lakhvir

GuruFatehJi. Have you ever wanted to see the Guru? In the Bana, you are the very body of the Guru. Have you ever wanted to hear the Guru? In the Bani (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj), you can hear Him. Have you ever wanted to know how the Guru's presence was like? In the SatSangat, you can feel Him. Have you ever wanted to know what was in His mind? In the power of Simran, you can discover it. Have you ever thought what the Guru loved to eat? In the Langar, you have that very feeling. There is not a very big difference between the Guru and you, His GurSikh. He blessed you with His very form, mind and spirit. When we become like the Guru, then will be ready to see Him, hear Him, feel Him and be Him. That is the power He has given to every Sikh. Realise it. GuruFatehJi. L*

GuruFatehJi. Guage your life in two simple options. Let the Guru be your guide! B) GuruFatehJi. L*

GuruFatehJi. Thank you, kps ji. Please do that asap so that we can begin work in earnest, once the families approve. Very thoughtful of you to discuss with the family, thank you so much. Chardikala to you. Do pass this forum's heartfelt condolences and support to the families. GuruFatehJi. L*

GuruFatehJi. Thank you so much, preetsingh ji, for your extremely thoughtful and helpful post. You're so right, we got lost in our sorrow so much that we missed our attention for those who are equally dear to us. Let's pray for them all and help them up on their feet again, and walk the path together with them. It wou ld be amazing to see these GurSikhs recover fully to continue to inspire us and serve our great Panth. Our Ardas goes out to Gangandeep Singh, Mundeep Singh, Sundeep Singh, Sukhjinder Singh and Teghbir Singh. May Akal Purakh Waheguru bless these GurSikhs with ever present Chardikala as they overcome this difficult and challenging phase in their lives. Do keep us posted about their progress. And if anyone is directly in touch with them, please have them know that we are all so very concerned about them and stand by them in their time of challenge. GuruFatehJi. L*

Right Before Our Eyes By Jagdeep Kaur Quest for knowledge is the very drive of life and each one of us has innumerable questions that we seek answers to. For many of our questions we do find the answers, but we largely remain unsatiated, sometimes even emptier than when we started. Like a child who innocently asks so many questions and questions even the answers, in some ways adults are like children only they ask questions in ignorance. Children usually find a particular joy in getting their questions answered because their questions are genuine, so that they can understand as they grow, but adults ask questions that are investigative or suspicious in nature and thus find themselves as lost as ever. As Sikhi progresses into its fifth century since Guru Nanak penned its philosophy, Guru Arjan recorded it and Guru Gobind Singh formalised it, Sikhs find that challenges are growing by the year. Some even think that some of their beliefs and practices are 'out-dated'. They struggle to keep up with a world that is 'modernising' way too fast for others whose beliefs, practices and principles are 'old-fashioned'. That is one of the points where a Sikh begins to question his very faith. In an attempt to find answers, the Sikh looks around everywhere and gets all sorts of answers which cause further confusion. The reason for this is that the Sikh does not get honest answers, with everyone giving their own views and perspectives, each one strongly defending their own. So, what happens to Sikhs who are out looking for answers? They get disillusioned and begin to lose faith. They tend to follow those who sound convincing ignore the rest, w ithout weighing truth and falsehood. This become a dangerous point of turn, for these Sikhs will call themselves Sikh, but in essence are not because they have lost touch with their religion and follow only things that they find comfort in and ignore the rest. In the first place, life for a Sikh wasn't meant to be so complicated. The countless sacrifices made by our ancestors, with history standing by as their sole witness, have paved the path for us to follow. Even on this path, we question those who show us the way. Our ego degenerates our very thinking and clogs our mind. We forget to look in the first place where we would have found all the answers to our questions. The source of those answers lies right before us and we still do not see it. We believe the answers are 'out there'. We haven't stopped to think that someone spent all their life seeking answers for us and they are right before our eyes. If only we could realise that this source will answer half our questions in just a few words. The rest of the questions would just disappear in the process of seeking the very first ones. A million questions, perhaps even a billion and countless more such questions abound in our own minds, but we run away from them. Our approach to seeking answers is exactly the same as the others' - ignorance. We may find an answer to a question but it gives birth to ten more and they mutate further into countless more and we reach a point where we are so overwhelmed by the questions that answers have been spared no space in our minds. I know one place where our questions can be answered and it is the very first place we should look to and it is a guarantee that we will find the answers right there in one place. We need not even wander half-way around the world in our search, because some chosen, enlightened souls spent their entire lives in searching and revealing the answers to us. They lived and gave their lives by example to prove that these are the real answers and that no one else ca n lay claim to alternative truth. These answers are Truth, and Truth cannot be changed, and has been so since time began. These answers lie in one place, and remain before us in all those souls combined and embodied in the one answer to all the millions of questions we have within us. The Guru Granth Sahib. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON www.sikhe.com

