176 replies to this topic

[Heera Singh]

Vaheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Jee Kee Fateh!!!

okay so a lot of people have been complainin bout the 'lack of inspiration' on this site... however i can argue there's A LOT of it.... even refert to humble kaurs post...

anywhoo... i know one thing that works for me is hearing how other people got into sikhi... every time i talk to sum1 and they tell me how they found Vaheguru that's a HUGE inspiration for me.. and referring to humble kaurs post, we remember Guru jee when we're in pain, but we forget Guru jee when we're happy and everythings goin peachy..

So i was thinin to start a thread on 'life stories'..... basically how everybody found Guru jee, how they found sikhi, and what inspired THEM to become a Sikh...

hope to hear a lot of stuff ...

Vaheguruuu..!!

[gupt_paapi]

dint we alredy have a therad like this.. http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/wacko.gif

[Heera Singh]

possibli... but... a lot of new faces.. ... and if we did i missed out on it... hehehe..

[guruji's_student]

http://www.sikhsanga...showtopic=12011

[gupt_paapi]

possibli... but... a lot of new faces.. ... and if we did i missed out on it... hehehe..

aw ok

THE PAST
Well i was born ina Sikh family.. so i had the easy way in... lol, but then again, I was forced to be a Sikh. Although my parents used to take us to Gurdwara everynight to listen to Kirtan Sohila.. It was more like my dad chatting to his mates, mum chatting to hers while peeling potatoes, while we played in the sports hall. When dad used to catch us playing he used to beat us. ouch http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/blush.gif . And no, we never killed our Kesh.

Anyways, well that kind of reflects my earlier life, I was forced to be a Sikh while my parents didn't do it properly themselves. They tried their best though..

I grew up in a generally diverse society, many asians and that. It was normal to be proud to be Sikhs but when it comes to Gurdwara we cant be bothered to go. We would always attend special occasions like Gurpurabs, I would chill outside with my mates etc; If an elder tell us to do seva we would run away.

I felt left out in secondary school because my darhi started growing in year 9! (aged 14).. due to the Kaam i had and bad society. All my "Sikh" mates told me to shape my darhi.. "it would look WIKID" apparently. So I actually had the guts to ask my dad! (i was generally i quiet boy, who was scared of his dad, so would ask him before anything) Obviously he said no to me. Why? Because my honour will go down in the Gurudwara. Come On! Was that a Good Enough reason?? But still i had no choice and kept it.

I was generally clever at studies, and used to play tabla with my brother and sister every weekend in Gurdwara.
SOrry i went on too much so I'll cut the story short (damn i wrote so much!)
Where was I? O yeah...

The Turning Point
The turning point in my life of Sikhi came Christmas last year (very recent). I came accross sites like Sikhsangat.com and saintsoldiers.net. I became aware of 1984 and everything. Suddenly it struck me. I dont know how or when but I just wanted to be a sikh! I got into Sikhi and learnt more and more. The more I learnt, the more I wanted to know!

MY situation now
Well Now, I have a free flowing darhi (which i used to tie up before), wake up at amritvela and do my nitnem. Trying to follow the rehit as much as possible, adn waiting to take amrit. Now, my parents are quite against it, they feel that my sikhi is getting in the way of my studies. Mum sometimes make jokes about me being a Sant and I used to get angry. But no point..

I noticed.. the difference between the people I knew on MSN b4 and afta the christmas holidays.
The people i knew before didn';t seem to have changed much, the same old people. It looked like I grew up and they still young http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/wacko.gif . (no offence to them.. thats how i just see it)

I want to take amrit and Parents dont want me to take it till I'm in University http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/no.gif What if i die? i said that to them, and they got angry and upset..

O well.. When I'm ready I'm sure Guru Ji will help me like He always has :TH:

Sorry about lack of insipration! What can I do.. it IS my life story http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

[Heera Singh]

good stuff... very happy to see ur on the path... just stick to it bro...

and trus me... i felt the same way u do rite now bout amrit before i took it... i alwayz thought to myself... if i die tomorrow then my whole life is wasted... the day i took amrit i was like, if i die tomorrow i'll die happy and with guru jee... tha's all i ever wanted...

Vaheguru....

[gupt_paapi]

good stuff... very happy to see ur on the path... just stick to it bro...

and trus me... i felt the same way u do rite now bout amrit before i took it... i alwayz thought to myself... if i die tomorrow then my whole life is wasted... the day i took amrit i was like, if i die tomorrow i'll die happy and with guru jee... tha's all i ever wanted...

Vaheguru....

luky u..

