puzzled

If I'm being honest I struggle with this as well. I've come across people with big hearts who keep giving and giving, yet their life is just misery upon misery. From my understanding there needs to be suffering, poverty, injustice etc so we can practice dharma, charity, bravery, compassion and justice etc If there was no suffering in the world, no one was poor, no illness, no tyranny, no injustice etc then there would be no charity, dharam yudhs, sacrifice etc Charity, shaheedis, dharam yudhs, acts of bravery, acts of kindness etc only exist because there is suffering and injustice in the world. Reminds me a few years ago it was in the news that a Singh took his pagh off to save a dog drowning in a river, he held one end and threw the other end in the river, the dog bit it and was pulled out. If no suffering existed and if that dog wasn't drowning, then we wouldn't see these great acts of compassion. It's difficult to accept these things. The world is truly a very cruel place with cruel people, but that's the only way I can make sense of it ...

Moinudin Chisti (Ajmer Sharif) is probably the most well known Sufi in India. The dargah Ajmer Sharif, shrine of Moinudin Chisti is one of the most well know dargahs of South Asia, many Bollywood actors go there. Chisti came into South Asia with the invaders and supported the invaders in their Jihad against the Hindu kings. When Muhammad Ghori defeated the Hindu king Pritviraj Chauhan, Chisti rejoiced and wrote how Pritviraj Chauhan was handed over to the "army of Islam"

Sikhs at Rauza Sharif, shrine of Ahmad Sirhindi.

Yeah majority of them were no different to radical mullahs. The aim of most Sufis was to bring kafirs into the fold of Islam. Many sufis entered South Asia along with the invaders, the invaders and sufis then worked hand in hand to convert the masses. Because of the large Muslim population of pre-partition Punjab, sufi influence obviously had always been there, but it should have disappeared after partition but it didn't! I think the problem is that the movies and music continued to romanticize sufis, especially the Punjabi singers. Its one of those things which I've never understood about India and Indians. Like how Islamic monuments like the Taj Mahal and Qutab Minar are glorified. Its the same with the sufis.

Bro, Waris Shah was pro-Mughal. He even served in the Mughal army under Shah Nawaz, the governor of Lahore who took part in the ghallughara. Shah Nawaz also reportedly used torture devices on female genitals. When the Mughals defeated the Afghans in a battle, Waris Shah wrote a poem congratulating and complimenting the Mughal. He was pro-Mughal. I'm not saying Waris Shah was a bad person, but Sikhs should not praise anyone who was pro-Mughal, especially someone who fought in the army of people like Shah Nawaz.

Not sure who this person was Ahmad Sirhindi, but I checked up on him and he was a sufi from Sirhind, Punjab. His tomb/dargah is in the Rauza Sharif complex. I've never heard of him but I knew about the Rauza Sharif dargah as its quite well known and many people go there. Its very close to Gurdwara Fathegarh Sahib, you cans see the domes of the dargah from the road as you drive past. Anyway this is what the sufi Ahmad Sirhindi had to say about Guru Arjan Dev ji "Before that kãfir, Sikh Guru Arjun Dev was executed, I had seen in a dream that the reigning Sultan had smashed the skull of idolatry. Indeed, Arjun was a great idolater, and the chief of unbelievers. May Allah blast him!" - Sufi Ahmad Sirhindi Came across this on twitter. This really isn't surprising! Sufis have been heavily romanticized in India, especially in Punjab but the more you look into what these sufis believed in, their political and social views, the more evident it becomes that many of them were just as bad as the Muslim invaders. Considering that Rauza Sharif dargah is in Punjab and how it is quite well known, you can just imagine how many ill informed Sikhs go to this dargah and cover the graves in green sheets etc. without knowing what this sufi thought of them or their guru. Waris Shah another sufi loved by many Sikhs. Waris Shah actually fought in the Mughal army. He fought against the Afghans in the army of the Mughal governor of Lahore, the same governor who had a role in the chota ghallughara. Waris Shah also called the rise of the Sikh Misls as "doomsday" if you believe in these sufis and worship the darghas then at least know who it is that you're worshipping!

I don't think Jains believe in a God, as in a creator God. But I think believe when you die your soul becomes like a particle in the air, and they worship these soul/particles, I think they believe these souls can help you achieve mukti. Buddhists don't believe in a creator God or souls. But they believe in devi/devte, like us they also believe that these devi/devte are in the cycle of reincarnation. Until after the war and when all the fast food chains started opening in Japan, Japanese were mainly vegetarians. So perhaps that's why they can easily connect to Jainism as Jains are strict vegetarians. I think veganism is growing in Japan. I think another reason is that Japanese folk religion is heavily influenced by nature, and Jains believe in respecting nature, this could be another reason why they are choosing Jainsim? Japanese temples are in forests, mountains, natural spots. A lot of their temples have artificial waterfalls etc, very influenced by nature.