GuruFatehJi. I have this great urge to put together a memorial website in honour of the passing of those great GurSikhs. I thought I would pass this idea onto the sangat on this forum. There is so much to say about those great GurSikhs. On this site, we can put their profiles, gallery, audio and video realted to their work. We could even put up all the goodwill messages from friends and admirers. This can become the one website which will remind our youth of the kind of role models we can become. If we feel this is a worthwhile project (i don't doubt it one bit), let us put together a team, regardless of the borders which separate us and let's put this site together. I can work on the concept, information and architecture and design. We also need someone who can put the site together (programming) and someone also to gather all the content. Please let us try and give this project a chance. Who knows, it is the least we could do in honour of the work those great GurSikhs did in such a short time in their fruitful life, in our benefit. GuruFatehJi. L*

GuruFatehJi. As posted on Sikhnet.com by Rajvir Deol: 'This is a tragedy that has left the Sikh community in grief. It seems almost surreal to me. Just a few weeks back Charnjit Singh was at our local Vaisakhi parade. The spectators were amazed by his Gatka skills. He was a full-time instructor and had inspired many to take Gatka classes. I remember the look on my little brothers face when we were watching the Gatka demonstration. Charnjit Singh was surrounded by 8-9 Singhs, he did this amazing jump and twirled his kirpan in mid-air. Looked like a scene out of the Matrix. His Gatka was lightening fast. Now he's gone. Paramjit Singh Chalal was a youth leader that was starting a revival of Sikhi here in BC amongst the youth. For a long time we needed katha-vichar in English, Paramjit Singh was one of a few youth leaders who provided this. There aren’t Sikh colleges or institutions from where we can produce English speaking preachers. Paramjit Singh was a one of a very few youths who had come together to learn Sikhi on their own and create English darbars all on their own. The elders were more than happy at what they were accomplishing. Just 2 weeks ago we watched Paramjit on the special Vaisakhi programme aired on TV. He explained Sikh principles and …now he’s gone. I was heart broken to learn that these two Singhs were 2 of the 3 people killed in the accident. I just thought why, why God? Why? Their demise made me think. Death can come at any time. Have I accomplished the life mission? These two Singh’s had done great service and had lived the GurSikh life, but what about those that never do? All the wealth, vanity, family, status, they all become fu tile. One shabad keeps resounding in my head: “Those who have meditated on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and departed after having worked by the sweat of their brows O Nanak, their faces are radiant in the Court of the Lord, and many are saved along with them! ||1|” - Jap ji Sahib, Salok' GuruFatehJi.

GuruFatehJi. 'This is a great loss for the Sikh community. These three individuals were absolutely outstanding role models and leaders. These three were real jewels. There is sangat travelling from all over North America to attend the services - these Gursikhs inspired thousands of others around the world. But alas it is all in the sweet will and command of God, which is never inappropriate or incorrect. We are trying to deal with the tragedy while keeping in mind that there are reasons for this event that we do not understand right now. We have to come to terms with the fact that there is a greater power managing the inventory of great and exceptional souls on Earth. Hopefully we can live upto the legacy that these three Sikhs have left for us.' - Kulpreet Singh http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion....B2?OpenDocument L*

GuruFatehJi. 'The trajedy has left Edmonton's Sikh's very heart broken, these are the type of young Sikhs we admire and want our kids to emulate, yet such a horrible fate befell upon them. My heart goes out to their families, may WaheGuru give you strength at this difficult time.' - Gary S Deol http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion....9B?OpenDocument L*

