VanHelsingh

Well without putting yourself in any danger, I guess the best thing to do is to drop a (polite and coherent) anonymous letter at the Gurudwara with your concerns, and see if anything is done. If they ignore it (or your friend tells you that these shenanigans are still occuring) then I guess you'll have to come forward. However you do know that if the people in-charge at the Gurudwara confront the dodgy Giani, he will know that your friend grassed him up. So either way your friend can't remain incognito forever.

Proof would be a nice thing. Not that I don't believe you, but making such accusations (because that's what they are at the moment) are VERY serious.

That's what George Bush Jr. said when "God" told him to attack Iraq. You're not George Bush are you? :lol:

Why not watch all of it, brother? There's a lot we can learn.

Taking it all at face value, I think its a positive thing. The leaks are issues we kind of suspected all along, but had no evidence to prove. The problem is that these leaks won't change anything long term. Security will be tightened up to paranoid levels and nothing like this will ever be allowed to happen again. You only have to look at most of the American media who are refusing to air any Wikileaks findings, as they thinks its unpatriotic. Now either they've been forced to take this stance, or the media really does think this way. Same problem in Russia. The cynic in me thinks these leaks are no accident. Look at it this way - America actually comes across as restrained and considered. I don't know - I think there's more to this than meets the eye. Or it could also be genuine....I'm confused!!!! :huh::lol:

Is this the same Sarbat Khalsa that is referenced in Ardaas, i.e. 'Sarbat Khalsa Ji Ki Ardaas Hai Ji, Sarbat Khalsa Ji Ko Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru'?

