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Yeah, what bhenjee said ^^^^^

I have a birthday coming up really soon and I wanted to know how to celebrate it. I was planning on doing Sukhmani Sahib JI da path, going to the Gurudwara Sahib. I also wanted to take a gift for Guru Ji to thank Guru JI for giving me this life. What I had in mind was finding a beautiful container for the dry parsad (like patsa) because currently a old garlic container is used. And maybe some fresh flowers. I can also use some ideas on what kindof container I should get.

That may be partly true, but before Sikhism why weren't those same rural folks fighting the tough central Asian Pathans and Turks with the Pathans were openly kidnapping Punjabi rural women and selling them in the Bazars for Takkas? We very often like to feel that it was us who were behind all the victories when the truth of the matter is it was Guru Jee's blessings. Without his kirpa we cannot get victory or gain an honourable Shaheedi. Anything good in us(Sikhs) is because of him and anything bad or weak in us is because of janam janam di mail in our mind. Although Sikhs have been brave through out Sikh history, even today we can hear of stories of bravery of Sikh soldiers in the Indian army during the indo pak wars or the bravery of the Sikh Khadkoos. But the best and truest of the Sikhs were of the Guru period. After the Guru period every subsequent generation many innovations and deviations crept into the Sikh mindset and even Sikh maryadha. So much so that by the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's period Sikhs who although were a brave people, but began to be influenced by innovations and deviations of the people surrounding them. Torturing POWs (if it's true) would be proof of the influence of innovations and deviations because a few generations before that during the time of Qazi Noor Mohammad Sikhs would never have done such a thing. If you see the SIkhs of today, they are even worse then the Sikhs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's period since now the Sikh mindset is polluted with even more innovations and deviations such as western culture and bollywood etc. besides being influenced by other religions/cultures. Today if a Sikh soldier gets a chance would probably have no moral problem in raping women. Not surprising since there is a 300 year gap between today's degraded Sikh and the pure Sikh of the first Khalsa generation who took Amrit from Guru Gobind Singh Jee. We need to emulate the Sikhs of the 1st Khalsa generation not the average Sikhs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh period since every subsequent generation gets degraded and polluted by external influences.

Come now Pedrorizzo, you know full well the British weren't keen on taking Sikh prisoners. Plenty of British accounts talk about British troops killing Sikh wounded or finding Sikhs asleep and killing them or even killing Sikhs who had won duels. If they were doing all that, what did they expect in return? Sikhs to treat all the white prisoners like royalty? Also bare in mind that many of these accounts have been jingoised in order to give the British the moral high ground in their 'noble struggle against uncouth heathens' as they would put it.

