Pheena

how much control do we have over our own actions?

we must have some control, if you go out n get <Edited> you cant blame it on God. its ur own fault.

so to what extent can we change what happens in our lives? agen, how much control do we have?

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"God helps those who help themselves"

Do not forget the power of your Actions. Your effort is in that one step towards him and he takes thousand steps towards you.

Translated by William C. Robinson Jr.

Wise men of old gave the soul a feminine name. Indeed she is female in her nature as well. She even has her womb.

As long as she was alone with the father, she was virgin and in form androgynous. But when she fell down into a body and came to this life, then she fell into the hands of many robbers. And the wanton creatures passed her from one to another and [...] her. Some made use of her by force, while others did so by seducing her with a gift. In short, they defiled her, and she [...] her virginity.

And in her body she prostituted herself and gave herself to one and all, considering each one she was about to embrace to be her husband. When she had given herself to wanton, unfaithful adulterers, so that they might make use of her, then she sighed deeply and repented. But even when she turns her face from those adulterers, she runs to others and they compel her to live with them and render service to them upon their bed, as if they were her masters. Out of shame she no longer dares to leave them, whereas they deceive her for a long time, pretending to be faithful, true husbands, as if they greatly respected her. And after all this they abandon her and go.

She then becomes a poor desolate widow, without help; not even a measure of food was left her from the time of her affliction. For from them she gained nothing except the defilements they gave her while they had sexual intercourse with her. And her offspring by the adulterers are dumb, blind and sickly. They are feebleminded.

But when the father who is above visits her and looks down upon her and sees her sighing - with her sufferings and disgrace - and repenting of the prostitution in which she engaged, and when she begins to call upon his name so that he might help her, [...] all her heart, saying "Save me, my father, for behold I will render an account to thee, for I abandoned my house and fled from my maiden`s quarters. Restore me to thyself again." When he sees her in such a state, then he will count her worthy of his mercy upon her, for many are the afflictions that have come upon her because she abandoned her house.

You can read the rest here:

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/exe.html

Do you exist? that alone is sufficent proof.

Well im living in Atlanta and ofcorse im a  Sikh but with out a  :T: turban and at my school people keep calling me a terrorist. im in 8th grade and i told my teachers and she just shouted at them and did nothing. They never stop. Every day after skool they tease me and call me a terrorist. Sometimes a get so angry and want to show em what a sikh is made up off. Even tho im alone and they have group of white people. I dont know what to do. I feel like killing these white guys. and i have no company from a Sikh here so im the only one and have no one to tell. i think this is the best way. Somebody please help me or i think ill just try to join a Punjabi terrorist group. Anyways my life is worthless living with a step mother u guys are my only friends family please tell me what to do. before i do something stupid. :nihungsmile:

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First of all deal with your anger. Are you a terrorist? If not then, instead of getting angry or upset, laugh at their ignorance because even their insults are based out of their ignorance. Yes it is difficult, but redirect your anger. It is often when the other tries to insult you they are tring to agitate you or make you lose your temper. If you do so then they have succeded. It is not a matter to them if they think you are a terrorist or not. That is not their goal, it is just to pick on you and make you upset so they can feel better about themselves. They lack what you obviuosly have, this is their way of dealing with their own weakness by picking on people.

Your anger itself gives them a sign that what they say is working. The more you get angry the more they taunt you because they know they are succeding in their taunts.

A suggestion....start doing Jap while at school, not necessarily outloud but under your breath...continue it thruout their taunts....if your mind erupts with rage or anger, know that your Jap is lacking. If throughout this ordeal your mind still remains content, know that your Jap was succesful.

Strenght is not only shown by muscles, but also through tolerance and being able to contain that serenity of peace within yourself regardless of what happens on the outside.

First contemplate what is religion.

Then you find your answer, coz in effect, there is no such thing as religion. Its just a word. Therefore when you pass that stage, you find that yes there is God without religoin.