I'll try and answer your questions as best I can. Personally, they may not be 100% 'on-song' (as I'm also still learning as you are), but there are a few concepts I'm fairly confident on. For a more detailed Sikhi-centric view on matters I'm sure some of my learned brothers can help me out. That's not to say what I'm saying isn't Sikhi-based, but I'm not confident enough to state that what I'm saying is perfectly in sync with what our venerable Gurus have taught us. I don't know all the answers - if I did I wouldn't be stuck on this rubbish world...:lol: I believe that we all originated from one place - God. Our ultimate goal is to make our way back to Him having learnt all there is to learn through various re-births on this world and others. The fact that we are having this conversation is proof that we are making a step towards that goal. Now we may be hundreds of lives away from learning the Truth (the ultimate Truth which signifies that we are worthy of returning to Him), but we are making a step in the right direction by acknowledging the journey we must embark on to reach Him. Have you heard of the account of 'Dusht Daman' (an incarnation of Guru Gobind Singh Ji)? In this account Guru Gobind Singh Ji tells us that he (in the form of Dusht Daman) practised intense meditation and austerity until his spirit merged with the Divine. But even though Dusht Daman wanted nothing but to remain absorbed in harmony with the Almighty, Guru Ji was told to take birth in the Kali age to show the world the path of truth, to end superstiition, and to teach it to worship only one God. Imagine how many lifetimes we would have to incarnate and better ourselves before we have the privilege of joining God! I can only guess that when our soul (atmaa) reaches a state of purity and perfection that is worthy of joining with God, are we then allowed to join him. Again, I believe Naam has a monumental role to play in this. But like I said before there's no point in doing your JapJi Sahib in the morning, Rehraas Sahib in the evening and Kirtan Sohila at night, then feeling smug with yourself that you're a good Sikh, when in reality you're full of envy, anger, jealousy, greed and impurity during the others times of the day. Naam must have an affect on your soul - its needs to permeate to that region that is not easily accessible. I believe Naam must also be understood. There's no point in parroting lines of Naam day after day if you don't understand what it says. That's why I firmly believe we must apply its meaning to how we live our everyday life. If you do fulfil all these 'criteria' (an uninspiring word but I can't think of an alternative at the moment) then I suppose Waheguru will show you the way to His grace. This is a tricky one. Remember in my earlier post when I said that this Earth we live on has been designed to test us, to trip us up, to put obstacles in the way of us learning the Truth? I firmly believe this. However those enlightened souls (such as the amazing Gursikhs you mention have been put on this Earth to guide us) I don't believe they are the same as you or I. I believe they are elevated souls who have had to incarnate on this world to show us the way towards Him. You could say they are His bhagats. Just think if they (such as those chardi kala Gursikhs or Mahapursh) have had to come to this world to help us, imagine how special and advanced our 10 Gurus must have been? They were - to put it bluntly - Super Souls in my opinion. The best of the best - untouchable! The one's who have the power to guide millions of people. Is it possible in today's world to realise God? It's difficult (that's an understatement) but not impossible. But like I said, for normal people like us this world isn't the end. I personally believe its another rung on the ladder to that ultimate goal. You must've read in JapJi Sahib how Guru Nanak Ji mentions the countless other worlds in existence? Well I think once we have learnt everything we need to learn on this world (even if that takes hundreds or thousands of rebirths on Earth), then I think our soul incarnates on other, more advanced worlds where we learn greater, more profound things that we simply cannot learn or comprehend in this world. I could be wrong so forgive me - everyone - if I am. But if you are willing to ask the questions you have, then by trying to look for answers to these questions, then I think that displays a willingness to escape from the shackles of this existence, and improve yourself so that you don't fall into the same habits and you don't repeat the same mistakes over and over, birth after birth. If you're aware that what you're doing isn't quite up to scratch, and you do nothing about it, then surely you must understand God knows this? If you deliberately live in ignorance when you know that you shouldn't, then God realises this too. Its up to the individual to learn and improve themselves. We (as in all of us) can't continue to kid ourselves (and kid God which isn't possible of course) that we know nothing when you could be doing something to learn. If a person continues to mislead him or herself knowing full well that he or she shouldn't, there will be consequences - what they are I don't know. I read somewhere ages ago (sorry I'm not to good with references, etc., - something I must improve on) that Guru Nanak Ji said that Kalyug is the age whereby you "reap what you sow". In other yugs your sins and mistakes would be visited upon your children or your descendents, etc. From what I've seen in my own personal life (and of those around me), we are punished for our misdeeds on this world so that we see with our own eyes what we have done. The fact that we have to give an account of ourselves in-front of Dharamraj is another issue that we must also tackle when the time comes. Like I said before, the problems we face in this life are one's we must encounter in order to better ourselves as souls. When adversity hits us, how do we react? Do we go down the wrong path or do we accept the tragedy as God's will and battle through to the other side where we emerge better people for having experienced, & most importantly, understood why something happened the way it did, and how it has affected us on a personal level. If we take that experience and knowledge forward to help us live better lives, and be better individuals then I guess you can't really ask for more than that. My personal ethic is always keep an eye on the 'higher' issues. Yes we must partake in this materialistic world because we need to eat, survive and brush up against all sorts in order live on this world. But always be mindful of the ultimate journey - that journey which leads to the future which can't be seen or touched but will definitely be there for all of us. I guess what I'm trying to say is that always remember the real purpose of life(s) - we must return to Waheguru. Sorry to all my brothers and sisters if I've deviated from proper conventions. As you can probably tell I've thought of these issues a lot for so many years. All these issues are kind of fresh for me too. I have so, so much to learn myself. I hope I've not offended anyone. Thanks and Waheguru.

Check your passport and/or driving license for your home address. :D Oh.....you mean 'THAT' home? Well I believe that our true home is with God. All our births and rebirths are an attempt to get closer to him, so that eventually we merge into the Infinite (because that is where we originally came from). But to do so we must be truly exceptional beings (dare I say 'perfect beings' if that is possible) and for that, Naam is required. And I don't mean Naam on a superficial level (i.e. Naam is recited daily but your soul and mind are still ignorant) . Every fibre of our body must shimmer with the glory of Naam (and Gurbani) - our soul must crave Naam constantly. I think this world we call Earth has deliberately been designed to test us. Its not a nice world - its full of troubles, heartbreak and distractions. However I believe that if you leave this world with your head held high, knowing that you've allowed yourself to connect to Waheguru and His Name, despite the tribulations and obstacles that you most likely have encountered during life on here, then I think we will be able to take another step closer to Him. If you've still a lot to learn (to put it simply), then I think a return to this Earth is inevitable. If, however, you've realised the Truth when alive (or even a small part of the Truth) - even whilst living on this cruel Earth - then I believe something special has been achieved. Whether that's enough is for others "up there" to decide. But usually one realises by looking inside themselves and being honest.

Who or what is 'akjs'?

