Daas just wanted to draw your attention to a radhasoami debate on tapoban.org. It is very informative on how our Panth is being attacked.
Two posts I would like to draw your attention to are as follows. In the first one Gurbaksh Singh a former Radhasoami talks about a talk he had with the so called 'sat guru';
Author: gurbaksh singh Date: 03-02-05 12:47
what i wrote in my previous post was not ficition but truth i tried my best to be polite but offcourse if you want to know the whole truth here it is after the officers of the government of india left i went into the room of your guru and said guru ji we should fight these people just like the guru of the sikhs did his reply was salia marvona aa sikhan de guru ta asli see mai ta aam jai banda aa naley mai ta khud eh gal jananda aa ke sada nishana kewal te kewal sikhan nu galt raste pouna aaa naley sanu ke sikhan de guru ta inaha de pukar te delhi jake sis dee aei see jadon ke oh ina de dharam vich ukeen nahi karde see eh aa asli guru wali gal then i took leave from him and the rest you know
So basically the so-called 'satguru' admits that he is a normal person, and he is afraid of the Indian Government and can't give sacrifices like the true Sikh Guru's gave. He also says that his job is only to put Sikhs on the wrong path. Some more background on this is that he was beat up by Government officials and is afraid of them and basically works for them. This was followed up by a muslim gentleman's post;
Author: Maj. Gen . Waris Ahmed Date: 03-02-05 17:01
I want to Give you some very Important Information Regarding Radha Soamis. First of all I want to Inform Mr. Gurbax Singh I was there when Indian Army's Commander in Chief starts Abusing Radha Soami's Satguru. I was Looking at you while Gen. Gupta was Talking to Him. The Anger on Ur Face & the Humiliation.....but I know at that time you were Helpless... I have nothing to do with your Interest coz I know "Allah is the most Powerfull". but the reallity was that Radha Soami's Satguru was also Helpless....Radha Soamis are Lucky they didnt Lose their Satguru at that Time.
I dont know why Indian Public so Dumb. Everybody knows in India Meat, Alcohol And Smoke is counted as Bad things and in India Esp. in Punjab the Farmars Drink Wine & they Eat Meat but they dont smoke ( but some of Hindus smokes in Punjab) so Esp. in Punjabi Womens are so Superstisious they Belive in Baba System & they Like such People who Talk about Bad Results of ALcolism Etc. .......but those people dont even think about the Hats ( Nehroo Style) which they Wear.......why they wear those Hats..... Its just to Adultrate Sikhism. I am not Sikh but I respect Sikh Faith we have stronge Friendships with Sikhs but Indian Govt. is Direct Supporting Radhas. In Indian History what Radhas Did. Gurbax Singh you are Lucky that u changed yourself. Indian Govt. is Supporting :- 1. R.S.S. 2. Rahda Soamis 3. Nirankaris 4. AshuTosh 5. Paniyara 6. Kukaa Mat I just feel its Important to informe you about this Incident. RABB RAKHA
This post by the muslim gentleman is very informative, as he tells us who the Indian Government is funding to harm Sikhi and the Panth. As many of you may know RSS is trying to make Sikhs look like they are a sect of Hindus and they also run military style training camps for common hindus so that they can go and do riots and when it comes down to it, eradicate minorities. Radhasoamai's have a fake Guru and relate their teachings to SGGS Ji to confuse the Sikhs and cause more divide. The Nirankari's are also government funded and you have to look no further than 78' and how they made 13 Singhs shaheed. Paniyaara and AshuTosh are travelling around spitting lies and talking bad about SGGS Ji. And lastlyl Kukaa Mat (Naamdhaari's). They believe Guru Gobind Singh Ji lived an additional 100 years and passed on Guruship to Ram Singh, even though Ram Singh was against this.
Naamdharis were known to shake their head really violently and dance when listening to keertan, they were even known to climb trees and start screaming and jump of them. They play this of as some sort of 'ras'. You can see a video that demonstrates some of what I am talking about on Shinda Singhs blog.
Anywyas in conclusion. We must be aware of the enemies of the panth, knowledge is the first step in combating these people.
Daas tries to relate all the posts on this blog to Sikhi in one way or another. Today I was on YouTube and came across some old wrestling videos which brought back so many memories from my childhood. While growing up Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior were my favorite wrestlers. Than as Bret Hart came up I was a huge fan of his. Wrestling use to be clean, now it is full of a lot of garbage so I do not watch it.
Anyways, Hulk Hogan always stood for the good guys and for what is right in this world. He was always the 'Peoples Champion'. No matter what the odds he would stand up for whats right and end up victorious. After winning a match he would point skywards in remembrance of god. He preached taking care of your body and living a honest life. This reminded me of the Khalsa. Always standing for the truth, always standing for what is right, always going against odds. 1 Sikh is equivalent to 125,000, so Khalsa is able to overcome even the steepest odds.
I will stop rambling and leave you with a few videos below, the first one is a match between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Notice how much smaller Hulk Hogan is compared to Andre the Giant. Upto this point Andre the Giant had not lost a match in 15years. Hulk Hogan was up against the wall, he was going against steep odds... Well I'll let you see for yourself what happens.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Last but not least, who can forget Wrestlemania 6 in Toronto. In my mind the best wrestling match of all time...
I have been hearing a lot of talk of people saying that we should not affiliate with any jathebandi or group, and we should all just consider ourselves sons and daughters of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and follow one common panthic rehit. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with jathebandi’s. Jatha’s have been around since the times of our beloved Guru’s. Aslong as we have prem and respect for each other and can work together for the Chardi Kala of the Panth, I believe that different Jathebandi’s and ‘Ekta’ are non-issues.
Ekta does not mean following the same rehit, it means co-existing while maintaining a healthy respect for each other and coming together in times of needs. We can use an example of a family to further understand this concept. Not each child in a family lives the same way or has the same views, but at the end of the day if someone comes and talks bad about one of the siblings, the other siblings will be there to stand up for each other.
There are many forms of Jatha’s. We see raagi jatha’s doing keertan at the Gurdwara everyday. There are also Dhadi Jatha’s, If a bunch of Singh’s were to travel from BC to England, people may say ‘look there is the BC jatha’. There are also panthic Jathedbandi’s such as Damdami Taksal, Buddha Dal, Tarna Dal, and Akhand Keertani Jatha, etc. I will relate this concept back to a family. In one house lives one family (father, mother, daughter, son). Than in another house lives (taya, tayi, son, daughter). In another house could be (uncle, auntie, son, son). Although these people live in different houses, may live different lifestyles, and have different beliefs, they are still extended family and will come together in times of need. I will venture to say that the same principle applies to Jathebandi’s.
Even in the times of our great Guru’s there were various forms of Jatha’s. When a bunch of Singhs would come to visit Guru Ji from Malwa region they would come in a group, that group we can say is a jatha. Than another Jatha would come from Doaba. Since they lived in different areas of Punjab they would live slightly different lifestyles and speak in a different style. But at the end of the day they were still all Sikhs.
