Enlightenment- Path of Undoing

[Balait_da_Sher]

I was born a Sikh and as a kid I used to sit with my mother who used to do path (read religious scriptures) from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. But what I was doing while she was doing path was doing my school homework and studying for my exams.

I feel sorry today for myself as I wasted all that time studying and gaining more knowledge and becoming a Gyani (Who seeks knowledge) while that time should have been used becoming a Dhyani (Who Meditates). I am currently a Doctor by profession and it has become my second nature to seek more knowledge on all worldly affairs. I read news everyday so that I am up-to date of what’s going on in the world. And as if my becoming a doctor was not enough, I am learning other things, which are not my fields- like photography, adventure sports, flying. In my quest to attain more knowledge I lost the ability to meditate because my mind seeks more and more, while I need the opposite now as I know it is through Dhyan (meditation) that one can achieve enlightenment.

People around me feel that I know a lot and seek my help on things that they don’t know but I am seeking help from Him to undo what I have done to myself. I just wish that I had somebody to guide me when I was growing up. I wish my parents were more interested in knowing that there kid knows more about Gurmat than knowing that he is very good in studies. I wish they felt more proud on my doing path than my being an achiever in all exams.

I don’t know how long it would take me to undo what I have done for I feel the definition of enlightenment is shunya (Zero). My message to the new parents is to guide the kids from the very beginning as they are growing up, but there is a caveat here that most of us are so attached to maya (materialistic world) that we do not understand this concept.

To bring the change in the world, especially in this age would be a very tough thing to do. I feel we need to have more people like Singh Sahib Ji(Yogi Ji) and Maskeen Ji who can motivate people and share their knowledge with the Sangat. We all can do that to some extent, so we all need to get together and start working on a society where Gurmat is considered more important. Let’s motivate parents of today to help inculcate that spirit in their kids so that future generations don’t miss the right way of growing up.

I feel that websites on Sikhism have had a big impact on me and will continue to do that for others like me. In addition they are giving a platform for people like me to share their thoughts with Sangat.

Please note that these are my thoughts about enlightenment and there are people out there who may find the way I think to be wrong. It is their right, as it is my right to think the way I think.

by Kanwardeep Arora