GuruFatehJi. I just downloaded Bibi Rina Kaur Ji's Kirtan. Beautiful. So blissful. And she was only 17 years old? Listening to her voice and Kirtan sounds so unlike what I've heard. One can only say that her Kirtan was beyond her age and was inspired by something far beyond this world. It seems to have been coming from Sachkhand Itself . . . Wahegooroo . . . Thank you and bless you, for posting her Kirtan on the forum. Do we have more of her Kirtan available for download? GuruFatehJi. L*

GuruFatehJi. If someone as far, thousands of miles away, can feel a jolt of loss and awakening, I can only shudder to imagine what impact all this must have made on those who knew, met and sought ths sangat of those great GurSikhs. I had never heard of them, and now when I did, they were gone. Imagine such a loss, where you would thirst to meet such Chardikala Guru de Sikh and all of a sudden, they leave behind a bigger void than there was before. From all the posts, I see how great Canada's Sikhs are - Dhan mera Guru, Dhan oday sachhay, uchhay, pakkay Sikh!! There is so much Chardikala in your country, that I feel so drained of lacking it in my country. Even as i think about your loss, and mine, I try and comfort myself with Kirtan - even then I can feel tears wanting to wash this soul of mine. If there are such Chardikala GurSikhs amongst us, to inspire and uplift us, I have just been blessed with a new awakening. I'm really touched by the personal interactions that the sangat on this forum shared with all of us. I believe that one way to thank Waheguru for those great GuruSikhs' lives, is to take it up from where they left. If we can personally reach the levels to which they were at, and take it even further, those souls would have found their lives to be of fruit. They liberated themselves while alive, through Naam Simran, and now that they are gone, they have only begun to journey closer to awakening our slumbering souls. Indeed a great loss, only Waheguru knows why they left us at such an early stage, but I feel it is time for us to realise how we just do not have enough time to realise our mission in life. There is so much to do in prepar ation for the journey millions have already made, and we await that day when Waheguru says, 'You have inspired others, come, let's now move a realm higher . . .' Waheguru bless you all, always, for through this forum, this moorakh is being transformed. Waheguru bless the departed souls. 'charan kamal kaa aasaraa dhoojaa naahee t(h)aao I take the Support of the Lord's Lotus Feet; there is no other place of rest for me.' - GURU ARJAN DEV JI L*

Kenya (I guess the only one from Africa on this site). :umm: L*

GuruFatehJi. many must have come across someone or some people who may have converted to another faith. if that happens at one's own will and study, it is understandable that one truly seeks the TRUTH. but where we have crusades and campaigns to approach a certain community to change their course of faith and religion, are they going too far. these days, a faith will convert en mass to their own because they preach that their religion is the only one approved by GOD. the other religions are just lost people. so they go ahead, without prior knowledge of the faith they are appraoching to convert. they spread their word and they preach day and night and count how many people thay have brought to the 'right path'. imagine relgious conflicts, religious wars . . . animosity in the name of religion . . . hatred for the other . . . all in the HOLY NAME OF GOD? are they fighting for GOD? are they killing each other to please GOD. do these people really think that GOD approves of that? if only we could realise that all religions have the same message. many do know all that and they still go stray. one of the holy scriptures says, 'judge not'. and many of that faith will consider another a 'non'believer', a 'kafir'. have they not judged? what good is that scripture doing them? that scripture has tonnes and tonnes of wisdom and only too often we bring in and add our own to suit ourselves. all holy books and scriptures are useless for someone who just has them under his pillow but has not searched their real essence. what is GOD trying to tell you in those scriptures? more often we take things literally, even from religious books and scriptures. and th at starts the coversions. one day, someone just stands up and says, 'hey you, your faith does not know GOD better than my faith does! the way you pray will not take you to GOD! you're lost! come and listen what my faith has to say!' and then soon, a poor fellow, is made to believe he was born in the wrong faith as if we are the ones who decide wh at religion to take birth into. and the newly converted will do his best to follow his new religion. that's fine. but what of his former? and his ex-companions of his faith? will he not also try and explain to them the same way? and the dominos begin falling. the idea of bringing up this matter is to ask a few simple questions: when all major religions preach about GOD, how to be good, how to be one with HIM, how to love others and tolerate others, then why does one wise religion come and contradict their own teachings? who are we pleasing by converting people for the sake of dominating over the other. is this is a real campaign for truth? what's wrong with us? we have the knowledge but no brains. we have forgotten how to think, how to reason, how to love. all we are doing is building your ego . . . 'me, mine, my' . . . my religion, i'm right, i tell you, you're wrong . . . look how stupid we are becoming. the more we're accumulating our academic achievements, the more we are forgetting what the simple things in our holy books tell us. GOD speaks to us in very simple words. only we think we're clever. foolishness keeps growing like a week until it chokes. this world is GOD's play. HE's making everything and also annihilates everything. even religions are part of HIS play. we divided ourselves into religions and beliefs, but even then GOD loved us. HE sent HIS messengers to each divide so that we could remember GOD. that's why all the world's scriptures match in may ways becasue the source is the same. today, HE's looking at us from a distance. watching from up above, HE's witnessing to what lengths we go to in HIS NAME. we are causing suffering upon ourselves because of our stupidity. do you really think GOD is punishing us when HE is 'nirvair' [without enmity]. we are the ones punishing ourselves. we all know how people have made religion into a business. they are selling GOD! they have put a bar code on GOD! we speak against others in our own houses of worrship, we draw swords and guns in the holy abodes, we fight and gouge each other for leadership of a religious premises. HOLY GOD, rescue us! we are lost because we have remembered only ourselves! we have fallen short of the GLORY of GOD. but HE still loves us. we lie, we fight, we do all bad things in the name of religion and still GOD loves us. one day, we'll stand before him, accounting for our deeds. then what do we have to say? what and who will save us? the very religion we have followed has already been saturated with our ego. we need HIM now because we don't know how we have displeased HIM who has loved us from the day we were born. L*