What does that say? Most people on here don't know how to read Hindi. Does it say that Guru Nanak Dev ji wore a dastar? A lot Hindus and some Sikhs with an agenda say Guru ji wore a topi.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/news/a36274393/princess-anne-opens-sikh-community-centre/

https://www.opindia.com/2020/02/japan-jainism-thousands-embrace-deeksha/ 2,500 Japanese people traveled to India in one month to convert to Jainism. Apparently 1000s convert every year. Article is from 2020.

Found the original Heer by Damodar, but I don't understand it, lol. Its written in an old Punjabi style. The website says how Damodar's Heer has a Gurmat influence. https://www.punjabi-kavita.com/Damodar.php

That's interesting, I've been to the v&a several times but never paid attention to the Islamic gallery, I'll check it out the next time I go. You sure it was Heer Ranjha though? Ranjha and Sial are Punjabi clans/names. There's some Sikhs with Ranjha surname, not sure about Sial though, and despite the islamization of the story it sill has a very strong dharmic/south asian influence. Like Ranjha becomes a shaivite yogi, matts his hair, rubs ash on his body, and wears wooden earings etc. You could say it was a Punjabi story that ended up in Persia, but then that is very unlikely, it always was the the other way round, Persian stories coming into South Asia. Shirin Farhad are Persian, Layla Majnun are either Persian or Arab in origin, both names are foreign as well, but they ended up becoming a part of South Asian folklore.

Katha of Heer Ranjha from Charitropakhyan. This bibi does great katha of Charitropakhyan and relates each story to Gurbani, and explains what we can learn from each story. Heer was the apsara Maneka who was sent to earth for punishment, she had to be born into a Muslim family, which I think was part of the punishment.

A lot of men end up on the streets because of divorce, business failure, no work. I know a Pakistani man, he basically walks around asking people for spare change and I started talking to him. He told me he had everything before, a business, wife and children and then he lost everything. He told me he lives with his brothers, but I don't think they give him any money or food, coz he's always walking around asking people for spare change. I even see him sitting on street corners at night in winter. If your a man in that situation then your lucky if you have a brother or friend to help you out, otherwise you'll end up on the streets. He once told me to never trust anyone other than my mother.

He had a very calming voice.

Acceptance and a sense of belonging is a huge thing as well, perhaps the first step?

Yeah that's the one. I've seen it in peoples houses in india, I used to think it was Baba Balak Nath, but then I found out its to do with Guru Nanak Dev jis sons. Do Sikhs believe in that sakhi ? or is it sects that follow Baba Shri Chand ji ? I wonder if the animals in the painting are of importance? reminds of of Pir Bhudan shah Thanks.

There's a lot of homeless Punjabis/South Asians as well, especially in areas with a large South Asian population like Southall. There used to be homeless Punjabis sleeping under that big bridge near Southall. The Sikh channel helped them I think. Most of them were on drugs. They said when they go to the Gurdwara to eat the management would chase them out. If they asked the management if they can have a shower they would say no. So the Gurdware aren't very helpful! But the Gurdware probably chased them out because they are on drugs. But its still wrong to chase them out. With all the doctors in our community, you would think some would take time out on weekends and give people advise at Gurdware, but they don't do that ... We used to have some Punjabi lawyers come to our local Gurdwara to give people advise, but they weren't volunteering they were doing it for money. For a few weeks I volunteered with charity which fed homeless people in the highstreet. Majority of them are on drugs, its hard to imagine them assimilating into society, though its possible. A lot of homeless people used to eat at our local Gurdwara, but some of them were very rude to the sangat doing sewa, so the sangat had to call the police! I do feel sorry for these people, I always keep some pound coins in my pocket. And then there's some fake homeless people who choose to beg because they make more money begging than they would in a normal 9-5 job! Not far from where I live is a town Windsor, and people go there to beg and then they go back home in a taxi! lol!

VID-20201104-WA0004.mp4

What is the story of Guru Nanak Dev jis other son? There's a painting of a person with blue skin and he's saving a baby falling from a horse, the horse is flying into the heaven with the babies mum and dad, but the baby falls and the person with the blue skin saves the baby. I think that painting is associated with Guru Nanak Dev jis second son? Anyone know ?

VID-20210128-WA0002.mp4

Why do babas and sants sit on tiger skin? What's the meaning behind it?

Is it this ? Can't find anything else https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/567681