[Heera Singh]

Vaheguru...

well I guess since I started this topic I should tell my story as well...

lets see... k....

well ... i was by no means born into a Sikh family... my dad was (and still is) an alcoholic... he cut mine and my brothers hair when we were really young (we started off keeping our kesh)... all 3 of us were basically 'forced' to live the punjabi lifestyle i.e. partying every week, eating meat, bhangra etc... etc... newayz, we were all headed down the wrong way really fast, since we grew up in the ghettos of toronto.. growing up we were all into the 'thug life'.. our family started coming to sangat when i was in grade 5, which is when i actually started keepin my hair.. at that point i was forced to keep my hair... but a year or so into it my dad cut it again... and then my momz froced me to keep it again... the next few years while in juniour high i started fallowing the gangsta lifestyle like everybody else around me... i started chillin wit older peepz who were also on the wrong track, most of them my brothers friends.....newhoo.. in high school... continued the wrong lifestyle... even though i still went to sangat... i dunno, at that point i REALLY loved goin to sangat... loved doin kirtan, playin tabla n stuff.. but didn't have the discipline or nething.. i continued keeping my kesh... my older brother turned his life around a couple of years earlier... he took amrit and all that good stuff... but me and my oldest brother were still on the OTHER side... in high school i got involved with gangs, girls n crime n all that stuff... all my friends were either drug dealers or in jail or something.. at this point my mom was really into sangat too... after a while... my dad wouldn't let her go to sangat... he was 'anti-sikhi'/'anti-sangat' kinda thing... main reason he didn't want her goin to sangat was 'cause it made her HAPPY... and bein an INDIAN MALE... he COULDN'T let that happen... rite?... ... newhoo... my momz basically stopped goin because of him, but us 3 brothers continued to go... as i got into grade 11 i kinda started changin my wayz... at that point sangat really started rubbin off on me.. as well we had a LOT of family troubles at home between my parents... my dad, from grade 8-12, left home on n off... through the years the problems just got worse... would abuse my mom n stuff... i had taken amrit jus a while before that, just basically outta nowhere... however, through my stupidity i didn't keep it and respect it...

newayz, i started gettin serious wit my life... changed schools... got 'decent' friends ... they weren't into the whole thug life... they were actually a positive influence for me... at this point i started focussin on my sikhi and studies more n more... from then on up until now, I became closer and closer to some singhs in Sangat... even though i still kept wit a lot of my 'old ways' they were still a HUGE inspiration for me.. basically taught me almost everything i know about sikhi (i'm not sure if they want their names mentioned, so i'll keep them gupt)... about 3 years ago we moved from the GHETTO to the suburbs of Toronto (Brampton).. at this point my parents were separated, but it was a good thing, 'cause it allowed all of us to focus on our sikhi and allowed my mom to go to sangat... we were all basically happier ... Living in Brampton, where bout 80% of the population is punjabi (hehehe) we basically started a new life for ourselves... this was a HUGE thing for everybody in our family... living here there's ALWAYZ some kirtan program or sangat goin on somewhere... i slowly got into goin to gurdwara for simran and started goin to other programz in the area... also, i got to attend the Sikh camps we had here... about a year after moving i started to meet MANY chardi kalaa gursikhs living here (which i would have never met livin back there)... they helped influence me to follow my sikhi (at this point i had already broken my amrit, but was keen on goin for pesh, admitting my faults and retaking it ... i was older now and was gettin serious bout my sikhi)... i told myself i didn't wanna make the same mistake... with the help of my brothers around me, i started keepin up wit my amrit vela, attended regular kirtan programz durin the week, and got focused on my studies (which were REALLY behind before i moved here)... i cannot express HOW much the singhs around me really inspired me... gursikhs like those, man, wow... i can't express in words how grateful i am to Guru Jee for directing them towards me...

... as time went on, all i could think of was going back to Guru jee... EVERY day I would think bout taking amrit... i started reading more Bani and it was all gettin clearer to me... everything kept pointing towards Guru jee, and me taking amrit... i alwayz thought to myself... if i die tomorrow then my whole life is wasted... i tried to become more disciplined and faitful towards my Guru... in that time a few amrit sanchars had already gone by.. one thing that was really hindering me was the fact that i had a girlfriend... she was actually very positive towards me takin amrit and actually helped me in some sense... however the attachment for both of us was really hindering this step... i had way too much kaam ... after a while i told her that i would be taking amrit soon, i didn't know when but i WILL be taking it, whenever Guru jee calls me to his door... and basically we stopped everything... it was hard lettin go, but i thank her beacuse she kinda pushed me too.. she was very positive about it so that helped me out...

