japmans

Ok.. so all heresy aside I have a friend currently in Palestine... this is a sensitive enough issue for me as I think about his safety.... he has been there for 6 months trying to provide aid and do other work.. in his time there, he has been detained by israeli forces.... I would like to point you to the latest post of his blog.. this is free of big media bias... this is a buddy of mine who's my age, who i play basketball with, he's a normal dude, and is living a very very honourable lifestyle. http://aidaninpalestine.blogspot.com/ I felt compelled to share this.... In the end, we can talk about historical issues left and right... but when people are dying, even a protest isn't enough to make it stop (though I think i'm getting closer and closer to truly applauding these protests... because really, when each side has as a part of its mission to terrorize and eliminate the other side, a protest against one's action indirectly becomes support for the other faction) please read the most recent post.. vaheguru vaheguru vaheguru

There was a very large discussion in the Global Events page.. Sikh Awareness Network has been very actively involved in organizing rallies in Toronto, and there was posts and discussions about it, with some people providing the other side of the story as well... I'm not sure if it got closed, but it was there two nights ago.

you're right it's always a difficult time to trust... because the world is maya di khel, and everyone around us (including you, including me) is in it for personal gain.. Let's be honest, if you weren't in it for personal gain, then you wouldn't shut people out over extremely petty issues. But the ability to forgive is not a skill.. it's a blessing. Some of us have been blessed with the ability to forgive.. some of us have not... Professor Puran Singh says that a true Guru Ka Sikh is that person who acts like the shade of a large tree... anyone seeking solace and shelter away from the "Jagat Jalanda" can come in contact of a true GurSikh, and can be sheltered from Maya di Agg. The shade doesn't prefer any one person over the next... any person desiring that cooling comfort in this desert of life should be able to come to a Gursikh and feel relief We can only pray and ask for the blessing... And try to make it happen in daily life too.. If you understand that you've cut someone out over ridiculously petty issues, then try to re-open that relationship/friendship/whatever word you use. You may have to ask for forgiveness, because you may have broken a heart, you may have hurt someone deeply... so if you are REALLY looking to become forgiving and open-hearted, ask for that forgiveness, and admit you were wrong, or else prepare for the petty issues to divide your friendships. Gurbani says innocence is the way to meeting God. (Bhola Bhaey Milay Raghuraaya) The stories of NaamDev, Dhanna Jatt, and many others are repeated numerous times... Dhanna Jatt, you may remember, met God through doing true seva of a rock that a respected Panddit had given him (the Panddit actually had just picked up some random rock from the ground thinking he could fool Dhanna Jatt)... Certainly you can ONLY trust Guru Granth Sahib Ji... but that being said, Eetai Ootai Ghat Ghat Ghat Ghat... that very same God that you pray to and desire lives in the hearts of every single being... and bhagat Fareed Ji says "If you desire your Beloved, then do not break anyone's heart. ||130||" This is kinda a round about way to say...ask for the blessing to start forgiving... start opening your heart... learn from your mistakes.. those who have dearly wronged you can still be forgiven, but it doesn't mean you have to be their best friend again.. and maintain innocence in your life..

Into The Light: That really wasn't ever the dilemma, actually. His dilemma is approaching and taking into consideration the mothers spirituality, feelings, and mental well being... He is trying to make and keep peace with the entire family, instead of just thinking solely about his own self and doing whatever he pleases.

yes ma'am!!!! Thank you muchly!

Thanks so much for your quick response! This isn`t the one... Honestly, the one thing i remember from the track is that he goes "karo kirpaaaaa".. it's mool mantar for the first few minutes, and then gurmantar jaap all the way through. It's a solid 45 minutes track if not an hour.... I'm pretty sure I got it off of sikhroots but I can't find it again.

A few years ago, I downloaded a simran recording which also included mool mantar jaap. It was a recording of Veer Manpreet Singh (UK) Does anyone have a link to this recording? I can't find it anywhere anymore.

whoa, that's some seriously scientific and accurate conclusions going on... Since we don't know which of the respondents are monay and which aren't, you're implying that just cuz 1 mona veer said he doesn't call himself a sikh, that you can "CONCLUDE" (which is usually a term used to state a final opinion or perspective) that monay don't class themselves as sikhs.. what about the numerous keshdharis and amritdharis that DO classify monay as sikhs.... are their opinions not worth as much because it doesn't come "from the horse's mouth", so to speak? I'm sure you didn't intend to make a blanket statement, but always do keep in mind when younger kids come on and see strong statements, they're likely to believe them, because dramatic and exaggerated statements are always funner to read and believe. The 'horse's mouth' is this how you talk to your mother. And i'm not saying this as a joke. When it comes to defining a Sikh all feelings and opinions are put DEEP in the pockets, where they just can't jump up, and catch you off guard. Opinions are just as useless in this discussion as your ability to be a jackal. Don't worry about the youngster's your horse's mouth comment is brilliant. Sorry if i offended you or anyone. That is a commonly used english expression which might have been misused or misinterpreted. I apologize. It wasn't intended to be offensive.

whoa, that's some seriously scientific and accurate conclusions going on... Since we don't know which of the respondents are monay and which aren't, you're implying that just cuz 1 mona veer said he doesn't call himself a sikh, that you can "CONCLUDE" (which is usually a term used to state a final opinion or perspective) that monay don't class themselves as sikhs.. what about the numerous keshdharis and amritdharis that DO classify monay as sikhs.... are their opinions not worth as much because it doesn't come "from the horse's mouth", so to speak? I'm sure you didn't intend to make a blanket statement, but always do keep in mind when younger kids come on and see strong statements, they're likely to believe them, because dramatic and exaggerated statements are always funner to read and believe.