Gurbani and Paath are, of course, essential in the life of a Sikh. But instead of hoping for an instant, magical fix, focus on why it is you are struggling in your job. Analyse your situation and attempt to come up with practical solutions. Remember, God helps those who help themselves. I find Paath calms me down and focuses my mind. Instead of sitting down and thinking "Oh Waheguru, make me a brilliant employee and uber-confident", you could ask for peace of mind which could in-turn alllow you to understand what you have to do.

As much as its not necessarily a bad thing to be one of these 'peraiye lekhaiye', when they begin distorting Gurbani or putting a different slant on it based on their understanding of it, that's when it begins to get dangerous. Obviously when someone disagrees with them they look down on such people with disdain, as if to say "You're a pendoo - what do you know?". The arrogance of some is unbelievable. Being an academic (or even someone very well read) isn't something to shy away from - its just that you'd wish that 'apnay' wouldn't let it go to their heads. :lol:

Its probably something "cool" the young Gursikhs have fashioned in their online communties / groups. A tongue-in-cheek thing most probably.

Lots of people are always praising them for their health benefits (I understand they're in the group of 'garam' vegetables if you know what I mean), so I'll probably give them a try.

NO WAY! I still think they look reptilian! I don't touch them. They ARE little crocodiles. End of.

That's the word I was looking for.

@ dalsingh - I know, its madness. :lol: For some reason my young mind equated the shiny, purple skin of the buthaou with snakes. I would retch as a child when my mum put buthaou in-front of me. I wasn't a fussy eater like most kids these days by any means, but I detested buthaou. However in my late teens I eventually began to like the taste and I love them now! In an ideal world, I would have saag and mukhi (jwar?) di roti, and aloo parathe on alternate days for the rest of my life. But I guess I wouldn't live to see my 40th birthday if I did that...:lol:

Excellent idea. Although I reckon it'll take me at least a year of non-stop practicing to recapture at least a quarter of the skill I had. Displaying my work on Sikhsangat.com? Possibly a few years down the line....:lol:

Our biggest problem is our apathy. Everything is very much 'meh'. Something happens, we make a big-deal about it for a couple of weeks, and then its back to normal.

This is the perfect way of describing the media. I could not have put it better myself.

Go to your doctor and get a bloodtest. Also if there's anything lacking in your diet (vitamin-wise) then something can be sorted out.

I heard about this one case where a girl whose surname was Sandhu (her Dhadhkeh in India were also obviously Sandhu too) couldn't get married to the son of her prospective in-laws because they were Sandhu too. Problem was the boy's family were Sandhu's from Kenya!!! :lol: The elders from the girl's side insisted that it was like marrying into the same village, etc, even though both Sandhu's were not related by blood AND resided on different continents! You gotta love Punjabi elders....:lol:

I bought a sketch pad and a pack of drawing pencils a few months ago. It was strange - I just felt compelled to buy them 'just in case'. I guess there's no harm in trying.

Wow - I knew there had to be at least one! Thanks humkire. Isn't it funny how these 'special' individuals (like Gyanee Bachitar Singh) are so unassuming and 'under-the-radar'? People seem to overlook them.

I find that if a guy continues to maintain a proper, loving relationship with his parents after his marriage (if he had one prior to getting married), and continues to address them with due respect in-front of his wife, she usually follows suit and behaves in a similar manner (this applies whether the married couple and the parents live under one roof or not). However if the guy is short with his parents or doesn't afford them the courtesy that parents should receive, then his wife has her husband pegged and this is usually the beginning of the end. Its basically a green light to her to begin her shenanigans and mental warfare. :lol: Again, I should make it clear I firmly believe that not all wives are like this. I'm not picking on my fellow sisters. Like I said I could tell you some horror stories about dodgy parents. I'm merely commenting on the topic of conversation.

I was nodding my head wildly in agreement to this. My dream ever since I could remember was to be an artist. I loved drawing and painting, and by the time I was 10 I was pretty awesome even if I do say so myself. But my father was dead against it. He kept saying it was a waste of time and I wouldn't find a good job. I actually had to resort to drawing in secret so that he wouldn't catch me. It wasn't as if I was neglecting my studies because I was a very capable student in other areas too. But art just made me feel alive - it gave me so much joy. But then life conspired against me and to cut a long story short, I put my pencil and brushes down and I've not touched them since the age of 15. I regret it so much. Had I continued who knows I could've been that 'one guy' who'd produce those Sikhi masterpieces. I guess we'll never find out.