Sikh Spirit December 1997

Issue 27 December 1997

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Welcome to the last issue of 1997. December is traditionally a month where several cultures celebrate their respective religious days. The Sikh Religion also has many significant events that occur in this Month. However, many of these events mark sad occasions that occurred in this winter period:

· Martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

· Separation and losses in the Sirsa river

· Martyrdom of the 4 Sahibjaday

· Martyrdom of Mata Gujree

· Battle of Chamkaur

Just as many people have commemorated Remembrance Sunday last month, let us remember and reflect on these events. Many of these events mark great acts of courage and we should also draw strength from them to help us overcome our difficulties.

The Akaal Purakh Ki Fauj will be commemorating these events in Heritage Week from 21-28 December 1997. So do look out for event publicity through various Gurdwaras or contact us for more details.

Another date for your diary is Saturday 13 December Fauj units from Greenford, Southall and Reading will be joing students from London universities to provide food and clothing for Homeless people. To take part please bring good quality old clothing and bedding to Central Gurdwara at 1pm, there will also be a Slide Show and Youth Kirtan programme until 5pm.

A Fauj training camp was held in Glasgow in conjunction with the Dharmic Seva Jatha on 22-23 November. 80 participants enjoyed a thouroughly productive weekend.

We hope you enjoy this months magazine and as always encourage you all to send us your input.

Editors.

C O N T E N T S

Kabiyo Baach Bayntee Chaupa-ee

Kabiyo Baach Bayntee Chaupa-ee

final part

We have come to the final part of our translation of Chaupa-ee Sahib. This is a supplication to the Sole Supreme Waheguru, His protection is requested and He is implored to bless the devotees with a meditative mind so that they may cherish the Name.

All devotees and seekers are shown as members of one family, and all evil-doers are shown as foes. God is depicted as the Protector and Preserver of the Saints, and the Annuller of the evil-doers.

Nobody can know God’s limits; He is Infinite and Eternal; nobody knows the time of creation. The Supreme Waheguru manifests all around in diverse forms, yet remains One; Self-existent, Primal and above form and time. None can know the Mystery of God: fools worhsip God as a stone, an idol, an image; they can never know His secret. Those who come to His refuge, and dwell on his Excellences and Glories, they prevail and the evil-doers perish. Finally the supplication ends by imploring the Lord Almighty, the Lord of the Sword-Banner, to grant refuge to the devotees and protect them everywhere from evil and evil doers.

extract from Nitnem Steek by Santokh Singh

Contents

Love is…

Guru Gobind Singh tells us:

Saach Kahau sun lay sab jin Prem kio tin he prab piao

I tell the truth listen to me, they alone who Love, find the Beloved

Tav Prasad Savayay (morning prayers)

It is interesting to note that Guru Ji in the above line does not say "They who love God will find Him" – but clearly Love is used as a noun – not a verb. Love is a wide ranging concept and one that appears in all religions. However, in the current day media, especially in the western World the term has been abused some what. We always think of Love as a relationship between people – A husband and wife or a father and son. In the simplest sense Guru Ji describes all of us as brides – where Waheguru is the only Husband. The relationship he describes between the devotee and Waheguru is one of pure Love. Pure Love is a state of utter devotion that has no duality. The Love of the devotee for Ek Onkaar is singular. There is only 1 force (Waheguru) and the devoted Sikh, by definition is totally immersed in Love for the One Supreme Waheguru. This love is a personal relationship that the devotee has for the Lord and this relationship cannot be described.

We cannot see or describe God so how can we Love God? Well God is all around – within us all and yet so hard to attain. It is only the true devotee that can realise Waheguru. It is haumai – "I am-ness" or Ego that prevents us from realising Waheguru. Love is an ego-less state.

Guru Nanak tells us:

Ja tau Prem khelan Ka chau, sir tar tali, gali meri auo

If you wish to play the Game of love, come to my path with your head in your palm

This line implies that we must forgo our ego before we can learn to play the game of Love and join with our Guru (Waheguru).

This Love is universal, yet singular. A devotee loves all of God’s creation, nature, the animals, birds, vegetation and all fellow humans - yet there is only 1 force (Waheguru).

Love is an essential ingredient for finding our true path in life, so let us fall truly in Love with Waheguru and make a life long commitment to the Guru.

Bhupinder Singh

Contents

Treasure

(A fictional story by Ravdeep Singh age 14)

It was a fact of life. I was rich and always had been, since the day that I was born. I was brought up as a rich boy that had rich parents that lived in a massive house. That soon all changed. I was now a man not a boy. My parents are resting in peace, and I was to look after the business as expected of me. I hadn’t worked for this fortune; it was just there for the taking. Instead of building up my own empire and spending endless hours working, night and day, I had simply taken all that of my fathers. I had no need to work for a college education; there was no need for me to have a degree or diploma. And so I felt no sense or even a feeling of achievement. I was rich; I had made it normal for me to be rich. I had made it part of my nature. And because I didn’t hide my wealth from anybody, many people looked up at me. I was where they wanted to be. However there was one down fall. I didn’t have a life of happiness. With all the money that I had, I bought every materialistic pleasure that I wanted. I bought everything that I liked, and in my theory, this would lead me to happiness. I was wrong. I didn’t need half of the things that I had, but I still kept them. All I wanted was happiness. But I guess I was asking for more than I deserved. I soon realised that no amount of money, no matter how large, could buy me happiness. People looked up at me and said, He is just so lucky! In one sense they had got it right, but in another sense they had got it completely wrong.

