Beads of Truth, Summer 1985 #15

The basic line on which we as Sikhs are cultured, on which we are nursed, on which we live, on which we rally, on which we are together, which is the foundation of our Dharma is "Nanak Nam cherdi kalaa, tere bhaane sarbat kaa bhalaa." "Nanak, through the grace of Thy holy Nam, let everybody be exalted. And through Thy grace, through Thy will, let everybody be good, happy, prosperous." That is what we say in our prayer.

And yet we enjoy gossip. How long can you be Sikhs and still spread rumors and gossip negativ­ity? Look, all of us can fall apart. You were students of Kundalini Yoga. Shakti Pad is a state of consciousness in that science which one has to cross. Next state of consciousness is saintlihood. You think to cross Shakti Pad is a joke? Only one thing will take you out of Shakti Pad: your confirmed faith. "Pala par ta jaaee samunder aukehee paae. Eh loonee sil koee chatte viralaa koee samaj­haae." "To hold the skirt of the teacher's faith, swim across this heavy ocean. Remember, it is like an unsalted hardstone: very few will tell you that is the most difficult to lick:" You think spiritual is just to wear good clothes and to have a lot of money and give to charity and tell everybody to smile? No, my dear, spirituality is not that. Spiritual is, without reservation, to wish good to all. Without reservation! And if you are hurt, without reservation keep on wishing good. Spirit is endless. Soul is endless.

If anybody in 3HO and Sikh Dharma gets shaky or falls apart, instead of going and licking his wounds, and loving and encourag­ing him and hugging him and pull­ing him up, everybody gets into sto­ries about him. Very unfair. Unfair to you, not the person you talk about. We must learn one thing-to receive people gracefully and let people go gracefully.

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Copyright The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. 

On June 16, the Sikh community commemorates the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Master, Guru Arjan Dev ji. Below are excerpts from different lectures where the Siri Singh Sahib talked about the meaning and purpose of Guru Arjan's sacrifice. 

One aspect of life is bhagatee; bhagatee is worship, devotion. Another is shaktee; shaktee means power. God gave you a combination of bhagatee and shaktee. Devotion and existence. The purpose of life is to live in peace, but when it is impossible to live in peace, it is better to die for peace. The purpose of life is to live free, but when somebody wants to enslave you, it is better you prefer death over slavery. That's why you all sing, "We die before we fall." Death becomes meaningless, so there's no fear of death. Its purpose is righteousness.

Normally, if you get a nail in your hand what happens to you? You feel pain. Do you think that Jesus was in pain when they nailed his feet and hands? No, he was not. He didn't care. There was no pain. If your own son does something very insultingly crazy, it doesn't hurt you; it makes you angry. Insanity is resisted by the spirit. That's the law. Nature has made this body to immunize itself to pain when torture and insanity come to a righteous person. It's an automatic function of the glandular system. That's why when Guru Arjan was made to sit on a hot plate and hot sand was poured on his body for five days, he sat in absolute calm and peace and quiet. There's no example of human torture equal to that. How could he do it? The imperial forces were bent upon breaking him and he totally immunized himself with God's Light to be pure so there was no fear, no anger and no pain. If you do not have fear, anger and pain, nothing can break you.

When they were pouring hot sand on the head of Guru Arjan, Guru Arjan, partakh har (living God), was being tested. Only God can stand to sit on a hot plate and be a yogi and then have hot, burning sand put on his head in the month of June and still chant "Sat Naam." Then for that man only, you can say Guru Arjan partakh har. It cannot be said for everybody. It would be wrong. So a standard has been established that a person who wants to say, "I am God," should sit on a hot plate, have hot sand poured on him for five days and just say:

Teraa keeaa meetaa laage
Har naam padaarat naanak maange.
-Guru Arjan (P. 394 Siri Guru Granth Sahib)

Thy Will is sweet to me, Oh Lord,
In the name of Naanak I ask for Thy Holy Naam.

Then, we will take him as God.

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Copyright The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan.

Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji
excerpted from Success and the Spirit: An Aquarian Path to Abundance 

Life is to be lived. Life is a given gift. Atma, the soul, takes the body. The distance of life is covered by destiny and challenged by fate. That's how it goes. There are no two ways about it.

There are some people who live life by making their security just the earth-the here and now. They box themselves in. They feel insecure. They feel irrelevant to the environments if they are not secure. And their security is very important to them. So they box themselves in and it's kind of a prison.

Whereas atma, the pranic shakti, is also a prisoner of the ribcage. It breathes in and out. It can go in and out. But when a person with his ego boxes himself in because of his insecurity, then there's no place to go in and out. Then a person goes deeper and deeper, layer by layer, and enslave's one's atma-one's self. Then that person does not have any sensitivity to feel others. All they want to know is whether or not their security is secure.

Now, there are other people who live a life of mission. They live a life to love everybody. They are smiling. They are beautiful. They support everybody.

Har kaa naam Dhi-aa-ay kai hohu hari-aa bhaa-ee.
Karam likhantai paa-ee-ai ih rut suhaa-ee.

Take the Name of the Creator God and be healthy. Opportunities will come.
- Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, page 1196, line 7, as translated by Yogi Bhajan

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SDI is pleased to announce that Success and the Spirit is now available in print through KRI and Spirit Voyage

Sat Nam Khalsaji,

I would like to ask for your help in a religious discrimination case involving our son, Sahaj Singh Khalsa. For the last few years Sahaj has experienced religious discrimination by Presbyterian Hospital System, where he worked for more than nine years. Recently, he was forced to leave his job because of a hostile work environment, and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, guided by the ACLU.

Now the sangat has the opportunity to take positive, easy, and impactful action to express their disapproval of this discrimination.  Please spread the word for people to go to this link: www.saldef.org/news/sahajsingh/#more-5162.  It is an almost effortless way to send an already composed email letter to the hospital administrators, and through that letter, let them know that you do not approve of their actions.

Thanks for your time, and energy.

Darshan Kaur Khalsa

We are grateful to share this information with you. We hope you will take advantage of the wonderful teachers and opportunities out there.

As we get closer to November 11, 2011 and the change to the Aquarian Age, the power and importance of the Shabad Guru is becoming more and more prominent. There are great opportunities to learn and study about the Shabad Guru during 3HO's Summer Solstice. Come chant, sing and uplift your spirit! 

Click here to see the list of classes. 

What does it mean to be an Infinite being in a woman's body? What is the divine feminine presence, and does it exclusively belong to women? Why did Yogi Bhajan develop a set of teachings for women, and what is their relevance on the cusp of the Aquarian Age?

Come join other spiritually minded women and explore the answers to these questions and more - under the guidance of a great team of teachers. Visit the 3HO website for more information.  

Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul. Composed by Guru Nanak

Toronto Workshop. Taught by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa. 

Living as a human being is a very special gift. It is through the human body that the Divine Consciousness can know Itself.

Over 500 years ago, a great master, Guru Nanak, laid down a simple path for any person to find the God within. He recorded this path in a spiritual teaching-song called Japji Sahib.  In it, he gives a blueprint for how the Cosmos moves, and how the human identity flows within it. Join us for a weekend of meditation, study and community as we delve into the profound and timeless truths in Japji Sahib. 

Dates:  

Friday July 22-Sunday, July 24

Location:  

Lotus Yoga Centre. 100 Harbord Street. Toronto, Canada.

Cost:  

Early Registration $225 plus HST (before July 1)
Regular Price $275 plus HST (after July 1)

For more information or to register, email Nirmal Singh at: nirmal@thewellnesspath.ca.

Journey to the Heart of Sikh Dharma:  

Sikh Dharma Minister Training

September 2011- April 2012 Telecourse

Do you have a desire to expand and deepen your relationship with yourself, your Dharma and the Shabad Guru? The focus of this small group tele-course will be to discover, deepen, and nurture your own experience of Sikh lifestyle and Sikh consciousness. This course serves those new to Sikhism as well as those interested in becoming ministers. 

For more information, visit journeyintotheheartofsikhdharma.org.