In 2017 a
Satsang
held in the divine presence at the Istanbul, Turkey a devotee seeks guidance on liberating the soul.
Here is what Swami said:
How do you go out of this room? Open the door, go outside. The mind is the key to the door, the connection between the soul and the body. If you turn the key to the right, the door will open, allowing you to go outside. If you turn the key towards the left, it will lock, not allowing for an exit. Therefore, turn the mind towards God, reminding yourself, ‘I am God, I am God, I am God’, which will eventually liberate you. Simply saying, “I am God,” is not enough. You have to talk like God, walk like God, think like God, speak like God and behave like God at all times.
When a thought comes, ask if is it a divine thought or a worldly thought and choose correctly. When you must utter a word, consider if the word is divine or worldly. When you undertake any action, consider whether that action will help you become divine or will create more bondage for you. Likewise, in every aspect, discriminate with this yardstick: ‘I am God; should I be thinking, speaking or doing things like this?’ Every time you choose godly feelings over worldly feelings, it brings you one step closer to the door, so that eventually, you will be finished with this bondage. Your body, your thoughts, words and actions will become instruments of God and nothing of you.
Such good feelings come only in good company. If you are in the company of good people, your mind will only think good and you will do only good, because that is the way to God. Run away from the company of selfish, worldly people, and join the company of noble, selfless devotees. Because of this, I urge all the devotees, all the people who are here, to meet often in good company, discuss good things and share their experiences about how doing good is helping you. Doing so will help you progress together.
Having learnt today, but forgetting it tomorrow, is not going to be of any use. Do you eat one day, but not the next? You eat four times a day, every day. Likewise, good company is like food that feeds the mind. Food is not just that which goes inside the mouth; it is what you see, what you hear, what you touch and where you go. All of that is food to the mind. Discriminate and be in the company of good people, and your goodness will grow, which is the way to God.
