Inspirational Thread!

[AvnitK]

lol yes it is lol....that blog post was my opinion and this is a version with references and facts from gurbani

[Azaad]

How to progress in Naam?? Just a couple of pointers that may seem basic but if your anyhting like me, we will over look them...

• Patience: we should show patience as God is attached to every human being, even the most sinful one. At the end of the day, everyone will be liberated. If God has patience, why shouldn’t we?

• Accept God’s will: if we don’t accept God’s will then we are being selfish as we want it our way. We should be pleased with everything God has given us. God makes no mistakes as God is perfect. Everything is done for the right reason.

• See pain as happiness: “Flowers grow out of dark moments.” When we are given pain it is only because God loves us since when we are in pain we remember God. When we are in pain we become detached from this world. When we are in pain we erase sins. When we are in pain our ego decreases. Pain is a gift, it is a medicine. Also, don't put blame upon anyone else as God exists in everyone. Pain is a type of medicine sometimes. Just like gold has to be purified in fire, sometimes a human has to be purified with pain so that their heart can come out pure.

• See everything as a gift from God: Everything we have has been given as a gift but the greatest gift among all gifts is Naam. So we should take advantage of this and do as much naam bhagti as we can. With every single breath, with every morsel of food we should be japping naam. Jap naam to thank God for what He has given us.

• Become the slave of the slaves: We should treat everyone how we would treat God since God’s light abides in everyone. Thus treat everyone with full respect. If we hurt an individual we are hurting God. When we treat others badly our wealth of naam is lost through the demon of ego. Become the dust of everyone’s feet including the most sinful one. Don’t distinguish others from caste, gender etc. Be pure externally and internally.

• Give up all worldly attachments that take your mind away from God:

If we don’t give up the things we are attached to, our mind will never settle and thus our mind will wander in all directions. If we still stay entangled in Maya such as watching TV, msn etc. then we have not devoted ourselves enough to Guru Ji. Therefore, we are automatically turning our back towards Guru Ji as we are following our mind and not what Guru Ji wants us to do. Jap naam whenever the time is available.

•Sleep less, eat less and talk less: Our nights are wasted sleeping and our days are wasted talking and eating. These only weaken our Naam and when it comes for our bhagti we are all drained out. Our

lives pass uselessly, through these we forget God. The mind shall never be appeased through these, they only corrupt the mind.

• Have faith: Faith is an important thing in our life. Anything is possible if we have faith. We shouldn’t have doubts because we know that God takes care of everything in the end. If god brings you to it, god will bring you through it.

• Avoid the company of the manmukh: Bad Company ruins our life. Avoid their company and do not dine with the faithless. Try and join the Sadh Sangat as much as we possibly can. Through the company of the holy we are saved.

• Do not stay emotionally attached to family, friends, spouse etc:

The only one we should stay attached to should be God as God is the only one that shall be with us in the end. Within all beings is God, so we should lovingly attach ourselves to God. No being can give us happiness in this world as we are all the same, only god can.

• See God everywhere: God is pervading exterior and interior, so when we do our naam bhagti, search deep within because that is where God will be found. We have no power, only God does. God makes us do what he is pleased with us to do. And what ever God is pleased with, we should be pleased with. This is all just God’s play and we shall all merge with God once again.

• Do Naam Bhagti with love and fear: Through fear, we become fearful of forgetting God and therefore always keep our consciousness upon God. Through love we Jap Naam for nothing else except to have his blessed, indescribable, beautiful Darshan. If we believe death will come to us the moment we forget God, then we will always focus lovingly upon God and never waste time.

• Sing the kirtan of God’s praises: This increases the love for God. God showers his blessing upon those who sing lovingly of his praises. Our mind becomes satisfied when we sing his praises and we

realize the love and happiness through God. Singing God’s praises is pleasing and dear to God, so we should do what ever God is pleased with us doing.

• Do not waste time: If we have time we should do Naam bhagti. This life will pass by as a dream and will regret the time wasted once our life ends. If we jap Naam during the day, Naam stays in our mind during our sleep. During our slumber is the time when we easily forget God and where our naam can be easily stolen.

• Simran with every breath: When we forget God, we haven’t devoted ourselves enough. Also when we do Naam Bhagti, listen to it. Only by hearing it single-mindedly and then trying to implement what we hear do we move on through our journey towards God. When we forget God, we are turning our back against Guru Ji because at this moment we are following our mind we should remember God every second, within every breath. God has done so much for us and we forget the creator.

• Seva: Do as much seva as we can. Through Seva we become humble.

• We should respect our parents: When we hurt them or disobey them we commit a sin and that leads us no where. Also, god is within all.

• Give up all desires and replace them with the love for God: That is probably the hardest one since as humans our mind doesn’t stop craving and wants more each time. The mind is never satisfied. If

we still have an inner desire, then Jap naam for it because the love for God will soon come. There is no enjoyment or satisfaction from worldly desires. As a result, Give up all our desires and exchange them for the union of God. Once we do this, we begin to feel the pain of separation and feel the hunger for Naam overwhelming. We have been separated from God for such along time, why would we want to waste this life again?

