skaur8888

Yes I agree it should be available to all, but not at the cost of distorting the message of our Gurus, gurbani should lead us to Vaheguru not for us to use gurbani to meet out own ends. Gurbani should come first, and not be distorted just so it attracts more people. You are very knowledgeable about Sikhi, but with respect it isn't dogmatic to want people who use gurbani to be aware of its link to the Gurus and Vaheguru as that is the message of gurbani otherwise gurbani could potentially be used in ignorance, as with homes in the west in which budhas are kept as a fashion object without much knowledge of who he was or his message and tattoos of Chinese symbols. Yes some people will be affected by the beauty of gurbani but distorting gurbani through a generic platform is not the way to go as most people will not explore further and gurbani will be no more that relaxing background music to them. Unfortunately their generic platform is more about not scaring the majority of goreh away with talk of 10 Indian gurus and overt talk about Wageguru/God. Some Sikhs themselves have become involved, there's a class at one of the local gurudwara - unfortunately Punjabis sometimes suffer from assuming if westerners are interested it must be worth pursuing, this is where the kundalini ways could influence sikhi just as the British influenced Sikhi, for example by shortening Anand Sahib. We have a duty to our Gurus to protect gurbani and not let it be sold just so we get a few converts, Sikhi is not about converting people through the back door - Kundalinin yoga should be honest about where gurbani is from as the Gurus suffered so we could benefit from their message.

you just have to take a look at how much those involve in kundalini e.g Spirit Voyage, are charging for CDs of gurbani - $30 - for Japji Sahib, its shameful, and please don't say Punjabi's make money out of Sikhi so why shouldn't the kundalini people. Does not justify charging $30 for what Guru Nanak ji gave to us all. Take enough to cover costs and a decent living, but this is just using gurbani for profit. The west has a tendency to take the bits they like, eg yoga from Hindus, mindfulness from Budhists, and now gurbani from Sikhi, and dressing it up to make it palatable for themselves, we need to protect gurbani so it's link from the Gurus and Vaheguru is not lost and not reduced to the level of mantras for people to use to influence their mental states or attract wealth. Just take a look at the 3HO website and their meditations barely acknowledge Sikhi.

I can only go what I experienced while I was on the retreat which lasted a week, gurbani, for example, sunnia from japji Sahib, was used to accompany yoga sets, there was no explanation of its relation to Sikhi, when I discussed it with the instructors they acknowldeged what it was. There was no education to the people at the class about how to respect gurbani (covering head). dancing did not occur in precence of Guruji, but shabad come from Guruji and I would think the words deserve the same respect as if Guruji was present. Gurbani was used in the context of conquering negative psychological states like a mantra and no mention made of Viaguru. I;m afraid that was enough for me and its not a case of judging any particular groups, but distortion of gurbani Yes plenty goes on amongst Punjabis but we are taught the significance of gurbani and how to respect it - whereas Kundalini Yoga is using gurbani to make it palatable for the majority of people who attend their classes and will not be inclined to explore the origins of it. Just because they are gora (and some Punjabis may be disrespecting Sikhi) does not mean they should be excused from respecting gurbani. I would recommend you try one of the classes so you can see what actually goes on.

also if his yoga was connected to Sikhi why didn't he reveal it to other Sikhs in India before going to USA, I think unfortunately it may be money related, another sign that he's not a humble being

I attended a kundalina yoga retreat once and they seemed to be more concerned about making money, this put me off as they have no right to make money from the Guru and also dancing while listening to shabad, on the Sikhnet site the Yogi Bhajan seems to have an almost guru like status - I'm sure a lot of the people following him are genuine but there seems something dubious about it . He doesn't seem very humble

Spend time with people who are also into Sikhi, its difficult if you're with people at work who may be your friends but if their lifestyle includes drinking and clubbing the more time you spend with them, the more likely you are to fall into temptation. Having good sangat around you in your life outside of work will help. Try to spend more time with them and am sure they will help you conquer these feelings. Yes and definitely doing naam simran will help you feel closer to Viaguruji and ask for guidance and protection. With Viaguruji's blessings

Hello ji please don't be put off by some of the replies, I'm sometimes surprised by how others respond here too - but maybe its their strange sense of humour, their age or just a misunderstanding in how they compose their messages (or could just be rudeness). But there are plenty of thoughtful and sensible people who respect Sikhi here so please continue to use it as more sensible thoughtful people are needed on here.

I don't know why people are responding negatively to this - I think its very interesting, why shouldn't we emphasise the feminine aspects of Vaiguruji and Sikhi. I think the male aspects are overemphasised, and its off putting for girls growing up - I know it was for me and put me off for a long time as it was difficult to feel valued as a female. There's a lot of discussion on this site about how to bring girls into Sikhi, focusing on the feminine aspects is one way. I don't think the original poster is a fool for bringing this up, just because someone has a different opinion does not make them a fool - we should be able to discuss these issues and educate each other. This issue is new to me, and would be interesting to know more about it and also other people's thoughts.

Sikh channel is doing a lot of good, if there is anything dodgy going on it should be dealt with through the proper means - not through these threads. Seems to be a lot of negativity, often the threads here end up with petty arguments, if only there was as much energy going in to helping building each other up and focusing on the positive being done by Sikhs. Please Viaguruji, bless all with common sense

perhaps your boss is taking advantage too, are there not other people who can help with the work - in my experience if you're good at your job people tend to give you more of the work as they know you can be relied on, maybe you're very conscientious too - its not meant as a critiscm as its a very good quality but people can sometimes take advantage especially if you're the type that doesn't like to let people down. I should know as I'm one of those too - but its important to take care of yourself too.

