SevaSimranSacrifice

OR

How much bani do each one of us actually do? I wanted to also write something because have to admit I was getting annoyed at some people's comments......but then thought.............wait a minute...........how much bani do i actually do? Why would i argue about parkash of Sri Dasam Bani or Guru Granth Sahib Ji maharaj when I myself do not do as much bani as I should be. Someone earlier made a point when a man asked Sant Maskeen Singh about Sri Dasam Bani, he asked have you read from Sri Dasam Bani? Have we all? I haven't read it all...why would I discuss blindly? I do get people's opinions, but no-one seems to be listening to each other so its not really a great discussion...its just an argument!!

Basically STOP ARGUEING!! Start building on your knowledge AND your divine knowledge.....KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

Maybe the mature sangat can get together and talk about it if needed away from the internet forum! Its just creating KRODH (i definately felt it). Nip it in the bud now and just close the topic - just my opinion!

Lol, EKTA...like when will that happen!! Can you believe we are fighting with each other....each other...............

Three Bullets

There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat.

He had an old rifle and three bullets. So, he decided that he would go out hunting and kill some wild game for dinner. As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit. He shot at the rabbit and missed it.

The rabbit ran away.

Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel and missed it.

The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood tree.

As he went further, he saw a large wild "Tom" turkey in the tree, but he had only one bullet remaining.

A voice spoke to him and said, "Pray first, aim high and stay focused."

However, at the same time, he saw a deer which was a better kill.

He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs about to bite him, so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the rattlesnake.

Still, the voice said again to him, "I said 'Pray, Aim high and Stay focused."

So, the man decided to listen to God's voice.

He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree and shot the wild turkey.

The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer.

The handle fell off the gun and hit the snake in the head and killed it.

And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond.

When he stood up to look around, he had fish in all his pockets, a dead deer and a turkey to eat for his family.

The snake (Satan) was dead simply because the man listened to God.

Moral of the story:

Pray first before you do anything, Aim and shoot high in your goals,

and stay focused on God.

Never let others discourage you concerning your past. The past is

exactly that. "the past."

Live every day one day at a time and remember that only God knows our

future and that He will not put you through any more than you can bear.

Do not look to man for your blessings, but look to the doors that only He has prepared in advance for you in your favour.

Wait, be still and patient: keep God first and everything else will follow.

FROM ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

I was asked by a muslim girl, WHO, wore a hijab:

"Do you wash you hair?" As my head is covered all the time! I was like :umm: <_< Do u?

That was all I could say.........didnt even bother to answer...........

I read random things…anywoo I was reading once again (not related to sikhi hawwww!) but can be related to sikhi…that’s what is sooo cool…

How many times have you done something wrong and felt tremendous guilt afterwards? (I would put my hand up for that!). I came across a book about guilt and really liked the following:

“Whenever you are preoccupied with some wrong doing in the past, realize that what you are trying to do is to undo what cannot be undone. Accept this grim reality, give up your demands about it, and learn from the experience so that you can concentrate on modifying what you can change, namely your future behaviour, and give up trying to change what you cannot change, namely your past behaviour.”

I thought it was great! As gursikhs we hold such strong ethical principles and beliefs that I bet we feel guilty quite often. The book talks about how unconstructive the emotion guilt is (as it makes you feel your bad) and how it is better to replace it with constructive remorse. This does not mean you never feel bad (sometimes it is a good thing in the sense that it helps with hamai), but it helps you to deal with it more appropriately. Btw I am not saying this means that you can carry on making mistakes, learn from them so that you don’t make them again!!

I think if we feel hugely guilty about something, its not helpful, it can make you feel depressed, low, not wanting to do anything, not wanted to do more seva, bani, simran. How is that helpful? Accept you did the wrong thing and change you ways.

Anyways just my two cents! Thought it was worth sharing!

Hmmmmmmmmm it is good to share the good qualities about other religions...its respectful, but i wouldnt go as far as quoting PBUH after mohammeds name.....you don't have to be at a spiritual level as Bhai Gurdas Ji to have the understanding not to write PBUH after Mohammed's name. I don't believe in Islam or Mohammed, I follow Guru Granth Sahib JI and maharaj and if they haven't written it then nor am I. PLease do not misread what I am sayin, I respect all religions and accept they exist but I do not practice them and may even disagree with certain aspects, yet can still respect the differences. I wouldn't have an arabic saying/quote by my name....bani quotes all the way man!! Its abit confusing....