• Ardaas: When we do ardaas, we should do it from the heart. Ardaas from the heart never goes unanswered. We should always beg for God’s Name and His blessings in everything we do.

Do not waste your evening: Many of us may take part in our worldly pleasures or commitments during this time but this time is most needed for our religious occupations since this will help our sikhi.

• Spiritual experiences: Do not tell others of our experiences. The fruits of Naam should not be told, it only leads to corruption of egotism and Naam is stolen.

• Live honestly: Live true to our soul by fulfilling our hearts desires.

• Follow the rehit as much as we can: Don’t forget that Guru doesn’t love the Sikh but loves the rehit. Thus, the Guru loves the discipline of that Sikh. Wouldn’t we want our true mother; Mata

Sahib Kaur Ji and our true father; Guru Gobind Singh Ji to be proud of us? The Discipline of a Sikh is when we never follow our mind and live as a slave of the saints. Thus, remembering god 24/7.

[AvnitK]

another one to read and relate on in ones life

i love this thread already

[Azaad]

Im a little Khalsa, short and strong

If you wanna know about me, listen to my song

I always keep my 5 K's on

Kangha, karaa, kachaira, kes and kirpaan

I wake up in the morning and do my paat

I tie my hair in a neat little knot

The knot is called a joora, my hair is called kes

My kangha keeps my hair in place

Im a little khalsa, short and strong

Now you know all about me and my little song!!

Used to love this song when I was little...used to sing to it at the Gurdwara...Oh happy days

[AvnitK]

awww dude that is soo cute lol and yes lil khalsa strong yes!

[Harmindersingh]

awww dude that is soo cute lol and yes lil khalsa strong yes!

Check out inspiring one liners on twitter . http://twitter.com/inspiringtweet

[njjassa]

I am nothing but a stupid <banned word filter activated> whom most people dont even like to acknowledge..

but sometimes I do know that something big always inspires me...

something always makes me believe that no matter how hard it was in the past the future can be different after all present is what matters and present is why I and most above of all of us are here...

something always makes me think about good times that I ve been through in wake of desperate bad times.....

something makes me believe that even though am not like others, not a gursikh, not a perfect obedient sikh, not a perfect student of life, not a perfect human being above of all I can be me .....

something always makes me believe that I dont share any great talent or abilities I can still dream to achieve someday...

something always surrounds me whenever I am lonely because of my past, because of my emotions, because of my bad deeds or simply because I always had a gravity for doin mistakes all the time....

something was always there during my worse downfall in my life, when I didnt know how and what to look for in dark times..

something that always makes him realize to thank for good times even when they arent so much around for long.....

something that gave me one day a message in a chinese fortune cookie during my depression years that Its time to get up and let go the past.....

something that one day gave me energy to stand up when i was all alone, engulfed in immense darkness......

THAT SOMETHING IS NO OTHER THAN WHAT ALL RELIGIONS AND FAITH HAVE IN COMMON AND SOMETHING THAT NONE OF THEM YET CAN UNDERSTAND BUT INSTEAD THEY ALL DIE ARGUING AND FIGHTING ABOUT IT.....

THAT SOMETHING IS......WAHEGURU.... ALLAH.... GOD.... RAM...... THE ALMIGHTY ONE......DIFFERENT NAMES DESCRIBE ONLY ONE GOD.. ONE FATHER .....

[Vaheguru24/7]

The Great Debate

Once upon a time, in a vast desert where the scorching sun shone 24 hours a day, there lived a withering community amongst whom was a group of radiant Water-Ites. They worshipped the scarce commodity called water. In their temple was a huge glass tank. People would come here and bow with reverence. The priest would tell them stories from days gone by about the Wise Old Teacher who had brought the drink of life to them. The Wise Old Teacher had told them of a great and wonderful ocean that he'd travelled far and wide to find. Returning to the desert he had brought the sacred water and left it in the huge glass tank for all to drink.

While the Wise Old Teacher was alive, people from miles around would come and quench their thirst, word spread fast and many people adopted Waterism as their way of life. They loved water, it made their dried up bodies feel rejuvinated. The heat of the scorching sun had made most of the town's people irratible and angry, they fought each other over petty things because they were so mentally anguished. But this 'Water' cooled them down and their mind and body bloomed and blossomed with every sip.

When the Wise Old Teacher left this world and dived back into the Supreme Cool Ocean, the problems began. One day, while the Priest was telling stories of old, he looked at the tank and noticed something. He said, 'Dearly beloved, today the tank is exactly half full'. Before he could continue an angry man in the congregation got up and shouted, 'NO IT'S NOT! IT'S EXACTLY HALF EMPTY!'

It was midday and the heat was at it's worst. The priest jumped up greatly offended at being criticised infront of his congregation and shouted back 'NO YOU STUPID FOOL, IT'S EXACTLY HALF FULL'.

And the poor uneducated congregation just got confused. Some of them agreed with the priest, some agreed with the angry man and some weren't sure. Fighting ensued and the angry man was thrown out. As he marched home he planned how to get control over the temple, it infuriated him that such an ignorant man as the priest was in charge of the Water-Ites.