Another example is when Singhs fought wars. Groups of Singhs (misls) would come from all over. These Singhs since they were familiar with each other would stay with each other and fight together in the form of misls or jathas since they related to each other more than others. But they were still able to come together with the other Singhs (misls) to fight for a common cause.
If we look back at the June 1984 Ghalughara where the Indian Government sent in troops to massacre thousands of innocents. Singhs from Damdami Taksal and Akhand Keertani Jatha aswell as other Sikhs came together to protect Darbar Sahib. These singhs don’t agree on everything and their beliefs are somewhat different. But they were still able to work together to protect the honor of the Panth. I believe this is real ekta. Coming together when needed for the Chardi Kala of the panth, and having respect for one another.
This being said. Akal Takht is a common maryada which should unite the panth. If some jatha’s have more strict rehits that is fine, but at a minimum one should follow Akal Takht.
In the future to deal with issues such as raag mala and other panthic issues we must all come to the table with humility. Who are we to say we are right. We should atleast have enough nimrata to think the Singh beside me is right and I am wrong, instead of being so stubborn and narrow minded. Guru Sahib entrusted Guruship onto Guru Granth Sahib Ji aswell as Guru Khalsa Panth. If we really have love for Guru Sahib we will follow their hukams. If the whole panth (Sarbat Khalsa) comes together and makes a decision whether we like it or not, that is a direct hukam from Guru Sahib and if we truly love Guru Sahib we will swallow our ego and follow it.
But like Sant Jarnail Singh Ji said, now is not the time to deal with such internal issues, we have to deal with the external forces attacking our Panth first. Once we have dealt with those, we can come together to deal with internal issues. Until that day comes I have faith that all Jathebandi’s will always be there for each other as history has proven.
The following is a good article translated from Jasbir Singh Khanne Wale's talk from Bombay Smaagam by Harjit Singh Lakhan;
GODS WILL
When we were small we played games like hide and seek and others, if someone took our turn we would get angry and fight for our turn. Now we have got the chance to play the game of life in this human body. We have had so many turns at playing animals, now if we waste this turn of human life we will not get another chance easily. We will have to take the care of this turn. But this game of life can’t be played on our own. So we need help, we need such help that ensures we will win the game of life.
When people play in teams they have a coach, great players have great coaches. So to play the game of life we need the Satguru to ensure we win.
This game of birth and death, of coming and going in bodies can only end if we take the shelter of the one who can free us from it. The Satguru is the one who can free us from the game of life. Guru jee says that if one takes the company of the saint’s feet then one finds God’s love sweet. How can God’s love taste sweet? Guru jee says that God’s will is sweet.
How can we find God’s will sweet?
Lets think about it. Whenever we use the word ‘bhaana’ (God’s will), we relate it to accepting painful things as being God’s will. Someone dies and we say it was ‘bhaana’, or God’s will. If something bad happens we say be calm it was ‘bhaana’ God’s will. No matter what suffering or sorrow is experienced, we use the word ‘bhaana’ to explain it as being God’s will.
But we never think that when a son is born in someone’s house that it was also ‘bhaana’ God’s will. We never say it was God’s will, bhaana, when our child gets married. Does this mean that dukh, or pain, happens because of God’s will, but sukh, or pleasure, happens due to someone else’s will?
Does one God give us dukh but some other God gives us sukh? This is our mistake. This is why we haven’t been able to accept God’s will as sweet. Guru jee has said that there is no other gift like ‘bhaana”. If we believe only dukh happens according to bhaana, then we have not understood the meaning of the word.
Whatever is pleasing to my Guru, is my Satguru’s bhaana, whatever is pleasing to God is God’s bhaana. A Sikh doesn’t do what the Guru finds pleasing, and then getting dukh he says it was the Guru’s will. How can that be correct? My Guru finds getting up at amrit vela pleasing, but this Sikh snores through every amrit vela. My Guru finds living a selfless life pleasing, but this Sikh is selfish. My Guru finds the ones with the Guru pleasing, but their Sikh remains Guru less. So when this Sikh gets suffering how can he say this is what pleases Guru jee- this is Guru’s bhaana?
My God finds being merciful pleasing, but this Sikh hates everyone. God finds speaking Truth pleasing, but this Sikh speaks lies. When this Sikh gets dukh he says this is God’s will, this is what pleases God- this is God’s bhaana! Guru jee says this person does what pleases them, but the real Sikh is the one who follows what is pleasing to the Guru.
The one that does what pleases themselves, i.e. follow their own bhaana, they cry and blame God when they get dukh. Yet when they are happy they fill with pride and say look what I did. When things go well they take the credit, when things go bad they blame God saying, “it was God’s will, what can I do?”
Whenever this person did the opposite of what pleases God, then that person suffered dukh. The ones who lived according to God’s will were saved from dukh. The ones who lived outside of what pleases God had suffering.
Beloved of Guru jee, think about this. God made grapes- a great thing. God put juice in the grapes- a great thing. God did a great thing and made grapes for us. We should have thanked God for making juicy grapes for us. It was pleasing for God to make grapes, it was pleasing to God to put juice within the grapes. But when you make wine out of the grapes, you made it, not God. You made it. If God wanted to make wine God would have made alcoholic juice in the grapes. It pleased God to make sweet smelling juicy grapes, if the grapes were turned into foul smelling alcohol then you did it not God. Now God make sweet things and you make sweet things sour, and then you blame God for the sourness of your life, the suffering- how can that be true? God’s will can be sweet if you get rid of selfishness and accept God’s will (Hukam). What is the meaning of Hukam? It has only one meaning, when the one who has the power to give orders, gives an order. That is a hukam. When the order is enacted it is called bhaana. When someone accepts the bhaana - accepts what happened that is called the Gurmukh, the Guru’s Sikh.
Once a man fell into a well. It was dark, he grabbed a rope and started climbing up. A bird was flying overhead with Indian sweets in it’s mouth, these fell into the man’s open mouth. The man stopped climbing and started eating. He thought I can climb later first I will enjoy the Indian sweets. But he didn’t realise that a black and white mouse was were gnawing at the rope that was tied to the tree. He got absorbed in eating, in the sweetness. The rope snapped and he fell back into the well.
Guru jee says death is the mouse gnawing away at time. The time that has gone will never come back, this morning will never come back. We are stuck in the well of the world and the rope of time is being cut at every moment. While you are alive take care of your life. Guru jee says that the life of those is successful who followed the Satguru.
Whose life is successful? The ones who repeated God’s name in the Sadh Sangat.