Religion is just a way of living, thre are many goray more so then others... who believe in god, but do not follow a religion, therefore yes, there is God without religion

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good thoughts

"My heart has become capable of every form:

It is a pasture for gazelles,

And a monastery for Christian Monks,

And a temple for idols,

And the pilgrim's Ka'ba,

And the tablets of the Torah,

And the Book of the Qur'an.

I follow the religion of Love:

Whatever was Love's camel takes,

That is my religion and faith"

SHAYKH FADHLALLA HAERI

what i meant .. is i don't understand .. if a woman is made of man's rib .. then how it is possible for the woman's body to be made of those five elements [earth,fire,water,air and..] and if woman gives birth to man .. how is it possible for that baby to have those five element as well .. u know what i mean .. does bible really say that earth is flat ??

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Sevak ji,

How many elements is the rib made out of? If the body (including the rib) is made of 5 elements then anything that is made out of the rib is made out of 5 elements as well no?

WJK WJKF

I'm not an expert on the gnostic texts, but I'm pretty sure there not in accordance with the actual greek texts of the bible. But regardless, this post is for people trying to understand christianity better, not to talk about gnosticism or whatever. So I think we better keep to the basics before we talk about stuff as controversial as that.

Grandcannon

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In my personal opinion the Gnostics are the missing link of mysticism in Christianity that is ever present the Eastern Religions.

One should take a good look at the Gnostics, sure they are controversial because they paint a picture that the Bible does not. But that does not mean the Gnostic Scrolls should not be considered when one is going to take a look into the teachings of Jesus. Personally i think those from the Eastern Religions will find a greater connection with Jesus after reading the Gnostics than they will reading the Bible, but as always the conclusion is obviuosly left to the reader.

But if you wish to keep this topic in the field of Mainstream Bible, then certainly that is fine with me.

here is a link to the intro of Gnostics

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhlintro.html

i suggest those who are curious look more into the Gnostic Gospels of Jesus.

Translated by Douglas M. Parrott

The Sophia (Wisdom) of Jesus Christ.

After he rose from the dead, his twelve disciples and seven women continued to be his followers, and went to Galilee onto the mountain called "Divination and Joy". When they gathered together and were perplexed about the underlying reality of the universe and the plan, and the holy providence, and the power of the authorities, and about everything the Savior is doing with them in the secret of the holy plan, the Savior appeared - not in his previous form, but in the invisible spirit. And his likeness resembles a great angel of light. But his resemblance I must not describe. No mortal flesh could endure it, but only pure, perfect flesh, like that which he taught us about on the mountain called "Of the Olives" in Galilee.

And he said: "Peace be to you, My peace I give you!" And they all marveled and were afraid. The Savior laughed and said to them: "What are you thinking about? Are you perplexed? What are you searching for?"

Philip said: "For the underlying reality of the universe and the plan."

The Savior said to them: "I want you to know that all men are born on earth from the foundation of the world until now, being dust, while they have inquired about God, who he is and what he is like, have not found him. Now the wisest among them have speculated from the ordering of the world and (its) movement. But their speculation has not reached the truth. For it is said that the ordering is directed in three ways, by all the philosophers, (and) hence they do not agree. For some of them say about the world that it is directed by itself. Others, that it is providence (that directs it). Others, that it is fate. But it is none of these. Again, of the three voices I have just mentioned, none is close to the truth, and (they are) from man. But I, who came from Infinite Light, I am here - for I know him (Light) - that I might speak to you about the precise nature of the truth. For whatever is from itself is a polluted life; it is self-made. Providence has no wisdom in it. And fate does not discern. But to you it is given to know; and whoever is worthy of knowledge will receive (it), whoever has not been begotten by the sowing of unclean rubbing but by First Who Was Sent, for he is an immortal in the midst of mortal men."

Matthew said to him: "Lord, no one can find the truth except through you. Therefore teach us the truth."

