luckysingh99

Of course your life span increases with gurbani !!!! I know for a fact that I was supposed to be dead nearly two years ago !!! I'm still HERE !!!!! You have two choices, ypu can either follow the astrolgy, vedic janam patras, kundlis and all that.... OR you can live with the DIVINE HUKAM as a SIKH. WARNING- IF YOU DECIDE TO MIX, THEN YOU ONLY TARNISH ONE OF THEM. -CHOICE IS YOURS.....ONE OR THE OTHER....AND NO MIX N MATCH

It is all about what you want and what you make of it. Only five has given you a valid explanation above, I don't know what is confusing you about that ? Everything, including how your income and raising your family come in, is all part of his Hukam. You have to learn to let it be that way and let the hukam dictate. It's when we think that it is all our freewill, that we start to feel all the burden and problems. Because it is not our freewill it is ALL him and his hukam. Accept and deal with whatever comes your way, is the way forward.

How about banning all songs that endorse drinking ! These do more harm and send out wrong messages than a 'dancing jatt' song.

Something to do with 'nine' and origins maybe ! Like we have nine gates and 'nana' or 'nani' as origin of grandparents ! Just guessing !!

Just got directed here from another similar and recent thread. What is interesting is the breathing technique mentioned. -This is the 'wahe' on inward breath whilst bring navel in and 'guru' on outward breath whilst extending navel outward. I can confirm that I have been practicing this since I started, although when I started I was infact taking 2 breaths in and 2 out.so the 'wahe' was actually broken into 'wa' and 'he' with one breath inward followed by a 2nd breath. I can't remember exactly where I had learnt this but soon after I found that using the 'wahe' inward in one breath and 'guru' outward in one breath out was much better and more co-ordinated. I don't exactly know what it is about this breathing that helps, but I know that Bhagat Kabir ji quotes this as reverse breathing in gurbani. From my own experience I know that when I didn't do this breathing, I didn't progress. So I have always just stuck wih it and I only need to concentrate or think about it when I first start the early couple of breaths. I'm not sure if other members have tried a different technique and what their results were. I also find that this breathing helps to produce the 'waheguru' vibrations as I call them. These vibrations can sometimes continue all day long and you can feel them eminating from everywhere. This only happens sometimes and usually after a long and very deep simran. This gives me an intense urge to want to go into samadhi and just stay there if I can.

Osinghji, I think you are correct in this manner. I have just looked into this 'void' focus used in other meditation yogas and I realise that is NOT gurmat or exactly what i'm talking about. I honestly felt that I was trying to describe an easier method of doing it and I realise that I am just infact 'eliminating all thoughts and feelings in an instance and bringing ALL focus onto Waheguru. I also realise that my way of description can give the wrong impression because the void is not the idea at all in gurmat. It is quite difficult to describe how exactly these thoughts get removed but one thing is for sure and that is 'Amrit Vela' I can confirm that no matter what time of day I try to do simran, nothing comes anywhere near to amrit vela. The anand you get at that heavenly time is just not possible at any other time in my current day to day life. I also find it is the majic hour where I can easily remove all my external thoughts completely in a flash much easier. If I ever miss it at amrit vela or it is done after 5.30 am, then I feel regret all day long. Because personally, I feel that I should be up by 3am so that I can do at least 2 to 2.5 hours. I also feel that it has transformed me and helped mould me into a better and calmer person. In fact, I worry so little about anything that even if something disastrous is going on in my life, I am so calm and co-ordinated that my wife worries if something is actually wrong with me!! - She feels worried about why I am not worried or distessed !!!! My biggest regret is why I didn't start simran a long time ago. I really wish that I had gone this way earlier in my past as I wouldn't have made the same mistakes.

Don't think that you can go to someone and they will wave a majic wand and it will all be fine!! This is the problem of how we lose so many sikhs to babas and deras. If you feel that there is an 'evil eye' like you mention, then it is your imagination that is driving everything. A sikh has to move well away from these fears and feelings of weakness. Because, that is exactly what it is- The Weakness in you that makes you see the whole world like an evil curse on your well-being. SNAP OUT of it, and the first step is to get your confidence in the One waheguru, Once you do this with dignity, you will automatically start to rise above these feelings of weakness. The Only person that can help is YOU. -By finding the strength of waheguru inside you to dampen the weaknesses you feel.