Do ardas “God I am stuck in the well. Every time I try to get out the five enemies throw me back in. I can’t get out, O Guru jee bless me with the shabad and get me out.” Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Yesterday morning I was on the bus minding my own business, standing near the rear door awaiting my stop. A man who seemed to be around the age of 40 and decently dressed, boarded the bus and proceeded to come towards me. Once infront of me he declared loudly, "THIS IS MY SPOT, MOVE NOW", I replied, "There is plenty of room on the bus you can stand somewhere else". He responded aggressively with, "I SAID THIS IS MY SPOT, MOVE NOW". By now everyone on the bus was watching this drama unfold. I didn't mind, I had done nothing wrong, and had nothing to fear.I answered him, "I was here first I am not going to move, stand somewhere else". He once again said, "I SAID MOVE NOW, THIS IS MY SPOT, MOVE". I responded to the man saying "Is this your bus to?". He was quite frustrated at this point and he came right upto me and crowded my space and turned his back to me, pretty much trying to push me away. I did not move. About five seconds later this man 'butt-checked' me quiet aggressively, my natural reaction was that I was going to punch him in the back of his head, but I restrained myself. I was not angry at this man, but he was starting to become an annoyance. By now everyone on the bus was watching the tamasha unfold from the corner of their eye. I did not like how the man had 'butt-checked' me but I decided im not going to start a fight just yet, I will wait for him to cross the line further.
I was still standing at the same spot and he was really close infront of me, in my personal space. Since he had purposely butt-checked me and caused a scene for no reason, I felt I could also say something to him. I quietly said in his ear, "I'm still in your spot" with a smile on my face. I said it a few more times and got no reaction from this man, he started to ignore me. Than my stop came and I left the bus.
This was a really weird situation for me. Upon reflection I can't understand whether this man was targetting me because of my distinct appearance and maybe he thought he could push me around or bully me (Which he wasn't able to do, and he eventually started ignoring me when i started speaking in his ear). Or if the man just had a screw loose in his head. Either way, I just thought I'd share this story with the readers of this blog.
I would be interested to hear how you would have handled this situation, and what you would have done differently.
Have you ever noticed at the end of a keertan or at the end of a program at the gurdwara, once Anand Sahib starts everyone gets up and leaves. Some people come to listen to katha,, after the katha vaachak finishes they get up and leave, some people come to listen to a keertani, once the keertani is finished, they get up to leave. No matter which gurdwara you go to it’s the same scene. Once Anand Sahib starts people start getting up to leave.
This is wrong. We take out time to come listen to a keertani, or katha vaachak, but when its time for Guru Sahib to give us our orders for the day (hukamnama) we all get up and leave before hukam is given. We can sit and listen to keertani’s and katha vaachaks, is it really to much to ask for people to stick around for an extra 15 minutes for Anand Sahib, Ardas, and most importantly Hukamnama. Hukamnama is the most important thing to listen to, it is when Guru Sahib talks to us and tells us what to do. It is dissapointing to see that when it comes time for us to listen to Guru Sahibs hukam, most of the ‘darbar sahib’ is empty.
That’s where the question comes up, are people confused? When they hear the word Anand, when Anand Sahib starts, do they think Anand means leave? Because judging from peoples actions it seems like it does.
If we make the effort of going to the Gurdwara what is an extra 15 minutes to stay for Hukamnama so we can hear what Guru Sahib’s message to us is for that day. Guru Sahib gives us everything and does everything for us, the least we can do is stick around to listen to Guru Sahibs hukam to us
Daas has seen that Kaljug is very powerful and tries to entice us with maya in many forms including through Bibian. Daas has seen many people fall into this trap. Recently daas has cut off talking to bibian when possible because they were not acting as Singhni’s should and daas does not want to fall into the traps of maya set for him by Kaljug. Daas does not want to fall into the traps of kaljug as many people before me have. So daas thinks its better to be safe than sorry. We must be aware of and avoid the traps off kaljug. Kaljug is very powerful and it only takes a second to slip up and to lose all the kamayee we have done. It is better that we protect our jeevans and the kamayee we have done and make sure we preserve the honor of our great Guru’s and Khalsa Panth. Guru Sahib sometimes tests us to see how committed we are to them. When we pass these tests we are able to progress in our jeevans, but if we stumble with these tests we make it harder on ourselves. Daas believes it is better to stay away from Bibian and maya. This stuff is just taking us away from what we are here to do in this life.
By now a bunch of people must be up in arms and calling for my head because I have written that we should keep a cautious separation between Bibian and Singhs, especially in the age where they are most susceptible to fall and do something they will regret later on. If you do not agree with this, that is your own prerogative, but please read on with an open mind.
Tria Chritar was written for a reason, even though people doubt it. I believe tria chritrar is an amazing piece of work because it shows the ways of women, and how they can try to seduce men to get their way. Daas has seen and heard of many situations where a Bibi comes after a Singh, the Singh refuses, but than Bibi tries to seduce Singh so that Singh will fall in their spell and Bibi will get the Singh. Tria Chritar warns us of these situations and prepares us to deal with them more effectively when they come up, because we already know the methods of women. This is a very dangerous situation even if we have read Tria Chritar because kaam is very powerful, and even great Sikhs have fallen victim to Kaam.
Many youth these days play it off as we are all brothers and sisters, but the same people when you see them at raansabayees they wont go out of their way to say Fateh to their brothers, but will be looking for excuses and chances to say Fateh to their ‘sisters’. Some of these people even end up marrying their ‘sisters’. The false use of the words ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ when you don’t really mean it very misleading and people must be aware of the dangers of this. Those gurmukhs are rare who can control their mind in this play of maya and really see their brothers and sisters as just that. Many people just abuse this word and don’t really mean it. Singhs use to be trusted with the prettiest women, use to save women from the clutches of the Moghuls. Singhs were known as the most honest and trustworthy people. There are still many Singhs like this, but it saddens me to hear of how many Singhs go astray and are not living up to the ideals of their ancestors. We are losing our way, we are reducing the amount of bhagti we do and becoming more susceptible to the plays of maya. The path of Sikhi is very thin, like the sharpest part of a sword. We must leave our own mat and follow Guru’s mat.
Look around us at how many Singhs and Bibian are slipping, how many have lost their way by falling prey to Kaam. We have given our head, our lives to Guru Sahib, we must also act like it. It is very sad to see so many people slipping up. It’s hard to stay on this path, we must take precautions to make sure we don’t fall victim to Kaljug.
At raansaabayees these days, Singh’s and Singhni’s sit in sangat and ‘check’ each other out. Impure thoughts come into their minds. Not all people are like this, but we can not deny that it does exist. Some youth also use youth events as an excuse for genders to mix for impure intentions.
Singhs and Singhni’s add each other to MSN to ‘talk about Sikhi’, or to ‘help each other out’. Many of these cases end up with one or even both of the parties having feelings for each other, and instead of helping each others Sikhi, they just hold each other back on this path of love. Yes this is a path of love ‘prema bhagti’, but we must be clear, our love is LOVE FOR GURU SAHIB, LOVE FOR GOD. But youth end up following in love with each other instead.
I am not anti Bibian or anti Singhs, I am just pro Gur-Mat and anti Man-Mat. People will object to this post, but please put your own personal beliefs and bias’s aside and look at this objectively, look at the actions of past mahapursh’s, look at those who achieved brahmgyaan and how they did it.
