Here is another excerpt (story) from the upcoming book on Sikh Dharma by Shakti Parwha Kaur and Sikh Dharma International.
Taking a Hukam - by Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa
“Although Yogi Bhajan had assured me many times that it was not my fault, as a mother I felt terribly guilty and responsible for the way my son James’ life had turned out.
After a fifteen-year separation from James, I was shocked when I saw him again. He had gained a huge amount of weight, and even worse, when I visited his apartment and saw the conditions in which he was living, I was horrified. I saw paper bags full of newspapers strewn around all over the place as well as other signs of an abnormal situation. Continue reading ‘Getting the Guru’s Advice’
by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa
On the train from Connecticut to Massachusetts, I remember. A childhood growing up in the Northeast. Rows of houses remodeled again and again since Colonial Times. Trees lining the streets, marking the seasons with their distinct shades of dress. Sometimes green, sometimes orange, sometimes nothing at all.
That priceless time– where it seemed, somehow, one could be 8 years old, or 10 years old, or 12 years old forever.
Looking out the window, breathing in the nostalgia, I watch my thoughts slip into another direction. Yes – this is all familiar to me. Even after so many years living in the Southwest – the Northeast still feels like home. But not everything is the same as I remember. And as the train keeps rolling, there are other scenes my eyes register, making it difficult for me to inhale deeply, to catch my breath.
Continue reading ‘On the Train’
In early 1900 till around 1950’s there used to be a much different culture in America. People used to be more family oriented, close together, respectable, mannerly, good natured etc. Over the past 50 years these good parts of American culture have slowly seeped away. This very same thing is happening all over the world as this "western / modern" melting pot has slowly eroded away on all cultures.
Continue reading ‘Making an Impression - A True Story’
Over the years I have observed some characteristics that some Sikhs have taken on regarding an effort to reduce ego/pride. As Sikhs we are taught to not get attached to the five "challenges" of Lust, Anger, Greed, Pride and Attachment. In an effort to prevent these feelings I have seen some practices by Sikhs which I think are unnecessary.
The first routine is the overly humble guise. It goes something like this: "I am just a lowly sinner…" , "I am the dust of the dust of the dirt"… "I am a das of the das", "I know nothing…", etc. Most of the time when I hear this type of thing from people it feels just like a cover to try to negate any ego. In reality for most people it feels like a false routine to portray ones self as humble. I know in Gurbani Guru Nanak and other Gurus have used similar words as this…but this was our Gurus expression. It’s one thing if you say this to yourself as an internal thing in your mind…..but to say it to other people is very different. It’s as if you have to say it out loud to prove, or make sure that people know you are humble. It’s sort of a false humbleness. If you are humble people will see it in your actions, words, and in your presence (not by words and statements about your humbleness).
Continue reading ‘Dust of the Dust of the Dust….’
Most Sikhs have heard of Nihangs and their usage of marijuana/sukha/bang/etc. But most don’t know why, and that in the pure tradition of the Nihangs this plant was a tool in the warrior tradition of the Sikhs. Many just hear about Nihangs using it and think that they are abusing this drug. During last years Jaap Sahib course we had Question and Answer sessions every day and participants would ask all kinds of questions. One of the questions was asked by a youth about how Nihangs justify their usage of marijuana. Jugat Guru Singh and Sadasat Simran Singh (Chardikala Jatha) give their opinion and understanding of this issue. Basically they share their experience, that while some Nihangs do abuse this tradition and use it as an intoxicant it is a real tool in the tradition of the Nihangs.
Continue reading ‘Marijuana and Nihangs’
While we are on the topic of Sikhi and Youth…there is always the issue of how as a parent we can teach and give our children an experience of Sikhi. How to give something that is more than history and facts, but something much deeper that they can experience for them self? I for one am traveling this path as a parent and figuring this out as I go. My six year old son Narayan Singh is quite a kid. We sometimes joke and call him "Narayan Lion Singh" because he is very much like a lion in his personality. He wants to be the leader of the pack and doesn’t like to be told what to do. He is fast and strong. He always wants to do things on his own terms. He is full of energy and can be very aggressive at times. He also can sometimes react strongly to things and get emotional easily when something doesn’t go his way.
Continue reading ‘Being a Teacher for your Children’
by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa
In my meditation this morning, I had a chance to see something about karma. One could say that after experimenting with a lot of different types of spiritual practices over the years, I never really understood karma until this morning. Though God knows, in theory, all of the different practices, with different teachers and different perspectives that I used to explore were aimed at one thing: to clear my karma.
But what does that mean, exactly? To clear one’s karma?
When I was younger, karma was the Eastern equivalent to the good/bad sin/redemption polarity I had grown up with. Only karma gave you a lot of lifetimes to work it out. There was a sense of something being “right” and something being “wrong.” And the consequences of doing the wrong thing or the benefits of doing the right thing – that was karma. In my mind’s eye, those definitions of “right” and “wrong” were written on a wall somewhere in heaven. If I could just memorize the list and put as many stars in the “right” column as possible, then God would love me and I would be protected and taken care of somehow.
Continue reading ‘The Pull of Karma’
This article was originally written in 1981 when I was working as a Research Associate in High Energy Physics at Ohio State University. Reading Rawel Singh’s recent article that he submitted to the SikhNet News reminded me of this article I wrote 27 years ago, and so I dusted it off and updated it for publication here. - Guruka Singh Khalsa
THERE has always been science, and there has always been religion as long as the human race has walked on this mother Earth. In fact, these two are not only related to each other, but they are really, in essence, identical.
Examining the meaning of the word “science” we can see that it is derived from the Latin “sciens” which is the present participle of “scire” which means “to know or to understand”. Many people completely misunderstand the word ‘religion.’ It comes from the Latin word ‘ligare’ which means to tie or fasten. It is the same root as the word ligature or ligament. It means to be connected, tied. So the actual meaning of religion is to experience that state of being connected or tied to the One – to our origin and our Infinity.
In sum, science is the technology of knowing or understanding the essence of the universe, and religion is the actual experience of one’s own identity with that essence.
Continue reading ‘How Science and Religion Come Together’
The past few weeks have been great in a very different way for me. I recently started getting solid with getting up early and doing my sadhana and it feels awesome! Cutting out all the TV watching and spending much more time in meditation and doing banis really changes a lot in how I feel and react during the day. I used to feel a bit of monotony from work and daily chores of dealing with kids and house stuff. But now it feels like I have so much more time, and my day centers around the time in the early morning when I get to "connect with my soul". My life feels more real and less about the daily comings and goings. It’s a pretty cool feeling. (Of course the challenge is to maintain this and keep up!).
Continue reading ‘Beautiful Amrit Vela’
During the past months it’s been really hard for me to get up early in the morning and have a regular spiritual practice. I felt like every day was finishing a marathon between work and family duties, so by the time all my "duties" were done after 9pm I just wanted to disconnect from the world and veg out on the couch watching TV shows that I had recorded earlier. I then got caught up in the habit of doing this (watching TV at night) and it became harder to stop. It wouldn’t be a bad thing….but when you have a full season of a TV episodes and they leave you hanging at the end of one, you just can’t help watching another….. and then another….and another. It becomes a common mental mantra to think "Just one more" after a show ends… hahaha. If I stayed up late there was no way I was going to be able to get up early in the morning for my Sadhana. I have to get up around 4AM in order to have enough time to do banis, yoga and meditate. Once Charanjeet wakes up (5:30-6:30am) then I’m pulled back into family duties.
Continue reading ‘Amrit Vela Sadhana - Back On Track’
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