The Savior said: "He Who Is is ineffable. No principle knew him, no authority, no subjection, nor any creature from the foundation of the world until now, except he alone, and anyone to whom he wants to make revelation through him who is from First Light. From now on, I am the Great Savior. For he is immortal and eternal. Now he is eternal, having no birth; for everyone who has birth will perish. He is unbegotten, having no beginning; for everyone who has a beginning has an end. Since no one rules over him, he has no name; for whoever has a name is the creation of another."

(BG 84, 13-17 adds: He is unnameable. He has no human form; for whoever has human form is the creation of another).

"And he has a semblance of his own - not like what you have seen and received, but a strange semblance that surpasses all things and is better than the universe. It looks to every side and sees itself from itself. Since it is infinite, he is ever incomprehensible. He is imperishable and has no likeness (to anything). He is unchanging good. He is faultless. He is eternal. He is blessed. While he is not known, he ever knows himself. He is immeasurable. He is untraceable. He is perfect, having no defect. He is imperishability blessed. He is called 'Father of the Universe'".

read the rest here

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/sjc.html

They are some tricksey missionaries. Here is one of their tactics.

So lets say I go there with an illness and ask for help. They would b emore than willing to help me...so they give me a "sugar pill" as medicine and tell me to recite your name for God, so I (a simple farmer) be like ok i'll start doing Waheguru. So i do taht for about a week and no results.

I'd go back to them and say nothing happened, so then they give me a real medicine and would tell me to recite Jesus's name. Well it is obvious that the real medicine is going to cure whatever illness i might have. So now is when they make their move about how their lords name cured your illness and not yours.

It is a Pathetic tactic targeted towards the uneducated and the poor people.

Sat Sri Akal:

Here we go...

"..................

............

..............

@ that was truely an amazing post.

from fridakot teeka:

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Stop the Hit and Run strategy and then perhaps we can have a good discussion. Reply to the point made by others in this thread. .

When you see such events happening, what exactly is the state of you heart/mind?

Ok, I'm not all that familiar with the organization of the SGGS, but its on page two, and I think its jaapju 2-9, I think. It reads:

The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Paarvati and Lakhshmi.

This is the verse I am referring to. It would be nice to get a verse by verse commentary in english if there is one. I do not have access to any sikhs or Gurdwaras.

Grandcannon

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The Guru is not limited instead it is our thinking of who and what the Guru is that is limited. The Guru spoken above is pointing towards God. God is Shiva the Destroyer, God is Vishnu the Sustainer, God is Brahma the Creator. God is Paarvati the Mother. I don't see the word Lakshmi in that sentence.

The link below goes into a bit of detail and is more oriented towards a universal mindest. It compares the translations done by Dr. Santoak Singh and the write of the article who insists that the paarvati maa mentioned is the Adi Shakti. Although i find the writer to be somewhat forceful in his persuasion, but it does give a good comparison to decide for yourself.

http://www.adishakti.org/meeting_his_messe...uru_nanak_1.htm

If you consider that God is everything, then he is all that which is created.

Sometimes we need such events to examine our mind. To see if we can be in the company of drunks or what not and be still at peace within.

Who knows you might meet someone there who is in similar situations you are in or you might strike a conversation with someoen who wwould want to attend your next meeting with your friends doing simran and kirtan. Don't run away from such event, be within them but not with them. Take it as a test for your mind.

if you just follow Maharaj and do what He says, it's a lot simpler.

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exactly, so is my instinct what Waheguru is telling me, or is it my mind?

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Your instinct are not always correct, as far as i can share with you, this instinct you speak of must be developed to tune into the divine guidance. You cannot assume or be assured that whatever the instincts you have are for the better, but once that trust in God is developed, so is the Trust in yourself. Make a decision in his rememberance, before you take a step remember him.