Like I said in a previous post, it is up to us if we want to get to sachkhand by crossing that ocean. It is up to us to cross that ocean, float in that ocean, or drown in that ocean. Kaljug is very powerful, has done lots of bhagti, can over power us if we aren’t careful. Don’t get to high on yourself that you can stay protected, many great gursikhs have fallen. Beware.
Most people get married in their 20’s those years before marriage are the most dangerous, just hold on tight to Guru sahib and don’t let go. Don’t let your mind wander. So many have drown at this age and regret it for ever, don’t be one of them.
It is better to follow advice of Gurmukhs, they are very wise and teach us properly. To much mixing of genders is against our Sikh culture. We need to look no further than to Bhrahmgyani’s Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji and Sant Harnaam Singh and their take on Bibian and Singh’s interaction. When Sant Harnaam Singh would see ‘maya’ aka women they would look down at the ground instead of looking at the women. They said the key to controlling your mind is by controlling your eyes.
Par Tria Roop Na Dekhey Nethr. Saadh Ki Tehl Sant Sangh Heth. (Not cast eyes on another female's beauty and remain in Guru Ji's service through the Saadh Sangat).
At the Holy Place of Baba Nand Singh Ji Maharaj, woman was not permitted inside nor she could stay there. She could only come to attend congregations along with her husband or other elderly male member of her family and immediately leave hereafter. Thus His Holy Place was totally free from the presence of Kamini and Kanchan. Babaji never talked to any woman alone.
Where we will get married is already decided by Waheguru. Who we are seperated from is also decided by Waheguru. We do not need to take this stress on our heads and feel that we must find who we will marry. This is manmat. "Sanjog Vijog, doye Kar Chalaave". Who we meet and seperated from is all in the will of god.
Daas would like to make clear once again that I am not in any way against Bibian. If it has come across that way I apologize. I have just been deeply saddened with the amount of people slipping up which is both the fault of Singhs and Kaurs. But we must be aware of the advice of Mahapursh’s, and the lessons given in Tria Chritar, this is my only intent. Once again I hope no one will take offence to this post, if anyone has a different view, perhaps we can have a healthy discussion in the comment section.
I read this article and I thought it was very well written. Here it is.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Internet Sikhs
This is a very broad title for a subject that can span in various directions. The main focus of this post however is going to be the sole reason that I decided to write it. Over the past couple of years we have seen many new Singhs/Kaurs initiated into the panth who are of a very young age. By young I mean in their adolescent years. These individuals are truly blessed to have arrived on this great path without prior encouragement from parents and with barely any sangat influence.
However, the reason I am posting this is because there seem to be people out there that feel because they have taken amrit they are now the ultimate authority on Sikhi rehat and like to preach to others any chance they get. I do not mean to hate on you because I know that exhilarating feeling of being a Sikh and wanting to teach everyone you meet about your great religion, but in order to fully assert our opinions we must have the knowledge that is necessary to do so.
Personally, I have been amritdhari from a very young age, and I do not wish to sound as if this is something to be boastful about as the quantity of years is nothing.. the years have been long but there is still nothing in my ‘jhollee’. I am as empty as I was the day I was initiated. The reason I felt compelled to write was because I am amazed by the ability of others to declare themselves the authority on all things sikhi when they are not even familiar with the basics!.. Thorough research is required to answer almost any question that is posed, but beyond the introductory questions, I have seen many individuals debating with others about topics deemed controversial by Akhal Takhat and their reasoning is so absurd that its scary picturing them as the next generation of Sikhs! Debates that scholars have been wracking their brains about for centuries cannot be solved by YOU solely OVERNIGHT.
So, this brings me to my explanation for why this posted is named as such. After coming across various individuals of this type I decided to look into why it was that they were able to advertise their opinions (many times contrary to mine, but sometimes the same), with information that was as absurd as could be, and blatantly challenging tenants of our religion that I would be scared to even question in my head.. Well I reached the conclusion that this was due to the usage of message boards and blogs on the internet. Living in western countries we are not taught aspects of Punjabi culture.. and YES CULTURE IS A BIG PART OF A SIKHI UPBRINGING.. it is by no means to dictate religious practices.. but Sikhi DID flourish in Punjab and there is a reason for this.. within Punjabi culture there is an aspect of respect.. the equivalent of this can be said to be ‘sharda’ within sikhi.. although this isn’t the best word to explain it.. The meaning is to accept something as is, without question.. BLIND FAITH.. however, in western culture we are asked to question everything.. in this time of kaljug where there are countless misleading things it is difficult to fully have blind faith, but there is also a certain degree to which u can question without stepping into unchartered territory and saying something that you may regret.
I grew up in a family where things were better left unsaid in the sense that saying it would cause discomfort.. this was by no means applicable to situations where the truth needed to be told.. it was more about not obliviously questioning what u deep down already know the answer to.. Sikhi needs this respect in order to flourish further.. the west has made us immune to many things and one of them is Love.
We as a society run after facts and scientific methods of doing things, not realizing that our religion makes mention of things scientists are discovering NOW.. reading message boards and such may provide you with facts, but the info is all at the discretion of the author of the post you are reading.. it’s a free world so a certain person may write up something extremely convincing and maybe there is even a counter attack to that individuals argument, however maybe both are not of the same intellect, or do not have the same resources available to them.. is this by any mean a fair assessment then and one upon which to form ur opinion from?.. This is where the fine line that divides up teenage Sikhs becomes not so fine. Those who grew up in sangat would quote older singhs as their first and foremost source of info.. and elders are very rarely known to say things which are questionable .. and if they were so ur second backup source would most likely also be an elder.. in the case of those finding information from the internet.. primary and most times secondary sources are internet pages, blog entries or message board posts.
No information can be proven right or wrong and there is no elder, respected individual sitting there monitoring all info feeds on the internet. Many times even if the individual wished to run information by a credible source it would be difficult due to location, availability or sometimes even the fact that they have not grasped the Punjabi language well. The combination of problems is endless and that is the reason for my post. I would like to ask fellow brothers and sisters to please use discretion when reading and absorbing information.. and most of all when going back into the world and quoting it to people..
There is hindu infiltration of Sikh materials, but the latest arguments I have seen for perfectly normal sikh practices have been that they are derived from the Hindus.. The guru’s really did believe in CharaPaul, they really did initiate gurguddi through coconuts and a Tilak.. In university so much stress is placed upon citing resources, which is usually for the sake of giving credit to the person whos ideas you are using, however in Sikhi citations should be even more stressed so those that are spreading false information knowingly, or maybe even unknowingly in some cases are helped and set right. So please.. do not become a Internet Sikh, instead become a Sikh of Guruji, who is in turn our sole guidance, in this world AND the next.