Yes learn and educate yourself about other religions...but get to know yours as far as possible.....

Have to completely agree with where proactive is coming from!

This was..............BRILLIANT!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. ...amazing post! Thank you...Thank you! And....Thank you!

I really like the following extract.........

We are here to pay our samskars, our karmas. Somebody's lucky enough, he becomes rich, he doesn't understand. He feels very wonderful and he gets all the facility on this earth. But there is emptiness in him. Richness does not mean that you have reached with your own consciousness. Your own soul may not be your friend. Your own consciousness may not come through. Your own intuition may not serve you.

The idea is to remain pure every day, idea is to repeat the words of the Guru, idea is to understand Gurbani is not the hassling job... it is a science, simple enough, that when your tongue will rotate with those twists of permutation and combination, when you will read Rehiras and it will make the hypothalamus to totally compute for you the atmosphere through which you have to go through the night. Then you have not to pour bourbon on the rocks and make your head sore and do weird things.

You need energy. Without this you cannot live. You think by taking vitamins and taking that kind of stuff you are going to be fine. That's not true. Your spirit is hungry. Then your entire being is empty. You feel the shallowness. But when you repeat the gurbani, when you do the simran, it gives you the essence to do seva.

Seva is what? Seva is not to show off. Seva is to serve with the feeling that you glorify the Guru. You wear bana. You wear it. It identifies you with the oneness of Guru. You read bani, it identifies you with the oneness of the Guru. You do seva and simran, it identifies with your identity. Once you find your own identity in a pure form, you are above all. Then the pair of opposites do not affect you. That is the status of the Raj Yoga of the House of Guru Ram Das, where miree and piree, shaastra and shastra, seva and simran, bana and bani are the essential features. These are the essential essences.

So..........like...........no-one's gone? :6

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

I wanted to ask, has anyone been to the 3HO Winter Solstice ever or any of their events? And if yes, what was it like? What did you learn?

Tell me everything..........lol........

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I don't think this story can be shortened.............really just have to read it to the very end....

Sorry bhenji/bhaji, i thought it was sort of self explanatory. Just replace the words that do not relate to us.

For example,

- 'the devil' - could be the five theives, kaam, krodh, lobh, moh, ahankar, maya

- 'Christ' - we would replace as maharaj - god

- the bit where it says not to argue with satan, i kind of look at it as our not arguing with our theives or maya - instead read bani etc, makes sense?

I personally like the bit where it says not to argue with satan (maya) because he/she has a lot of practice. So true! May has been in existence way before we were even created...Sometimes we may justify our actions that were a result of us giving in (in a sense) to our theives..and we may argue 'oh but it is ok' etc maya is so clever that it will make us think it is ok...by quoting bani will make us realise or blatently tell us...am i making sense?

When it mentions memorising the Bible - we can memorise bani quotes to help us keep in check.

They have quoted from Ephesians of how to resist this evil - you just chant the word of god. Maharaj has told us this...that's why i found it all mostly relevant. It made sense to me..thought hopefully it made sense to someone else too.

I guess you take what you want from it..and hopefully is helpful!

A good Christian friend sent me this today, thought it was good to share and see how we could relate it to sikhi....

Resist the Devil

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

After we've humbled ourselves and submitted to God, we're then told to defy the Devil. We don't passively resign ourselves to his attacks. We're to fight back.

The New Testament often describes the Christian life as a spiritual battle against evil forces, using war terms such as fight, conquer, strive, and overcome. Christians are often compared to soldiers serving in enemy territory.

How can we resist the Devil? Paul tells us, "Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17 NLT).

The first step is to accept God's salvation. You won't be able to say no to the Devil unless you've said yes to Christ. Without Christ we're defenseless against the Devil, but with "the helmet of salvation" our minds are protected by God. Remember this: If you are a believer, Satan cannot force you to do anything. He can only suggest.

Second, you must use the Word of God as your weapon against Satan. Jesus modeled this when he was tempted in the wilderness. Every time Satan suggested a temptation, Jesus countered by quoting Scripture.

He didn't argue with Satan. He didn't say, "I'm not hungry," when tempted to use his power to meet a personal need. He simply quoted Scripture from memory. We must do the same. There is power in God's Word, and Satan fears it.

Don't ever try to argue with the Devil. He's better at arguing than you are, having had thousands of years to practice. You can't bluff Satan with logic or your opinion, but you can use the weapon that makes him tremble – the truth of God.

