DustOfYourFeet

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

Questions answered by Sant Baba Darshan Singh Dhakki Sahib

1) Right now we're supposedly in the Kaal Yug (age of darkness, one of the 4 ages), if and when the Saatch Yug (age of light/truth) comes, does that mean everything is good or there's still a mixture?

If everything is good, how would you know what was good? If everything was bad, how would you know what was bad? The four yugs (ages) don't occur in a linear fashion one after the other. All four are always in motion at exactly the same time, however one is always a bit more dominant than the others. Hence in the Kal Yug the darkness is dominant but you also have some saatch (light/truth/wisdom), and in the Saatch Yug you will also have some kal (darkness/ignorance), but the saatch will be dominant. Right now the kal is dominant, but it doesn't last.

2) What's the purpose of all this creation?

It's all God's play. God throws you out within Himself (here Babaji flicks his finger as though flicking a small marble ball away) and then says "Find me" (here Babaji illustrates the point by at the same time urging the ball to return to him with a motion of his fingers). And all this is leela (God's eternal play) that's going on infinitely and spontaneously without intention, It's God playing and expressing Himself in infinite different roops (forms). (Because God doesn't need a reason to do anything and has nothing to achieve or purpose to fulfill, or else he wouldn't be God. Everything is the spontaneous eternal play of the Infinite for Self-expression and Self-experience).

3) How would you define your role?

To lead people's hearts to God, to join them with God, that's my only role. Sometimes that will be achieved through external social service, sometimes through devotion or an emphasis on meditation or through gyan (dispersing knowledge of the truth). The doctor has to adapt his medicine according to the differing needs and nature of the patient.

4) What's the most important thing on the spiritual path?

Pursuing the truth, nothing is more important that that. If a man can prove to me that God doesn't exist, I'm willing to follow that man, because truth is all that counts.

5) Gurbani (main Sikh scripture) says that the world reality is actually just a projected appearance by God within His consciousness just like our dreams at night which seem to be intensely real, but which turn out to be completely non-existent when we wake up in the morning. Gurbani says again and again that we should wake up from this jagrat state (waking dream) to the 4th state (Turiya which is the source substance of the first three and the sole reality). You've meditated and experienced that everything is inside yourself, not on the outside, that it's all truly just a dream within your own consciousness. So why then do you do all these charitable projects such as the blood camps, de-addiction centers, why do you run around for so many hours each day giving so many discourses at so many different Gurdwaras, when you know none of this really exists, no one is really suffering and no one is really helped, that it's all a dream as Gurbani states. Why do you do something instead of nothing?

It's completely true that all this is just a dream in reality, it doesn't really exist, but I do what I do for 3 reasons. First of all it's my hukam to do whatever I'm doing. Secondly, I like the role I've been given, I'm able to help others within this dream, it's a good role. And thirdly due to the love of the people in the dream. But the most important of the three is the hukam. None of this exists outside, the whole world is a dream within just like the seemingly intense physical solidity of the world in your own dreams at night, but still the most important thing to do in this dream is to honor and follow God's hukam. In truth everyone is following God's hukam, everyone without exception is doing exactly what God wants them to, but 99% of the people are unaware of this, you can't even have the thought that makes you take a certain action or take a breath without God's hukam. The whole universe exists and is in motion by Wahe Guru's (God's) hukam alone.

6) It's my understanding that God projects the field of Maya (the world illusion) within Himself, then projects all the individual souls also within Himself, and that these supposedly individual souls are in reality never separate from Wahe Guru (God), but when placed in a body with limited senses and a mind, they forget their true nature and think they are separate beings so that all the dramas can be enjoyed with greater intensity. Is it true that God and the Atma are always one, never separate at any time and that in reality all bondage or suffering is only due to a lack of perception or realization on this front?

It's true that the Atma (individualized soul in a body) and Paramatama (God) are always one, there is never any separation, but the Atma is made to forget this truth via ignorance and has to go through various disciplines to realize it's true nature. God is in each person, but God isn't Maya (the world illusion which appears to be real via ignorance).

7) Yes, but isn't it true that the very shakti (life force) in the field of Maya is none other than Paramatama (God/the Infinite)? That in truth God is the very source substance of the field of Maya, but in that instance God is simply appearing in a different form?

Yes, that's true, it is God, but the roop (form) is different. Everything and everyone is God, but appearing in a different roop.