The Four Stages of Meditation 1. First, you must set yourself to meditate. It’s a good idea is to do some pranayama (breathing exercises such as alternate nostril breathing) and yoga exercises first to get your body stretched out, relaxed and energized so that your body doesn’t distract you during your meditation, plus, the energy that is stimulated by the yoga will help you meditate much better. All the energy in the central nervous system moves through the spinal cord, so you have to sit with a straight spine – all the vertebrae lined up without tension, but straight. Shoulders relaxed. That way you will not get sleepy, and will have a much more powerful experience. Meditation can be done with eyes closed and gazing at the third eye point (ajna) right in between the eyebrows, or with the eyes 9/10 closed but very slightly open ("sleepy eyes") gazing at the tip of the nose. The fixed gaze stimulates the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland and brings the brain into the alpha rhythm (relaxed but alert state) to allow yourself to let go and become absorbed into concentration. You can even meditate with your eyes open, staring at a single point such as a candle or a mandala. This is called yantra meditation. But we are going to discuss mantra meditation here, and that is much more easily done with eyes fully closed or 9/10 closed. 2. Second, you fix your attention on the mantra and the breath. This is called "Dharana." Meditation must begin with a focal point. That does not mean that you "stop thinking." No, it means that you begin focusing on the mantra and just let your thoughts happen. The mind will produce thousands of thoughts every second. That’s what it does! You can’t stop it. But you can use the mantra as a filter to clean the mind and the breath to gain control over it. 3. Third, you allow yourself to concentrate, "Dhyana." You must relax, let go and allow yourself to be drawn into the sound of the mantra and the rhythm of the breath. How? By listening deeply. This is what Guru Nanak Dev Ji means by "Suniai" in Japji Sahib. Suniai means deep listening. You must listen to the sound of your own voice as if it were a sound coming from outside yourself. Pay attention. Really hear the sound you are making. Listen deeply. Let your thoughts come and let your thoughts go. Watch them as they arise and fall away. Do not follow a thought. Observe it. As you begin this process, your ego will try to distract you: "My leg is falling asleep." "My nose is itching – should I scratch it, or just sit still?" "Did I remember to lock the door?" "Oh, I forgot to call veer ji!" etc. etc. This is where many people fail. People just give up too soon and say, "Well I can’t get into it. I’m not any good at meditating." Just let the thoughts come and then let them go. Although you cannot stop thinking, you can observe your own mind at work instead of letting it get you. Don’t let your thoughts ‘grab’ you. If you find yourself following a thought and forgetting the mantra, just let the sound bring your concentration back to the sound. If you keep going, you will get through this stage of distraction and enter a deeper stage of absorption. It is like magnets. Have you played with magnets? As they get closer you feel the pull and then they pull harder until they finally come together. Let the mantra pull you in. Go deeper… relax and let go. Allow yourself to be absorbed in the sound-current. Remember, the mind makes a wonderful servant, but a lousy master. Master your own mind. The tragedy of life is when the subconscious mind releases garbage into the conscious mind and you allow yourself to indulge in it. Keep going and clean out the garbage. 4. Lastly comes the stage of "Samadhi." In this stage of meditation you lose all track of time and space and become completely absorbed in your meditation. The breath becomes naturally very slow and deep and the thoughts of the mind fall away into the "background" while the mantra seems to go on all by itself, enchantingly beautiful. Vaheguru! Remember, if you do not have mental garbage come up while you are meditating, then you are doing it wrong. When you meditate, you will see your own dirt. You will see it very clearly, but the mantra will filter it and clean it for you. It is a gradual process. That’s why we must meditate every day. We are exposed to negativity, perversity, corruption and other people’s garbage every day and the garbage in our own subconscious mind builds up. So, first we need to clean out the past accumulated garbage, which takes a concerted effort, and then we need to meditate daily to keep the mind clean on an ongoing basis. You brush your teeth, wash your body and comb your hairs every day, right? You like to look neat and clean. So why not take care of your inside as well as you do of your outside? It is useless to look good on the outside and have a mind full of garbage which you then proceed to dump on others. Ugh! So how do people survive in a world full of negativity perversity, corruption and other people’s garbage, well, it’s eithermedicate or meditate! Some people try to get by by escaping from the garbage with drugs or alcohol. But then it is very temporary and the garbage is still there and keeps accumulating. So learn to meditate, clean out the rubbish and let your mind be your servant and not your master. Getting Started & Making a Commitment Okay, now that you have an overview of what meditation is and how to do it, the real work begins! You can read all you want but you will only benefit and experience this for yourself if you actually discipline yourself to DO IT! It can take time and practice so be patient with yourself and keep up! Just as you have to learn and practice playing a musical instrument, so you have to do the same with meditation. It might be difficult when you first start but as you practice you’ll get better and better and experience the benefits. Take some time to meditate every day. Even if you start with a short meditation and then gradually lengthen the time, the important thing is to be regular in your practice. When to Meditate You can meditate any time, however the most effective time is to get up early in the morning and use that special quiet time. The Amrit Vela ("Nectar Time") in the early morning hours is called that for a reason. Once the sun comes up, there are many more distractions and it can be very difficult to meditate. These early morning hours from 2.5 hours before the sun rises are when it is most quiet and you will be able to meditate and connect with your soul most effectively. When you first wake up you will probably feel sleepy. Don’t grab a chai or coffee. Instead I highly recommend that you take a cold shower and massage your whole body. Not only is this extremely healthy and will also keep you from being sick, but it will give you lots of energy, wake you up and make you feel great! Practice Makes Perfect You will see and feel many benefits from meditating when you practice on a regular basis, much more so than if you just do it from time to time. For meditation to be most effective you should work on creating a daily practice. I would suggest that you make a commitment to yourself to do a particular meditation for a set period of time. You could even get a few friends and family to commit with you so that you can be a support to each other and share your experiences. 40 days is a good minimum time to commit to. 40 days is required to change or make a habit. 90 days days is required to confirm a the new habit. 120 days days is required to make the new habit your identity. 1,000 days days is required to master the new habit. Simple Meditations To Start Your Practice There are many meditations and ways to meditate. There is no ONE way. However, for the sake of a starting point, Here are some meditations that I have done and you can use as well. Simple Meditation To Calm & Balance – In this video Guruka Singh summarizes the steps in waking up and getting ready for your morning "Sadhana" (daily discipline). He then explains how the breath (breathing) effects your mind and body. The video ends with him showing a simple breath meditation that will relax and calm your mind. Waheguru Simran: Audio Picks for Meditation – This is a list of "waheguru" audio tracks which you can listen to and download and use in meditation. Find one that you like (follow the instructions at the top of this page) and then sing out load with the audio. Kirtan Kriya (sa-ta-na-ma meditation) – The Kirtan Kriya meditation is one of the first meditations that I ever learned and is great for breaking habit patterns, emotional balance and just overall calmness and clarity. Yogi Bhajan used to say that if you had to chose just one meditation, to do this one. Long Ek Ong Kaar Meditation – In the town of Goindwal in Panjab, India, even today this Divine Mantra is still inscribed on the walls of the Bowli Sahib (sacred well) at the house of Guru Amar Das. By chanting — over and over — the rhythmic sequence of these eight sound-beats, (EK ONG KAR SAT NAM SIRI WAHE GURU) the mind is entrained with this 8 beats = infinity connection. There is a layering effect over the time that one chants this mantra, and eventually the big wheel of GOD runs the little wheel of self — appearing in our life as — THY will is MY will. Chant this mantra to focus, structure, discipline and empower the mind. Shabad Kriya Meditation – This meditation is great to practice before going to bed and will help you sleep deeply and be relaxed. Also great to help recover from fatigue caused by normal daily stress, travel and even jet lag. Other Meditations You Can Practice Sahej Sukh Dhyaan Meditation – This is a video with Guruka Singh talking about what meditation is and then walking you through the practice of this meditation. It will give you a very calm mind and the ability to listen deeply and understand the root of any situation. Sodarshan Chakra Kriya Meditation – Here is a powerful meditation described in Siri Guru Granth Sahib on page 1106 by Bhagat Jai Dev ji Meditation to Deal with Stress - In this video Gurucharan Singh talks about the effects of stress on our mind and body and gives a Kundalini Yoga exercise and meditation to help you deal with this stress. Seven-Wave Sat Nam Meditation – This meditation works to clear the mind of painful thought patterns much as the ocean waves wash the shore. Vibrating the sound of Sat Nam in seven waves will lift your energy, clear your mind and open you to a renewed experience of life. Man Jeetai Jagjeet – Conquer Your Mind & Conquer the World - Video class about the mind and a guided meditation that you can do while the video is playing. Meditation for Guidance – At times when the path of truth and clarity seems lost, calm yourself and still your mind, then the path will come to you. To live life according to the guidance of the inner truth is essential. If you do not, you will have doubts. If doubts are not removed, then frustration comes in. Frustration, when not released, leads to anger. Anger then leads to destructive action either to the self, others, or both. To stop this vicious cycle, create the habit to still the mind and ask questions of your own higher consciousness. This meditation can develop that capacity and strengthen your mental direction. Meditation to Hear the Inner Voice – With regular practice of this kriya, you will start hearing the inner voice, knowing exactly what is being said inside. Related Topics for More Reading Sadhana and the Soul – Learn about the term "Sadhana" and working on a daily discipline to connect with your soul. Simran – Remembering… - Most of us, when we think of Nam Simran think of "repeating God’s Name" out loud, either musically, or simply verbally we think…. "Sat Nam, Sat Nam, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru…" but actually, that is Japa, not Simran. Sadhana – Aradhana – Prabhupati – Video about setting a daily routine and rhythm in your life and the effects of doing so. Changing the way that you look at your daily Sadhana (Daily Discipline), Creating prosperity in your life. Past Tense – Questions and answers about meditation and leaving the past behind.

