canucksingh

good article, from the sounds of it she's doing some amazing work too. bang up job Lakhpreet Kaur :biggrin2:

I drink mostly Yogi Lemon Detox or Tazo Zen I think everyone already knows green tea is good for you, but a good article on it if anyone wants to learn more: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/health-benefits-of-green-tea

The so called "Indo-Canadian gang-war" in B.C is just media sensationalism that has been pumped out for years. There are no real organized Indo-canadian gangs in B.C, Hells Angels have a firm grip on the illicit trade. Most these apnai kids (and kids are what most of them are) peddle low level crime like selling marijuana and fight amongst each other for slim pickings. I think legalization would put a stop to a lot of the crime experienced in B.C, but we will have to see the results of the next federal election before that would ever happen.

"Don’t say the Vedas and the Books (Torah, Bible, Qura’an) are false. False is the one who does not study them." [1, 1350] "Kabir says this loud and clear, and you should think over it in your own mind. God pervades all persons unseen. He is the same in the Hindu as well as in the Muslim." [1, 483] "Some people call you Ram, others call You Khudaa. Some serve Gosain, some Allah. O Merciful Creator and Doer, have mercy upon me. Some bathe at holy places and others go for hujj. Some do pooja, others bow their heads. Some read the Vedas, others the Books. Some wear blue, others white. Some call themselves Muslims, others Hindus. Some seek bahisht, some suarg. O Nanak, say; whosoever has understood the Hukam (Divine order), has learnt the secret of God, the Master." [1, 885] "The temple and the mosque are the same, pooja and namaaz are the same. All mankind is one but appears to be several (groups). (The existence as different entities) of gods, the anti-gods, the yakshas and gandharvs; of the Muslims and the Hindus; is merely the difference in dress (outer appearance) of (people from) different countries. All have the same eyes, the same ears, the same body and the same form. They are all made of earth, air, fire and water. Allah and the Formless God are the same; the Purans and the Qura’an are the same; all are the same appearance, the same form." [2, 19]

Is Gurbani equal to other religious texts? Well, it depends who you ask generally people from different faiths are going to say that their religious text is superior in one way or another, it also depends on how you approach religion, if you approach religion with blind faith and scold people for the slightest critique then generally you've adopted faith as an extension of your ego, for some people criticizing their religion is like insulting them as a person. And perhaps some of these people might even see their own religious text as the only divinely anointed one. But I think one should approach religion and religious text with critical thinking and objectivity. There is good and bad in many religious texts, No religious text can be 100% argued with evidence of its divine inspiration, it's faith that makes a person believe if it is or not. So for us to judge other texts is fruitless cause in the bigger scheme of things what do we know? Only god knows. In my opinion I think people should read as many religious texts as they can, take nuggets of inspiration wherever you can find it and weight what you believe with your moral compass.

In my opinion I dont think it makes sense to say gurbani cures diseases, Moreover, I think a reasonable rebuttle would be, if someone does believe that prayer does cure diseases then what about the mass deaths experienced in countries like Africa where babies who dont even know the meaning of prayer die from futile diseases like diarrhea? Are they cursed for not doing their prayers? Are their pleas for health less than those who pray in the eyes of God? In my opinion people are too well settled with the idea that god will fix everything for them, that if Punjab is going through a drug epidemic we should pray for a solution, if gurdwarai in Pakistan are deteriorating because of lack of care we should pray for someone to fix that problem too, yet very few people look within themselves to take initiatives.

Perhaps that is your interpretation but from my understanding, Kirta Karo is: "Those who have meditated on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and departed after having worked by the sweat of their brows -O Nanak, their faces are radiant in the Court of the Lord, and many are saved along with them!" Naam is an important part in anyones life, but nowhere in baani does it say make an illogical decisions. If you can 'work by the sweat of your brow' in the service of others and have the aptitude to gain the education/qualifications required for that job, why wouldn't you? [im not sure of original poster's age or occupation but I am assuming he is still young] If he pursued a career as a doctor the average income in Canada is $225,000 a year, plus you set your own office hours and are your own boss. Not only have you financially secured your future and that of your family, but those few extra years of education affords you to use your time whatever way you want and if that is jaap naam then you can do it till your hearts desires. Furthermore, because you can run your own practice you can choose who you hire/who you surround yourself with and cancel out the bad elements out of your environment. On top of that your genuinely helping people in your profession which is a punn (blessing) in itself. if you want to become a truck driver not only are you restricted to the schedule of the truck operators but financially all your labor is devalued as all blue collar jobs are in a capitalist society. The average salary for a truck driver is $40,000. Sure you might have a lot of time on the road to lead your spiritual life, but at what cost? devalued labor and distance from children/family. Im not trashing anyone who has a blue collar job, most immigrant parents have gone through the hustle to make their childrens lives better. But as second-third-fourth generation kids in the west we should strive to become the best we can. I emphasis my original remark, and get a job that's the best in whatever field you choose. Because realistically speaking, in today's world the only freedom you can get to do what you want depends on the size of your wallet.