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8) Is it true that the only veiling curtain between man and God is the thoughts of the mind alone since God is one, but the thoughts of the mind always perceive things in terms of diverse contrasts (such as good or bad, cold or hot, rich and poor) instead of recognizing the unity of everything at the source substance level?

Yes, Wahe Guru (God) is everywhere, but because of the mann (mind) thinking 'meh' ('me' or 'I'), the ego is formed which perceives reality as separation and diversity (instead of recognizing everything as one, the mind makes the soul perceive everything inside the body as 'I', and everything outside as 'you' or 'them'). This hides the true reality. When the mind is purified and made transparent through simran (making the mind one pointed on God), then the underlying reality of Wahe Guru (God) is recognized as the sole reality. Dualistic thoughts (seeing things as separate and distinct) are the veiling curtain that hide God from our awareness even though He's everywhere.

9) When the eyes are closed and the mind is emptied of thoughts for even only 5 seconds, even though you're not thinking and the mind is empty for a short while, there's still a very subtle but clear awareness that you exist which seems to have it's center in the heart rather than the mind, That subtle awareness or consciousness of existing is colorless, formless, and very calm and seems to be never changing or moving, until thoughts are projected upon It, like a movie projected on a screen. It's the easiest thing in the world to lose one's balance by getting mixed up in the movies created by one's thoughts, but going back to the root awareness in those moments seems to have an instantly centering and balancing effect, because even in the middle of even intensely happy or unhappy experiences, looking within with the mind empty even for only a few seconds, that very subtle awareness that one exists still seems to be perfectly calm and completely still and in peace. So what I wanted to ask was, is this neverchanging subtle awareness that you still exist when you have no thoughts even for a few seconds Wahe Guru, is it your real Self?

Yes, that awareness or consciousness within your heart is Wahe Guru (the Infinite), but what you're experiencing is a small glimpse of your real Self. As you gradually get more and more anchored in that, it expands into infinity. What you're experiencing is a drop which is your Atma (the individual soul), and as you go deeper you'll experience that the drop - your Atma - has always in reality been an ocean which is Paramatama, the sole ocean within which everything exists. Then when you return from the experience of realizing that you are the ocean, that awareness will be with you at all times even when your eyes are wide open. A person in this state is called a Jiwanmukta (awakened while still in body). (Note: When the eyes are closed and the mind is emptied of thoughts for even only 5 seconds - because anyone can achieve that for at least 5 seconds - what remains in the absence of thoughts is an awareness that you exist. The sensation of the eyes is a bit of a distraction at first even though they're closed, but getting past that gradually, if one pays attentions, the subtle awareness that you exist reveals itself as originating in the chest area, in the heart rather than the mind).

10) Does the mind in such a person completely dissolve, leaving only the spiritual heart as the sole guide or discriminating faculty?

No, the mind doesn't completely disappear, it remains, but in a purified state. The mind before, being the cause of your ego had become your master, now it becomes the dutiful servant of the heart (your real Self). Your real Self is not the body, or mind but spirit (consciousness) which has it's origin in your spiritual heart. That spirit is everywhere though, but in your body you'll find it's root in your heart.

11) How do you function after the mind has been purified to reveal the underlying source substance of all reality?

Your spiritual heart determines the direction to go, while the mind analyzes, dissects and figures out the best way to get from point A to point B. Again the mind doesn't determine direction or desired end, only how to get there within the dream world. Through simran and meditation, the mind becomes one pointed making it transparent and acutely sharp, but because it's conditioning has been thinned out almost completely dissolving the ego, it becomes a complete servant of the heart, which is your real Self and one with the Infinite. God resides in every heart, persevere and surrender to that and you're free.

12) You're referring to the spiritual heart slightly to the right, not the physical organ to the left?

Yes, the spiritual heart is consciousness, from that comes the shakti which animates the mind and your body.

13) Is the ego completely dissolved or some portion is left in order for you to be able to keep your feet on the physical plane?

A very small trace of ego is left after you recognize the unity of all creation. However that small amount of ego is so transparent that a Self realized saint is unmoved by whatever happens on this plane, having recognized the truth. And that small trace of ego is there by the choice of the saints so that they can function on this physical plane and fulfill their hukam, otherwise they would be on another plane, and not in their body.

14) Some people prefer to think of God in human form as a saint or avtar, my perception without intention happens to be of the Infinite in the formless state, as spirit or indivisible consciousness that is manifest within everything. My frame of reference keeps returning to the central point that everything is God, so what I wanted to ask you is, is there anything wrong with this angle of vision, or is there a better way to approach all this? Am I doing anything wrong, should anything be changed?