time went on and i couldn't wait no more... i told my mom that if i died that day then my whole life would be wasted... in July there was a Calgary sadh sangat Samagam... i actually wasn't going to go to this at first because i couldn't afford it... but somehow my ardaas was answered... i booked my ticket on a seat sale and i got a really good price that i could afford... the second i hit 'SUBMIT' on the website after purchasing my ticket i KNEW, okay this IS the sign... i knew there would be an amrit sanchar there that samagam... and i had made up my mind way before about this...

calgary samagam came and i was so nervous and scared about goin for pesh.. but i talked to some singhs who put me to ease.. they really supported me... for me it was WAY overdue.. hehe.. i thought back to the first time i took it, and for me it was like spur of the moment... it seemed like 'the thing to do'... 'cause everywhere i looked people were taking amrit, all the sangat around me was amritdhari.. i felt left out... but this time... it was a decision made by my body, mind, and soul together... Saturday July 2, 2005 i was reborn a SIKH... i thank Guru Jee with all my heart for giving me another chance... i thank all the sangat around me for being there with me... from then up until now, i have been at peace... tha day i came back home i told my mom, if i die tomorrow i'll die happy and with guru jee... tha's all i ever wanted... (being a mother she didn't wanna hear me talk about death, but she was so happy to see me happy and with Guru Jee)...

i know without Guru jee sending me to them, i'd probably be in jail, dead, or somewhere in between... without his grace, and his hand on my head, i wouldn't have got anything... i still don't even realize everything he does ... but it is a life task (seva) to devote myself to him...

that being said... i still have A LOT to learn and am far from where i should be.. and i hope i can learn a lot from all of you... i hope you can all continue to inspire and educate me... i hope i can continue to be in the sangat of chardi kalaa gursikhs... i know i must've done somethin right in one'a my previous lives to have your guyz darshan...

'Bin Bhagaa, satsang n labai.... bin sangat mail, bhareejai jeeo'

challo... SHUKAR HAI!!...

i'm sorry for writing a whole essay... hehehe... hope i didn't waste anybodys time...

Dhan Vaheguru....

bhul chuk maaf...

Vaheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Jee Kee Fateh..!!

[DivineJourney]

Vaheguru...

well I guess since I started this topic I should tell my story as well...

lets see... k....

well ... i was by no means born into a Sikh family... my dad was (and still is) an alcoholic... he cut mine and my brothers hair when we were really young (we started off keeping our kesh)... all 3 of us were basically 'forced' to live the punjabi lifestyle i.e. partying every week, eating meat, bhangra etc... etc... newayz, we were all headed down the wrong way really fast, since we grew up in the ghettos of toronto.. growing up we were all into the 'thug life'.. our family started coming to sangat when i was in grade 5, which is when i actually started keepin my hair.. at that point i was forced to keep my hair... but a year or so into it my dad cut it again... and then my momz froced me to keep it again... the next few years while in juniour high i started fallowing the gangsta lifestyle like everybody else around me... i started chillin wit older peepz who were also on the wrong track, most of them my brothers friends.....newhoo.. in high school... continued the wrong lifestyle... even though i still went to sangat... i dunno, at that point i REALLY loved goin to sangat... loved doin kirtan, playin tabla n stuff.. but didn't have the discipline or nething.. i continued keeping my kesh... my older brother turned his life around a couple of years earlier... he took amrit and all that good stuff... but me and my oldest brother were still on the OTHER side... in high school i got involved with gangs, girls n crime n all that stuff... all my friends were either drug dealers or in jail or something.. at this point my mom was really into sangat too... after a while... my dad wouldn't let her go to sangat... he was 'anti-sikhi'/'anti-sangat' kinda thing... main reason he didn't want her goin to sangat was 'cause it made her HAPPY... and bein an INDIAN MALE... he COULDN'T let that happen... rite?... ... newhoo... my momz basically stopped goin because of him, but us 3 brothers continued to go... as i got into grade 11 i kinda started changin my wayz... at that point sangat really started rubbin off on me.. as well we had a LOT of family troubles at home between my parents... my dad, from grade 8-12, left home on n off... through the years the problems just got worse... would abuse my mom n stuff... i had taken amrit jus a while before that, just basically outta nowhere... however, through my stupidity i didn't keep it and respect it...

