This video deals with the issue and question of whether guilt is a good thing to motivate and have self discipline. You might think that without guilt you might not do certain things or be disciplined. Guruka Singh shares a nice perspective in terms of relating to discipline and a daily practice. I used to be one of the "yo-yos" (going up and down in my practice) but now take the slow and steady, building over time approach. Anyways, hope you enjoy.
The Baisakhi celebrations were yesterday were wonderful! It started with a delicious breakfast for the whole sangat hosted by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur at the Ranch and then from there we had a larg Nagar Kirtan procession all the way to the Gurdwara. Here are some pictures from yesterday’s vaisakhi celebrations.
Here is one topic which I think is a great one for us all to think about. I have found that even within the Sikh lifestyle many people have adopted the mentality of "guilt and sin". Western influence has definitely played a big part in this, and it doesn’t help to have translations of Gurbani that translate "paap" into "sin".
In the following video interview Guruka Singh shares his thoughts on the topic of Sin, Guilt, Heaven and Hell. Hopefully the next time you catch yourself feeling one of these things you may think more deeply about it.
The past few days I have been watching old videos of SSS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji in dialog and question and answer sessions with Sikh Youth in various places. Here is one that I really enjoyed and highly recommend that you watch or listen to! I’ve already watched it at least five times in the course of editing and reviewing the videos and it really hit home for me so wanted to share with you all.
In the video yogiji starts by talking about just "being" a Sikh verses experiencing and living as a Sikh (He related this in the terms he called "Concept" and "Conception"). He then talks about how Sikhs have been betrayed by the so called "Sikh Leadership" and how youth should not rely on them and BECOME the leaders themselves. He shares inspiring experiences from his youth before the partition of India when he was part of creating the All India Sikh Student Federation. He explains how the youth worked together and formed a powerful force with Sikhi as a base and through trust, honesty, equality. He shares the ingredients of what made this work and how youth of today can do this as well.
You might have noticed the new pictures on the top of the blog. A random picture will display every time the page loads. I hope you like them. I have looking through my pictures finding different images which I think represent our local community (though so far they are mostly of kids and the youth). Even though I write and post lots of things un-related to our local sangat, the main purpose for having MrSikhNet.com is to share "my world" and to promote better understanding of Sikhs who are not from Indian origin. This website is a personal (yet very public) online journal to share my family, experiences, thoughts, local sangat, and how we live as Sikhs. One of my goals with this website is to build bridges of understanding between the different Sikh communities (particularly Sikhs like myself who are not from a Punjabi Origin). There is so much mis-understanding in this world and my hope is that as you read articles, watch videos, Listen to audios, and look at pictures that you get to know us better. Hopefully you learn something new and share it with others.
Here is a cool article that someone wrote about their experience of waking up in the early morning and participating in the daily sadhana at the Summer Solstice event that happens every year here in beautiful New Mexico. If you have been thinking about coming it’s definitely not too early to start planning! Join us June 19 - 28, 2008 and participate in this awesome event that is sure to give you a totally new experience, along with many familiar ones! (If you plan on coming let me know :)
By Tommy Rosen (Bhagat Singh)
It is 2:45 a.m. during the week of Summer Solstice in the mountains outside of Espanola, New Mexico, and I am awake in a tent watching my wife, Kia, sleep for a few moments longer. This is the third year that we have come to this powerful land with well over a thousand people, Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike, from all over the world.
Any minute now, a man with a long, white beard, wearing a turban and playing a guitar, will walk every inch of this land repeating his early morning wake-up song, “Rise Up,” at the top of his lungs.
For a while I have been wanting to update the blog layout because it was too narrow and the page ended up being really long. Now there is lots more room and some other nice features. You might have noticed the "article browser" below the header picture which has a circle that you can drag left or right to view previous blog posts. Even as your scroll down the page this will stay at the top of your window. There is also a link that says "trim" which shrinks all the content down so you can see just the headlines. Other things you’ll see is that when you do a search or type search words the results will update on the left as you are typing (without the page refreshing or re-loading). This is the same for the "article browser" which updates the content below as you drag the bar without a page re-loading. When you post comments it will do the same. When I have some more time I’ll add in some other features (who has time these days??).
Here are SikhNet we are busy at work with "SikhNet 2.0" with a whole new design, backend system and content. Hopefully in the coming month we’ll be able to launch phase one of the "new SikhNet"…and then build upon it in the coming months. Back to work…..
This morning I realized that the rest of the world was going to be celebrating valentines day. This holiday (like most) is not really religious (for most people at least) but a day when the guys are expected to do something sweet and nice for the girls in their life (wife, mother, sister, etc). So while I was meditating this morning I thought of making something creative to celebrate this day as a Sikh. I got excited and couldn’t hold myself back as the computer drew me to it like a magnet to iron. The result was three different wallpapers which you can see and download below. I hope you like them :)
Affirmations in Red The first is in the theme of valentines day (red and hearts) with some different affirmations repeated in the background.
Balvinder Singh is currently in India right now learning Sarangi and planning to release a new album mid year (2008). So stay tuned to hear when it is released! In the mean time take a few long deep breaths in and out, and listen to the below shabad. Let your worries and stress melt away….
Here is an inspiring talk by SSS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa on the topic of "Chardikala" and your relationship with the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It’s only about 28 min long so definitely have a listen! :)
The past few days I have been watching old videos of SSS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji in dialog and question and answer sessions with Sikh Youth in various places. Here is one that I really enjoyed and highly recommend that you watch or listen to! I’ve already watched it at least five times in the course of editing and reviewing the videos and it really hit home for me so wanted to share with you all. 
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