Guru Gobind Singh jee was asked by Mata Gujree jee, whether he missed seeing his 4 martyred sons. The Master replied, "You are wrong if you think I had only four sons, I have thousands of sons and in them I see the four I sacrificed. Those four sons were four virtues from Waheguru, their body pots were to be smashed so that those virtues could be poured into the Khalsa. Ajit means unconquerable, my Khalsa would rather die fighting than run like a coward. Jujhar means warrior, my Khalsa is powerful and strong. Zorawar means Power, as long as my Khalsa is distinct I will give them all of my power. Fateh is victory, my Khalsa will fight for Waheguru's victory. O Mata Jee, when I see one Sikh with these 4 qualities I see all four sons."

GuruFatehJi. khalistan. politics at akal takht. religious boundaries. your enemies. work. family feuds. your worries. forget all these just for a while and when you've done that and your mind is empty of them, think about GOD. HE's waiting to fill into that empty mind. really, it's true. we have so much in our minds that we hardly leave GOD any space in our lives. we only think we have space for GOD, but really, we are just consoling ourselves. have you paused for a few moments from your busy life to think about GOD. apart from the daily prayers which have become like a ritual, have you ever wondered what GOD really wants from you? HE wants a little attention from you. HE also seeks you, you know that? we just run away from HIM. we literally ignore him. are you involved in the things listed in the first paragraph? if yes, you have run away from HIM. do you also know that we have left GOD lonely? we usually pray to HIM telling HIM that we are with HIM and also asking HIM things. are we genuine in our love for GOD? is our love undivided for HIM? if it is, the things listed above will never be in your mind. HE's waiting for you to let HIM sort them out for you. GOD's awaiting your attention. everyday, HE either waits for you in the morning hours or in the evening. what about the other 20 hours? HE misses you. L*