This is why memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating temptation. You have quick access to it whenever you're tempted. Like Jesus, you have the truth stored in your heart, ready to be remembered.

If you don't have any Bible verses memorized, you've got no bullets in your gun! I challenge you to memorize one verse a week for the rest of your life. Imagine how much stronger you'll be

I don't mean to be dismissive..but really I dont see the point of arguing or debating about this....maybe i am such a moorakh that i don't understand...Baba Jagjit Singh Ji Harkwaleh tells the sangat to say satnam sri waheguru...how can that be wrong....how can i complain about gursikhs with such high avastha who tell sangat to repeat satnam sri waheguru.....

just thought....the amount of naam i actually could have japped instead of reading and responding this thread..........(kicks herself)

Can we still ask questions? You going to see him again?

I wish there could be live broadcaste's of katha like there is for kirtan....guess there is the time difference...will just wait for the audio's!

Thank you Kam Veer Ji.

Could someone also post up Baba Ji's katha from Canada please? Well whenever they can. Thank you!

Yes I heard Baba Ji is going to be in Canada for 3 weeks.

Please when you know the dates...post the dates for the Barsi of Sant Ishar SIngh Ji and Baba Nand Singh Ji. Thanks!

Baba Ji was going to Canada yesterday, so he is probably there now! but apparently Baba Ji is back on the 15th and is going back to India on the 16th. I don't think there is a schedule for UK now. There should be one in Canada. I think Baba Ji is going to Toronto.

Does anyone record Baba Ji's Katha in Canada? Please can someone post it up??

Bani talks about nine treasures, what are they???

That was just sooooooooooo cool!

:BOW: :BOW: :BOW:

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh!

Below is something i was emailed....thought it would be good to share!

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket.

Their father was gone.

The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.

Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared.

Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.

He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.

Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.

If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.

I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.

The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town.

No luck.

The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job.

Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in t hat had been converted to a truck stop.

It was called the Big Wheel.

An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids.

She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning.

She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.

I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people.

I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night.

She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep

This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.

That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel.

When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.

As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage.

The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.

One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!

There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires.

Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered.

I made a deal with the local service station.

In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office.

I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.

I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough.

Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids.

I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning.

Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.

On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe.

A few musicians were h anging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine.

The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.

When it was time for me to go home a t seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes.

I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat.

Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box.

Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10 !

I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans.

Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes.

There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items.

And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.

As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude.

And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.

Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....

THE POWER OF PRAYER. I believe that God only gives three answers to prayer:

1. 'Yes!'

2. 'Not yet.'

3. 'I have something better in mind.'

God still sits on the throne, the devil is a liar.

You maybe going through a tough time right now but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that you cannot imagine.

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. T here is no cost but a lot of rewards

Let's continue to pray for one another. Here is the prayer:....

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.

Amen.

what do i put in the URL? HELP!

mines dont work help!!

whats the URL?

There was a blind girl who hated h erself because she was blind.

She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.

She told her boyfriend, "I f I could only see the world, I will marry you."

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.

Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word -

Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life -

Think of someone who we nt too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children -

Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep -

Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive

Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job -

Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another -

Remember that not one of us is without s in and we all answer to one MAKER.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and thank GOD you're alive and still around.

No I did not write that myself.wish I could! A good Christian friend of mine sent it, thought it would be great to pass it on.

Glad you all liked it!

4 Boyfriends - This Is Something To Think About.

Once upon a time, there was this girl who had four boyfriends.

She loved the 4th boyfriend the most and adored him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.

She also loved the 3rd boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.

She also loved her 2nd boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her.. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times.

The girls 1st boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him.

One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'

Thus, she asked the 4th boyfriend, I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company? No way! Replied the 4th boyfriend, and he walked away without another word. His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.

The sad girl then asked the 3rd boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company? No!', replied the 3rd boyfriend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else! 'Her heart sank and turned cold.

She then asked the 2nd boyfriend, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.

When I die, will you follow me and keep me company? I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time , r eplied the 2nd boyfriend. At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave. His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'

The girl looked up, and there was her 1st boyfriend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!.

In truth, you have 4 boyfriends in your li fe:

Your 4th boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.

Your 3rd boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others.

Your 2nd boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.

And your 1st boyfriend is your Soul , o ften neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.

However, your Soul is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.

Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.

Pass this on to someone you care about - I just did.

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections. I hope this touched you!