Essay Marathon 6

[Princess]

Admin: Sticky Please and Thank you and Vaheguru!!

essay_marathon.bmp

The prize for this Essay Marathon?

Having the honour of being an inspiration to millions of individuals around the world and spreading awareness for Sikhi as Seva.

There is no greater prize for a Sikh.

As always, this essay topic will run for 2 weeks. if there's enough interest, hopefully we can run it for 3 weeks.

As of now, the closing date is: Wednesday, May 17th, 2006

Please post this on your personal blogs or ask your local SSA's to advertise it to have mass participation as WaterlooSSA Sevadaars have done ... www.waterloossa.blogspot.com ...

Spread the love Jio ... It's in us to give

Vaheguruji ka khalsa Vaheguruji ki fateh

[Jaspaul Singh]

Vaheguroo ..

Come on guys .. only thirty something views on a thread that can have an effect on our lives if not maybe others. We spend the exact same time writing looong posts in threads if your tyring to prove your point over someone elses, can we not give our thoughts here and be an inspiration to others ?

I will try myself to write one as the topic question is great.. sevadars take time out of their busy schedule to bring this to us, lets all give in to their seva and submit our work.

So lets all post our views !!

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

I am a moorakh...so if I say anything against Gurmat, please forgive me.

__________________________________________________________________

Nirgura and the Inner Voice

How much love? How much do I love Sikhi, Sikhs, the Guru? Scanning my mind, contemplating the depth, I shed an emotional tear, for the answer is truly frightening:

Barely.

Barely? Barely? WHAT? My mind recoils. Then I, the Mind, ask my Inner Voice for the answer, and it patiently provides me one.

Mind: What do you mean no love? Do I not listen to Kirtan? Do I not have deep reverence for a Gursikh? Do I not enjoy Sangat? Do I not listen to Simran?

Inner Voice: Hahaha...love is not so easy.

Mind: Easy? After all the things I went through in life, bearing taunts, ridicule, physical/emotional/social harassment, all the jokes, all the looks? Easy? Ha...what do you know?

Inner Voice: Tell me, do you know of the King, the Queen, and their Five Generals that you are a slave to?

Mind: Eh? Metaphors are lost on me Sahib.

Inner Voice: What a pity that you do not even recognize those friends of yours that you serve day and night.

Mind: Explain.

Inner Voice: When you walk, do you let yourself look and admire women?

Mind: I try to avoid it...but what can you do. Though I minimize it as much as possible.

Inner Voice: Then you are like a slave who is whipped by his Master to do his bidding. The Master Kaam whips you with the stick of curiosity and you, a beaten servant, do its bidding.

Mind: Hmmm...you have a point.

Inner Voice: Do things bother you at work? Do you sometimes release that frustration?

Mind: You got 10 people on the phone, all screaming for something and the other people are not helping. Yeah, I get upset...sometimes I vent...tell the person on the phone in anger that I sent up what they wanted already and to look harder.

Inner Voice: With the bait of annoyance, your Master Krodh laughs in glee as you unleash your fury onto others.

Mind: [Hangs head]. Right again.

Inner Voice: Do you like money and the things it can buy?

Mind: Now wait a minute. I never sign up for overtime. I work for what I need and nothing more. Guru Sahib said to earn your living by hard work.

Inner Voice: But you do like to have a fast computer, video games, and such right?

Mind: Yeah? But...

Inner Voice: Your Master Lobh has fooled you into thinking that only money is greed. It is the desire for worldly things that is Lobh.

Mind: (Silent)

Inner Voice: You love your mother and father? Your brothers?

Mind: [With a subdued voice] You know the answer to that...

Inner Voice: Then Master Moh has fed you many lies to make you believe that they will last forever and made you forget that One who truly made you and is forever.

Mind: [About to cry in frustration]

Inner Voice: Hold it together, we ain't done yet. How about your accomplishments?

Mind: [brightens up, thinking it has this onemade]. HA! I NEVER held my accomplishments over anyone, nor belittled them for their education.

Inner Voice: But when someone spoke of their accomplishments or status in life, you at least thought, if not verbalized, your own position to defend yourself?

Mind: Shut up.

Inner Voice: I see that Master Krodh is working magic again. In the guise of insecurity, Master Ahankaar makes you think and speak about your accomplishments.

Mind: [Defeated but curious] Ok...so who are this King and Queen?

Inner Mind: You do not recognize he who you crowned yourself? The King is YOU.

Mind: Me?

Inner Voice: At least what you think is you. It is that which believes is separate from the Almighty and uses the five Generals as seekers of proof of an existence. That you even has the gaul to think he is immortal. Your name is Haumai (Me-Me) and you think you are in control. What an illusion you live in, thinking that you sit on a throne as ruler of your body, mind and senses, when in reality, you are a slave to them.

Mind: And who might by my queen?

Inner Voice: Ah yes...much as a King looks to his wife for support and comfort, your Queen is Maya, who feeds your Generals with the means of making them happy. It provides you the material, the worldly goods, the objects on which you focus your Generals on, which in turn so generously turn your attention to it.