GuruFatehJi. one would wonder what penalties lie for those sikhs who break the amrit vows. we are all subject to making mistakes and get easily tempted by the worldly attractions. weak willpowers will always be overwhelmed by maya. and that weakness destroys the spiritual link to the guru. amrit vows are taken by those who have a sound mind and an unshaken faith in the guru. amrit is on official surrender to the will of WAHEGURU and the guru then takes over your life's responsibility. when you take amrit, the guru tells you that from that day onwards, you are his responsibility. that surrender is the ultimate display of love for guru and GOD. submission to the will of GOD is the highest sacrifice we can ever make to GOD. amrit shakna is a sacrifice that few can make. every amritdhari has the power of the guru in him and equals him to 125,000 men. spiritually speaking, amrit enjoins you to the world of nanak. when one is not an amritdhari, that sikh is required to do the best he can to live according to the sikh rehat maryada. he/she is adviced to earn an honest livelihood, share his/her hard earnings with the needy and meditate on WAHEGURU. the quest and thirst for amrit comes naturally to any sikh that adheres to the sikh code of conduct and lives a pure life amidst the world's impurities. one who takes amrit and then breaks the vows must repeat the amrit advocation. by taking amrit, one's past misdeeds and sins are washed away. an person who disrespects the amrit by breaking its vows becomes a creditor to the guru. it amounts to the greatest wrong done to the guru and also, GOD. we do not know the depth of the love of the guru and WAHEGURU, so we cannot imagine what our punishments could be for that injustice done. but one thing for sure is that the penalty could be [or most likely is] punishing yourself to the endless cycle of births and deaths from which no one is salvaged unless the grace of WAHEGURU is upon that person. it is this life where we can find GOD. there is no second time. if one is a bad sikh, you can very well say goodbye to your chances of being born as another in the next life. gurbani speaks of this human life as being temporary and a precious one. we do not know what good deeds we may have done in our past lives that we were blessed with a human birth, or even as a sikh. a sikh is like one pollen grain of a sunflower. if you can count the number of pollens in one sunflower, you can be sure that it takes that number of births for one to be born a sikh. sikhi is a blessing. amrit is a gift. life is precious. do yourself a favour: think before you take amrit. you must live by it. it is not easy. if on earth a bad soldier can be shamed and excommunicated from the forces, do you also realise that religion and faith also have their own rules and discipline? it is not easy to meet the guru and WAHEGURU. amrit ensures your link to GOD. amrit is the guru's promise that through it, your reincarnations have ended and you will meet and merge with WAHEGURU. the guru is the spiritual chain that links you to GOD. it is up to you to hold the chain and make it to the other side because apart from that, nothing else will help you. before taking amrit, pray to WAHEGURU. ask HIM to bless you with the wisdom of understanding what plans HE has for you when you take amrit. what GOD is waiting to give you is far out of our own imagination. whatever GOD has planned for you is better than what we dream about because GOD's gifts don't die, our dreams do and we do. L*

GuruFatehJi it did not take anyone to put pressure on me to quit eating meat. eating meat has been the biggest confusion among sikhs and even amritdhari sikhs will stress on all sikhs that a sikh must be a vegeterian. i do not have the intention to say who is right and who is wrong in this debatable issue. i've never been a meat fan but i did not mind processed meat like hot dogs, meat sandwiches and all that. i used to love hot dogs and they are the ones that got me to quit eating non-vegeterian food altogether. it was one of those days when i stopped by a store to grab a hotdog and half way through eating it made me feel so horrible inside. all of a sudden, it tasted really bad. the more my spirit complained the more i hated every bite. and that was it. i had made up my mind that the spirit was not willing yo accept any more non-vegeterian stuff. i love sikhi and read books and get inspired to become a real singh, a true khalsa. as yet, i can very easily call myself one but i know that i'm lying to myself and i am not until i take the eternal gift of amrit. until that happens, i know that each time i take a step in learning more about my religion and it's values, the more the inner spirit guides me. giving up eating meat was one of those calls from the inner spirit. and having made up my mind 100% on never to go back to eating meat again, i have never felt cleaner and happier in spirit. the soul feels good. no one ever told me that eating meat was okay for sikhs because every sikh has a doubt over it. some love and cannot leave it but that's their life and i am no one to get them to stop. likewise, just as no one invited me to begin eating meat, no one adviced me to stop and that means a lot to me. that's because the world can mislead but the inner spirit will never mislead. that's what i have come to believe. it's not at all difficult having people around you eating non-vegeterian food. it's their choice to eat meat and equally mine not to do the same. i respect everyone's choice because that's what kills our ego. i have friends who i go out with who eat meat but never has any thought occured to me to ask them why they eat meat. i doesn't mean anything to me. a sikh friend of mine does not eat meat at all except for fish [ which many people believe is not meat! ]. he's a full kesdhari sikh who doesn't seem to have clipped off even one string of hair amongst most of our sikh youths in kenya who have trimmed beards. i respect my friend, to notice how he's holding on so religiously to the gift of kesh. the only thing he does, which most people will say is wrong for a sikh to do, is eat fish. i have never intended to get him to stop eating fish if he already keeps away from other meats. i know that the day he feels it is wrong to eat fish, he will stop. and that is what happened with my case. the day i realised my body did not crave for meat, i stopped in my tracks. but that is not the end to being a non-vegeterian. it's only been a couple of months since i gave up meat and it is interesting to note that whenever i ask for a vegeterian menu at the restaurants, there are some riased eyebrows '. . . huh? a sikh not wanting meat?' that is the impression people have of most sikhs in my country that sikhs are never known to keep away either the chicken or the bottle of alcohol. sikhs in my country are known to be good drinkers. it's a sad impression but in a country where the sikh leaders are also good boozers themselves, we all know too well that an ill in the society will go on. well, to conclude my little story which i thought i would share with my cybersikhs, i only felt the need to tell it as much as i felt the need to quit eating meat. it is easy to criticise someone but not so easy to correct. the meat eating debate will live many lore long years in the sikh community until in each one of us the inner voice is listened to and obeyed. for now, we cannot expect every sikh to be spiritually inclined. that is how we are made. at times, it is best to have a chat with your friends but whatever message they get out of the chat is up to each one of us. just like our gurus never criticised a wayward sikh, they corrected them in their own individual ways. but how many of us practice the humility of our most revered gurus? to those who eat meat, i would say that it does not change my impression about you and that you are just as much loved by the guru as much as his gursikhs are. only we must learn to listen to the inner voice that does not like to shout. are we listening? L* PS: It's been over 3 years since I wrote this article for Sikhnet, and since, even my friend (who I mentioned used to eat only fish) has quit completely. Today, he says, he cannot even stand the smell of it. Dhan WaheGuru!!