Historical accounts should be viewed within their context and can be very biased. The musllmans used to call Sikhs dogs and that we fought like dogs. Many accounts of Baba Banda Singh give a very biased and negative view, when writing about the enemy then it the account tends to be a little askew. If you read Jangnama although it too calls Sikhs dogs but within the text the writer cannot but admire the Sikhs also. It was one of the codes of conduct of the Sikhs that they never struck anyone from behind, or struck a defenceless person or unarmerd and were renound for not touching the females of the enemy. These were drilled into theSiks be Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself, so I find it a little difficult to accept that these practices existed or were the norm. When a Sikh takes amrit he becomes amar (immortal) and any shahidi will take him/her to Guru Sahib Ji, hence the fearless do or die attitude of the Sikhs plus they were very much naam-abihaasi with tonnes of naam which helped then overcome so much adversity.

* continue from above post... I'm sure they know where they have asked this question, ie a Sikh forum, but you know what, nothing is to be lost by asking, only a lot to be gained in regards to advise and opinions. What's the point in a forum if one cannot ask and question? Not everyone knows where to look for advise or where to turn for guidance, so if this is where they can ask and have guidance then all the better for this place and all the people who walk away with answers. To the OP, sorry I have not addressed your question but this was something I felt needed to be said. Peace.

Do you remember the sakhi where Guru Gobind SIngh Ji stood outside the brothel to stop his Singh from going inside? I am not comparing Prom to Brothel but I am asking you to keep in what kindof activities lead upto prom and happen after prom. Guru Gobind Singh Ji saved that Singh from making a mistake. And now its your turn to think about whether your going to use Guru JI's teachings to stop you from making such mistakes. Go through everything that happens at prom and ask yourself if Guru JI would approve and if you think Guru JI would, then go for it.

A committee needs to be made to do research into puratan saroops and gutka's in order to find correct paath and spellings, surely good research will answer these questions. Before SGPC had good researchers who produced good literature on Gurmat and sikh history, unfortunately this imstitution is now asleep. Now SGPC has members that will use corrupt means to gain votes, what hope is there that SGPC will provide these answers?

i live in london, one time i was in gurughar talking to a freashie mona from punjab... in a conversation about gursikhi and kesh he mentioned that he was "modern", i asked him to explain. he said "im modern because i cut my hair"... i said... using your logic... your not modern because you are here in gurduara sahib now. my point: alot of punjabi's that come here use backward logic. on another occasion a mona from punjab said to me "my parents are good, they dont force me to keep kesh" i said "my family dont force me, they dont keep kesh themselves"... he replied in a confused tone "then why keep it?"... :blink2: they clearly have not learnt from aardas that kesh is a gift from maharaj. from my personal interactions with freashies i do believe that they are generally conditioned to believe that keeping kesh is a burden. ਫਰੀਦਾ ਦੁਨੀ ਵਜਾਈ ਵਜਦੀ ਤੂੰ ਭੀ ਵਜਹਿ ਨਾਲਿ ॥ Farīḏā ḏunī vajā▫ī vajḏī ṯūʼn bẖī vajėh nāl. Fareed, the world dances as it dances, and you dance with it as well. ਸੋਈ ਜੀਉ ਨ ਵਜਦਾ ਜਿਸੁ ਅਲਹੁ ਕਰਦਾ ਸਾਰ ॥੧੧੦॥ So▫ī jī▫o na vajḏā jis alhu karḏā sār. ||110|| That soul alone does not dance with it, who is under the care of the Lord God. ||110|

He motivates me That stuff he says about slaves, can be applied to us Sikhs. My goals are my own

Har kee Katha Sargun and Nirgun Katha has its differences as we are all aware. Nirgun Katha of Gurbani is the greatest but many people initially gain Vairaag and Vivek hrough listening to Katha of Sooraj Prakash and also sections such as the 5th ruth of the Sooraj Prakash hold all the brahmgian vidya required to understand the deep mystical compositions and Gurbani and the atma. To totally ignore katha of Sargun Upashna is dangerous. If that is done then when Katha of Gurbani is done and uthanikas have to be given or details explained of who the guru is giving updesh to where and why, how can it be done without knowing the historical perspective of the shabad. Most of this can be found in the Sri Sooraj Prakash. The ideal example is the Dohras from Salok Mahalla 9 where one one of the saloks are by Guru Gobind Singh Ji and from the numerous puratan saroops i have seen of Guru Sahib one will find it under the title of Mahalla 10. The saloks are direct questions and answers and the ithaas of the saloks and dohra can be found in Raas 12 Ansoo 60 - 62 in the Sri Sooraj Prakash. Another example is that there are 3 So Dars in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji but were all uttered at different places to different audiances thus the difference in the wording and language differ from one another. If the historical perspective is not know then to and Tom, Jo and Harry it looks like Guru Sahib put the same shabad it 3 times for no reason. Again all three of these are explained in the Sri Nanak Parkash when they appear as updesh at different places to different audiences. Doing katha on the lives and teachings of the Gurus are as imporatant to us as Gurbani. All is Har Ki Katha regardless of Sargun or Nirgun Hari. We should not implore such a Christiann (semitic) ideal in the way that they should only preach the new testiment and give up all historical psalms, apostiles and doctrines. By doing this you can ask the christians about many parts of the bible and they will not have a clue as to where, when or why the psalms or prayers were written.