If you've been thinking about trimming it, the your already half way there. No good coming on here to get confirmation so that you can proceed without guilt. All the ones that have these doubts usually end up doing it and then realise what a mistake it was and grow it back !!

Yes it is true about the eggs and bacon. I went to one of these gurdwaras in Manchester and when i came down into the langar hall, I could smell the bacon and saw them cooking the eggs!! When I told someone who was local in the neighbourhood, they said that they were probably cooking for a wedding janaith that would arrive!! I have to this day never got my head around it and simply avoided those gurdwaras ! The shop in question was very much owned by a bhatra family and I think they were 3 brothers, but I don't know if they still own it or who runs it. - It's been a good few years since I left the mancs to be here in Vancouver.

Osinghji, I agree with your post totally. I am not denying the method you mention and I do remember seeing the references and advice you mention. I really don't know what stage or level I'm at, but I don't think I'm advanced or anything. However, I do remember that I used to listen to the sound when I first started. I also remember having some difficulty in trying to move to the mental and silent manas stage. At that time I would also wonder if I was doing it correctly. Then all of a sudden I found that if I empty my mind completely and get rid of all the clutter and then bring the focus on just the ONE Akaal purakh, that I could go into mental simran stage much easier. -I'm not sure if this came with time and practice, but I somehow felt that I had been doing it wrong!!! -Like I say, I don't know if I had climbed up the simran ladder, but all of a sudden I felt that instead of focusing on the sound or vibration, I just had to focus on the 'nothingness' and be completely thoughtless. Then I would find I was doing deep, mental and silent simran. This was the reason that I advise others to focus on this nothingness,- I hope you understand as I'm not trying to go against what you say. Maybe this was something that came with time and that all the time I was listening and feeling my vibration, it was helping me to become thoughtless. - I'm not sure and I honestly can't answer that. I'm sorry if you felt that I was speaking against your principles as that was not my intention. I hope you understand why I felt that the secet is to clear and empty your mind and focus on nothingness, because now when I do that, then automatically all that is left is Akaal purakh because you can't clear his dhian from your mind! Now, I find it quite easy to go into deep mental and silent simran and I can usually do it within seconds! Usually I don't have to be audible for any longer than a minute, but at the same time I become thoughtless by focusing on the void of nothingness, this leaves me with just the one thought for the ONE. Somehow with intuiton, this all made sense to me because before creation there was just the ONE Waheguru and this void. So if you pay attention to the void, it soon transorms into ALL Him. It is kind of difficult to explain because when I look back, I can't understand why it was difficult to move on from the listening stage !! The only explanation I can come with is that I wasn't doing it properly or I wasn't trying to be thoughtless! I think that as Neo ji has stated it is about different stages.- although I have NEVER considered myself as moving up the ladder but simply as finding the right way through practice. It is ALL with his grace that we get on the right track, no matter which station or platform we join the train.

I think he's trying to point with differences of 'lying' and 'snitching' !! Let's say back in Guru ji's times when hindus were being killed unless they converted to islam. Let's say that there was a hindu and his family that had been chased and were to get killed and they somehow found refuge at your house whilst on the run. Now, when the muslims come knocking on your door to ask if they are hiding there, what do you do ?? Of course you lie and say they are not. !!!!!!!!! Saving someone from oppression and honouring their rights to freedom is the job and duty of a sikh. If a sikh has to lie in order to fulfill this duty, then the lie it shall be !!! This lie is not paap and this lie is to honour the 'Truth'. So, in effect, it is about lying to the satguru, which thou shall not do, as thou shall Not lie to the Truth !!