Hello ji It sounds like maybe you need more balance in your life, is there any way of cutting the hours at work? if not is it realistic to think of changing jobs, I know its easier said than done but I regret now the amount of time I spent in the past working or studying - its important to take care of your responsibilities but also to have time for connecting with Viaguruji. Maybe changing the work will be more of longterm solution, for now like MokkamSingh ji suggested focus on doing Japji Sahib with devotion. I used to really struggle with doing naam simran, someone suggested just to do 5 mins and I wasn't sure how doing 5 mins could make any difference, but it has - and now I do it everyday for 20 minutes. So maybe finding short periods where you can fit in doing paat, listening to kirtan (while travelling to work?) - don't think you should feel guilty for not being able to do as much as you feel you should - try and do what you can but with love and devotion. Hope that helps, with Vaiguruji's blessing

Hello ji Ask Viaguruji for forgiveness for any mistakes you've made, he made you and will take care of you - I don't think he ever gives up on us, its us that forget him. Start again, no-one is perfect and try and learn from your past mistakes. With Viaguruji's blessings

I agree, all I can add is to not to force anything when doing Naam Simran, doing it with love for Vaiguruji and over time your mind starts changing naturally, you notice more the triggers to anger, greed etc, and I think that's the first step to conquering them - with Viaguriji's blessings.

it might be best to get advice from your doctor before stopping pills as coming off them can have side effects including making you feel worse which isn't good if you're feeling vulnerable. If you plan to come off them, get your doctor's help with it.

even though you feel its the end of the world it doesn't sound like she's the one for you - you need to be with someone who feels the same about you.Its good you're listening to bani, try spending time in the gurudwara to be close to Guruji and sangat. Doing Naam Simran and talking to Viaguruji about the way you're feeling, i try and do this and it helps to feel connected to Viaguruji and his love for you. You can listen to recordings if its difficult to concentrate. Ultimately its Viaguruji that loves us most, On the practical side, try and have a routine to get you out and your mind occupied - maybe get back into any interests you have like sports and spending time with family and friends - life moves on and you will meet someone else. Hope this helps with Viaguruji's blessings

is it possible to make a single payment using the bank details on your website or send a cheque - I'm not on the paypal

We mustn't let our anger make us hate all muslims, don't let these men make us forget our Sikh values.

I don't think most people are saying to avoid contact with all Muslims - like you say Guru Nanak Dev ji's message is not to shun others - but our Gurus also taught as to stand up and defend ourselves. All the recent cases have involved been Pakistani muslim men abusing non-muslim children, yet the authorities keep denying there's any pattern. We shouldn't deny what is in front of our eyes - communication with the decent muslims is needed so they can shun these pathetic men and tackle the causes - these men have families and others who must have been aware of what they were doing.

There seem to be many generalisations about Sikh girls on this thread and others on this site - have you been to the gurudwara and seen how many Sikh girls/women are there doing seva and being interested in Sikhi? If we are talking about aspects of our community that may be influencing girls being groomed take a look at the negative undercurrent towards females - it doesn't take much to bring it out - just looking at the threads on this site confirms it, blaming the innocent female victims instead of the men who trap and deceived children. These people are targeting all communities except there own, yes we need to look at making our children more aware to prevent this happening but what about these disgusting men who have taken their innocence - they need to be targeted and highlighted as the ones who are responsible so that their own community are shamed into taking action.

Some of the victims are 12 years old - are you saying its their fault ? its the fault of the groomer, not the child, not the parents - who needs enemies when we are willing to blame our children for the disgusting sins of these people. Should be focusing on how we can stop this happening not blaming the poor child.

I think this is more of a London issue, I don't live there but was at the gurudwara a couple of times recently and have to say was surprised at the clothing, Although there were skirts worn these at least were long and not immodest - it was the tight trousers that were not leaving anything to the imagination. I think the committees need to step in, just as there are notices asking to switch off mobile phones, they should remind people to dress modestly out of respect for Guruji and the sangat. We ask non-Sikhs to do so before visiting the gurudwara, the same should go for ourselves.

Viaguruji ka khalsa Viagurji ka fateh jassyb ji I like MrKhalsa007 suggestions, I've found doing naam simran at home helps with worries, anxiety and feeling close to Viaguruji. Also speaking to Viaguruji of my innermost thoughts/worries and asking for the strength to overcome problems in my life Viaguruji ka khalsa Viagurji ka fateh

Dear Sangatji Please can you do ardas/naam simran for the innocent children and families being killed in Syria, so sad what's happening Viaguruji ka khalsa Viaguruji ka fateh

Will pray for you, for Viaguruji's blessings. Can you listen to naam simran, and imagine a beautiful peaceful place you've been to - think of Viaguruji being with you. I've never the felt the same pain but it helps when I feel alone, Viagurji ka khalsa, Viaguruji ka fateh

Thank you for this post, I too have been saddened by the amount of negative posts about Punjabi Sikh girls. our Sikhi is all about treating women with respect but some people seem to have forgotten about that and are more likely to respect women of other groups as they are willing to date. they've become influenced by the culture of romance and dating being the most important thing to strive for. Hopefully there's enough men with their own minds to realise you can't judge all based on a few bad apples. Would be nice if they spoke up on this forum as these hateful comments have put me off looking at the site.