--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never really wanted to have a Guru, I…" description: "\"I never really wanted to have a Guru, I was more interested in Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and had a psychological background in college, but h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/surya-das-12161_backgrounds_i-never-really-wanted-to-have-a-guru-i-w_436828.jpg" --- # I never really wanted to have a Guru, I was more… ![“I never really wanted to have a Guru, I was more interested in Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and had a psychological background in college, but he had so much love. To be with him, there was nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. Nothing he taught, philosophy or meditation, are the…” quote by Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/surya-das-12161_backgrounds_i-never-really-wanted-to-have-a-guru-i-w_436828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/surya-das-12161_backgrounds_i-never-really-wanted-to-have-a-guru-i-w_436828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/surya-das-12161_backgrounds_i-never-really-wanted-to-have-a-guru-i-w_436828.jpg) > “I never really wanted to have a Guru, I was more interested in Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and had a psychological background in college, but he had so much love. To be with him, there was nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. Nothing he taught, philosophy or meditation, are the things I went to India to look for, or was interested in, but he sort of jumped into my heart and then pulled, he pried it open.” [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker found a deep, personal connection that transcended intellectual study, emphasizing love and direct experience over formal teachings. **In simple terms:** Love and direct experience mattered more than philosophy. Key Takeaway Seek genuine connection over abstract knowledge. Themes spirituality love personal growth Mood reflective intimate Type personal spiritual When to use this quote - Meditation retreats - personal mentorship - spiritual seeking Key Concepts Buddhist practice psychology heart-centered learning Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance intellectual study with heartfelt experience? - What does “love” look like in practice? A Different Perspective May overlook practical guidance in favor of emotional resonance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Buddhist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) [Buddhist philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist-philosophy/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Guru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guru/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) ## Related quotes > [“It is my life, your life, not philosophy, not meditation alone, not mysticism, not preaching or hearing, but DOING; doing every day that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-chase/it-is-my-life-your-life-not-philosophy-not-meditation-alone-not/) Thornton Chase > [“Buddhist philosophy points out that the true nature of all forms is essentially formless. Forms do not have an existence of their own, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/buddhist-philosophy-points-out-that-the-true-nature-of-all-forms-is/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/do-not-believe-what-your-teacher-tells-you-merely-out-of-respect-for/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I do a lot of reading on Buddhist philosophy, and a Buddhist nun named Pema Chödrön talks a lot about acceptance. 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During this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-think-it-would-help-if-when-people-are-first-ordained-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Concentrate the mind on the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/concentrate-the-mind-on-the-present-moment/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/let-us-rise-up-and-be-thankful-for-if-we-didn-t-learn-a-lot-today-at/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [My experience with forgiveness is that it sort of comes spontaneously at a certain point and to try to force it it's not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/my-experience-with-forgiveness-is-that-it-sort-of-comes-spontaneously/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [To me this technical acceptation seems not applicable here, where we have to deal with the simplest moral precepts, and not with psychological niceties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/to-me-this-technical-acceptation-seems-not-applicable-here-where-we/) [Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/) > [Whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings...that doctrine believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/whatsoever-after-due-examination-and-analysis-you-find-to-be-kind/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) ## More by Surya Das > [I think that's what's important, to see how we ourselves can become all that we are and can be. Everybody says they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-think-that-s-what-s-important-to-see-how-we-ourselves-can-become/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [I always thought he gave me that name because I have a kind of outgoing or sunny disposition. And in those days I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-always-thought-he-gave-me-that-name-because-i-have-a-kind-of/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [So we're all living spirit. It's not about isms and schims or religions. Religions are almost like political institutions, but the heart of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/so-we-re-all-living-spirit-it-s-not-about-isms-and-schims-or/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [But you know the difference between sex and love. And sex can be part of love, but what moves your heart, what's really intimate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/but-you-know-the-difference-between-sex-and-love-and-sex-can-be-part/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [But you know, eventually that does kind of veneer, chemical veneers that you apply, they sink in. For better or for worse, so it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/but-you-know-eventually-that-does-kind-of-veneer-chemical-veneers/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [There's many lanes on the highway of enlightenment, they don't have to be on the razor's edge like the yellow line dotted in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/there-s-many-lanes-on-the-highway-of-enlightenment-they-don-t-have-to/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Spiritual joy is devotion, it's like a virus you know? It's a benevolent virus, but it spreads. It's infectious. Ram Dass was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/spiritual-joy-is-devotion-it-s-like-a-virus-you-know-it-s-a/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Spiritually speaking, everything that one wants, aspires to, and needs is ever-present, accessible here and now - for those with eyes to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/spiritually-speaking-everything-that-one-wants-aspires-to-and-needs/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Contributing to others, not converting others, but for those who are interested, going where invited, speaking when asked, teaching when asked and so on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/contributing-to-others-not-converting-others-but-for-those-who-are/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Ram Dass, Krishna Dass, we all spoke through interpreters. There were good interpreters there, educated people in India speak English but Maharaji was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/ram-dass-krishna-dass-we-all-spoke-through-interpreters-there-were/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [When the sunset of life arrives, and its twilight shadows fade away; while dreams of the next begin to appear more vividly; may the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/when-the-sunset-of-life-arrives-and-its-twilight-shadows-fade-away/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [You have to go through the darkness to truly know the light. This may sound like a cliche, but it's true nonetheless. Often the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/you-have-to-go-through-the-darkness-to-truly-know-the-light-this-may/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [If we accept and internalize the fact of our own mortality, then, by definition, we have to deal with the essential questions of how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/if-we-accept-and-internalize-the-fact-of-our-own-mortality-then-by/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [People who spend a great deal of time in their gardens attest to the natural mindfulness that gardening requires. 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