S.S. Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa
Vancouver BC, Canada
Every faith has been given by the Creator as a gift to humanity. This
year we celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa, and we
are being asked to reflect upon the Khalsa spirit and its significance as
it takes its place in the world psyche, and on the world stage.
If I were asked "What is a Khalsa?" I would have to say,
"A Khalsa is a friend of every soul." This is the reality, the
identity of a Khalsa. A Khalsa vibrates the purity within himself or
herself so genuinely that he or she inspires the purity in others, and
lives to steadfastly recognize and stand for the purity and noble spirit
in all.
The first Guru, Guru Nanak, presented the message of the Oneness of all
creation under God, imploring humanity to recognize that "If you
don't see God in all, you don't see God at all." Each of the ten
Gurus expanded this message into a deliverable reality. This was the
reality of Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru, when he disguised himself to go
into the town and wash the feet of the poor who were coming to bow to him.
When Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Guru, sacrificed his life for the
right of the Hindu people to worship freely, he didn't say , "Well,
sorry, I only sacrifice my life for Sikhs." No, he did it for those
whose freedom to worship was being threatened.
When Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth and last in the line of Sikh Gurus
in human form, came on the scene, it was a time when it was obvious that
living a life of service was not very convenient. He challenged the Sikhs,
giving them a concrete discipline, a lifestyle, a technology to follow to
maintain nobility and grace in the face of it all. He gave the message
that you need to be strong as steel to keep a heart of gold. He taught
that we need a way to maintain that commitment to moral values; the
intention is not enough. We need concrete ways to stay connected to the
Infinite, to the sacred, to that flow of the life force within us, so that
when it is not convenient to serve, we can still answer the call. He gave
us a way to deliver commitment.
In this way, the revelation of the Sikh experience was completed and
given to the world, and the Khalsa was born. The Sikh experience can be
expressed in the four aspects of living a life of faith: bani, bana,
simran, and seva.
How do I stay connected to my soul? I do this by creating a living,
dynamic relationship with the Word of God and Guru, embodied in the Siri
Guru Granth Sahib, Shabad Guru, which was elevated from a
"scripture" to the Guru for all time. This is bani.
What is my identity? As a human on this earth, how do I maintain my
identity as a spiritual being, and not get stuck? Do I represent myself as
a noble son or daughter of God and Guru? I do this with bana.
Simran is personal meditation, and recitation of mantra. How do I
nurture that ecstasy very personally, so that I can experience the
sweetness of God's realm, and not want to give up, or not be able to
respond when the call comes?
Seva, which means selfless service, gives it all meaning. How do I
express that ecstasy and respond to others, with a social conscience, and
answer the call? Answer the call, even when it is difficult to do so. It
calls forth grace, and it asks God to come through. Vibrate with, and
defend,the purity, dignity, and grace of all people.
The Khalsa spirit lives in all - the Sikhs do not own a monopoly over
it. And at this time in history, when there is inner pain and emptiness
gripping so many hearts, all people who love God are being called upon to
expand themselves, and ignite the light of every soul, for it is in
serving each other that we serve God. How lovely to support each person to
be the best that they can be, and truly become friends of every soul. Let
the Khalsa lead the way.