newayz, i started gettin serious wit my life... changed schools... got 'decent' friends ... they weren't into the whole thug life... they were actually a positive influence for me... at this point i started focussin on my sikhi and studies more n more... from then on up until now, I became closer and closer to some singhs in Sangat... even though i still kept wit a lot of my 'old ways' they were still a HUGE inspiration for me.. basically taught me almost everything i know about sikhi (i'm not sure if they want their names mentioned, so i'll keep them gupt)... about 3 years ago we moved from the GHETTO to the suburbs of Toronto (Brampton).. at this point my parents were separated, but it was a good thing, 'cause it allowed all of us to focus on our sikhi and allowed my mom to go to sangat... we were all basically happier ... Living in Brampton, where bout 80% of the population is punjabi (hehehe) we basically started a new life for ourselves... this was a HUGE thing for everybody in our family... living here there's ALWAYZ some kirtan program or sangat goin on somewhere... i slowly got into goin to gurdwara for simran and started goin to other programz in the area... also, i got to attend the Sikh camps we had here... about a year after moving i started to meet MANY chardi kalaa gursikhs living here (which i would have never met livin back there)... they helped influence me to follow my sikhi (at this point i had already broken my amrit, but was keen on goin for pesh, admitting my faults and retaking it ... i was older now and was gettin serious bout my sikhi)... i told myself i didn't wanna make the same mistake... with the help of my brothers around me, i started keepin up wit my amrit vela, attended regular kirtan programz durin the week, and got focused on my studies (which were REALLY behind before i moved here)... i cannot express HOW much the singhs around me really inspired me... gursikhs like those, man, wow... i can't express in words how grateful i am to Guru Jee for directing them towards me...

... as time went on, all i could think of was going back to Guru jee... EVERY day I would think bout taking amrit... i started reading more Bani and it was all gettin clearer to me... everything kept pointing towards Guru jee, and me taking amrit... i alwayz thought to myself... if i die tomorrow then my whole life is wasted... i tried to become more disciplined and faitful towards my Guru... in that time a few amrit sanchars had already gone by.. one thing that was really hindering me was the fact that i had a girlfriend... she was actually very positive towards me takin amrit and actually helped me in some sense... however the attachment for both of us was really hindering this step... i had way too much kaam ... after a while i told her that i would be taking amrit soon, i didn't know when but i WILL be taking it, whenever Guru jee calls me to his door... and basically we stopped everything... it was hard lettin go, but i thank her beacuse she kinda pushed me too.. she was very positive about it so that helped me out...

time went on and i couldn't wait no more... i told my mom that if i died that day then my whole life would be wasted... in July there was a Calgary sadh sangat Samagam... i actually wasn't going to go to this at first because i couldn't afford it... but somehow my ardaas was answered... i booked my ticket on a seat sale and i got a really good price that i could afford... the second i hit 'SUBMIT' on the website after purchasing my ticket i KNEW, okay this IS the sign... i knew there would be an amrit sanchar there that samagam... and i had made up my mind way before about this...

calgary samagam came and i was so nervous and scared about goin for pesh.. but i talked to some singhs who put me to ease.. they really supported me... for me it was WAY overdue.. hehe.. i thought back to the first time i took it, and for me it was like spur of the moment... it seemed like 'the thing to do'... 'cause everywhere i looked people were taking amrit, all the sangat around me was amritdhari.. i felt left out... but this time... it was a decision made by my body, mind, and soul together... Saturday July 2, 2005 i was reborn a SIKH... i thank Guru Jee with all my heart for giving me another chance... i thank all the sangat around me for being there with me... from then up until now, i have been at peace... tha day i came back home i told my mom, if i die tomorrow i'll die happy and with guru jee... tha's all i ever wanted... (being a mother she didn't wanna hear me talk about death, but she was so happy to see me happy and with Guru Jee)...

i know without Guru jee sending me to them, i'd probably be in jail, dead, or somewhere in between... without his grace, and his hand on my head, i wouldn't have got anything... i still don't even realize everything he does ... but it is a life task (seva) to devote myself to him...

that being said... i still have A LOT to learn and am far from where i should be.. and i hope i can learn a lot from all of you... i hope you can all continue to inspire and educate me... i hope i can continue to be in the sangat of chardi kalaa gursikhs... i know i must've done somethin right in one'a my previous lives to have your guyz darshan...

'Bin Bhagaa, satsang n labai.... bin sangat mail, bhareejai jeeo'

challo... SHUKAR HAI!!...

i'm sorry for writing a whole essay... hehehe... hope i didn't waste anybodys time...

Dhan Vaheguru....

bhul chuk maaf...

Vaheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Jee Kee Fateh..!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bro u know how lucky you are????? AWESOME...GREAT U TURN !!!!! n ru stilll with that girl ? http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/grin.gif

[Deg_Teg_Fateh]

VAHEGURU JEE KA KHALSA!! VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!!!



I love these threads!!! VAHEGURU

I COUldnt help it!!!
Heera Singh Veerji --->check this out sept 25th 2005
http://www.sikhnet.com/hukam

Im gone crazzzed over this Shabad

i ll share my story later, I m too http://www.sikhsanga...tyle_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif to write nething @__@

VAHEGURU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!