I was so wealthy, that money became a worthless pleasure. It was of no value at all. It was an object that I could use only to make other people happy. I soon realised that people became to like me even more, because I had money. My family liked me more, calling me round for dinner every second day. I gave money to anybody that asked me, whether it was my nephew or the beggar on the street. But it soon became apparent to me that my family and all other people only loved and liked me because I had money. They began to become greedy and attached to this worthless pleasure of mine. I had to face the facts; people made me feel happy, because I thought that I was helping them out. But I was only making them become greedy and selfish and moreover I was feeding their ego.

I was feeling a false happiness, which I adored at first, but then I began to hate it; I hated what I was doing and so I put a stop to it. I stopped to dish out money amongst my family. And started to give money to those who really needed it. I searched high and low for the treasure that I needed, happiness. My search was a physical and mental one. My mental journey was deep and my physical journey took me to places far, far away. And then:

I came across an unusual gentleman. He was elderly but learned, very serious but also very humorous, extremely wise but also religious. I became his comrade and he became my idol. He had attained eternal happiness. He was always joyful and happy, never did I ever see him fall into the trap of sadness. I learned that he was a man of very few words, but any words that he did utter were meaningful, and it became apparent that a lot of thought had gone into the words that he had spoken. He was even able to give meaning the words hello and bye, because he said them with love. His words were to be cherished.

I came across him in India, in the city of Talwandi, his birthplace. I stuck with him for some time, for I as well wanted to possess eternal happiness. However I wasn’t the only person after this treasure, I was simply one of many; nevertheless, I always got time to talk to him. I questioned him endlessly, until the sun went down and the moon came up. He led a simple life. He would wear a traditional dress all day long, and wash it every morning in a nearby lake. He would go to a peaceful place twice in the day, and pray till he felt that his mind was free of all thought, and he was feeling God. He told me that sometimes it took minutes and at other times it took hours. I asked him if it was possible for him to teach me the way of life that would help me to attain that great treasure of happiness. He told me that it wasn’t easy. To achieve happiness, he said, is not a simple thing. Ask yourself this, he said, Are you ready to learn? Are you fully committed? Are you ready to live a godly life? I will not take the credit for the words that I utter now, as they are not of mine but of a person that understands life more than I do. If a man wants to learn how to fly, he must first learn how to stand and walk. Then he can learn how to fly. One cannot fly into flying. Saying this he left me to think.

I stayed awake walking all night up and down a nearby lake, asking myself if I was ready to accept this new way of life. Was it something that I could do? I thought. I kept on thinking until I saw the sun break through the clouds. I still hadn’t made up my mind, but I was also committed to attain eternal happiness. I kept on walking, and soon he came to me and asked what I had decided. I told him that I had been thinking all night. Before I could say anything else, he walked away from me. I stood still for a matter of seconds thinking whether I should go after him. I ran after him and eventually caught up with him. He said, Why are you following me? I said in a delayed fashion, I’m not sure, teacher. He laughed and walked away. I again ran after him. He turned to me and said very angrily, Why do you follow me? This time I replied also angrily, Because I want to! He looked me into the eye and knew that what I said I meant. He said with relief, This is the key to happiness, to do as you feel right, but also to do what God considers to be right. It is a very fine line. He then revealed to me how thinking is the other key, there are two ways of thinking and concentrating. One is when you pretend to think but you don’t and the other time is when you think and try to concentrate with your entire mind and heart and soul.

At first I didn’t understand but then he went into more detail. First you have to forget how to think all together. And see no difference when you think or see gold or iron. Then think of God whenever you say anything, and thinking of God all your actions will be moral thus leading to happiness, eternal happiness.

Some people find gold in the sea and call it treasure. Finding it they tell many people and cherish it. They feel happy, thus attain happiness. However I have learned that this happiness is fake, materialistic happiness. Happiness is a treasure, a way of life, and a way of thinking that gives a better understanding of life. Happiness is a privilege an honour that should be treated like gold but exposed like iron. Happiness is an art, and anybody that feels it wants more and more of it. Happiness is a drug, a treasure that all can attain, keep on trying like you have been; but only this time try harder. The way to achieve happiness is through the Gurus teachings. I will not take credit for the words that I utter now, because they are not mine: to attain happiness, you must tune 3 different things to the same frequency. Mun, Buchen, and Karam. Have a clean mind, and think of God at all times, and tell your mind what to do. Make sure that what you speak is the truth and anything else that you say is good. And accept your karam, accept what happens to you and don’t argue with God because he always wins. When you tune these 3 things at the same frequency with the help of the Gurus teachings and your Sangat, you will for sure attain happiness.