There are but 1000 thoughts and out of those thousand thoughts there is 1 thought that is the voice of your Inner Guru. The instinctive feeling or guidance arises from this voice. Your inner voice. Now how can be sure that the voice we hear is the voice of the Guru trying to guides. I am not sure if there is a way to determine this with some rules or whatnot. But i can tell you that once that voice or instinct comes thru you will know and your recoganition of this instinct or voice is dependent on your sincerity in your prayer to have this gift of insight.

Pray that you are able to recoganise and distinguish the instinct from the thousands of other thoughts and feelings.

Jagmeet ji, im a male not a female...but its ok, you ar enot the first to be confused by the name.

born once, its been 24 years

thanks all.

DnwsrI mhlw 5 ]

dhunaasuree mehulaa 5

Dhanaasaree, Fifth Mehl:

vfy vfy rwjn Aru BUmn qw kI iqRsn n bUJI ]

vuddae vuddae raajun ar bhoomun thaa kee thrisun n boojhee

The desires of the greatest of the great kings and landlords cannot be satisfied.

lpit rhy mwieAw rMg mwqy locn kCU n sUJI ]1]

lupatt rehae maaeiaa rung maathae lochun kushoo n soojhee

They remain engrossed in Maya, intoxicated with the pleasures of their wealth; their eyes see nothing else at all. ||1||

ibiKAw mih ikn hI iqRpiq n pweI ]

bikhiaa mehi kin hee thripath n paaee

No one has ever found satisfaction in sin and corruption.

ijau pwvku eIDin nhI DRwpY ibnu hir khw AGweI ] rhwau ]

jio paavuk eedhan nehee dhraapai bin har kehaa aghaaee

The flame is not satisfied by more fuel; how can one be satisfied without the Lord? ||Pause||

idnu idnu krq Bojn bhu ibMjn qw kI imtY n BUKw ]

dhin dhin kuruth bhojun buhu binjun thaa kee mittai n bhookhaa

Day after day, he eats his meals with many different foods, but his hunger is not eradicated.

audmu krY suAwn kI inAweI cwry kuMtw GoKw ]2]

oudhum kurai suaan kee niaaee chaarae kunttaa ghokhaa

He runs around like a dog, searching in the four directions. ||2||

kwmvMq kwmI bhu nwrI pr igRh joh n cUkY ]

kaamuvunth kaamee buhu naaree pur grih joh n chookai

The lustful, lecherous man desires many women, and he never stops peeking into the homes of others.

idn pRiq krY krY pCuqwpY sog loB mih sUkY ]3]

dhin prath kurai kurai pushuthaapai sog lobh mehi sookai

Day after day, he commits adultery again and again, and then he regrets his actions; he wastes away in misery and greed. ||3||

hir hir nwmu Apwr Amolw AMimRqu eyku inDwnw ]

har har naam apaar amolaa anmrith eaek nidhaanaa

The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, is incomparable and priceless; it is the treasure of Ambrosial Nectar.

sUKu shju Awnµdu sMqn kY nwnk gur qy jwnw ]4]6]

sookh sehuj aanundh sunthun kai naanuk gur thae jaanaa

The Saints abide in peace, poise and bliss; O Nanak, through the Guru, this is known. ||4||6||

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veer what is the purpose of this quote? Are you implying that the man she loves is a adultere or full of Lust?

wahegurooo jee ka khalsa wahegurooo jee ji fateh

jus a q, i heard that when a person dies and another person cries for them this is not good cos the tears become a ocean for that other person to cross. But i dnt understand this cos how can the dead person stop this, its nt his/her fault that the loved one is crying so y do they have to suffer

bhull chukk muaff

wahegurooo jee ka khalsa wahegurooo jee ji fateh

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good post rsingh.