It is quite interesting and very useful. Yes, there are many of us that will argue that foods are not going to make one more spiritual or more gurmat. But even for those they will admit that a diet of potato chips,pizza and fizzy cola is not going to help them get enlightened in any way !!! So, in reality there is something there, but what exactly is it ? Neoji, has rightfully pointed in the correct direction and interestingly this information is more widely available than I previously thought. The key is to class foods into categories in line with the 3 gunas. Below, we have 'Sattvic ' foods or the ones under satoguna.that can be found listed in Wiki Sattvic foods Fresh nuts and seeds that have not been overly roasted and salted are good additions to the sattvic diet in small portions.[citation needed] Choices include almonds (especially when peeled and soaked in water overnight), coconuts, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Oils should be of good quality and cold-pressed. Some choices are olive oil, sesame oil and flax oil. FruitFruit is one of the most sattvic foods, along with milk and honey.[citation needed] The sattvic diet considers these foods pure is because they are obtained without hurting the organism they come from—in fact humans help that other organism. We care for the fruit tree, and it provides life-sustaining nutrients. We care for the cow, and the cow provides life-sustaining nutrients. We care for the honey bee hive, and so on. It is also so sattvic because fruits are very tridoshic: they are sweet, sour, and astringent—in perfect proportions. The fruit must be eaten on an empty stomach, by itself, and must be sweet and ripe.[citation needed] DairyThe milk must be obtained from an animal that has a spacious outdoor environment, an abundance of pasture to feed on, water to drink, is treated with love and care, and is not pregnant. The milk may only be collected once the mother's calf has its share. Dairy products like yogurt and cheese (paneer) must be made that day, from milk obtained that day. Butter must be fresh daily as well, and raw; but ghee (clarified butter) can be aged forever, and is great for cooking. Freshness is key with dairy. Milk that is freshly milked from a happy cow, still warm, is nectar to man and woman. Milk that is not consumed fresh can be refrigerated for one to two weeks in its raw state, but must be brought to a boil before drinking, and drank while still hot/warm. Pasteurization, homogenization, and the use of GMOs and pesticides are all poisonous to human. As is the consumption of milk from cows that are treated poorly, and consuming cold milk.[citation needed] VegetablesMost mild vegetables are considered sattvic. Pungent vegetables like hot peppers, leek, garlic and onion are excluded, as are gas-forming foods such as mushrooms (tamasic, as are all fungi) and potatoes. As a general rule, the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes) and the Allium family (garlic, onion, leeks, shallots), as well as fungus (yeasts, molds, and mushrooms) are considered by some practitioners not sattvic. The classification of whether something is sattvic or not is defined largely by the different schools of thought and even then individually understanding and needs of practitioners. Sometimes the given nature of these foods can be neutralised by careful preparation. A practice is to drink freshly made vegetable juices for their prana, live enzymes, and easy absorption.[citation needed] Whole grainsWhole grains provide nourishment. Some include organic rice, whole wheat, spelt, oatmeal and barley. Sometimes the grains are lightly roasted before cooking to remove some of their heavy quality. Yeasted breads are not recommended, unless toasted. Wheat and other grains can be sprouted before cooking as well. Some preparations are kicharee (brown or white basmati rice cooked with whole or split mung beans, ghee and mild spices), kheer (rice cooked with milk and sweetened), chapatis (non-leavened whole wheat flat bread), porridge (sometimes made very watery and cooked with herbs), and “Bible” bread (sprouted grain bread). Sometimes yogis will fast from grains during special practices.[citation needed] LegumesMung beans, lentils, yellow split peas, chickpeas, aduki beans, common beans, organic tofu, and bean sprouts are considered sattvic if well prepared. In general, the smaller the bean, the easier to digest. Preparations include splitting, peeling, grinding, soaking, sprouting, cooking and spicing. Legumes combined with whole grains can offer a complete protein source. SweetenersSome yogis use raw honey (often in combination with dairy) and jaggery a raw sugar (not refined). In some traditions, sugar and/or honey are excluded from the diet. SpicesSattvic spices are mild spices including basil, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, fresh ginger and turmeric. Rajasic spices like black pepper and red pepper are normally excluded, but are sometimes used in small amounts, both to clear channels blocked by mucus and to counter tamas. Sattvic herbsOther herbs are used to directly support sattva in the mind and in meditation. These include ashwagandha, bacopa, calamus, gotu kola, gingko, jatamansi, purnarnava, shatavari, saffron, shankhapushpi, tulsi and rose. I had also read somewhere previously that certain sikhs that maintain a strict bibek rehit also avoid pungent spices like garlic and onion!!- It makes more sense when you look at the above info!!!

Concentrating on the sound is the first stage of simran. After when one starts to do mental simran or manas stage, then there is only the vibration within, however one will still hear the recitation within their mind. I have known some people that find it difficult to move onto the mental stage because they have been focusing on just the physical sound at the first stage.- Therefore, I think it's better to advise people not to focus on sounds but feel the vibration within and the mental recitation. I'm not sure how gurmat simran can be defined as focusing on sound only ! In practice when one advances with time, then the initial stage of tongue movement and physical sound gets shorter and shorter because one can progress to mental simran in a faster and shorter time. Focusing on 'nothingness' is a personal tip to help one clear the clutter in their mind first- It is not anti-gurmat or manmatt in any way. I think it becomes easier for one to first start by focusing on this nothingness or void and then bring in only the dhian and thoughts of ONE Akaalpurakh. With practice one should see that the purest and Only thing in this ' nothingness' is the true Lord. Like I say, I find this a helpful technique into helping me focus on the ONE without any mind clutter or thoughts going elsewhere. Afterall, before creation, there was just a void of nothingness and Akaal purakh only. In this manner, one soon realises that this very 'nothingness' is infact everything that is pure and One.

