Battelestar Sikhi-getting Lost? Series One

[humkire]

Everywhere I see nowadays, as i read thread after thread whether its about anti dasam granth/noormelias/sarnas/sikh radio n tv channels or other current panthic issues is hatred,anger, each person/party involved believing they have the right answer whilst finger pointing at the others, and accusing the others as traitors and sell outs , and questioning their motives and real intentions. I have not seen in all my life so much disunity among sikhs as i see now. Everybody is upset with everybody else. As i go through topics and threads on this forum, I sense despair, tension, unease, discomfort, instability, and self righteousness. Everyone is blaming everyone else for every dispute, every quarrel, every problem, every incident. Everybody wishes the other was dead. Everyone stubbornly believes they are right. Everywhere I turn, I see and hear people proclaiming they are the right ones to lead be it a radio channel, a political party, a website, a thread on a website, a jethabandee. It doesnt stop! The factionalism just gets worse by the day. Leading sikh radio channels, jethabandhees, political parties, religous leaders are isolated and do not even talk to each other.

We have a weak , lame, mistrusted ,non independent, outdated, sold out, ili-informed, religous leadership good in giving orders BUT poor in listening, in brokering, in negotiating, in uniting everyone together. When it suits us, we embrace the nothing but charred remains of the institutions of the SGPC and Akal Takht, and when it doesnt we diss them.

This is becoming a doomsday scenario where we have our hands virtually on each others throoats, wish to kill and see each other dead, cannot stand the sight and presence of one another, and question each others loyalty to Sikhism, and accuse each other of betrayal .

This is what today's Sikhism has degenerated itself into. Very sad and sorry state of affairs indeed. Meanwhile the planet is dying from pain and hurt, from global warming, from religous and secterian violence, terrorism, political wars, and suffers from the ravages of nature and the plight of millions of poor,disempowered people living under the rule of cruel selfish dictators and tyranny. The world that needs us, finds us helplessly indulging in own daily internal battles and diminishing in our capability and capacity to be a beacon of hope by the day.

We have become an easily intimidated and scared community frightened and trying to ward off enemies, constantly fighting fires ,both within and without. We moan that our numbers are diminishing. We are becoming more inward and as we become more inward the pressure within the kettle is reaching boiling point.

When we talk of Sikhism, our eyes seem stubbornly stuck on the tiny state of Punjab and its going ons. We hold on to dear past and lament of leaders gone before, holding them sacred in our minds as if they were virtual latter day incarnations of Guru Gobind Singh. We forget Sikhism is a democracry among equals and venerate religious celebrities in our midst, thus forging the panth into an authoritarian heirarchy. Meantime, Tibetan buddhism has moved on from Tibet and become a successful western phenomena, Islam has its biggest following away from Saudi Arabia in Indonesia, and Christianity has moved to Africa, South America and Europe, leaving tiny Jerusalem as an optional historical place of visit which doesn’t make you any better a christian if you didn’t visit it. Right under our noses, new religions like Subud, Hare krishna and Bahaism, amongst countless others have emerged that organise themselves to be led by a united nations type council with leaders from different earth zones, all with equal voting rights, with millions more followers. Within christianity, a nigerian pastor has organised a church which is found within a 1 mile radius of every major city of the world. We do however cover our apathy, and failures in international parchar to all races by the lame excuse that Sikhism is a two edged sword meant just for a few chosen few, just the way the jews like to think of their 12 chosen tribes. The Gurus who proclaimed ''khendeo tikki valo nikki'' were also the same Gurus who worked tirelessly to preach Sikhi to people of all and any race, go to faraway places learning and speaking different languages and dialects, and start new towns and places of worships wherever they went, thank you very much! Compare that to todays supposed sikh saints and preachers who very much love to confine themselves to be master orators within the confines of the punjabee language and punjabee community as they fly from country to country with pre-bought ticket gifts of their supporters. Are we making our ten Masters our role models, or are we becoming blind followers of those who refuse to learn another language to preach in, and apart from Sikh issues seem very ill informed about how this world is being currently reorganised politically , economically and socially , as compared to the uptodate knowledge our Gurus had of current affairs , of science , of nature as is transparent in Guru Granth Sahib.

We have the shameful sight of 70 year old Sikh MALE priests running around to arrange colourful rose and carnation FLOWERS before Guru Granth Sahib in the Harmandir Sahib every morning because women are deemed ''impure''. We do not allow women to do an ardas, or keertan in the same place, we do not allow women to be one of the 5 piaras in most places, BUT we boast we are a religion that practises perfect eqality between the sexes. Yet we are modelled along a a male dominated patriarchial system of punjabee social organisation that is fast becoming outdated and irrelevant.