A few months passed. He recruited the top scientists and they produced detailed mathematical calculations that proved beyond any possible doubt that the tank was exactly half-empty. The Priest on other hand appealed to the hearts of the people, he spoke sweetly and sung songs about how if you were a true Waterite you would be deeply hurt by the people who said anything other than the tank was half-full.

Now every Sunday the Waterites would go to the temple and discuss the latest mathematical evidence, or what the Priest had been saying. People who didn't have an opinion on the subject were scorned at for not caring enough about their holiest of holy tank of water. These people said we are thirsty and just want to have a drink, but they were in the minority and soon forgotton about. They carried on coming early every morning taking a sip then leaving. Now and again they would go to the main Sunday gathering and plead to the people to take a daily drink, but both sides would just say, 'Are you mad? The great debate is such a major crisis that we must spend all our energy defending the truth, no time to drink!'

Now people in the community said 'Look at those Waterites, a bunch of hypocrites, they act all holy and wise telling us to join them, but they're just as angry and dried up as us'.

The Priest ruled for 5 years and proclaimed 'HALF-FULL' from every street corner and roof top. Then he was toppled by the Angry Man who ruled for 10 years putting to death anyone who didn't say 'HALF-EMPTY'. Then 50 years later, when the climate had cooled somewhat, the leaders and priests of the 38 different Water-Ite sects gathered together. Over a period of several months, they engaged in long philosphical debates about what the official statement should be. Then on a cool winter's day they came out with the signed document, that would unify the WaterItes once more and said 'IT IS OFFICIALLY HALF-EMPTY.....but if you want to you can call it HALF FULL'. Then the Waterite community spat at the leaders for not giving strong leadership. The Half-Empty Groups preached with more determination and the Half-Full Groups got angrier and angrier.

A few years later a new priest came in and changed the wording to HALF-FULL without asking anyone. Somehow the temple hierarchy let him get away with it. They were too busy counting all the money that was pouring into the temple funds to care about wording.

And early every morning, while the withered ones were still sleeping, a radiant Waterite would walk into the temple past, take a sip and walk home again with a smile on her face, fully rejuvinated.

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Raam Japo Jee Aise Aise,

Dhroo Prahlad Japio Har Jaise...

Meditate on Naam like Bhagat Dhroo and Prahlad did. I.E They were thirsty for God's Vision and determined, being children they were innocent and simple and spared from getting side-tracked by religious rights and wrongs. While millions of pundits, brahmins, scholars and Hindus probably discussed one hundred and one Hindu controversies, the Bhagats had God-shaped holes in their hearts that their constant Naam Simran filled.

Guru Amar Das Jee sings a beautiful shabad about controversies:

SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL (panna 68)

The demon's son Prahlaad had not read about religious rituals or ceremonies, austerity or self-discipline; he did not know the love of duality. Upon meeting with the True Guru, he became pure; night and day, he chanted the Naam, the Name of the Lord. He read only of the One and he understood only the One Name; he knew no other at all. ||4||

The Pandits, the religious scholars, read and argue and stir up controversies, but without the Guru, they are deluded by doubt. They wander around the cycle of 8.4 million reincarnations; without the Shabad, they do not attain liberation. But when they remember the Name, then they attain the state of salvation, when the True Guru unites them in Union. || 6 ||

Wrong Keys

Daas and a gursikh were standing in the gurudwara langar hall when a young sikh came and asked for the keys to the supplies store. The supplies store is one of the rooms located on the outside of the gurudrawa building. Daas fished out the keys and gave it to the young sikh. He ran off and came back a few minutes later saying, "This is not the right key." Daas was surprised since that sure looked like the right key. But anyhow, daas fished out another bunch of keys and told the young sikh to try those. He ran off and came back with the same answer. The gursikh who was with me is a big time sevadar and he usually opens and closes the supplies store. So daas asked him for the right key. He took a look and selected a key from the first bunch and told the young sikh, "This is the right one for sure. Try to push the door inwards when turning the key. Sometimes it needs quite a bit of strength to open the supplies door." After several minutes, the young sikh came back, all puffed and panting, and said, "No, that was not the right key." The gursikh decided to investigate. He came back smiling. Daas asked him, "What happened?" He replied, "Oh, nothing. The kid was trying the wrong door!"

Now, the question is - "What has this story got to do with Naam?"

Well the MORAL could be :

We mis-apply HukamNamas. Guru Granth Sahib ji gives us a beautfull Hukam to apply to our life. It's like Guru ji giving us the key, but instead of applying it to the Dasam Duar (Tenth Door) inside our mind, we strip it apart looking for hidden messages about solving our current problem.

[RavidassiSikh]

"Don't we all"...

...I believe that we are tested & taught by Guru Ji each moment of our lives - just in the way your story mentioned. Veer Ji thanks for sharing!

...Waheguru...Waheguru...Waheguru...

[njjassa]

any inspiration for someone whose struggling to stop coughing at the moment? :umm: