Bad Thoughts Coming In My Mind ..... Straying Me From Sikhi . Please Help !

[Trying to be Khalsa]

my age is 20 . I am a keshadhari sikh youth . Actually I have been through lots of stress in my past 4-5 years . mainly related to college and such .

I feel like I don't have enough personality to carry myself as a sikh . I feel like i am a shame on all sikhs.

then I feel like cutting my hair and becoming clean shaven . I also feel depressed becoz of this . please tell what should i do . ( i am not amritdhari)

Sometimes questions come in my mind like "why I need to continue tying turban when i am not doing any good for my kaum ? why not mix in with the crowd rather than sticking out ? "

but i also know that if i cut my hair , then i am not only killing one sikh ( me ) , but many generations of sikhs to come from me .

thats why i am not cutting my hair .

Am I physically and mentally ready to carry this sikh form with me .

[SunSingh]

do you do paath? it's bani that gives strength on the inside so that we can gracefully carry what's on the outside.

do lots of jaap sahib, it will help give you courage. remembering the sacrifice of the gurus will also help bolster your determination. listen to shaheedi jaap on your ipod 24/7 for at least a few days.

[MansWisdom]

These thoughts only come in your mind due to a lack of simran/ bani. Normally 1 starts seeing difficulties in life when they start thinking their nothing in life and 2 when they have a lot of hankar ego that they think that they are all that. You need to discipline your mind to be in the middle of these 2 mindsets. Hence you can't think your nothing as you are "waheguru's ansh" etc....

Leave everything up to waheguru and chillax. Do your simran and bani and seva, as these will relax you and help make you "thoughtless".

[Kaljug Singh]

do you do paath? it's bani that gives strength on the inside so that we can gracefully carry what's on the outside.

do lots of jaap sahib, it will help give you courage. remembering the sacrifice of the gurus will also help bolster your determination. listen to shaheedi jaap on your ipod 24/7 for at least a few days.

What is "Shaheedi Jaap"? Where can I learn more about it? Better yet, where can I download it?

Regards,

K.

[sall]

WJKK WJKF

SGGS describes the mind's chaal or ways as tede--- in the same way snake travels sideways, we all have this issue, it's a natural tendancy for the mind to travel downwards first understand this completely. Our job in this life is to apply pressure to it to go upstream...being proactive in all of the three areas at least 45mins daily--

1. Dharmic- i.e naam simran,Gurbani reading daily,Vichaar,introspection.

2. Physical - some kind of cardio fitness regime daily or at least 3-4 times a weeky

3. Educational- Again this should be on personal development strategies, or inspirational deep thought reading.

Follow the above for 3 mnths OF applying the pressure proactively and report back here and tell us how you get on..

[SunSingh]

What is "Shaheedi Jaap"? Where can I learn more about it? Better yet, where can I download it?

Regards,

K.

shaheedi jaap is a recording from baba jaswant singh (a student of sant gurbachan singh bhindrenvale). i have found that repeated listening to this recording is hugely helpful in dealing with the mind's chanchalta, in reducing it's tendency to run after maya.

the technique is to just listen to it on your ipod, 24/7 for at least a few days. it doesnt' have as much khich if someone uses other speakers, needs to be headphones.

track 42 is shaheedi jaap http://gursevak.com/greebi.htm

[sall]

WJKK WJKF

Sun Singh jeeo,

I have had a listen of the shaheedi jaap there is no jaap of bani here so how can that be higher and instumental in helping in question of this topic?

Please don't take offense, the jaap seems to mention Shaeedis of our Guru Sahiban...how did it become a jaap?

no bashing just seeking clarification

[SunSingh]

it's jaap b/c it's repetition. remembering shaheedian causes dard, it causes the mind to wander to 'bad thoughts' less. recall how sant ji would get sangat to recite sir jaave te jaavey, meray sikhi sidhik na jaavey. they did jaap of those lines with sangat to build up courage.

[Jai Tegang!]

Gyani Thakur Singh Ji mentions also that if vikaars and kaam vashna becomes too powerful, overpowering, it's very helpful to remember Shaheeds, saying out loud their kurbania, their names.

They themselves were taught about this when they were students.

Very effective indeed.

So, if you're getting madey phurney about cuttting hair or kaam is raging like a fire, then remmeber the Shaheeds, like Baba Jaswant Singh Ji beautifully recite.

[sall]

WJKK WJKF

Many Thanks