We seem to have lost the ability to continually rescue Sikhism from the enclaves and stranglehold of of the standards of morality,language rituals, psyche, mindset, perceived world view, social organisation, ideals, taboos, and values of any one culture and subgroup. We are very proud when some white person becomes a sikh but we immediately become defensive and withdrawn , when the same person tries to interpret and practise Sikhism within the context of their own culture and we dont call them 'sikh' , we call them gore sikh, as if our eyes cannot be lifted off even for a moment from the colour of their skin towards the light of Gurujee within. We are very prepared to preach within our 'own' punjabee community but our feet get cold wanting to learn other languages and preach to non punjabees . We are proud of what Yogijee did but we regard that as a one off and none of our business.

Even on websites like these, three quarters of the time we argue in the name of Sikhism, but what is spewing out of us is nothing but a punjabee not Sikh way to talking to each other, yet dare anyone say we aint sikhs. This hyprocrisy is like a subtle veil that separates us from that which we claim to possess but dont , claim to love but dont , claim to kiss but dont , claim to know but dont.

Brothers and sisters wake up! Rubbish me if u want , but think about what I am saying. You have a choice. Either keep indulging in your little wars you serve and seem to live for within the panth, or either become forces of unity within the panth. That’s your choice. We live by our choices, we die by our choices.. You have one chance –either use it to think you are damn right and try to kill everyone else or ….. try to calm down and get back to your senses and start talking the language of reconciliation , of tolerance , of love , of unity. Tell me im wrong , but Sikhism is not about hating no one, Sikhism is not about loathing no one, Sikhism is not about intolerance to different viewpoints and opinions, even if they are wrong and incompatible to ours. Sikhism recognises truth as a flower that well knows how to blossom and bring a shade to blind off untruth. The history of Sikhism we like to remember is one where we stood shoulder to shoulder no matter what our differences were, where we kissed each others feet in love, where our hearts erupted in joy meeting one another. That’s the Sikhism I fell in love with, the one where everyone was a carpon copy of Guru Gobind Singh, never looking back, always adapting to the present, always planning for the future, the Sikhism of radical overnight change when necessary from saintliness to sipahiness, the Sikhism that did not depend on places and people and personalities but on the power and presence of Gurujee in every inch of the soil of this planet!.

The purpose of baisakhi was not to create cylone type non thinking robots programmed to wake up, recite , think, speak, act, be opiniated in one exactly similar style. That was never meant to be the purpose and spirit of rehat. Rather, the glory of Baisakhi was to create a race of super intelligent, dynamic, self empowered, fearless yet humble warrior saints, like resurrected copies of Guru Gobind Singh, each with their own unique identity serving to guide humanity and the entire human race. The purpose of Baisakhi was not to marry and enslave a people to traditions of the pastor present but to transform weak sparrows and release them as powerful reborn hawks in the sky perfectly capable of finding their own destiny and guiding humanity towards its greater good. But today we are sparrows again squabbling amongst ourselves, fighting each other for a grain, living in fear, feeling intimidated, totally sensitive to any move of the other, frightened to bring about a single change in anything to do with Sikhism. We fight over our religious texts , our daily prayers, our dressing, our habits, our rituals and boy, don’t we fight like there’s no tomorrow. All you need to do is say one thing, think one thing, do one thing, that’s not religously correct to the other person and you are in deeep trouble with everyone. Yet we go about boasting of our martyrs, we parade Guru Granth Sahib in nagar kirtans , we celebrate gurpurabhs with great pomp to tell the world that we are a great people with a great religion.

We do not need a race of cylones to destroy us as in Battlestar Galactica . We seem to be perfectly capable of nuking ourselves as every new daily breaking news twist of khalsa panth seems to show.Think , think , and think again!

I do not want to end this on a cliff hanger of negativity . I have not been very well recently and this has been a time of prayer and deep reflection about khalsa panth and its survival and direction. As the latest X-FACTOR Joe Elderry's winning song The Climb says, there will be always be another mountain to climb , there will be failures along the way but we got to keep the faith and strive along. Somehow , something in me tells me, we can be what we were supposed to be, we can go where we were supposed to go. What we are today tells nothing of what we could be. But we will need to live and let die . Somethings gotta go, tough choices have to be made. We need to stop living in the past, we need to look to a future perhaps thats going to be quite remote from our past . Guru Hargobind made that choice and we survived . Guru Gobind Singh made that choice and we survived. Today we have to make the choice. Choices involving tearing yourself from your past are never easy , but the prize as a reward is too irrestible.

Glory to Khalsa Panth , this series shall continue ............

[sall]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh

Beautiful post, 100% spot on....

[rupinder singh]

OK I admit, whilst reading this post I went through a reality check!

There's a lot, and I mean a lot, of sense in what's been written above, but I guess not eveyone's going to be able to digest it.

[BhForce]

Thanks for taking the time write out your thoughts, whether I agree in all respects or not, you're thinking about the problems of the Panth. Let me respond before people start calling you a traitor and Mehtab Singh comes to ban the thread .

accusing the others as traitors and sell outs , and questioning their motives and real intentions. I have not seen in all my life so much disunity among sikhs as i see now

Very true. We could all do better with just decreasing the volume a bit.

This is becoming a doomsday scenario where we have our hands virtually on each others throoats, wish to kill and see each other dead, cannot stand the sight and presence of one another,

True. Mahakal Sukha Singh Nihang of England said it well when he parodied the fact that we only want to say Fateh to our chosen group members when walking down the street:

ਓਇ, ਓਹ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਅਖੰਡ ਕੀਰਤਨੀਆ ਆ ਗਿਆ? ਓਹ ਟਕਸਾਲੀਆ ਕਿਧਰੋਂ ਆ ਗਿਆ?

Hey, where did that AKJ come from? Where'd that taksali felllow come from?

[BhForce]

When we talk of Sikhism, our eyes seem stubbornly stuck on the tiny state of Punjab and its going ons.

You seem to portray Sikhs caring for Punjab as a failing, whereas in fact it is not.

Rather, forgetting Punjab would be the height of self-centeredness.

What sense does it make to go out and try to save the world from drugs, illicit sex, and so on when we haven't saved our own who are just a step or two removed from Sikhi?

What's the point of running a soup kitchen to feed druggies in New York City when your own brother or cousin in Punjab has no livelihood? OK, fine run the soup kitchen, but don't forget Punjab.

You can tell Sikhs to forget Punjab, but they'll come back to it, again and again, when just even reading their scriptures:

ਜਿਥੈ ਜਾਇ ਬਹੈ ਮੇਰਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਸੋ ਥਾਨੁ ਸੁਹਾਵਾ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਜੇ ॥

Wherever my True Guru goes and sits, that place is beautiful, O Lord King.

ਗੁਰਸਿਖੀ ਸੋ ਥਾਨੁ ਭਾਲਿਆ ਲੈ ਧੂਰਿ ਮੁਖਿ ਲਾਵਾ ॥

The Guru's Sikhs seek out that place; they take the dust and apply it to their faces.

p450

http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=450&punjabi=t&id=20423

Yes, there are places outside of Punjab, but Punjab (and particularly Amritsar) are special and have always been the focus of Sikh activities. That's perhaps why, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, born in Patna Sahib, called Punjab ਮਦਰਦੇਸ਼ (motherland) in the Apni Katha of Bachittar Natak.

When Sikhs go and find the places where Satguru has been, it seems obvious that they would have to take care of those places, and build institutions there. Otherwise, those place could be covered by people's houses, cabarets, and so on.

In the same way, acknowledging the greatness of Guru Nanak Ji, Guru Hargobind Ji went to many of the places that Guru Nanak Sahib visited, including Jagannath. Guru Arjan Dev went to some of the places in Pakistan that Guru Nanak Dev ji went to, and we have Gurdwaras to mark that.

If there were no Sikhs whatsoever in Punjab, who would run the Akal Takhat or Harmandir Sahib, or any other historic gurdwara?

That's why Sikhs care about Punjab, not because of some antedeluvian prejudice.

I think it's a weird kind of thought process whereby someone can wear a Save Darfur or Save Tibet t-shirt to impress their "enlightened" friends or professors, yet far from doing anything for Punjab want to make fun of those who do.

[BhForce]

We hold on to dear past and lament of leaders gone before, holding them sacred in our minds as if they were virtual latter day incarnations of Guru Gobind Singh.

If Sikhs hold saintly Sikhs to be ਧੰਨ (worthy of commendation), it's because Gurbani holds the saintly to be ਧੰਨ.

Guru Ramdas ji asks for the dust of such Sikhs' feet:

ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਧੂੜਿ ਮੰਗੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਕੀ ਜੋ ਆਪਿ ਜਪੈ ਅਵਰਹ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ ॥੨॥

p305 http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=306&english=t&id=14024#l14024

Far from being a failing, remembering such Sikhs is the height of obedience to Satguru.

I agree that no one can take the place of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

[BhForce]

We forget Sikhism is a democracry among equals and venerate religious celebrities in our midst, thus forging the panth into an authoritarian heirarchy.

No, Sikhi is not a democracy.

It is not a laboratory experiment for the implementation of the ideas of Rousseau or John Stuart Mill.

The leaders of the Khalsa Panth are the Panches who are accepted in the eyes of God. They always have their attention on God night and day, and not a breath of theirs passes which isn't made holy by the name of God:

ਪੰਚ ਪਰਵਾਣ ਪੰਚ ਪਰਧਾਨੁ ॥

The chosen ones, the self-elect, are accepted and approved.

ਪੰਚੇ ਪਾਵਹਿ ਦਰਗਹਿ ਮਾਨੁ ॥

The chosen ones are honored in the Court of the Lord.

