey inside of us? What’s the purpose of it? It is to test our intentions. Because when you want to move in a certain direction, if it’s easy then it’s not valuable. There must be somebody poking you with sticks all the time. Then if you win the battle you are really valuable. So, the mind is a testing factor inside of us. If you win the test then we are special. If you don’t win then we stay in the bondage of the limits of the mind. So, it’s an enemy, but it’s a friend. Because it’s going to test all our pretenses. All of our truth and fake truths. All of our wrong convictions. What is not truth the mind will make it crumble down. What is Truth the mind doesn’t have the power to crumble it down. So, let’s move towards the Truth by living a real, truthful life.”
“We can make our life something special, precious, valuable or we can make it an ordinary life in which we eat, we go to the toilet. Sometimes we are fine and, good health, sometimes we get sick. Sometimes we are happy, sometimes we are depressed and desperate. But no real purpose. That’s the miserable thing I see in most of the people. They have no purpose in life. What’s their purpose? Eating and some few enjoyments and that’s all. But we are human beings. We can realize something great. We have a great potential, a divine potential. We have God inside of us. We are Divine beings. Let’s become that. Divine beings. And if our mind tells us, it’s a dream, you will never succeed. We don’t listen to the mind, because the mind is the bad guy, you know. Always telling you the wrong thing.”
“If you want to be free, run away from your freedom. Bow down your head to somebody who is worthy of worshipping. Accept the authority of somebody who has authority. And listen and learn. That’s the way to freedom.”
“Sant Ajaib Singh used to say: “The only happy people are the holy people. Those who are in tune with God. They are the only happy people. Otherwise, both rich and poor, learned and unlearned, good health or bad health they are all miserable. They are all suffering from so many diseases. From lust, anger, greed, attachment, vanity, jealousy, hate, possessiveness. The minds of people are full of these emotions.” So, we want to get rid of all of this. We want to be happy people. We want to be people who are just fulfilled in themselves, they don’t need anything. Happiness and joy must rise from inside of us. It doesn’t have to come because of an object that we get. As far as our joy depends on these we will be never really happy, because life is very tricky and we will be always disappointed. So, in life it’s good to have what’s really needed, to have a dignified life. And all the energies, all our efforts have to go towards uplifting our consciousness and experiencing something valuable that makes our life precious.”
“The message of Sant Ajaib Singh was very intense. You have to realize God in this lifetime. That’s the purpose of your life. So, do your best.”
“Sant Ji used to say: “For you is the matter of a second, and for us is a matter of so much work, so many efforts.” So, when the wind of the Divine Presence blows on us then we right away find ourselves in a state of peace, bliss, ecstasy, and joy. But when we have to uplift ourselves through our own efforts, through our own means then it’s very difficult. Nonetheless the grace of God descends on us whenever He wants, the way He wants, on whosoever He wants. And there is no questioning why. One can not question God and His decisions! It is as it is. It is as it happens. And we just have to bow down and accept His will. Because His will is Supreme and our will is nothing. Doesn’t count. From our side, we can only shoot to the sky a request, a prayer. But then He will answer whenever He feels to be appropriate, when is the right moment. So, for many years we may go on sometimes in a state of bliss, sometimes feeling the grace and feeling the blessing that comes on us and makes us feel wonderful. And then alternating with periods in which it seems that this grace is withdrawn, it’s just behind the corner, but we don’t feel it. So, then we don’t have to give up, because then we will never get into that state of grace again. We have to persevere, we have to keep going. We have to keep showing that we care. That we are here waiting. Master Kirpal used to say: “When you sit at the tenth door, you are sitting at the door of a very powerful being. And you sit there and keep calling on Him by repeating the Simran. Well, He might not open to you, one day, two days, three days, anytime. But, eventually, if you keep staying there and keep calling on Him, He will have to come and say: “What do you want?” And then with love, you say: “I just want you and nothing else”.” Therefore in every meditation sitting that we have, we have to be available. Sit there with full attention while focused and concentrated. And with love and devotion keep calling His names. Then the door will be opened if and when He wants. But even sitting there is so good. Is the excellent work that we may perform.”