As most of you must of already heard, Prince Charles and Camilla visited Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Hounslow and were treated to an amazing gatka performance. Here is a link to the newspaper article (notice Camilla's and Charle's reaction.) Below you can watch a video from the demo where Bhai Uptej Singh (Probably the best if not one of the best gatka/shastar vidya artist in the world) slices a melon from anohter Singhs stomach.
I’ve has noticed that we have started calling each other derogatory names such as “ref”, “FOB”, “paki”, amongst many others which I would not like to mention here. People have even started using the word “gyanni” in a derogatory way. When we call each other these words we may think its no big deal and not think twice, but if someone else of a different culture of ethnicity was to call us some of these words we would get offended and a fight would probably break out. Daas thinks that if we don’t want others calling us these words, we shouldn’t call ourselves these words either. We shouldn’t set ourselves up to be put down. The video below reinforces Daas’s point. Please take out some time to view the video. Daas hopes no one is offended by the video below.
Daas is very passionate about the following post. Daas asks you to please read this post very carefully. It has come to Daas’s attention that the Centennial Foundation is holding its annual Gala where they honor Sikhs for their work in the community on April 1, 2006. One of the honorees this year is Khushwant Singh.
This has shocked daas, and daas is deeply saddened that anyone in their right mind can honor someone as Khuswant Singh as a Sikh. Daas is aware that Centennial Foundation has been contacted and refuse to budge on their stance and continue to support Khushwant Singh. Daas feels this is a slap in the face to all Sikhs. Daas will give you some samples of what Khushwant Singh has written below, and you can decide for yourselves if honoring Khushwant Singh is deeply offensive to the Sikh Panth or not.
Centennial Foundation is honoring Khushwant Singh as a Sikh, but Khushwant Singh has himself admitted that he is not a Sikh and just keeps his hair and turban because of the social aspect of it. (http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_021503a.html)
Khushwant Singh: When I was in England as a student, socialism was much talked about among us. We read and discussed Bertrand Russell and attended lectures by Harold J. Laski. I have not retained many socialistic ideas, but I am still an agnostic.
J.S.T.: You are a non-believer, yet you spent a night at Bangla Sahib gurdwara to seek the Guru's support during a difficult time in your personal life when your wife had threatened to leave you.
K.S.: This is one of those things - a contradiction. It was an emotional issue for me. I was born and raised in a Sikh family. I still keep my beard and turban and identify myself with the Sikh community.
To prove this point further and to see how much our precious Gurus meant to Khushwant Singh, lets see what he says,
"What would Gandhi have done under the circumstances? I didn't subscribe to his fads-prohibition, celibacy, no doctors-but generally he was always right. He meant more to me than any of my panth, my gurus."
Guru sahib has taught us that the Khalsa Panth is Nyaara distinct. Guru Sahib has openly denounced many Hindu practices. Even after all this Khushwant Singh still writes; (http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_021503a.html)
J.S.T.: What about the statements that suggest that Sikhs are kes-dhari [sporting unshorn hair] Hindus? You yourself wrote in The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 12, 2001) that Sikhism is a branch of Hinduism.
K.S.: That is correct. Sikhs are kes-dhari Hindus. Their religious source is Hinduism. Sikhism is a tradition developed within Hinduism. Guru Granth Sahib reflects Vedantic philosophy and Japji Sahib is based on the Upanishads.
When asked about the Akal Takht, Khushwant Singh says;
J.S.T.: Those are loaded statements. You could be accused of blasphemy and summoned to the Akal Takht.
K.S.: They don't have the guts to summon me. They only go after the weak and the timid
Sikhs all across the world were hurt and are still hurt by the Human Rights violations being committed against Sikhs in India, and at how Sikhs are being discriminated in India. Yet Khushwant Singh writes,
J.S.T.: Some Sikhs say we are discriminated against in India. What do you think?
K.S.: No, not at all. They are making progress all over the country. They are in the mainstream of Indian life. They are now found in almost all political parties, even the R.S.S.
Even worse, look at what he writes about KPS Gill, the man who was behind the brutal torture of so many innocent people and the rape of so many innocent women. The man who was responsible for tearing apart so many families and killing thousands and thousands of innocent people. (http://www.sikhtimes.com/books_062003a.html)
"I supported K.P.S. Gill for resorting to extra-judicial methods to stamp out terrorism. The judiciary was in a state of collapse and magistrates too terrified to refuse applications for bail put by terrorists. The administration was paralysed and people gave in to extortion and violence perpetrated by gangs. If the police caught those with criminal records or those who admitted to murdering innocent people, instead of taking them to court, the police eliminated them. It was jungle justice but it had an element of justification behind it. But even in this savage war of attrition, we expected the police to discriminate between criminals and others who were proving a nuisance to them."
I wont even get into the lies he spews from his mouth about shaheeds and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale.
Just from the few extracts above, is this a person who should be honored as a Sikh or by a Sikh organization? Well he is, hes being honored by the Centennial Foundation. How confused these people are. The man says himself that he’s not Sikh and speaks contrary to Sikh teachings, he justifies brutal torture on Sikhs, and he openly challenges Akal Takht. Centennial Foundation should be ashamed of themselves, they have been told about Khushwant Singh and they refuse to budge on their position and continue to support him.
May Waheguru do kirpa on his Sikhs and give us the common sense to know right from wrong, and to stick together for the betterment of the Panth.
Daas encourages you to get in touch with Centennial Foundation and continue to put pressure on them to reconsider their decision to support Khushwant Singh and honor him at their annual Gala.
*here is another extract to tell you a little bit of Khushwants character (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/02/24/stories/2002022400510200.htm): WHEN you read a sentence in Khushwant Singh's recent autobiography which begins `the most fulfilling thing I have done in my life was ...', you expect it to conclude with the name of some beautiful woman he long desired and finally seduced. Alternatively, you expect to learn the name of some smooth single malt he savoured after a prolonged delay. But you'd be wrong. The second half of the sentence reads: `... working on Sikh religion and history'. This reminds us that there is much more to Khushwant Singh than Truth, Love, and a Little Malice. Sex and scotch may have provided the central juice to this sardar's roaring rhetoric and disguised the core of scholarship he possesses, but with sentences such as this, his autobiography frequently betrays the persona of a Drink-and-Desire-Bum, which he has cultivated. This is a sardar who knows that, metaphorically speaking, what has meant most to him is not carnal knowledge of a virgin but intellectual knowledge of Virgil. Alongside his ability to call a spade a spade when everyone else is calling it a pitchfork, this bedrock of learning is the basis of his self-respect. It underlies all the fluff he has churned out to please the millions and earn himself roughly the same. Without it he would have ended up as the male Shobha De.
So you’ve taken Amrit and given your head to Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur. Your now a part of the Khalsa Panth. Feels great doesn’t it! That feeling, its so great you just can’t put into words how you feel. To bad you can’t describe to others how you feel. If only they knew, they would take Amrit to. The rehit it might sometimes be hard to keep, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. Guru Gobind Singh Ji is now your father and you’d do anything for them since they’ve showered you with so many blessings. Their wish is your command. Guru Sahib says Rehit Piaaree Mujh Ko, Sikh Piaaraa Naahee. So you keep your rehit and wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. Life is good eh, never been better.
