MKaur89

It's a shame, but to be honest I can't say I'm surprised as I always had a feeling they wouldn't last. I hope she doesn't leave the path of Sikhi too. Some old habits are hard to change, and some times it's best to learn how to walk before you start running. Yes, she is blessed to have found the path of Sikhi, but the reality is that rehat is difficult to maintain and once the new 'excitement' wears off, lots of 'converts' (to any religion) find it hard to maintain that inner high and quickly wander off in search of the next fix somewhere else, especially those who come from a party-animal/drink/drugs/hippy background. I wonder if she is still linked to these 3HO yoga teachers as shown on this link http://yogamint.com/about-us as to me she comes across as confused.

'Dude, I Am Not a Terrorist' sounds much better and is a more accurate reflection of the aims of your documentary. The controversial, intriguing title of 'Dude, I am not a Muslim' may get you more bums on seats, but you will also face a lot of backlash from the Muslim community and you will alienate them even further causing them to boycott your documentary. And that is not what you want to achieve. 'Dude, I am not a Muslim' implies that all Muslims are terrorists, which we all know is not true, just as all terrorists are not Muslim. So using the umbrella term of 'Terrorist' is better as it does not discriminate against any religion/race and will be appealing to a more universal audience. If executed well and with good research, acting, writing, advertising and a good trailer I don't think you will have to worry about about bums on seats, so best of luck. It sounds like a really interesting project.

Not sure if you are in the UK or not but I know SMA is a popular formula milk brand here and on this link they explain which products are vegetarian but they don't mention egg/egg powder http://www.smanutrition.co.uk/sma-products/questions--605.aspx I think it's best for you to check with your doctor and also you could try calling/emailing formula milk companies in your country and ask them to suggest suitable milk or to tell you the ingredients of their products. Some baby milk contains omega 3 and 6 but this is not always from fish oil so it's best to double check with the companies before ruling any options out. There is some more info here but it's aimed at vegans so it may not all apply to you http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/parenting/vegan-babies-and-children/breastfeeding.aspx http://www.vegansociety.com/news/vegan-infant-formula.aspx Apparently some formula milk also contains lanolin-derived vitamin D and lanolin is grease from the sheep's wool so I don't know where you would draw the line, as technically lanolin is vegetarian but not vegan. If you are looking for egg-free, vegetarian milk then you may be able to find something quite easily but if you are after vegan milk which is completely free from any kind of animal derived ingredient (eg. whey/lanolin) then I think that will be a lot more difficult, if not impossible. Here is a list of animal ingredients as sometimes we may mistakenly think something is vegetarian as it appears to be meat free but actually it may contain other animal-derived ingredients http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/animal-ingredients-list.aspx In the end, you need to do what is best for you and your baby. Whether that is breast-feeding only, or combining breast milk with suitable formula milk. Always consult your doctor/midwife first as the health of mother and baby is the most important thing.

True, but for a variety of reasons not all women are able to breastfeed.

How about Dilbaag Kaur? It means 'the one with a blossoming heart'

Oh it's fine don't worry. It used to be MKD89 but I just got it changed now to MKaur89.

Yeah I agree with that, I thought that GPS was suggesting that even the seva of washing dishes/cleaning should be for Gursikhs only, which doesn't seem fair somehow. Maybe it's time for me to change my name, everyone thinks I'm a guy...

Which seva are you referring to? Or do you mean that any and all types of different seva in gurdwaras should only be performed by Amritdhari Singhs? What about Amritdhari ladies?

Keeping kesh and becoming Amritdhari is the beginning of the journey, not the final destination. At home, anyone is free to read path and do nitnem etc, but when it comes to reading path in sangat at the gurdwara, then certain maryada has to be upheld, which normally means only Amritdharis are allowed to take part in Akhand Path seva. In smaller gurdwaras, where there are fewer Amritdharis readily available to do seva, I have seen non-Amritdharis participate in Akhand Path seva. I have seen plenty of non-Amritdharis/keshdharis do all kinds seva with pyar and sharda but have also seen many do seva without pyar and sharda, but then again the same applies to Amritdharis/keshdharis- you can’t tar both groups with the same brush. I guess the same thing applies to doing kirtan/katha on stage, surely it is best to practice what you preach, which is why almost always I have only ever seen Amritdhari kathavachaks/kirtanis on stage. The exception to this is sometimes you see children/teenagers with cut hair or trimmed beards do kirtan/play tabla on stage but I think this case is slightly different and perhaps it’s best to encourage and not deter these youngsters from taking part in seva, as who knows one day these children may grow up and keep kesh. The main thing is that in terms of keeping rehat, both inner rehat and outer rehat are important- you can’t have one without the other. Someone may take Amrit, wear the panj kakkars and have the outer appearance of an Amritdhari, but if that person makes no effort to maintain inner rehat and is corrupted by the panj chor and has no simran, seva, sangat or nitnem- then is this person really better than someone who may cut their hair, but makes a conscious effort to do nitnem, read and contemplate on Gurbani, do seva, attend gurdwara and sits in sangat? Maybe doing all these things will eventually lead that person to adopt kesh and lead a Gursikh jeevan. Everyone has their own unique relationship with Guru Ji, and as a result of previous karams and also efforts in this lifetime, some of us may struggle to keep kesh while others find it easy, some Amritdharis may spend many years still struggling to wake up at Amritvela and maintain nitnem, whilst someone with cut hair may find it easy to maintain Amrtivela nitnem. Becoming Amritdhari is without a doubt the minimum requirement of being a Gursikh, but there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach as everyone is at different levels in their bhagti. We should all strive to become Amritdhari and maintain both inner and outer rehat to the highest standards possible, but need to remember that Amrit di daat is given, not taken. When Guru Ji bestows kirpa on someone, anything is possible and your whole jeevan can change in an instant. To answer the question, ‘moneh’ do have the right to talk and ask questions about Sikhi- how else are they meant to learn anything? But when it comes to talking on stage or in sangat, then certain maryada has to be followed and I don’t think it’s discrimination to ensure that only Amritdhari kirtanis/kathavachaks/parcharaks sit on stage. The bottom line is that everyone has to start somewhere, whether that is by just reading Jap Ji Sahib every day, going to gurdwara every day, doing seva in langar, or becoming Amritdhari. Sometimes it’s so easy to sit back and judge others, but why not focus that energy on judging ourselves and trying to become better Sikhs ourselves?

Those who commit suicide, do they really make their own decision to leave? Or, like everything else, is the act of committing suicide also part of God's will? I've never really understood this.

It's best to check before you order as different types of cheese may or may not be vegetarian depending on which country you're in. Some types of cheese are made using animal rennet (so they are not suitable for vegetarians) whereas some types are made using vegetarian rennet, which is fine. In supermarkets, you can look out for the vegetarian symbol on the packet, in restaurants or when you're out and about, it's usually best to ask beforehand. Also, parmesan is a popular Italian cheese which is never vegetarian so just be aware. There's more information here: https://www.vegsoc.org/cheese

It's funny that people are saying making parchia with 'YES' or 'NO' is not what a Sikh of the Guru should do, but it's okay to encourage this Sikh of the Guru to have pre-maritial interracial relationships? In relationships of this nature, whether white or brown, sooner or later both parties give in to kaam and this is not the Sikh way of doing things. To the OP, you already know your family won't be too happy about you bringing home a white girl, so what more needs to be said? Before things get too deep with this girl, why not sit your parents down and ask them how they would feel about having this girl as their future daughter-in-law? Surely it's your family you should be seeking advice from, not people here. It's you and your family who will have to deal with the consequences if you end up marrying this girl, not people on this forum so of course they will encourage you to do things that they wouldn't want their own brothers/sisters/daughters/sons to do. In my own family and many others, I've seen what happens when Punjabis marry white girls/boys and it's not pretty. The actions of one person can cause so much fall-out throughout even the extended family and it's not easy to be a part of this. Your mother and father raised you, you owe more to them than this girl- why risk your parents' happiness and respect just because of a few rotten Punjabi girls you met. You mention that these girls were Punjabi and didn't like your turban and beard, but if instead you met or were introduced to a Punjabi Gursikh or keshdari girl, then she would like your turban and beard. Before you are certain that you want to marry this girl, why not ask your parents to use their connections to introduce you to a Punjabi girl who does respect your kesh, because despite common belief, there are quite a few Sikh girls out there who do want to marry a sardar. Of course there are many white girls who do respect Sikh values and kesh, and even go on to marry Sikh guys. Some of these girls also become Sikh and take Amrit, but many more also do not become Sikh or amritdhari, no matter how much respect they have for our religion. Pre-maritial relationships of any kind are forbidden, and an Anand Karaj can only be done between a Sikh man and Sikh woman- read up on it in the Sikh Rehat Maryada.

True, but I think a lot of it is to do with the constant pressure women feel to 'look good'. It comes from all angles- billboards, magazines, newspapers etc and sometimes even your own family. To the OP, I think a lot of girls, myself included, go through phases like this when you are fighting an internal battle and you wish to reject natural beauty and instead want to indulge in hair removal, make-up etc. even though you are fully aware that this goes against the ideals of Sikhi. The only thing I can say is, the more Gurbani you read, the more you listen to and the more you make an effort to understand, the less your mind will feel like cutting your hair/wearing make-up/painting your nails/wearing fancy clothes. If you incorporate more simran, nitnem, sangat and seva into your daily routine, then you won't even struggle to give up these things, instead your mind will turn off from these things itself. Also, it's a shame that some Panjabi families are still crippled by double standards- mum and dad and sisters are allowed to cut their hair etc. but there'll always be that one token son with the long hair and patka. Parents are the children's first teachers and best role models, if your parents adopted Sikhi themselves and were in Sikhi saroop and were keshdari then maybe you would feel more confident in rejecting what society perceives the true beauty of a woman to be. If you delve into Gurbani and truly try to live your life by its teachings and ideals, that will give you far more pleasure than a fashionable hairstyle or painted nails ever can.

These so-called Sikhs who convert- were they really Sikh to begin with? A true Sikh who realises the essence of Gurbani would never leave Sikhi and adopt another faith.

What does it actually mean to be spiritual but not 'religious'? I've never really understood.