Sanctuary

I havent been on in a while...had the time of my life at Akhand Jaap in Ilford....waheguru was that great! Focus your mind and soul in the lords praises and wooooow! No words to explain.

I would say to all of you who didn't attend, to go to the next ones! Waheguruuuuuu!

If you'd like to see pics ; www.sikhimedia.net/photos

Haha I should have put this up before I went, how silly of me :P D'oh !

gur srxweI suKu lhih Anidnu nwmu iDAwie ]1] rhwau ]gur saranaaee sukh lehehi anadhin naam dhhiaae 1 rehaao

In the Sanctuary of the Guru, peace is found, meditating on the Naam night and day. 1Pause

family

Families are weird. They come in all shapes and sizes and every person has a different relationship with their family. Some are based on love, support, care, then money, hate, arrogance or all of these things. Some keep no ties with family, Hindus at somepoint in their lives leave their families in 'search of god'...Guru Ji says..

dyiK kutMbu moih loBwxw clidAw nwil n jweI ]dhaekh kutta(n)b mohi lobhaanaa chaladhiaa naal n jaaee

Beholding your family, you are lured away by emotional attachment, but when you leave, they will not go with you.

So I believe that this means to cherish and love your family and look after them - this is a righteous act (after all we are encouraged to live normal lives as well as be sikhs). However we should refrain from emotional attachments - it won't help us in the end...we have to keep in mind what comes first..Guru Ji....but I still love my family :P

igRsiq kutMib plyitAw kdy hrKu kdy sogu ]grisath kutta(n)b palaettiaa kadhae harakh kadhae sog

when you are wrapped up in the attachments of household and family, sometimes feeling joy, and then other times sorrow;


igrsqI igrsiq Drmwqw ]4]girasathee girasath dhharamaathaa 4

The householders assert their faith in family life. 4

Guru Arjun Dev Ji siree rag 71

happy happy happy

kir kir vyKY ndir inhwl ]kar kar vaekhai nadhar nihaal

Having created the creation, He watches over it. By His Glance of Grace, He bestows happiness.

I've been in a really happy mood today..dunno why...everything just seems perfect now... I did a good ardaas to Guru Ji last night and my minds been pretty clear and calm....yaaaaay....I'm not going to say much because I think that happiness is a different experience for every person, much like love. We all get happy over different thing...I get happy when I think of waheguru, see my dad, when it rains, when there's a clear blue sky, when I go to Gurudwara and when I chill with my brothers and sis (all 5 of em ) and more. Why don't you guys take a minute and think about the things that make you happy..a lot of them will probably be little things, small moments; when you hear sounds, smell scents and stuff..like all these childhood memories flash back when I smell orange squash because I spent a lot of my time in the park where we'd constantly drink squash haha....aaah happiness...but the bestest happiness is when you do simran...

suKw kI imiq ikAw gxI jw ismrI goivMdu ]sukhaa kee mith kiaa ganee jaa simaree govi(n)dh How can I measure the happiness of meditating on the Lord of the Universe?

naam

OK...first I wanna say sorry for not posting...my minds been a bit haywire...Have you ever wanted to do something so bad that you think TOO much about it, and nothing comes out? That's why I let it come to ME instead this time...however while thinking about this I thought about t question a pahji came up with on a forum....

"Tenets of Sikhi

1. Nam Japna

2. Kirat Karni

3. Vand Shakna

I solely believe in the teachings of SGGS and i do believe WAHEGURU is there but i am unable to get around the "merging with god" part. I mean doesn't that make us self-centered. We are on this earth(in human form) to do the above mentioned things. I totally understand the "kirat karni" and "vand shakna". What confuses me is "nam japna", shoudln't nam japna be living in bhayai of akal purakh, shouldn't it be done as shukrana (thankfulness) for what akal purakh has bestowed upon us, counting our blessing, living in the bhana of waheguru. But instead we do naam jap to merge with waheguru..isn't that an attribute of a selfcentered individual and in doing so are we just strengthening the wall between us and humility??me confused..please express your thoughts..."

swis swis hir nwmu iDAweIAY ]saas saas har naam dhhiaaeeai

With each and every breath, I meditate on the Lord's Name.