No, there's nothing wrong with thinking God is everything, it's very good. And no, there's no need to change anything, continue doing whatever you want.

15) Some mystics have given others an experience by a simple touch, can you give me the experience of samadhi?

(Babaji smiles and says): Via simran(Meditation), it will come by itself.

16) It's a psychological truth that you actually become whatever your dominant thought is, whatever you think about all the time, that becomes your reality, but how would you personally define the purpose or benefit of doing simran?

Without simran you are like a little child lost in a mela (fairground/festival) and can easily lose your way or be easily overwhelmed by all the diverse rides, games, sights and sounds. The only obstacle to realizing your true nature is your ego, and the ego is only a child of your mind which is only made up of thoughts. Simran gradually makes your mind one pointed on one thought, until it purifies the mind so that it dissolves and becomes transparent enough to reveal your true underlying nature. After that you are like the child who returns to the playground holding a finger of your Father's (God's) hand. Then you can go on any ride you want without ever again losing your way in the fairground or getting overwhelmed with all the attractions, sights and sounds, and for the first time are fully able to enjoy the mela (fairground/festival) as a free person realizing it for what it is.

17) I have a firm belief in the concept that - praise or blame, both are the same, since the source substance of both is the same one Infinite - and that as a result we should be even and balanced inside in both situations. The praise part is easy to get a handle on, but blame is of course always a little more difficult, so I prayed for some practice on this front. Is it OK to be even and balanced inside in the event of blame or abuse, or should one be in bliss even in that?

It's very good to be even within in the event of blame or abuse, remaining even and balanced is a very high state. Beyond that later on comes a state where you are in bliss even during blame, but that's going deeper still.

18) Why is there still so much suffering and poverty in India for so many?

Because where you have extreme good as in the case of all the Mahatamas and enlightened saints, you must also have extreme bad to balance it all. Everything in the universe is a perfect balance. Here in America, you don't have extreme good, and hence you also don't have extreme bad, although you do have bad. It takes more of the apparently bad to outweigh the good since the apparently good is always more powerful than bad. So India is very extreme on both ends for a completely perfect balance between the two. On the surface of India, you see only the apparently bad, but below the surface India has the highest good too in the form of all it's awakened sages, who have always been beneficial to the whole planet. That's the country that has produced all the enlightened sages and given the world all it's religions.

19) What do you see as the biggest problem in India today?

Lack of education and negative thinking.

20) Do men in India treat their women better these days, or is divorce becoming more prevalent there?

The ideal is one thing, but unfortunately the reality is generally something else. The reality is that if the women of India had economic independence as generally do the women here, then India would lead the whole world for divorces. It's only because of majboori (economic difficulty, mutual need for security) that couples stick together, there's often not true love or mutual respect as the base of the marriage. But here in America, the majboori isn't there, but there's a big lack of commitment. A marriage formed in the mutual love of God is the highest.

21) Is it true that the purpose of all religion is to simply realize your real self, and nothing else?

Absolutely true, that's why in Gurbani it says many times "Aapna mul pashaano" (recognize your true nature/know thyself, the source substance/substratum of your very existence). All the rest of religion is just preparation for that, to mature and make us ripe for the real work which is to stop being distracted by externals, dive within our own heart and realize our true nature which is purely spiritual, not physical. The true nature of everything and everyone is spiritual, the whole universe appears in the spirit of Wahe Guru (the Infinite) who is the sole reality in all things.

22) Guru means anyone or anything that dispels the darkness of ignorance. It's said that there can and will be many gurus in many forms, including books and communication via dreams, but that for each person there is precisely one Sat Guru (highest guide), so how do you recognize the Sat Guru?

Sat Guru is the one that takes you all the way to anand (bliss).

23) Is the real nature of the guru with form (human body) or without form?

Without form (infinite spirit, consciousness). As a result all the true Gurus are one.

24) Is it better to do just simran, meditation or both?

Meditation is like winding up a clock in the morning, giving you the momentum to do your simran the whole day. One is fine, both together is better.

25) Is contemplating God as being within everyone and everything at all times the same as doing simran?

Contemplating God at all times is good, but without simran it's difficult to progressively ascend the ladder of consciousness. (The effects of simran are based upon the psychological truth that you become whatever your dominant thought is, since our reality is always colored & formed by whatever we saturate our consciousness with for the majority of the time).