I like the initiative TheLion, I think its a wholesome gesture. A lot of times mental illness in the South Asian community is brushed aside as "childish" behavior or Kala Jadhu. Often even loved ones can't sympathize with those experiencing the pain because pain in society is often wrongly associated with only physical wounds or scars. Mental illness in forms of depression, bi polar disorder, schizophrenia etc. is a disease as much any other health complication and needs to be taking serious as such by everyone in order to help support and seek proper medical attention for the individual. Although mental illness is often seen as taboo I have yet to met someone who hasn't struggled or knew someone that has battled it. This is an enlightening TED talk about one mans experience with depression.

why not get an education and strive to be the best in whatever field you choose, for example if you become a doctor you will already fulfilled half your duties as a human being by curing people of their illnesses or if you choose to become a lawyer you can do pro-bono work and fight for justice on behalf of other individuals, etc.

679 Remy Boyz :lol2: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/lgbt-rights/about-lgbt-human-rights

I believe in any country Sikh's will always be 'lumped in with those other minorities' by virtue of societies perception of coloured people. But I think the challenge for Canadian Sikhs and Sikhs around the world is to garner positive media attention that outshines the size of the community. I think in the case of Canada, if the focus of the community was less on petty Gurdwara politics and focused more on making a difference for the Sikh community and the Canadian nation as a whole, we would naturally have elevated our stance and duty as Sikhs and as Canadians. I think a great example is Jagmeet Singh of the Greater Toronto Area who has become a powerhouse in the NDP party. He is not only a Sardar and practising Sikh but also has a background as a Criminal Defence Lawyer and advocates on a federal level for important human rights issues and issues that concern the minority communities in his riding. So i think there is a lot of potential for Sikhs to elevate ourselves, not for the sake of anyone else, but because we as a community deserve positive representation.

It's sad to see so many people saying No, As Sikhs it is our duty to help those that face injustice no matter what the caste, color, creed or sexual orientation. We as Sikhs ourselves have been facing a lot of injustices because of ignorance. I think working with LGBT community will not only help them but us as a community as well to gain mainstream exposure. I think if everyone examined the academic literature it is pretty obvious that homosexuality has always existed cohesively in Indian society prior to the British Raj, who then by enforcing Victorian principles on its subjects under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in 1861, outlawed Homosexual intercourse. The irony of all this is that although Colonialism has long been gone, the colonial mindset of those that once ruled india remains. So now Indians as a whole are looked as backwards by the very same countries that ruled us for not accepting homosexuality when it was the Colonial system that removed it from our concious. for those who want a serious understanding of this history I would recommend Professor Ruth Vanita's "Queering India: Same-Sex Love and Eroticism in Indian Culture and Society"

For those curious about the representation of Sikhs in Canada I would recommend the scholarly article written by Loveleen Kaur, "The Tear In the Fabric of Multiculturalism: The recurring image of the Sikh 'extremist'" in the journal Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory Volume 10, issue 1, 2014. According to Kaur, "It is when the tolerated Other crosses the lines of what is tolerable, does the myth of idyllic, multicultural nation become exposed. It is when Sikhs and other racialized communities are asking to be considered more than economic pieces – do the boundaries of tolerance get crossed. The application of the label of extremist on Sikh, Palestinian, Muslim, Tamil, Indigenous and other racialized communities within Canada only represents a community that is a deviant and refuses to be tolerated. They are communities who refuse to live on the fringes of society and challenge the power structures that exist. They are people who resist the liminal positioning of the racialized Other. The usage of the label of extremest gets used to demoralize the Other into a state of submission. However, it is in this moment where the state shatters its own mask that can allow for the Other to recognize the incomplete identities they are forced to occupy. It is in this moment that there can be conversations on ‘how communities of colour can begin to reframe these discourses, and so articulate the complex pragmatics of solidarity politics’ (Puar and Rai 2002, 136). It is in this moment that they can connect with their political histories and engage in a connectedness that goes beyond that of the borders of the nation-state."