MisterrSingh

The Khalsa is a separate issue. I'm referring to the average, everyday Sikh with Punjabi heritage, however we may choose to define them.

It's quite disconcerting looking around at your supposed "own people" and realising that despite not being backwards and riddled with strange cultural hang-ups, you have very little in common with the most of the community. It's a greater wake-up call when one realises there's more of a common ground between yourself and people belonging to other races and religions who share similar traditional values rooted in simple living, restraint, and general socially conservative values. Apne of all flavours are exhausting on so many levels. Waheguru mehar kare.

One of the major problems in the Sikh mindset (whether abroad or back in India) is the perception behind the meaning of being "close" to God. In our people the primary concern for being a loyal follower of religion is the potential for material reward and physical advancement on Earth; the long-term spiritual aspect of it is only really appreciated by a small faction, and even then the propensity for that understanding to strike at the true heart of those many mysteries of existence is barely discovered by anyone but the blessed few.

People do whatever it is they feel like doing. In all cultures and religions regardless of geography, the disparity between what people say and present to others compared to what they actually believe and do is significant. Put it this way: the contemporaries of Guru Sahibs didn't miraculously see the light and change their ways just coz. Only a relative minority were fortunate enough to cut through the nonsense and realise what was going on. Most didn't realise that truth for themselves but instead took someone else's word as enough to adjust their beliefs for a short while. Others continued doing what they always did according to their pre-existing beliefs and cultural norms because they were afraid of abandoning beliefs that had followed by their ancestors for hundreds or even thousands of years. Now that hundreds of years have passed since the physical lifetimes of Guru Sahibs, there's obviously going to be a further degradation of the immediacy and urgency of those beliefs; that's not a reflection on the inherent message contained within those beliefs but more of a statement on human nature. Most people revert to their default ancestral or cultural norms if the current belief system itself -- and its most orthodox adjerents -- do not enforce those values and beliefs constantly and consistently. We are creatures of habit after all. This is even more applicable to the practice of religion. The masses can't be trusted or left to their own volition in certain regards, because they either eventually discard those practices through laziness, apathy, or general disinterest, or a competing belief system emerges (or re-emerges) to challenge and compete for attention. That's why I believe an excessive doctrine of tolerance and acceptance of competing belief systems is not of benefit to the Sikh religion. Billion-strong faiths can harp on about interfaith dialogue and bridge-building because they have the luxury of numbers on their side. A religion such as ours that is layered in its beliefs and practices according to the respective rate of spiritual progress of its followers is always going to be "punching up" against naturally "predatory" and longer-established faiths, especially if those religions are backed up, however loosely, by social and political means.

Best to let the dead go. Remembrance, shrines, whatever, it's not good for those left behind and the departed. It's a form of attachment. There's nothing wrong with looking back on happier times with affection for a loved one who's passed, but anything more is not recommended. I think the Dharmic cultures have it correct on this one.

Some Mahapurash use to request a sea "burial", i.e. releasing the body to the elements and allowing wildlife in the water to devour it. I'm not sure whether that's still happening.

That's the trick. Publicly, sell the belief that it's all a load of bull, yet privately practice its rituals and derive the benefits. Why do you think atheism as a belief system has gained traction so emphatically? Sure, there's the valid idea that religion has been used as a front for many ungodly acts that people are no longer prepared to tolerate, but on the other hand a sincere and heartfelt practice of religion and spirituality is perhaps the most accessible protection from the dark arts and perhaps gaining insight into life beyond the perception of our physical senses. Demean, undermine, and strip away that last barrier of spiritual protection (and potential means of spiritual insight) from people, and therefore the human spirit is susceptible to all forms of mass deceptions that operate on the unseen level but which eventually manifest on the physical plane. That's my theory.

The British intelligence services were founded by a select Oxbridge elite who practiced a brand of Occultism that derived its teachings from a brand of black magic that specialised in child sex abuse and child sacrifice. It's no longer a great unfathomable mystery to me regarding what exactly these British sickos are doing behind closed doors.

This is something I've been researching for the past few months as there's so much in this area that intrigues me yet doesn't add up IMO. My preliminary findings (based on teachings from various schools and philosophies from as far back as before aniquity that recognise karma and the metaphysical laws) so far seem to be pointing to a few... uncomfortably dodgy facts. I hope it's just a case of a misunderstanding on my part or it's another part of the dark veil of evil that covers this earth to demoralise those who believe in God.

The one who took Amrit has an uphill struggle to merge with God based everything he or she does after becoming Gursikh, so I'd suggest the idea that future peeriya being granted an automatic pass through zero effort of their own is the kind of tall-tale that's sold to gullible Sikhs back home to induce them into joining the ranks of the baptised. Also, I suppose it's important to define the definition of 'save' in this context.

That's what it seems to me. Spot-on. I'm guessing he found himself on the astral plane - and he saw what we'd term as abnormal - things that are only seen on that plane of existence. As you say, he had no frame of reference beyond his western mindset at the time, and he ran with 'lizard people'.