GuruFatehJi. at a time when we were going through a difficult phase in life a year back, looking deep within for answers and reasons, the guru holds your hand and leads you to it. in the past few months, our family has been trying to cope with a domestic crisis which has left almost everyone heartbroken. i just realised what causes family crisis, and the guru has told us about them all along. i found an answer in the beautiful shabad below when i made a search of sikhitothemax.com, in the longing to know what gurbani says about family. in the following extract, gurbani opened the pages of life right before me. he spoke to me over 500 years ago and the words still ring true for us, and will ever be true. guru nanak in guru granth sahib (page 137) says: 'pehilai piaar lugaa thhun dhudhh First, the baby loves mother's milk; dhoojai maae baap kee sudhh second, he learns of his mother and father; theejai bhuyaa bhaabhee baeb third, his brothers, sisters-in-law and sisters; chouthhai piaar oupu(n)nee khaedd fourth, the love of play awakens. pu(n)juvai khaan peean kee dhhaath Fifth, he runs after food and drink; shhivai kaam n pushhai jaath sixth, in his <admin-profanity filter activated> desire, he does not respect social customs. suthuvai su(n)j keeaa ghur vaas Seventh, he gathers wealth and dwells in his house; at(h)uvai krodhh hoaa thun naas eighth, he becomes angry, and his body is consumed. naavai dhhoulae oubhae saah Ninth, he turns grey, and his breathing becomes labored; dhusuvai dhudhhaa hoaa suaah tenth, he is cremated, and turns to ashes. ge ae sigeeth pukaaree dhhaah His companions send him off, crying out and lamenting. ouddiaa hu(n)s dhusaaeae raah The swan of the soul takes flight, and asks which way to go. aaeiaa gaeiaa mueiaa naao He came and he went, and now, even his name has died. pishhai puthal sadhihu kaav After he left, food was offered on leaves, and the birds were called to come and eat. naanuk munumukh a(n)dhh piaar O Nanak, the self-willed manmukhs love the darkness. baajh guroo ddubaa su(n)saar Without the Guru, the world is drowning.' WAGEGURU listens to us and advices us, too. gurbani becomes the balm to our life's challenges. i'm learning to discover that all really does happen by HIS WILL, and it is when we are put to test is when we realise if what we believe is truly our practice. it all comes down to practical faith, just as a friend comforted me with another wise quote, 'if GOD takes you to it, HE will take you through it.' in all humility, i submit to my WAHEGURU . . . HIS love never fails, for i know that if all happens by HIS WILL, it is so to put things in order for our good. L*