26) Are there other planes of existence or dimensions where there is more peace or bliss?

Yes, there are planes where there is nothing but bliss, then there are some below. Compared to the spiritual planes, this plane of existence is nothing, the happiness here is nothing compared to the happiness on the spiritual plane. But before getting there the soul has to evolve through many life forms. Towards the end that soul will once again be put in a human body for one or two more lifetimes, and will be given a role whereby it does nothing but physical seva for all from youth to old age and death, in order for that soul to get past theory and completely experience that God is truly equally within everyone and everything, that everything is God.

27) I have really bad dreams that the world is going to end soon, we're doing so many crazy things these days. What should I do about that?

Those who fear that the world will end should pray to God that it doesn't. That will make a difference. In reality this world will never end, existence never comes to an end. All this creation is happening on such an endlessly infinite scale that the mind can't even begin to comprehend the scope of God's eternal creation. Forms and circumstances change, but life, existence never had a beginning or birth and will never come to an end or death.

Waheguru

Reincarnation_of_a_ghost_ENG.pdf

Gurfathe

I used to eat food heated up in the microwave until I read this.

http://www.healthyeatingontherun.com/dangers-of-microwave-ovens.html

I did not know about the dangers of microwave ovens when I was a young adult just starting out. They were the best thing since sliced bread, or so I thought when I was growing up.

When I first got out of college in 1972 and started working as an adult, the second thing I bought, after a stereo system, was a microwave oven. I remember having an argument with my first husband over whether or not a Thanksgiving turkey cooked in the microwave tasted as good as one cooked the regular way.

It was so much easier and more convenient! I just loved it and used it quite a bit, like so many other people. Little did I know about the dangers of microwave ovens.

As with so many other things that are ruining our health, the main stream media refuses to put out any information concerning this. Most people are totally unaware of the dangers of microwave ovens.

The Dangers of Microwave Ovens

One glaring example of this is the nurse in Oklahoma who inadvertently killed a patient. This is from Dr. Mercola’s website (mercola.com).

“In early 1991, word leaked out about a lawsuit in Oklahoma. A woman named Norma Levitt had hip surgery, only to be killed by a simple blood transfusion when a nurse "warmed the blood for the transfusion in a microwave oven"!

Logic suggests that if heating or cooking is all there is to it, then it doesn't matter what mode of heating technology one uses. However, it is quite apparent that there is more to 'heating' with microwaves than we've been led to believe.

Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed-but not in microwave ovens! In the case of Mrs. Levitt, the microwaving altered the blood and it killed her. Does it not therefore follow that this form of heating does, indeed, do 'something different' to the substances being heated?

Is it not prudent to determine what that 'something different' might do? A funny thing happened on the way to the bank with all that microwave oven revenue: nobody thought about the obvious. Only 'health nuts' who are constantly aware of the value of quality nutrition discerned a problem with the widespread 'denaturing' of our food.”

Now there is a lot of information coming out about the dangers of microwave ovens. Here is some more of it.

A Further Excerpt From a Different Source

Here is a different look at the subject from another page at Dr. Mercola’s site:

“It turns out it was the Nazis, who actually invented these ovens. They were used in their mobile support calling them the “radiomissor”. These ovens were to be used for the invasion of Russia. By using electronic equipment for preparation of meals on a mass scale, the logistical problem of cooking fuels would have been eliminated, as well as the convenience of producing edible products in a greatly reduced time-factor.

After the war, the Allies discovered medical research done by the Germans on microwave ovens. These documents, along with some working microwave ovens, were transferred to the United States War Department and classified for reference and "further scientific investigation."

The Russians had also retrieved some microwave ovens and now have thorough research on their biological effects. As a result, their use was outlawed in the Soviet Union. The Soviets issued an international warning on the health hazards, both biological and environmental, of microwave ovens and similar frequency electronic devices.”

Obviously some people have figured out the dangers of microwave ovens, but that information hasn't come out in the United States yet for whatever reason. Americans are still in the dark about them.

How Microwave Ovens Work

The article continues: “All microwave ovens contain a magnetron which is a tube in which electrons are affected by magnetic and electric fields. They produce micro wavelength radiation at about 2450 Mega Hertz (MHz) or 2.45 Giga Hertz (GHz). This microwave radiation interacts with the molecules in food. The wave energy inside the oven changes polarity from positive to negative with each cycle of the wave. These changes of polarity happen millions of times every second! Food molecules (especially the molecules of water) have a positive and negative end just like a magnet has a north and a south polarity.