Watching that is amazing, yet he is not doing something amazing,,he is just doing something he can- and which we all should-..Which is give!! People like that make me feel ashamed of myself, and I realise what a loser i really am. I try to be as much gurmat in my daily living as i can, but I don't give enough. I may see a homeless only once a week and even then I have to pause and hesitate to think ''How much change shall I give!'' I know that if I drive downtown some miles, I will see many homeless. BUT do I really have the courage to bring one of them home and feed them as well as offering them the use of bath and shower ?? I should be ashamed because we have 4 bathrooms with showers here and some are not ever used! -It's difficult, but it makes me really think about it!

I don't know why khande batta da amrit is being compared as amrit water to sarowar water. Two completely different things!! Firstly, the khande batta da amrit can only be if the 'panj' are present. No person on their own, no matter who they are, can make the same amrit for ceremony as when the panj are present. The significance is NOT about how holy or pure the amrit is, but it is about the panj being present. If we are comparing waters, then we can't compare other holy waters to khande ka amrit. So sarowar water, no matter if it's molecules have vibrations of all gurbani from SGGSji being read thousands of times will still NOT replace the bhatta amrit, because of the panj being present. Simple.... No panj= No amrit ceremony Therefore water from sarowar may have millions of gurbani vibrations eminating from it, BUT it won't transform any recipient to something more pure. This water from sarowar is not amrit that is used for initiation ceremony in any way. You may call it amrit, if you wish- BUT don't confuse it with amrit from the panj.

I think that when one can rise above their haumai and be advait(no duality), then the whole creation and it's contents along with creator become to appear as ONE. Yes, I reckon even the shirt you wear or the chair you sit on becomes to be seen as creation even though they may be man-made. I will just mention a strange encounter that I sometimes get and i'm not sure if others feel the same or if it is just my perception. But, here goes- - We all know and are aware that sometimes a song or a tune may be playing in the back of our minds all day long. Whatever we do in our usual day gets done but all the while there will be this tune or song playing in our background. It will be in our mind or head at all times..... I'm sure we all exprience this sometimes. -Now, sometimes especially after a long,thorough and deep amrit vela naam simran session, I occasionally encounter something similar. I'm not sure if others get this or if it is a sort of 'rom rom simran' -What happens is that I feel these vibrations of 'waheguru' simran going on at the back of my mind. This can also be japji sahib sometimes. - Now, these vibrations will accompany me all day long and everything that I come in contact with or encounter in the day will also be giving the 'waheguru' vibrations. Such that I will feel 'waheguru' simran coming from walls, trees, plants...in fact nearly everything. - This continues for the whole day and doesn't carry on the next day or after a new amrit vela. - It is also a pleasant feeling and although i may not even have done anything constructive at all that day, i still feel that i had memorable day for that week. Having this makes me feel that all the creation can actually be felt as One !! ( sounds a little weird) But yes, there is probably some God vibration in absolutely everything around us, however there is probably no active consciousness like you get in insects, plants and creatures.- but there is some God entity within everything.

Why do some have a problem with Yogi Bhajan ?? I am no follower, but at the end of the day he did more than I could ever do ! He made over 130,000 pure sikhs out of hippies and new age travellers.... (Pure= Full amritdhari sikhs)- There is not even a single person now that can make half the number of monai or sehjdhari into Full Amritdhari sikhs is there ?? I really couldn't care less if 3ho followers keep an idol of sri chand outside their gurdwara, or if they participate in fire ceremonies!! We should look at the positive and gurmat eminating from such people and stop this judging. YES- ALL WATER IS HOLY !!! Water is as essential as air for our survival. Did God not use air and water to create this creation ? If we had a serious water famine, then a person would get to such a state where nothing else would matter- NO other food or liquid except WATER. The water woould be the ONLY need and the person would be willing to do anything, absolutely anything. Should we not be thankful for the water provided to us from every single source possible ?? Sherdil and N30 ji, you make a very valid point that only a few of us can appreciate and realise.