We are truly fortunate to have not only the human form, but also, the life of a Sikh; and Gurbani is living testimony to that fact. Over 300 years after Guru Gobind Singh decorated and formalised the Khalsa Panth, and we find that Sikhism is alive to this day even amongst rising modernism and worldly filth. But the very fabric of our culture, religious values and moral principles are crumbling under the weight of apathy, miseducation and ignorance. The fear in today’s world is not as much of war and uncertainties, but of Truth itself. When one fears Truth, there is nowhere to run, but away from it. There begins the decay of the self and of society. Guru Gobind Singh created a beautiful Panth and we owe our being and our peace to not only to our Gurus for their unfaltering foresight, but also to the thousands of their devoted Sikhs who sacrrificed their life, limb and all, so that they could safe-guard the faith for coming generations. Sacrtifices have been forgotten and Gurmat put aside. Manmat rules today because we think we know more than our Gurus. So what makes a Sikh? By simply being born into the Sikh faith certainly doesn’t. Neither does the show of wearing a turban and keeping of kesh alone. Even though we fulfil our obligation to doing our daily Nitnem and visiting the Gurudwara, still that does not easily make a Sikh. To many, being a Sikh is difficult and to others, easy. To those who feel it difficult, the reasons are many and to those who find it easy, their reasons are far less and simpler. Why does being a Sikh feel so tough? Some people are easily influenced by the ways of the world. They pick the world’s weaknesses and feel comforted that they are not alone in what they do. Many think that there is simply too much to do and that they have not the time. Others are intimidated by the world and give in. And what makes it so easy for the others to be a Sikh? They love the Guru. They love what he loved and hold dear what He did. They remember their sacrifices, teachings and the faith their countless followers exhibited. For them, the Guru’s Will is ultimate. As the Guru instructs, so they follow. They just cannot forget their history for it is history that drives them forward. They are not deluded by the world’s ways, and live in high spirits (Chardikala). They are not just religious, they live in the world and within the ideals set by the Gurus. They know no other way and trust the Guru. This is where the former group has faltered - they have simply lost faith in their Guru - and wander in all directions looking for an escape and alternative beliefs. There are also those who meet half-way. Many who wear turbans and beards and are even Amritdhari are incomplete Sikhs if they have not forsaken their ego, greed, lust, wrath and attachment. Those who have forsaken the five vices and yet, do not adhere to the faith’s Bana (uniform), are incomplete too. Often people claim that it is the inside that is more important while the outside form is unimportant. Nothing could be more further away from truth. The Guru seeks his complete Sikh - one who not only reads the Bani, and live up to its teachings, and keeps the identity of a Sikh as well. Bani and Bana are inseparable for a true Sikh of the Guru. There are no compromises because complete trust is their guiding support. Guru Gobind Singh said that a Sikh is not dear to him, but Rehat (Sikh Code of Conduct) is. The fact will remain and will never change because there were valid reasons for the Guru having emphasised on the Bani and Bana. They know what lies ahead, we don’t. The Guru’s way can never be wrong, our’s can. The way of the Guru is one of discipline, humility and love . Our way is bound with attachment, ego, lust, wrath and greed. Manmat is corruptive, Gurmat is corrective. Being a Sikh is, thus, all about our love for the Guru. If we do not follow what the Guru has instructed, all forms of devotion and good deeds are futile. All the Guru seeks from us is our trust in Him. Do we trust the Guru? The Guru awaits the day when we can hand over our vices to Him and trust Him to lead us. That is when we will have true peace and become true Sikhs of the Guru. L*

GuruFatehJi. Rajvir wrote on Sikhnet: 'This is a link to a BBC article in which people from across India were asked what they would do if made Prime Ministe. The thing that really caught my attention was the appearance of each of the individuals compared to the Singh. Take a look yourself and you'll know what I mean. Our God given appearance is truly majestic and beautiful, given that one knows how to manage it. As Singhs, we don't have to shout our faith and values, they literally shine through. I know we all aren't given the 'desirable' features ( i.e. sharp nose, fair skin, straight teeth), but we each still have our God given beauty, which doesn't need to be deformed.' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3568731.stm L*

