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!).
Archive for the 'Thoughts' Category
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.
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".
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’
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".
Well I’m still here in Florida, however being in Orlando in the city is quite a different experience than being in Lake Wales Florida at the Winter Solstice Camp. This is probably the most crowded time to be in Orlando. We went out the other day to go to the mall and after hitting the mass crowds we are still recovering. We tried to lay low yesterday "recovering" from that outing. Going to amusement parks with huge crowds is so draining! Last year we went to the various Disney parks (Animal Kingdom, Epcott Center and Magic Kingdom) which was more than enough. Disney has it worked out to a science to grease as much money out of you as possible (taking full advantage of you being tired and having whiny sugared up kids). Now that I am here again this year and see the even larger crowds than last year I don’t want to go anywhere. Looking outside my room window I can see the crowds of people constantly streaming by and the cars jammed up trying to go somewhere. Well, it was worth it coming to this side of the country for Winter Solstice. That hit the spot. It was so relaxing and chilled out this year.
So, I’m a bit stuck in my room right now; Charanjeet isn’t feeling that good this morning so she is sleeping as I type here in the room. Narayan is going to go out with his grandfather to the driving range and maybe play some Golf. I guess it might be another dull day in sunny Orlando. It supposed to be about 82°F / 28°C today so it should be quite warm. Quite a contrast to back home where it is probably pretty cold and maybe snowy.
I’m already missing quiet little Espanola. This place (and most big cities) is Maya city! Living in a small town I sometimes forget how things are for the rest of Americans. It can be so sad looking around at the American consumerism and waste. It’s a constant trying to "look cool" and competition with everyone around. Who has the nicest car, cell phone, clothes, looks sexy..is the prettiest…etc..etc. It’s so shallow. People never seem to be satisfied with what they have and who they are. The sad part is that our society drives this craze. One of the benefits of living in Espanola is that you are not constantly hit up by this maya and the want to buy something. Life is a bit simpler since there are no malls, shopping centers (other than the evil Walmart). There isn’t much to do (city wise) other than sports, outdoors stuff and hanging out with friends. I suppose I am also in a different stage of life than many younger people, since I am married and have kids. Being in a city can fun for some time, but I prefer smaller places to live. For me living in a sangat of like minded people is most important. Check out this thought provoking video called "The Story of Stuff".
2008 is almost here and another year has whizzed by. At this rate I’ll be a grandfather before I know it and we’ll be taking vacations to mars. I’m looking forward to this next year…
Recently things at home have been a bit stressful as my daughter Charanjeet moves into a new stage ("talking" and SCREAMING! It’s a mixture of joy and pain!). Lately she has been doing this high pitched scream, much of the times as a result of her brother Narayan picking on her or doing something to her (not always Narayan’s fault though). It’s so challenging trying to discipline them and keep sanity. It’s definitely a different picture with two kids.
Earlier today at Gurdwara I was shocked with the news that two people I knew died. One of them was a Sikh youth who lived here in Espanola and another older Sikh from Norway. Their deaths were totally unrelated other than similar timing. It struck me hard as I sat there in Gurdwara already feeling bad from fighting off a sore throat. I knew both of them well, though they were not close friends that I interacted with very often. However, the suddenness of it and having someone you knew personally made it a shock…and I felt a sadness. During Ardas the sangat chanted long "Akaaaaal" five times in prayer to help their souls move on. I couldn’t get myself to chant it until that last time as I was feeling so emotional as tears rolled out of my eyes.
It’s always times like these when you have hardship, feel bad, or are in some low period that you remember that life is short and you never know when your time will be up. In the Siri Guru Granth Sahib there is so much written on this topic of how life is short and we waste the time caught up in Maya. There is a certain laziness that that always wants to take hold. It’s this feeling that "I’ll live forever"….and "I’ll do something tomorrow". In reality though, for most people tomorrow comes too late. It’s only when your life is over or ending that you wish you had done something differently. This is the case also for change (personal and social). Sometimes things have to get so bad that people WAKE UP and make a change. I guess most of us are motivated more by wanting to get away from pain (when you are in it)….than our interest to prevent pain.
So as I look at my life, the daily challenges with my own spiritual discipline, and raising my children, these deaths are a reminder to me of how short life is….and how suddenly death can knock at your door. I often ask myself the question…"If I were to die right now…would my mission/goal on this earth be done"? The answer for me always is "No"….since I feel like I have much still to do. However, I could die tomorrow….whether I am ready or not. So, this is another wakeup call for myself and hopefully you, to not delay. We may not all be able to live each day like it might be the last, but we can all do more than we are and take small steps to become better people, and work on developing that spiritual discipline and the connection inside each of us. You can’t tell when your life will end, but what you can do is make a conscious choice in how you live each day.
My love and prayers go to those friends who have moved on…..and to the families who are still here. May the Guru comfort them in this transition.
Things have been a little quiet on MrSikhNet.com, probably since most of my blog posts lately have been related to the SikhNet fundraiser and asking for your support. You know though, it doesn’t matter how much you contribute. Even $5/month counts more than you know. We are trying to reach our goal of $3,000 in new monthly donors to SikhNet and are about half way there!! Check out the "Nihang Singh Mathematics" Blabber.
I am so grateful to all of you who have answered the call for Support and have donated whatever you can afford, so that SikhNet can grow and continue to uplift people all over the world! If you have been thinking about making a donation to SikhNet but have been avoiding it, don’t hold back and just give from your heart whatever you can. When you give, it creates a flow of prosperity that comes back to you many fold!
I haven’t had much free time these past few weeks since we started the SikhNet annual fundraiser. Me and Gurujot Singh have been working on finalizing the new 5 DVD set of "SikhNet Inspirations" videos. It can take a lot of time to put together a professional quality DVD (video editing, DVD production, designs, duplication, etc). We should have them done by monday (Yaay!!) and then we send them to the duplication company. As soon as we review a proof of the DVDs we will start mailing copies out to some of the SikhNet Donors.
At the same time we also produced the 2007 SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival DVD (which this year will be a two DVD set because we had so many video submissions!). We also put together the new graphics for the 2006 Film Festival DVD and will make this DVD also available!
Then we produced a new SikhNet Special Edition Gurbani Audio CD to have as another donor gift choice. So, we have just about completed producing EIGHT NEW DVDs and one new audio CD! We are excited!
I’m also excited because earlier this week I got a phone call from a generous Sikh from California who is donating the funds to pay for most of the photo/video equipment that SikhNet needs! I thought it might be like last year where no one donated towards the equipment. I guess Guruji had other plans :) Now all we need is a video editing workstation and a room here in Espanola where we can setup the "SikhNet Video Studio".
As you can see we have been up to our turbans in media the past two month in addition to fundraising, and all the normal SikhNet work!
Thanksgiving Holidays are just around the corner, so we’ll all get a little break to relax with the family (and for me to be off the computer, which I really need since my wrists and other body parts have been acting up lately). I’m going to the 3HO Winter Solstice Retreat in Florida next month (Dec 19 - 25 with my son Narayan), so I’m looking forward to that time to relax and get some spiritual rejuvenation. Then after that I’ll have some time with Arjan and some of her family doing vacation type stuff in Florida. Aaahh. I can’t wait. I love working….but then again I love having vacations. I remember last year when I was in florida doing the same type of things, walking around with my laptop open in search of a WiFi internet signal, so I could check email. It was quite a cat-and-mouse game as the wireless signal was faint. This year I’ll be trying out the broadband service from my cell phone company. If it works, I’ll have to be disciplined to just check on things and not "get to work" on my vacation!