Please don't apologise. There is no need for anyone to say sorry about their feelings.- I'm a low life, the lowest of the low.Gurbani teaches us to NOT judge others, BUT by thinking low of others(by cursing) or thinking high (by apologising), we are judging. My personal view is that the only person we should judge among us is ourselves- AND when we judge ourselves, we should see ourselves as the lowest. Too much ego battling is not healthy for discussion in any way.

Before a new day begins, a sikh is meant to cleanse himself at amrit vela. The problem is like I said earlier, some of us are not sure what is supposed to be cleansed !! Is it our body,teeth, mouth or mind???

Question- what exactly are you supposed to wash at amrit vela ??? Is it your body? your teeth? your mind ? or your mouth that verbally attacks others ? PS- you can get a soap for your mouth now from palmolive!!!

The ganga is worshipped as mata ganga by hindus. Harminder sarovar is NOT. The ganga can give a person mukhti or salvation, No sikh claims you can get mukhti by bathing anywhere. A sikh claims the becoming and being a gurmukh can take one to mukhti,even though this happens whilst alive -(jivan mukht). Not too sure about vedic hindu, but I don't think that mukhti whilst alive is any goal as it seems that they believe mukhti is attained (coming out of birth-death cycle) after death.- Reason for taking next of kins ashes to ganga. Sarowar and ganga are two completely different levels of significance. There are as many lepers and diseased cured from sarowar as there are from placebo drugs!! It is proven fact that water molecules respond with positive vibrations to love like and calm environments and they give erratic and negative vibrations to not so peaceful environments. Latest news on ganga (recent news) highlights how unhealthy, polluted and dirty it is with cancers being 50% higher for people living adjacent to it, yes 50% !!! Bottom line, - you may have a positive response bathing in the gurbani immersed sarovar but I doubt there can be a negative effect, unless you drown!! BUT going for a dip in the ganga is more likely to leave you diseased than your own tub at home!

Good read !! I'm glad that the so called vedic origins of vaheguru that so many scholars talk about, have been clarified and explained. I hope these scholars and many other websites can see that they are wrong !

Too much me,me,me,me......instead of we,we,we......which is all about ''I'', 'I am', 'I will'' ''I have'' which is 'haumai' or ego. Then we have all the indian cultural influences that get mixed with sikhi. These are caste, money, family and everything else.

It's tongue n cheek!!!!! , - ths thread is about sikhs that have xmas trees and give presents..etc.... If there is any lesson to be learnt from this thread- it is that this time of the year should remind us of sahibzhade. Especially the younger two that were offered all the treasures and riches of this world so that they may lose their sikhi, but they didn't budge the slightest. We now have sikhs that are converted to other religions because sikhs aren't helping them with money or golack money doesn't reach them. Instead christian missionaries offer them finance and they convert losing their sikhi for some dollars and pounds. A TRUE sikh NEVER loses his sikhi for anything, not for any riches, money or promises. From this thread we can learn that a western cultural thing like christmas can NOT lure a sikh away from sikhi. Even if the sahibhzadhe were taken on a tour to show them all the wealth, riches and women that muslims dream about in heaven,even then they would NOT budge the slightest. To have the temptations and influence right infront of your eyes and then to refuse them is the strength every sikh should have. Many sikhs have business's etc.. where they will have trees and other festive items for the staff or clients/customers. Some will have them at homes as we know. BUT a sikh's sikhi should not be affected by these cultural items and it shoudn't be. If you think that a sikh is losing his faith with a christmas tree or that the tree can tempt him to cut his khes,then he wasn't a sikh in the first place. Let the other temptations and influences be there for all a true sikh cares Like the sahibzhade a sikh will NEVER give up his sikhi for anything.

Who the hell is selling these turbans ??? These should NOT be confused with sikh dastaar. There are many other faiths and cultures that wear different types of turbans or I would call it headwear, BUT these should not be confused with a tied up sikh turban. These 'genie' style turbans are probably for theatre and actors as such, they are not to go with your Khakkar of khes. A sikh with the 5 k's cannot use alternatives, otherwise he is NOT a sikh khalsa because it is not the real khakkar. This also goes for sikhs that wear a 'Gold karra'- You can wear one as an extra, but it shouldn't replace your original khakker