Than the phone rings and your cousin is getting married. They are having anand karaj at the gurdwara in the morning, and a party in a hall at night. The party is going to include alcohol, meat, as well as an environment not suitable for a Gursikh. This is not a somewhere Guru Sahibs Sikh should be seen you think to yourself. But what do you tell your cousin, who has been looking forward to his big wedding day his whole life and expects you there, and won’t take no for an answer? Tough situation isn’t it.
What would you do?
Well I can’t tell you what to do, but here are a few things to think about:
Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s horse knew better than to even step foot in a tobacco field. The tobacco wasn’t even in the form of a cigarette yet, but the horse still knew better, and refused to enter the tobacco field. If a horse was smart enough to know this, cant we see that going to a hall full of liquor is also bad for us?
Gurbani continually makes reference to the world being an ocean and Sikhi being the boat that gets us across the ocean. If we have two boats, and we put one foot in each boat we wont get across that ocean will we? We will lose our balance and fall into the water sooner or later. Now lets say the world is an ocean, and Sikhi is a boat, and than we put our foot in another boat (going into bad environments). We are now trying to have a foot in two boats while crossing the ocean, we can’t get very far this way. We will eventually lose our balance and fall into the water. Sikhi is about total submission to Guru Sahib, and total commitment to Sikhi and letting that boat get us across the ocean, and not worrying about anything else.
It’s up to you to decide. Do you want to cross that ocean? Float in that ocean? Or drown in that ocean. What are you going to choose? The decisions yours.
*Everything happens within hukam and with Guru Sahibs Kirpa, to cross that ocean ultimately requires the blessings of Waheguru
**veerji has written a good follow up to what daas wrote above and daas encourages you to have a look: Waheguru Ji Blog
This post is well off topic from what daas usually posts. Daas came across this debate on the internet. Here is the link, Daas encourages you to watch it. http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1050#
Its about an Arab lady talking about how one should not force their beliefs on others. The interview may be quite controvesial to some, but it is worth a watch nonetheless.
Below are some excerpts from the video;
Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.
[...]
Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?
Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.
[...]
Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don't mind...
Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: "I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger." When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to start this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.
My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the "People of the Book," and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians "those who incur Allah's wrath." Who told you that they are "People of the Book"? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them "those who incur Allah's wrath," or "those who have gone astray," and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?
I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?
Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural...
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran...
Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.
[...]
Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.
[...]
Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.
So Daas was watching CNN a few days ago and came across the press conference of President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. They were discussing how America and India are repairing their relationship and expanding it for future business endeavours.
What came across to me was that George Bush kept saying ‘it is in our interest to have relations with India’. This was said time and time again. Basically the only reason America wants to do business with India is because there is lots of money to be made in a country with the worlds second largest (soon to be largest) population. We all pretty much know money talks in the global environment and a lot of stuff can be overlooked by countries and leaders if the financial gain is large enough. This leads in to my point.
George Bush stated in the press conference that India is the worlds largest democracy and is a great example for the world to follow of having many religions and cultures living together. What a ridiculous statement to make, the whole world knows (governments) of India’s human rights violations. Amensty International amongst many other organizations have reported how brutal India’s state sponsored terrorism is not only against Sikhs but also against Muslims and Christians. The US House of Representatives has even documented India’s treatment of Sikhs in Punjab. After all this, Bush still goes on stage in front of the world and says India is an example that the world should follow. How ridiculous is this.
Bush was sent a letter by the Council of Khalistan about this issue, so he can not claim ignorance. America also has the most sophisticated and advance machinery in place to keep track of situations in foreign countries.
At the end of the day, America wants to strengthen relations with India to exploit its vast economic potential, and to get at this goal they are more than willing to overlook the Human Rights violations and state sponsored terrorism that has and is continuing to occur in India. The world seems to work on self-serving goals where principles are sacrificed and things overlooked in the name of making money.
Below is a presentation which includes footage from the US House of Representatives, please take out a few minutes to view it.
Enter into the Company of the Holy and Contemplate the Guru's Words (Part 7 of 7)
Sadh Sangat Gur Shabad Viloway Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words Part 7 of 7
Gursikhee da jeevna, jeevdi-aa mar haumai khovay|
Life according to the Guru’s instructions, is that while living die, by destroying ego.
Look at the wonders of the river, a dead body floats down stream. A living person drowns. This means the dead cross easily. If the living ones killed their ego, the 'me', they would cross the river of life too. If they don’t kill the ‘me’ they will struggle with the river of life and drown. While your body is alive kill the 'me'. How did the Gurmukhs kill their ego ?
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay|
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words.
Enter into the Company of the Holy and Contemplate the Guru's Words (Part 6 of 7)
Sadh Sangat Gur Shabad Viloway Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words Part 6 of 7
Gursikhee da mananaa, gur bachanee gal har parovay|
Acceptance according to the Guru’s instructions is to wear the garland of the Guru’s words around the neck.
Bhai Gurdas ji was travelling, at the river bank the Sikh sangat stopped and started singing the Guru’s words
‘Jal nay dhobay…’
can't drown in water.
Bhai Gurdas ji asked, ‘Why have you stopped at the river bank?’ The sangat replied,
‘the water is too high.’ Bhai Gurdas ji answered, ‘Don't you have faith in the Guru's words that you are singing?’
Bhai Gurdas ji had accepted Guru’s word as true and singing the Guru’s words he stepped into the river and walked through to the other side. The Sikhs in that town went onto to firmly accept Guru in their lives. Waheguru Waheguru resounded thoughout the village. Bhai Gurdas ji said, ‘Guru ji by your kindness we crossed.’ Even when children played in that village, one would fall and say, 'I fell, I fell according to the Guru's hukam, or command.’ Another child would say, ‘I won in Guru's hukam.’ They played fully accepting their Guru's hukam. Each house talked of Guru's hukam.
Now when you do Ardas for a son, ask for a Gursikh child, don’t ask just for a son, or a brother, ask for a Gursikh son, a Gursikh brother. We ask for a Doctor son, or a professor son. Why not ask for a Gursikh doctor or a Gursikh professor? Now, if Gursikh came first in your life, couldn’t they become a doctor or professor.? In this town people forgot their hunger and their pain, but didn't forget the Guru's words. How did they get this blessing?
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay|
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words.
Daas was on the Western SSA blog and came across a post where they were talking about Bhai Mati Daas Ji and how they sacrificed their life but not their Sikhi. They had a link to a dharmic song which talks about the sacrifice Bhai Mati Daas Ji made. While Daas was listening to it he kept thinking about how much love for Guru Sahib, Bhai Mati Daas Ji and the countless others shaheeds had. How these premi's laid everything on the line to uphold their principles and Sikhi. Even when sawn in half Bhai Mati Daas Ji did not allow their feet to face towards Guru Sahib. Waheguru, daas requests everyone listen to the track below and reflect for a few minutes.