^^ that's actually not relevant or important. The topic is about getting away from kaam. His perception of his spiritual path shouldn't come into question. He needs sangat's help about how to get away from kaam. If he finds the sangat's various suggestions to fit within his conceptual framework of Sikhi and spirituality, i'm sure he will accept them. otherwise, he will continue to seek.

I'm looking for Sadh Sang Jo Tumhe Milaayo Tau Sunni Tumaaree Baani Anadh Bheya Paykhat Hee Nanak, Partaap Purakh Nirbaani Telvinder Singh (Toronto) sang this a few years ago, can't remember for the life of me where it was or precisely what year. Any help would be greatly apppppreciated! Thanks!

Do you ever have any bad thoughts about people on the days you go to gurdwara? What's worse? Mann di mail, or a bad habit like smoking? in my opinion, smoking isn't like drinking, because it doesn't take over your ability to be a logical human being.. drinking has a high, an effect associated with it... so showing up drunk to gurdwara is dumb, because your motor skills are diminished, you become less in control of your actions, and the likelhood of doing something disrespectful or inappropriate is heightened... smoking a cigarette doesn't do that to you... obviously, it's not healthy... but so is eating chholay puriyaan without going for a hefty workout after! If he's a non-sikh, the conduct and rehit maryada do NOT apply to him as an individual.... but obviously he does have to respect the conduct of the gurughar.... and by him showing up after smoking, if he's not bothering other people (i.e the smell..he's said he'll shower before coming, so he's mitigating that), then it's totally NOT an issue... it's not like he's gonna be smoking while sitting in darbar, or even outside the gurdwara (make that clear to him.. no smoking on the grounds).

I would challenge that and say that as many times as it refers to us as soul brides, it refers to God at least as many times as "Maaee", "Maataa", and so on... Let's not get caught up in such a thing... Each individual's relationship is at a different space... to some, the love of God is like the sustainer of life, the mother, the giver of milk, the breeder, compassionate, comforting, the provider, the sustainer, protecting you from the taatee vaao, nurturing you and keeping you safe.... Conversely, Ek Pitaa, Ekas Kay Hum Baarik, Toon Mera Gur Haaee refers to God simply as the Father... with no reference to whether the writer is Son or Daughter... for others, it's like suhaagan, lovers, sometimes you're so so angry with God in such a passionate way, and you just want to get closer and closer, and it tears at your soul when you feel like you're not close enough, and it just rips you to shreds because the only desire in your mind is togetherness with your Eternal Beloved because He(She?) is the holder of your heart and your soul, and He(She?) controls your happiness based upon that...... and you can't necessarily say that those who are lovers with God are always happy..otherwise "Kad Nanak Aavai Vaaree" would never have been written.... that's such passionate love for the Lord that it's almost borderline jealousy and regret! Sabh Suhaagan Maanai Raliyaa, Ek Devoh Raat Muraari; Karmheen Dhan Karay Beynanti Kad Nanak Aavai Vaaree... talk abot passion!

It doesn't really matter. (sorry, i don't mean that in a condescending way at all!) Ultimately, you are here today, and you are armed with the definite history of our Guru Sahibs and their sacrifices, which is more than enough to teach you "where you came from", so to speak. The world began because God willed it to, and whatever happened, happened because God willed it to.. Evolutionary theory also supports us being children of God, cuz not only are we children of God, so too are Monkeys, Chimps, Apes, Dogs, Cats, Ducks, Ants, Llama, and so on so forth; they are all children of God...

the word "rom" isn't for hairs, it's for "pores"... there are more pores in your body than there are hairs... for example, when you do simran and you get goosebumbs or shivers, that has less to do with your hairs than with your pores. just for translation purposes..

One would be wise to know mandarin, hindi, arabic, spanish, and russian too, on top of english . These are the major languages in which the world will likely do business over the next 100 years, everyone who knows one ore more of these along with punjabi and english/french (for canadians) would be VERY well off... imagine if the next 100 years was dominated by Sikhs just because of our ability to communicate with all the major markets in the world... then look at what our exposure and media coverage would be like.

let's put it this way you woke up this morning, and were one more day closer to the last day of Human Life.. and when you wake up tomorrow, you'll be one more day closer to the End. From my interpretations, Gurbani says it doesn'tm atter when the world ends.... all that matters is that every moment, you remain aware, you realize your Self, and you raelize where you are on YOUR path, and continuously improve upon it through naaam, baani, bhagti, simran, seva, sangat....otherwise you're getting stuck in "pursuits of the mind", as STTM translates it... tiyyagai mann kee matri, visaarai dooja bhaao jeeo

Remember that what we see isn't all that there is Gurbaani talks about numerous khanddaan.. numerous universes and planets and homes for life to exist on. This is not necessarily the only place that our soul can live in human/animal/etc form. Perhaps there is a fixed number, and the number on some other planet or life-home is now decreasing as ours is increasing. Who knows?

the onyl one that comes to mind is Tera Keeya Meethha Laagai the shabad that Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed in the midst of being tortured by teh Moghuls before his shaheedi.