Here is how I undersand it. The Ocean which the soul is gona have to cross is the ocean of our attachment to that soul. If we keep calling the soul back, the amount of attachment we have towards it will also hinder its progress and will make it difficult for it to move forward. The family also needs to let go...tears in this instant simply signify the amount of attachment we have towards that individual.

i know this isnt sum sort of aginy aunt thing bt i have no 1 else to turn to..mm i reeli feel hurt n upset with some1...they did sumthing to me nt purposely bt wich cudnt b helped...they are one of my closest gursikh freinds..and now i cnt bring myself to talk 2 them ..even tho they have apologised n no that they hurt me..i dnt no wt 2 say to them..i feel if i dnt talk 2 them soon..my sikhi will suffer reeli much..i cnt even do my nitnem or concentrate on bani cuz of wt happened..bt i jus dnt no wt 2 do...please cn u help me sangat ji..i have no1 else to turn too..

Bull chukk muaff..

Daas..

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It seems he/she has accepted their error and apologized and the reason you cannot concentrate in your nitnem is because now it is you who needs to forgive them. Learn to forgive others, if you cannot forgive others then no one will forgive you. Learn to open your heart to Forgiveness and Compassion, rediret your pain into forgiveness.

If the God within you was hurt due to their error, then the God within them deserves your Forgiveness. God Forgivess, for he has give you this body time and time again, he has given you another life once more, even after the thousands of blunders we must have comitted. How many times we have thrown back the gifts he has given to us, in our ignorance we made many many errors, do you thing God held a grudge? Is the God you praise a Forgiving God? Do you not seek Forgiveness from God when you comit an error? If we don't learn to forgive, then how do we expect God to forgive us when we make a mistake?

This is but a small step in Forgiveness and to me this is an ideal situation where the other has realized their mistake and apologized. Not everyone will be apologetic. Most will not care or they will inflict harm intentionally be prepared for such people by learning to forgive now.

As spiritual seekers, we claim to be the chosen children of God. An unaspiring person who is wallowing in the pleasures of ignorance would never dare to claim God as his very own. But we dare to claim God as our very own, just because we have received an iota of God’s good qualities. One of God’s divine qualities is His Forgiveness. If God forgives us twenty-four hours a day, can we not forgive someone else for one second? If our Source has the capacity to do something in infinite measure, naturally we also should have the capacity to forgive or illumine others who have done something wrong, according to our own standard

"If we really want to love

we must learn how to forgive"

~Mother Teresa~

Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another. ~Jean Paul Richter~

5 Steps in dealing with Anger:

1. Feel the feeling arising;

2. Acknowledge it as anger, rather than denying and suppressing it;

3. Observe it, analyze the reasons and components of it;

4. Embrace it, cradle it rather than rejecting it outright;

5. Channel it constructively (creatively), rather than destructively

(violently).

Learning:

"Hatred is never overcome by hatred and anger.

Hatred is overcome by love, forbearance and forgiveness."

The Buddha

Clues:

Anger is best dealt with by patience and forbearance;

Hatred by forgiveness, tolerance and equanimity;

Aggression by calming and quieting, and including;

Violence by restraint, redirection and reconditioning.

i do lil' bit of simran too...

not much ... i start yawning

but yeah... i do simran with bhai niranjan singh ji's (jawaddi kalan wale)simran

the one which is 72 mins long.... thts my fav... if u need it...lemme know :TH:

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is that the one with a slow and deep tone...

Yes it is just as effective, Any means to assist the mind is effective. If standing helps you concentrate more then stand, if sitting helps you then sit. If walking helps then walk. There isnot a one pill for our mind develop and growdifferently so we use different means to assist our mind. So don't worry that you are using a CD, anything that helps you concentrate is wonderfull.

Think of using the CD as training wheels on a bike. There will come a time, when sitting in solitude silence your Japa will be just as effective. Then your Japa without a CD will be just as effective as using the CD.

perhaps you should try singing the gurbani. I have found that Singing Gubani has greater effect on the mind than simply reading it. Also emphasising on certain words as you are singing creates a deeper involvement of the mind as when you emphasise on a certain word or lines the mind is forced to become focused.

so my advice, Sing the Sukhmani Sahib and be more emotionally expressive when you sing the words.