Bhai Mati Dass prayed to the Guru, "O True King ! bless me so that I may do my duty by sacrificing myself for the glory of the faith." The qazis (Moghuls) asked Bhai Mati Dass, "Brother, embrace Islam and enjoy the pleasures provided by the government, if you do not you will be sawn in half”. Bhai Mati Dass replied, "I can sacrifice hundreds of such heavens for my faith. I don't need women nor wine. I see all the happiness in the path of my faith." After his refusal, the qazis asked him his last wish, to which he replied, 'When I am being cut with the saw, let my face be towards my mentor so that I may behold my Guru till my last breath and he may keep on seeing me so that he may be convinced how happily I reach my last destination."
Sir Jaave Ta Jaave, Mera Sikhi Sidkh Na Jaave! Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Enter into the Company of the Holy and Contemplate the Guru's Words (Part 5 of 7)
Sadh Sangat Gur Shabad Viloway Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words Part 5 of 7
Gursikhee da poojna, gursikh pooj piram ras bhovay|
Worship according to the Guru’s instructions, is that as the Gursikh worships they enjoy the essence of divine love.
Guru ji has stated about worship:
‘Vin navay pooj na hoi’
without Naam, one cannot worship
So what is the Gursikh pooja, or worship?
Worship the Immortal One, See the Khalsa, Read/Write the Guru’s Word. Guru Ji says,
‘Takar ka sevak agiaa-karee|
Takar ka sevak sada poojaree|’
-The Master’s servant obeys the Command.
The Master’s servant is always a worshipper.’
The real worshipper is the one with God's light inside, this light is always on. The one who lights (Hindu) lamps is not the real worshipper. The one who obeys God's command is the real worshipper. This light eats our dukh, or suffering away. This is light upon light. Not only is it present in one person, but in one after another after another - in everyone. The one who lives in rememberance of God, the one who takes support of God's name, the one who loves God's created beings with love then that one is the true worshipper. God is in every being. See God in every leaf, in land, water and space. See God in one and all. See everyone with the look of love, love everyone then that one is the true worshipper. How is this obtained?
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words.
Enter into the Company of the Holy and Contemplate the Guru's Words (Part 4 of 7)
Sadh Sangat Gur Shabad Viloway Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words Part 4 of 7
Gursikhee da naavna gurmat laa, durmat maal dhovay Bathing according to the Guru’s instructions, is to take the Guru’s wisdom Gurmat) and to wash away the dirt of worldy wisdom.
Guru ji has told us that when we bathe we should remember God.
‘Kar ishnaan simar prabh apana man tan bhay-i aroga’
Satguru ji says that mind and body are to become disease free. It’s no good just cleaning body if the mind is still diseased. If you clean your body with water, then clean your mind with simran, or rememberance of God, clean your mind with Naam. If you make your body clean then make your mind clean too. And I say when you make your mind clean your body will become disease free too.
What do you say? What was the bath according to Guru's instructions? Take the Guru's wisdom and clean the Worldly wisdom. Guru ji says,
‘Gian maha ras naa-i-ay bhai’ O Brother, bathe in the great essence of divine knowledge.
I make one request, when the body is dirty with outside dirt, we get outside water to clean it. Now how do I clean the inside dirt filling the mind? No matter how new a house is, even with it’s doors locked and windows sealed, after two weeks their is a layer of dust everywhere. Inside my mind there is so much dirt? How can I clean it?
When boring a well, it is dug and a pumping machine is fitted. Push the handle and nothing comes up until the water from outside is forced down, then the water inside the Earth comes up. ‘Keep pushing the handle! Keep pushing the handle!” says the machine fitter, ‘and water will keep coming up. As soon as you stop your garden will dry up.’ To get the water from inside of the Earth, water was forced down the pipe from the outside, the handle was pushed and then the water came up.
Now the water outside can't clean the dirt inside us. We need Amrit to do this, that can wash away the dirt from life after life. Satguru ji fitted us with the machine of the 5Ks, when it was complete he gave us 5 mouthfuls of Amrit in our mouth, sprinkled it in our eyes and hair and said "O Sikh, take the Gurmantr and rehat maryada,” and said, “O Sikh, keep pushing the handle of the breaths repeating Waheguru, keep pushing the handle of the tongue repeating Waheguru, keep memorising Gurbani, keep practising meditation, keep acting on the Guru's words, or else you will commit a major breech of conduct and have to appear for Amrit again.”
The method was to first give Amrit from the outside, and inside the power of amrit took effect. Such a power is generated inside that the inner dirt starts to be washed away. Dirty clothes need water and soap to clean them. The soap needs water to wash. Naam soap washes away the dirt of the mind, but Naam soap needs the water of heartfelt love to be effective. Guru ji says,
‘Bhariay mat papa ka sang, O Dhopay naavay kay rang’ when the mind is full with the company of sins, it was washed with love (colour) of naam.
Another thing, when soap and water washed the clothes, the dirt was washed away but the soap went too. I washed the clothes with soap, soap got the dirt out. I added water, water got the soap out. But Naam is not like this. Naam removes the dirt of the mind, but Naam resides in the mind, it doesn't get washed away.
‘Man kee maal jaai,’ The dirt of the mind goes,
‘Amrit naam ridh mahi samaahi.’ and the nectar name resides in in my heart.
Naam resides inside, it doesn't go if you keep heartfelt love. But, where do we get this blessing?
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words.
Supreme Court of Canada Overturns Ban on Kirpan in Schools
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,
With Waheguru's blessings the Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that kirpans will be allowed in schools, and did not impose any outright restrictions on the kirpan, but left it upto the school's and the amrithari Sikh to decide.
A few noteable things that stand out to daas from the decision are as follows;
The court addressed the issue of people calling the Kirpan a weapon and a symbol of violence by saying;
"disrespectful to believers in the Sikh religion and does not take into account Canadian values based on multiculturalism"
The court also went on to put some of the burden of educating people about the kirpan on our educational institutions by saying;
"If some students consider it unfair that Gurbaj Singh may wear his kirpan to school while they are not allowed to have knives in their possession, it is incumbent on the schools to discharge their obligation to instil in their students this value that is ... at the very foundation of our democracy."
Another key point to note is that this case has been distinguished from cases of travelling with a kirpan and bringing a kirpan into a courtroom. It looks like the court limited this decision to just the educational environment by essentially saying that in a school environment you know the people quite well and are there for years, whereas while travelling that is a temporary situation where people don't know each other very well, and in a court where the proceedings are pressure packed and adversarial.
"where there is an ongoing relationship between the student and the school and with that a meaningful opportunity to assess the circumstances of the individual seeking the accommodation, air travel involves a transitory population. Significant numbers of people are processed each day, with minimal opportunity for assessment."
They go on to say,
"Courts and schools are not comparable institutions. One is a tightly circumscribed environment in which contending elements, adversarially aligned, strive to obtain justice as they see it, with judge and/or jury determining the final outcome. Schools on the other hand are living communities which, while subject to some controls, engage in the enterprise of education in which both teachers and students are partners. Also, a court appearance is temporary (a Khalka Sikh could conceivably deal with the prohibition of the kirpan as he/she would on an airplane ride) and is therefore not comparable to the years a student spends in the school system."
Waheguru. So overall it is a good day for Sikhs with Guru Ji's Kirpa. The court unanimously decided 8-0 in allowing kirpans in schools. 8-0 is rare in the Supreme Court of Canada so this is a huge victory.
One thing that stuck out in daas's mind is that on CTV a young Sikh named "Bhullar" was interviewed giving his views about the decision, and without being provoked he went out of his way to say kirpans worn to school are pretty small and are pretty much inaccesible because of the gatra (implied being sown shut almost). Daas does not understand this apologist attitude, and feels that we have had a huge victory with Guru Ji's blessing and do not need to have an apologist attitude for wearing our kirpan, and kirpan also does not have to be small. Daas knows many people who wear larger kirpans to school each day.
The court seemed reluctant to address this case, and daas also feels that the best way to deal with the Kirpan issue is not always through the court, and that Sikhs should put pressure on their governments to institute a nation wide policy on Kirpan rights.
Daas requests everyone to read some extra bani today to thank Waheguru for making this outcome. Daas also reminds everyone that although we have won this case with Guru Sahibs blessings, the overall battle has just begun. This case seems to be restricted to educational situations and in the future we will still have to stand up for our rights to wear kirpan in court, and while travelling amongst other places.
The situation with Balpreet Singh and VIA Rail, about bringing kirpans onto the VIA trains has not been addressed with this case, and as it stands VIA Rail still bans kirpans from being brought onto trains.
For the court decision you can follow the following link
Enter into the Company of the Holy and Contemplate the Guru's Words (Part 3 of 7)
Sadh Sangat Gur Shabad Viloway Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words Part 3 of 7
We go to the sadh sangat, but we don't find sadh sangat! We have to go to the Guru's house and find the company of the holy. If we go to the Guru's house and ask for falsehood we won't get Truth. If we didn't ask for Truth we won't get it. If we come to the sadh sangat and listen to each other’s conversations then we didn't listen to the Guru's words. If we came and looked at each other's fashions, then we saw nothing but falsehood.
On the other hand, Bhai Gurdas ji said that if two Gurmukhs come to the sadh sangat and talk into each others ears then guess what they would be talking about? Bhai Gurdas ji said that they will be saying 'Waheguru'. They talk about nothing but Waheguru. If we come to the sangat and talk about anything but Waheguru, then we talked falsehood, falsehood filled our ears.
We ask for faslehood, we didn't get Truth, we didn't find the sadh sangat even by coming to the Guru's house. Bhai Gurdas ji tells us what the Gursikhs do. He says the path of the Guru's Sikh is true because their Guru is true, perfect.
The perfect SatGuru is recognised (from this act, that ) the perfect one makes the perfect place.
Gurmukh sacha panth ha, sikh sehaj ghar jaa-i khlovay|
The Gurmukh path is true, (whoever travels upon it, that) Sikh stands in the Sehaj Ghar.
The house of the unshaken soul is the house of spiritual perfection (sehaj ghar). But this sehaj is not achieved through empty rituals.
‘Karmee sehaj na upjay’
-Sehaj is not attained merely through actions.
But without sehaj, doubts cannot be removed. While doubts remain life remains dirty, and worry exists, anxiety exists, Guru ji says
‘Sahsa jio maleen ha’
Due to doubts life is foul
So how can we obtain sehaj? Satguru ji has said,
‘Shabaday hee sehaj oopajay’
Sehaj is obtained through the Guru’s word.
Now we understand, 'O Satguru ji your shabad can give us sehaj.' That is why the Guru's Sikh can go and stand anywhere and their attention, or surat, unites with the Shabad and enters the house of sehaj.
Stood in the house of the Guru's Word, is the attention of the Gursikh. The attention of the Guru's Sikh is focused at the Guru's house. The Gursikh doesn't just come to the Guru's house, prostrate and leave. Everyone comes with their body, but beloved of the Guru, if you have brought your body to the Guru's house, then take your attention (surat) to the house of the Guru's word and you too will enter sehaj ghar.
Take your attention to the house of the Guru’s word. Guru ji says,
‘Shabaday hee sehaj oopajay, har vasiaa sach soi.’
Sehaj is attained through the Shabad then God resides, that One is true.
The Guru's Sikh takes his attention to the house of the Guru's word. When we came from home, which direction did we face? Towards the Guru's Court, or darbar, which way
was our back? It was towards our house. When we leave our face will towards our house. This means wherever we go, our face is in that direction. When we came from Nirankar, or the Formless Lord, our face was towards the World. Now we want to go towards Nirankar so we will have to put our face towards Nirankar and our back towards the World.
Now, you ask why do we need to turn our back to the world? Why can’t we talk about God, go to the Gurdwara and still face the World? No, you can never reach Nirankar like that. You will have to put your face towards Nirankar.
Which face am I talking about. A man is walking, if he refuses to bring his back foot infront of the other then he can't walk to his destination. If we want to reach Nirankar, reach Sehaj Ghar, then we will have to pull our attention out of worldly thoughts and into the Guru's Shabad.
If we think we can talk about God and still desire to have people praising us then we will never move forward. The Gursikh while living in the World has taken their attention into the shabad and entered sehaj ghar. There is only one way of entering sehaj ghar, not two.
That way is to praise the one who's house we want to enter. By praising the Supreme Being we enter his house. Guru ji says,
‘sift salaahan sehaj anand’
By praising, one experiences the bliss in the state of sehaj.
‘Sift salaahan tera hukam rajaaee.’
By praising we accept God's will.
Now to enter someone's house we must sing the words from that House, not false words. Sing the praises of that house, that house is full of praises. Guru ji says,
‘Siftee bharay tera bhandar’
Your house is full of praises.
Don't say you want to go to Nirankar's house then start making up your own words and singing your own verses. You wont reach. To reach the True One's house you need the True One’s words.
Gurmukh sacha panth ha, sikh sehaj ghar jaa-i khlovay|
The Gurmukh path is true, (whoever travels upon it, that) Sikh stands in the Sehaj Ghar.
The Sikh goes and stands in the sehaj ghar. How is this obtained?
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay|
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Guru’s words.
Singhs use to be trusted with the prettiest women, use to save women from the clutches of the Moghuls. Singhs were known as the most honest and trustworthy people. There are still many Singhs like this, but it saddens me to hear of how many Singhs go astray and are not living up to the ideals of their ancestors. We are losing our way, we are reducing the amount of bhagti we do and becoming more susceptible to the plays of maya. The path of Sikhi is very thin, like the sharpest part of a sword. We must leave our own mat and follow Guru’s mat.