I hear you. I totally agree with what you're saying now. Took me a lil while So the problem becomes finding these true saints. The thing is, because our dharam tells us that we can be grisht and still be a sant, it's not as easy as it is for other faiths, who can run to one of their dharmic asthaans or to the forests or mountains, and find hermits and saniyaasis, and then do their seva. For us, this isn't the case. I mean, yes, there are some pyaaray who have followed that style of bhagti, but for the norm, bhagti is done while maintaining and respecting the responsibilities of human life. So how does one go about finding those with true nimarata while still living in grisht? This is the utmost paradox that JustME pointed out (and AK reiterated for me). My point was... seva is a cleansing action. Seva builds your own humility, irrespective of who you serve. As long as it is done in rememberance of Guru. You're not actually doing the seva; Guru Sahib is just presenting opportunities for you to serve someone else who may (or may not) be in need. As long as it's done with love and reverance of your Master, and all you think is that "My Guru's Jyot Resides In This Person's Soul", then Satgur Kee Seva ho gayee, and this is saffal no matter what. Bhai Vir Singh, Prof Puran Singh, Khoji, and others have shared that seva and simran (in tandem) is a powerful lifestyle. As you continue to do them together (and apart), your own intuition develops, you yourself move beyond the seen-and-heard-realms-of-maya. You develop the power of discrimination for yourself, and new opportunies of seva arise, to do seva of those people and roohaan your soul is telling you is "higher" than your own.... This is how I reconcile the concept of it being the result of Vadday Bhaag.. cuz really, how many people are really going to put in all that effort and abhiyaas and jattan to serve serve serve EVERYONE until finally, Guru Sahib merges them with a pyaara who will ultimately push you over the top to become Joti Jot Ralee.... really, how many people are REALLY willing to do that? Those who get that far, that get to do true seva of a sant/mahapurkh/gurmukh/"true gursikh", they are few and far between.. virlay... and thus can be said to have vadday bhaagaan? An esteemed and enlightened soul doesn't stop donig seva.... that's the other thing... The True Gursikhs whom we seek aren't jus chillin and doin their own thang... they too are constantly involved in seva, potentially at a level that the average Jaswinder can't see... Seva, Simran, Sangat, all breed humility, compassion, other "Bhallay Gunn" which helps us to transform into those same types of roohaan that we seek to serve.. Am I way off?

great great post Must make the effort to win over our mind. only effort leads to meharbaan from maharaj... no effort = no fruits of labour.... put in the effort, let Guru Sahib decide what fruits you are to enjoy. good post

Well In a subtle way, seeking out true gursikhs puts you, the seeker, on a pedestal over others too... why not close your eyes, treat everyone like a mahaan gursikh, and do everyone's seva to the best of your ability... in order to become "neech tay neech", or "daasan daas", or so forth. why try to discriminate between gursikhs (after all, denoting someone as a 'true' gursikh implies such a thing as an 'untrue' gursikh) blindly serve humanity?

hahahaha guys china's such a diverse place... you're going this summer?!?!? it's right at the same time as olympics.. you're gonna have the chance to be in china at one of its most important times EVER.... you're gonna have the luxury of being offered so many different types of food.... even if you're not in Beijing. You'll be fine.. of course, i've never been there myself... but i'm pretty confident if you're going to any metropolitan city, you'll be 100% fine!

it's a really interesting point just mad eby khalsa 4 ever, and i'm gonna take the other spin of it what if you're really not thinking about the words your dancing to?? i mean there's so mmaaannnyy punjabi youth who don't know a word of punjabi haha... don't understand speak or learn their own language... there's probably really no way for them to actually know what's beign said in these songs... their dancing boils down to pretty much just exercise compared to the guy who's trying to get in shape to look good for some girl... sure it's just exercise, but the motivation's kinda shady no??? obviously, i'm taking two extremes here, and there's obviously balances in the middle that can be debated... just trying to expand the argument for a second. also.. if we take gurbani too literally...i.e, if we depend on STTM too much, we can probably find gurbani that goes against "running"... and "walking"... and possibly even breathing..... so we need to be obtusely careful to not take what we see as gospel... there's much more to the word "naach" than dance... and if you contextually understand various shabads, you'll see that.

WOW, kaljug might be finishign guys!! haha i coulda sworn Namstang was gonna get TRASHED for starting this topic just cuz it was HE who started it haha... Thank God! but this is GREAT!! his point is SO valid!