As these microwaves generated from the magnetron bombard the food, they cause the polar molecules to rotate at the same frequency millions of times a second. This is major agitation! (Much less agitation is used in pharmaceutical drug labs to separate or isolate molecules in the making of just about any thing they want.) This agitation creates the molecular friction, which heats up the food. The friction also causes substantial damage to the surrounding molecules, often tearing them apart or forcefully deforming them. The scientific name for this deformation is "structural isomerism".

The following is the conclusion that I think people here in the U.S. ought to come to on this matter. I definitely have followed this advice myself as far as the dangers of microwave ovens are concerned.

Ten Reasons to Throw Out Your Microwave Oven

“From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, we will conclude this article with the following:

1). Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

2). The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.

3). Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.

4). The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

5). Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

6). The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

7). Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America.

8). The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

9). Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

10). Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.”

I strongly encourage you to read all of the two articles mentioned above for in-depth facts and figures that show the research behind it. This information was enough to convince me of the dangers of microwave ovens and to never eat anything that has been heated or cooked in one.

Alternatives to Microwaves

But don’t worry, there are plenty of alternatives to using a microwave for the three main conveniences. I’ll list them here.

During the winter, I drink hot tea all the time and to keep it warm, I use a plug-in heater and set the cup (ceramic only) on that. It stays toasty warm until the very end. These can be purchased at Amazon if you can’t find a local source for one.

One other popular use for a microwave is to pop popcorn. Besides the fact that it is a grain, and as such should not be consumed because it raises your insulin level the same as sugar (see The No Grain Diet), I know that it is very popular. If you want to eat it occasionally, then please do it on the stove the old fashioned way.

It really is not that much more difficult to do and you can purchase a specially made pan to do it for you. This one is from Lehman’s (at www.lehmans.com), a company that has all kinds of old-fashioned, Amish type appliances. It’s great fun to browse through their website and it might give you other ideas.

One other thing to use instead of a microwave is a hot water heater for those cups of tea. A Hot Shot water heater gives you boiling hot water in 30 seconds, quick enough for several mugs at once. Sunbeam makes one which again you can get at Amazon if you can’t find it locally.

This is just as quick and easy as sticking a mug in the microwave and it is a whole lot safer and better for your health. It would be a very worthwhile investment for anyone to make and you can buy several for various places in your house.

Heating Up Pizza

Since I know this is important, the best way to heat up a slice of pizza (preferably homemade) is not the microwave oven. Besides the obvious dangers of microwave ovens, that will only make the crust chewy and tough.

If you only have a slice or two to warm up, use a toaster oven on medium darkness. If it is straight from the fridge, use two cycles.

Alternately, you can use a skillet on the stove. Put it on medium-high for a minute, add the pizza, cover it loosely with a lid and cook for two to three minutes.

Lastly, if none of those work for you, you can use your oven heated to 450 degree F (high heat makes the crust crispy). Arrange the slices on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and heat for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

We do still have one in our house, in spite of the dangers of microwave ovens, but that is because I am prone to migraine headaches upon occasion. If I can catch the pain in time, I can keep it from becoming a full-blown migraine by putting hot neck warmers on the back of my neck and over my eyes.

To warm them up, I use the microwave, but I always stand at least six feet away from it, preferably in the next room, while it’s running. I'm all too aware of the dangers of microwave ovens.

My partner Brian, on the other hand, uses it all the time – to store papers that he wants to hide. That’s about the only good use for microwave ovens. The following was the clincher on it for me.

Microwaves Change Molecular Structure

Dr. Masaru Emoto took these pictures of various types of waters and the crystals that they formed. Dr. Emoto’s work was featured in the hit movie “What the bleep do we know?” Further examples of his work can be seen on his web site, which is to be found at masaru-emoto.net/english/entop.html.

In the pictures in his book, the microwaved water would not form any crystals at all, while the fresh spring water formed beautiful ones. That was the final convincing that I needed about the dangers of microwave ovens.

This book is a translation of a book called "Pachmi Parkash" which is the lifestory of one of the great souls of the Khalsa Panth: Baba Karam Singh Ji Maharaj Hoti Mardan.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8601727/Sant-Karam-Singh-Ji-Hotimardana-Wale

I'm sorry if someone has already posted this link.

I had tears in my eyes when I was reading this and never wanted this book to finish.

Dhan Dhan Dhan Baba Karam Singh Ji