ਪੰਚੇ ਸੋਹਹਿ ਦਰਿ ਰਾਜਾਨੁ ॥

The chosen ones look beautiful in the courts of kings.

ਪੰਚਾ ਕਾ ਗੁਰੁ ਏਕੁ ਧਿਆਨੁ ॥

The chosen ones meditate single-mindedly on the Guru.

Japji http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=KeertanPage&K=3&L=16&id=127

A gathering of such panches has the force of God

ਇਕੁ ਸਿਖੁ ਦੁਇ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗੁ ਪੰਜੀਂ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ।

Vaar 13.19.1 http://searchgurbani.com/main.php?book=bhai_gurdas_vaaran&action=pauripage&pauri=19&vaar=13

Although it is true that it could be said we are not meeting that ideal at the moment, our ideal is certainly not democracy.

Sikhi welcomes all to come to the Gurdwaras for spiritual solace, but to take votes among all Gurdwara attendees as to panthic or other matters is repugnant to the Sikh ethos.

[BhForce]

Tibetan buddhism has moved on from Tibet and become a successful western phenomena

I laud you for your attention to current events and research on other religions. If there is something to learn on administrative or other non-essential matters, it might be worthwhile to do so.

However, I would hate for us to feel as if we have to change Sikhi in order to appeal to the fickle modern Western mind, which wants religion presented as a consumer good.

Christianity has moved to Africa, South America and Europe, leaving tiny Jerusalem as an optional historical place of visit which doesn’t make you any better a christian if you didn’t visit it.

It's a balance between 1) saying you don't need to have visited a central place of a religion to find God and 2) being divorced from the foundations and history of a religious tradition.

In Sikhi, it's true that it's stated you don't need to go any particular shrine in order to meet God.

Yet, at the same time, a strong sense of veneration of traditional and central places is encouraged (see tuks responses above).

Christianity has become highly separated from its origins to the extent that Christians of the Christian holy land are seen by Americans as not quite really Christian.

In fact, Christianity is really a bad example if you say you want unity (which you did a few paragraphs before). There's no such thing as unity in the Christian world, everyone has their own church.

Sikhi, on the other hand, has always retained strong central authority. And if you want Sikhs to be one:

ਗੁਰ ਸਿਖਾ ਇਕੋ ਪਿਆਰੁ ਗੁਰ ਮਿਤਾ ਪੁਤਾ ਭਾਈਆ ॥

there has to be a sense of belonging to single central entity.

[BhForce]

are we becoming blind followers of those who refuse to learn another language to preach in, and apart from Sikh issues seem very ill informed about how this world is being currently reorganised politically , economically and socially ,

I feel as if you feel that without mentioning COP15, Darfur, ozone, and other buzzwords of the modern age no one can give moral discourse. While some of these may be important at some level, the basic foundational level of Sikhism is worship of God through the Gurmantar.

Similar to the allegory of Plato's cave, Gurbani claims that we are prisoners to our sense organs, and that release from them, and visualisation of reality requires awaking from our dream state through the recitation of Gurmantar.

That in itself is profound, and someone who can speak about spiritual matters needn't be belittled.

I agree that we should all try to learn as much as possible about the world around us.

You talk about the refusal of Sikh preachers to learn new language, but what about those (outside Punjab) who refuse to either keep up their Punjabi or learn it. You can learn a virtually whole new language to master a field which will earn you mammon, such as learning the language of computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, etc., or even French, German, and Chinese, but you can't be bothered to learn Punjabi. ("You" used in a general sense.)

I agree, though, that it is good to have missionary activity among those who haven't heard about Satguru.

[BhForce]

We have the shameful sight of 70 year old Sikh MALE priests running around to arrange colourful rose and carnation FLOWERS before Guru Granth Sahib in the Harmandir Sahib every morning

Lol. I think you were trying to say something vaguely feminist, but ended up with a sexist statement saying that flowers and stuff are for girly girls and that "Real Men" shouldn't bother themselves with that.

Yet we are modelled along a a male dominated patriarchial system of punjabee social organisation that is fast becoming outdated and irrelevant.

You see the institution of Panj Piyare as outdated.

Yet language you speak ("male dominated partiarchial system") is that of feminists and Marxists, and they (from John Stuart Mill to Karl Marx) see the institution of marriage itself as oppressive and outdated.

They're not talking about giving more rights or respect to women. They see the very institution itself as something that needs to be abolished.

The point I'm making is that if you want to be seen as hip and relevant in your particular academic milieu (as opposed to the bad outdated and irrelevant Sikhi), you'll forever be modifying Sikhi until it has no difference between it and Marxist eco-feminism.

In fact, the feminist Doris Jakobsh has already called Guru Granth Sahib as inherently anti-women in her books. So what will you do when faced with a choice of being relevant or being Sikh?