If only Icke hadn't come to prominence with the Son of God / lizard people schtick. That's tainted him. All the relatively recent socio-cultural and political "predictions" he made 15 or 20 years ago are bearing fruit. I'm certain he had some form of immense spiritual awakening back in the day, and his mind and senses processed it as him being a part of the Divine, but the way he phrased it made it seem like he was nuts.

I'm amazed at how the downsides of this practice have rarely, if ever, been approached for discussion in the wide open. It's obvious why any negativity surrounding this issue is minimised. I don't think it's entirely a Muslim issue, though.

Their original post was a checklist of clichés and identifiers of the contemporary sheep who've deluded themselves into thinking drinking the Kool-aid was necessary. 1. "I did something that some people disagree with. How dare you notice my behaviour." A classic tell boldly expressed by those who have a past that obviously irks their conscience. 2. "It's [insert the current year]" as if that's an argument. When it's 2119 and marrying animals will be all the rage, people who don't participate in that nonsense will be castigated for not moving with the times. 3. The classic shaming tactic; the icing on the cake. "You must be a deranged, sexually charged maniac for having morals that I discarded a very long time ago. How dare you, bigot!" ?

Nah, not from the Midlands but occasionally pass through for various reasons. I'm just generally mistrustful of any place that is meant to be for a so-called higher purpose but actually on closer inspection money seems to be the overriding factor in everything. Behind the PR and the pakandh it's business as usual.

The best and most effective way to ensure an art or specialist knowledge is limited in circulation among a tiny elite is to covet its proliferation or hide it behind unattainable barriers that are only surpassed by wealth. I'm not suggesting time and effort of a teacher's knowledge should not be rewarded, but as I said previously, we are, Sikh or not, generally in a world where only those with the resources are able to access these arts regardless of the talent of the student. A kid with mediocre skills who'll never develop beyond adequacy will be welcomed with open arms by a teacher because his parents can afford to splash out on the best tuition, whereas a potential savant will never proceed beyond promising innate potential because the child hails from an impoverished background where luxuries such as musical tuition are a pipe dream. Our community being one driven by materialism and superficiality -- the arts being no exception -- means the ustaads see currency signs before they see much else. It's a truth I've seen with my own eyes.

Yeah, small talk was probably the wrong phrase. Gossip / chugliyan that is deemed to be unworthy / nonsensical for anyone with aspirations of cleaning up their karms. Apparently, nindya is frowned upon across the various Eastern mystical paths. It's supposed to be one of the worst things a person can do in that particular sphere of action. It's a sign of a lesser developed soul.

I'm glad someone finally got the reference. I wasn't saying that nonsense for my health. ?

Nah, just had to grow up quickly. My 40s are still a while away, lol.

My mum was telling me a few months back that she works with Sikh women of her generation (born and raised in India yet came over in the 80s; that would make them age-wise late 50s / early 60s), boast about going to the pub with their husbands. I thought she was trolling me, but apparently it's true. I was incredulous but it's supposedly quite a common thing. Berrah begaya jananiya da. If the mothers carry on in that manner then the daughters are obviously going to take it to the next level.

I would've had to pull the old blackboard and chalk out to really get into the details of who we are and where we came from, lol. But, yes, they asked me why there's a visible difference in appearance of the people living in the South and the people of the North, etc., and I briefly covered the topic of invasions and trading throughout the centuries prior to Islamic encroachment. Ultimately, there is a sense of a unified Indian archetype in the eyes of such people, and the image they have of that type isn't entirely accurate.

Plus, why are the same social and cultural phenomena occuring in black populations where slavery wasn't an institution? The tiny minority of astute blacks who see through the bull are incredibly unpopular and marginalised by their own people to the point where they are voiceless. The remaining majority revel in their so-called freedom but can't seem to understand they've swapped one plantation for another. Malcolm X died trying to open his people's eyes to these truths.

If by 'white' you're referring to music and film moguls from a particular background and community, then yes I agree. ?? The irony of it is that only a very small percentage of perceptive black people can see the deception being carried out in their name. Believe it or not, most "normal" blacks despise the thug / gangsta culture. We've fallen for this brainwashing if the discussions here are any indication. Most of them aren't coarse / sassy / aggressive / confrontational. You have to ask yourself why this particular image of the black race is pushed the most in the media we consume in the West. There's also the other side of it where there's attempts to emasculate the black male in entertainment. There's a running joke among black actors / entertainers that in order for a black actor to take that next step to stardom, he has to "wear a dress" or basically accept a role where he's either gay or effeminate, or literally wear a dress. Black people hate that nonsense as they feel both extremes reflect badly on them, but for these entertainers they either have to play the criminal or be gay in order to get anywhere in their careers.

The overlooked or sometimes conveniently ignored aspect of their physiology is their diet, i.e. chicken and meat in general. I'm not being funny or stereotyping, but black people LOVE their chicken. Obviously, inhaling chicken all day and sitting on your behind playing video games is going to cause obesity in everyone, black or not, but certain foods coupled with an active lifestyle and perhaps a genetic predisposition to building and retaining muscle better than other races, also plays a factor. Testosterone (in natural) animal products is key. As a lifelong vegetarian I'm content and secure enough in my beliefs to acknowledge this truth.

I've seen too many episodes of Columbo to realise what I'm seeing here is the beginning of a plan to bump off the missus.