Mind: [Hanging head in shame and sadness] I thought you were going to tell me about Sikhi, Sikhism, and Sikhs.

Inner Voice: Impatient today are we? You can spend hours with games but not 5 minutes with me? It has been so long since I had you as a guest.

Mind: [silent, internally acknowledging that it has paid too much attention to the outside and not the inside]

Inner Voice: The Sikh of the Guru...they are the same. That Sikh embodies mind, soul, and body the Guru. With such love, the Sikh is the Guru, the only difference being that the Guru laid down the path and walked it and the Sikh can only follow, not create. You are a slave, and as such, have no weapon to fight the 5 Generals, much less even think of dethroning the King and Queen. However, the Guru gives his Sikh a most Supreme weapon, the Gurmantar. It is that weapon which can wound the Generals severly and splash their unholy blood upon the King and Queen. With that Gurmantar, the Guru also gives you the armor of Nitnem. With its recitation, you gain the perspective to dodge the attacks of the Generals, even facing their whippings, baitings and poisionous talk. The Vidya, the knowlege of the combat is Rehat. With this knowledge, you will know how to conduct yourself properly on the battlefield and continue the war against the Generals. They outnumber you, but your ally is the Guru, and such a warrior will take blows meant for you on himself to protect you. Having smitten the 5 Generals, the King and Queen shall scatter and you shall realize your identity was not a slave, but the True Master.

Mind: Uhhh...who?

Inner Voice: Don't you know...hahaha...of course you don't. You, my friend, are the Almighty.

Mind: Dude...you smoking something? Me?

Inner Voice: Yes, you. Within you is the Almighty, as is everyone else...all contain that Essence of the One. But the King and Queen could have that come to your attention. If you keep a ball waving in front of a dog, it will never notice the sweets you have put right behind it. In the same way, the King and Queen, through the Generals, spend all your time distracting you in their own ways.

Mind: So much time wasted...what can I do. I am tired of being a slave...give me the source of my freedom.

Inner Voice: Sometimes, the drug is worse than the cure. I am not sure you will take it, even if it was offered to you freely.

Mind: Try me...I can't take this anymore. My Masters are already looking for me and will certainly punish me for talking to you.

Inner Voice: In Greek, it was called Ambrosia, in Persian, Abi-Hayat. The Gurus called it Amrit. That is the drug you must take. There is no other cure.

Mind: [silent]

Inner Voice: I have told you the disease, the cause, and the cure. Will you take it?

Mind: [silent]

Inner Voice: Silence will not help you. If you think the 5 Generals were brutal, then you have not heard of your Eternal Masters, the Jamdoots. At least your Generals poisoned and baited you with sweetness and attention. The Jamdoots will drag you by your head to their country and beat you with their swords without end. There, you could beg, plead and remember the Almighty, but it will be of no use. When you have embarked on the path of the Guru, come back and then we will discuss what love is. Until then, don't delude yourself.

Mind: What you have said is the truth. However, we will see if I remain a slave or come to recognize my true identity. Thank you for everything...maybe one day I will return and have that talk about that love.

Inner Voice: The clock is ticking my friend...it is always ticking...

[Jaspaul Singh]

woww ..

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spreachless..

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bump!

[Princess]

Vaheguru!!

Sangat Ji, keep them coming ... University of WaterlooSSA has recieved numerous essays and they will be posted after a few more responses from SikhSangat Members

University of WesternSSA (www.westernssa.blogspot.com) and the OntarioSikhYouth (www.ontariosikhyouth.blogspot.com) Blogs have also joined together with WaterlooSSA (www.waterlossa.blogspot.com) to get mass participation from Sikhs everywhere

Thank you guys!

[TeraRoop11]

Waheguru..

That was absolutely amazing.

Bhenji, why not go through and pick the best essays, edit them slightly for clarity if need be {limit the revisions to spelling and major grammatical errors}, and publish an anthology? The winners' prize can be a free copy, and the anthology can be sold to everyone else. Money can be used for amazing Sevaa.. for example, the new SikhGiving.com project that's coming up, or anything, really..!

Waheguruu amazing contribution.. can't wait to read more..

:lol: :wub:

bhullchukmaaf

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fatehh

[S1ngh]

I will post it up on my blog and I will send my input but as anon sometime before the due date :TH:

Keep it Up !

[Princess]

Waheguru..

That was absolutely amazing.

Bhenji, why not go through and pick the best essays, edit them slightly for clarity if need be {limit the revisions to spelling and major grammatical errors}, and publish an anthology? The winners' prize can be a free copy, and the anthology can be sold to everyone else. Money can be used for amazing Sevaa.. for example, the new SikhGiving.com project that's coming up, or anything, really..!

Waheguruu amazing contribution.. can't wait to read more..

:lol: :wub:

bhullchukmaaf

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fatehh

Amazing suggestion bhenji ... Maybe some Sevadaars can get in touch with me that would like to help out to do this and we can publish one to be sold in different parts of the world :TH:

[Jaspaul Singh]

bump

[Simran9]

bump STICKY!

:lol: