(Page from the 2008 Golden Temple - Inspirations Calendar)
Monthly Archive for January, 2008
Are any of you good with writing stylized Punjabi/Gurmukhi? We would like to make a "regal" Gurmukhi font that is prettier than the standard GurbaniLipi. In order to do so we could use some help from someone that can do calligraphy and write out each of the letters of the Punjabi Alphabet in this way. If you are able and interested in helping out let me know.
Continuing on the theme of my previous blog post…
This morning I was driving to work and I remembered something that I do in my mind to curb judgments, "otherness", division of people, etc. The normal tendency is to react and treat people differently who you don’t know or are not part of your family. We tend to be less compassionate and understanding to these "outsiders".
Over the past (almost) three years or so there has been a lot of interesting pictures, videos, articles, etc on MrSikhNet.com. I’m sure many of you haven’t even seen most of it. Or if you are like me….it’s worthwhile seeing/reading/watching some of the stuff again. So I’m doing my part to help "Recycle". You’ll notice a new link in the upper right corner of this site which says "Random MrSikhNet Page". You can now click this to randomly browse through all the previous stuff. It’s interesting even for me to see what pops up! Happy Browsing!
Here is a short soothing Mul Mantra introduction that Hari Bhajan Kaur played in Gurdwara yesterday before she started playing kirtan. (with Gurujot Singh on Dilruba). Download; set your player on repeat; and relax to the soothing sounds.
You can also download another variation of Mul Mantra by Hari Bhajan from a previous Gurdwara..
This weekend I have been thinking about various things, watching my thoughts, and how my mind reacts to different things. I wanted to share these thoughts since I know they are common issues that many of us face, and hopefully it will make you think differently about similar things that you deal with in your life.
On Saturday Baba Iqbal Singh (Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib) visited us here in Espanola, New Mexico along with four young female students (and a few other guests) who tour with him.
To this point I had heard the name "Baru Sahib" and Akal Academy, but knew very little about the organization and what their schools were like. Before Baba Iqbal Singh arrived I was talking with someone else in the room who was telling me about the school and how boys and girls dressed exactly the same (not being able to tell if the person is a girl or boy). I also heard that there were no mirrors in the whole school (I think to prevent vanity/ego/self consciousness). I wondered how they tied their own turbans. Then later on Babaji was telling all of us about the school and how the senior children start their morning at 12:30am in the morning and finished their Amritvela sadhana at 4:30am! He went on to describe how the children were very well behaved and obedient and that many of the graduates of the school have achieved a lot in life. He "painted" a picture that appeared too good to be true as if it was a sales pitch of all the good things. I couldn’t imagine kids this way. In my mind I started wondering if the kids were happy there, or if they felt repressed or forced by their parents to become the "perfect Sikh". (Keep in mind, these thoughts were not based on any real experience except for hearing a few things about the school and talking with two students for a few of minutes). I remember going to boarding school in India and being punished harshly if I was late for Gurdwara or didn’t wake up for morning Sadhana. It wasn’t a positive experience for me and many others (Though, I turned out OK, didn’t I?) Maybe this was why I was thinking about the school in this way because of my own experience in boarding school.
Continue reading ‘Judgement, Criticism, The Mind, & Being a Sikh’
Last night I was writing about Charanjeet talking and saying different things and this morning she was at it again talking away. I sometimes try to record her with a video camera….but as soon as she sees the camera she wants it, and starts saying "Baby" because she likes to look at the pictures on the camera or the video. So this time I got Narayan’s new little mp3 player which records audio and just walked around with her for about 20 minutes this morning. Here are two edited clips. Maybe I’m the only one that thinks they are cute because she is my daughter….but then again this blog is sort of a family journal and it will be interesting to look over the years of my family recorded on the internet. By the way…She just turned 18 months old.
Wahe Guru and Nitnem
In the morning when we do banis she always wants a nitnem. Here is one of the "Nitnem" encounters along with her cute "wah-hey-goodoo".
Various Talk
This is some different snippets of her saying things. Some of her common "expressions" are in this clip: Parantha!, Sikaboo (translation: Scooby doo)
I’m back from my vacation and it’s great to be home. Winter time is a nice time of coziness and consolidation. I feel like everything slows down and I am able to internalize more (Like the plants that go into hibernation the end of the year). For me it’s a time of thinking and evaluating. By the time the new year comes I always start to think about what I want to accomplish in the next year (personally, spiritually and professionally). The winter time is sort of a "deep-breath" to stop and think about where I am and where I want to go. It also helps that at this time of year I normally take a vacation, so I am able to get out of my normal every day patterns of work and day to day things.
Today me and Arjan celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. In this day and age commitment in marriage is not a common thing. Divorce rates are so high it seems that no one stays married for long these days. I am thankfull to have a happy marriage and a awesome partner to travel this journey with. That’s not to say it is always easy. I think God must be testing to see if I can keep my "marriage black belt" in recent months, since it has been quite challenging having two kids and all that goes with being a family. It is so easy to fall into your emotions and feelings and be reactive when problems come up, rather than being conscious and communicative. Having a relationship is an art and skill in itself. This is one of the reasons why I think having a family and being married is the highest "Yoga"….since it forces you to work on yourself (And hopefully become a better person). It is no longer just about YOU.
It’s been fun watching Narayan and Charanjeet (our kids) change and move into different phases. Charanjeet is 18 months old and is changing so rapidly. I keep thinking how I need to record more of the "moments". She is copying so many words and learning new things every day. Her latest favorite word is "Aaw Man…!". She heard Narayan saying that after something happened and she picked up on it. Now something will drop…and she blurts out "Aaw Man!". It’s quite funny. Another recent classic word is "Parantha!". A month or so ago I made my first stack of paranthas from start to finish and I was saying "Paronetaaaa!!" (with a loud/strong Punjabi accent). Ever since then she just blurts it out like that with lots of enthusiasm at all moments.
So, as we start this new year I hope you all are thinking about your life and all the gifts that you have. It’s a great time for renewed commitment and change. Even I need a kick in the butt sometimes to get myself going and make a change. Ready-Set-Go! (I’m "cooking" up some plans too)
Here is an audio clip by Hari Bhajan Kaur who brought the Espanola sangat through to the new year during the all night Rainsabhai Kirtan. She ended just after midnight 2008 singing the Shabad "Ram Japo Jee Aasay Aasay".
For those of you who have been procrastinating about supporting SikhNet, Here is another short video (1 min. long) highlighting the many services that SikhNet offers (with an introduction by Guruka Singh). After you watch the video…the question is "what choice are YOU going to make?" 
In case you missed the last video you’ll know what I mean when you watch the funny "SikhNet Choices" video.
I know some of you might be tired of all this fundraising-shmun-raising stuff, but as a non-profit organization we do rely on your financial contributions to grow and provide the many services that SikhNet does. So, at this time of year from Nov-Jan we ask for your help. I hope you will consider supporting SikhNet with a recurring monthly donation (in any amount) instead of a one time donation too. This ensures that SikhNet gets regular ongoing support and we are able to spend less time fund raising and more time working on SikhNet services. (Plus, if you make a monthly donation of $20 or higher you can choose one of the donor gifts!
Make a Donation to Support SikhNet
Ps. In case you don’t see the mysteriously missing button that Guruka Singh pointed to in the video, then don’t worry, you haven’t lost your mind. The button is currently MIA…so till we find it… you can click on the above link to donate to SikhNet.
Pps. Oh yeah… and THANK YOU to all of you who have made contributions to SikhNet! It is greatly appreciated and will only return back to serve you more!
(Page from the 2008 Golden Temple - Inspirations Calendar)
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