Oh, All Those Celebrations! By Jagdeep Kaur As much as fanfare and celebrations excite the world, they sometimes worry me. Every year, I keenly observe the dedication with which Sikhs around the world mark the day of Vaisakhi. In 1999, the world witnessed the same celebrations, but on a grander scale. Now, we have amongst us more celebrations and, from what I gather, I can see how people are so fond of their heritage that they like to share it with the rest of the world. So, what am I really worried about then? I'm rather confused. While all these celebrations are being done with earnest intentions, I'm left lost for words about where we are headed. As a Sikh who constantly works towards bettering the self and becoming Khalsa, which really is the true picture of a Sikh, I'm ever in search for ways in which I can become closer to my Guru. This is besides visiting the Gurudwara or knowing the names of our Gurus that I believe most Sikhs are simply comfortable to know. As for the rest, they just wait for life to do it for them. It doesn't work that way. Going to the Gurudwara, doing our nitnem and doing seva are all becoming empty rituals. Then we have all these celebrations happening and people hardly even realise how the Guru has created opportunities for us to wake up and use them to become Gursikhs. We have simply become a lazy lot and thankless too. How can one claim to be a Sikh when they do not even heed the Guru's Hukam? If the basics are not even being done, then what is the use of going to the Gurudwara and taking part in seva? It is sad to note how many Sikh youth are doing away with their kes, and to cap the shock, the elders are no less lost. Men are trimming their beards and cutting their kes and the women are no less guilty of cutting short their kes. Chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol doesn't even strike us as an insult to the Guru. We squabble in our Gurudwaras, we break the Sikh code of conduct, and yet we dare to call ourselves Sikhs! To add insult to injury, we do nothing, or precious little, to correct ourselves. What use are all these celebrations and fanfare if they are not being harnessed in making each one of us better Sikhs? How we love to console ourselves and think that we can fool the Guru as well! We are degenerating into exactly what the Gurus took us out from. We readily spend bucket-loads of money on everything else, but endlessly only discuss whether we should spend big money on helping out the needy in our community and investing in things that would serve the community for ages to come - and honour the Gurus for all they have done for us. But, despite the numbers game that the world loves to play, all is not so grim and grey for those who are still on the path of the Guru. Just spare me all these celebrations if they are not geared towards investment in Gurmat and parchar. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON www.sikhe.com

GuruFatehJi. Since when did we have Bhagat Ravi Das as a Sikh Guru? That is total misrepresentation of Sikhism! :D @ Soon we will have Sikhs like Balwinder Singh (in the news story) claiming every other Bhagat in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as a Guru of the Sikhs! This is so ridiculous!! @ Anyone can now imagine that if we do not do something about this misrepresentation of the Sikhs, soon the world will find no difference between the countless Hindu gods and innummerable Sikh Gurus! The news story and the whole idea of representing Bhagat Ravi Das as a Guru is Hindumat. We must distance ourselves from such people and places where they are Hindus in the disguise of Sikhs. Bhul chuk maaf karni ji. L* :umm:

Hello. You'll need Extensis Suitcase for that. That's an application that organises fonts. If you don't have it, try copying the font directly to the the System Folder and Restart. Let me know if that works. L*

GuruFatehJi, Satpreet. Take it from me, these viruses are part and parcel of IBMs. The next time you purchase a computer, try out the funky Mac!! :D That's what I'm using right now . . . Apple PowerBook G4 . . . beautiful machine, not a single crash . . . no viruses, nothing . . . it's da bomb. Wanna borrow my Mac for a day or two? Try it, you'll hate your PC! :umm: Sorry for making fun of your comp, it's just that I'm a loyal Apple fan!! L*

GuruFatehJi. As if we haven't seen enough of those Bollywood movies taking the mickey out of the Sikhs, here's another in the making. http://www.b4utv.com/movies/newsbreak/04/0...0503mithun.html The title of the film suggests what it will probably be up to. We can either wait for the movie to be made and screened and add it to our list of disgust or wish on a miracle that Bollywood will not be up to it usual antics to cash in on at the expense of the Sikhs. Any guesses? :umm: L*