I thought this was a great question, it took some time to digest, and there were some great answers. (check out sikhsangat.com) I'm gonna give my take on things...

To an extent I think that it is selfcentred to wish to merge with Waheguru...as i do simran I often lose myself in pointless thoughts, but sometimes I concentrate hard...I think to myself how much I love GuruJi and my wish to be with him...but then when I finish I think....is Guru Ji staying away because I WANT him to come? Am I just wanting him to come so I can say...'I experienced a meeeting with God?' these thoughts pop into my mind...and I dont want them to, and I know in my heart that I wish for waheguru because I love him...So, I think it doesnt matter that you wanna meet Waheguru.....you should do it because Guru Ji told us to, with a clean mind and clean heart, otherwise we'll never be able to meet Guru Ji....another Pahji summed it up as... 'Guru Ji meets us, not the otherway round'....HE decides....also by Jappin Naam, it doesnt automatically mean you should meet Waheguru Ji...there are many different methods but they only work if you have utmost HUMILITY....if you recite bani or wear bana and do it with arrogance or pride, there is no humility - at the end of the day you should do it for Guru Ji - noone else!

mnu qnu qyrw qU DxI grbu invwir smyau ]3]man than thaeraa thoo dhhanee garab nivaar samaeo 3

Mind and body are Yours; You are my Master. Please rid me of my pride, and let me merge with You. 3

If you Jaap Naam with humility and love, what is stopping you? ...at some point it should then get to the point where Waheguru is in our thoughts every second of the day, on our every breath we take...we should remember Waheguru and be thankful towards Waheguru that he has given us the chance to change our futures by giving us lives as humans and also make up for our past janams....then we might find peace...waheguruuuu

swis swis mnu nwmu sm@wrY iehu ibsRwm iniD pweI ]1]saas saas man naam samhaarai eihu bisraam nidhh paaee 1

With each and every breath, my mind remembers the Naam, the Name of the Lord; in this way, it finds the treasure of peace. 1

Dust of your sweet sweet charan

On June 16 every year, the Sikhs worldwide celebrate - yeah, Celebrate! - the great sacrifice of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj.

Isn't it amazing how you change as you grow up? I told my little sister the history of how Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj (the 5th Nanak) sacrificed his life for Sikhi....she was happy to hear it but she couldn't understand the logic in it...When I think about it, why would she? She is 4 and a half....spongebob squarepants is her idea of logic (dont get me started). When I think about such unfathomable qurbani my heart feels heavy...would any of us moorakhs be able to undertake such a sacrifice? I doubt it....For those of you who don't know it, the event happened as follows :

After the death of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1605, his son Jahagir became the leader of India. Unlike his father, Jahagir was a fundamentalist Muslim, obsessed into turning the country into an Islamic state. Both Hindu and Muslim fundamentalists concerned at the rapid increase in the popularity of Guru Arjan, moved the new head of state Emperor Jahangir against the Guru. Jahangir himself was also jealous about Guru's propagation of Sikhism. He promptly obliged the enemies of Guru Sahib. Many baseless allegations were levelled against Guru Sahib, one of those was helping the rebellious Khusrau, who was Jahangir's son and determined to rule Punjab.
This is what Emperor Jahangir wrote in his diary called the "Tuzuk-i-Jahagiri", which translates to "Memoirs of Jahangir"
"In Gobindwal, which is on the river Biyah (Beas), there was a Hindu named Arjun, in the garments of sainthood and sanctity, so much so that he had captured many of the simple-hearted of the Hindus, and even of the ignorant and foolish followers of Islam, by his ways and manners, and they had loudly sounded the drum of his holiness. They called him Guru, and from all sides stupid people crowded to worship and manifest complete faith in him. For three or four generations (of spiritual successors) they had kept this shop warm. Many times it occurred to me to put a stop to this vain affair or to bring him into the assembly of the people of Islam.
At last when Khusrau passed along this road this insignificant fellow proposed to wait upon him. Khusrau happened to halt at the place where he was, and he came out and did homage to him. He behaved to Khusrau in certain special ways, and made on his forehead a finger-mark in saffron, which the Indians (Hinduwan) call qashqa, (Tilak) and is considered propitious. When this came to my ears and I clearly understood his folly, I ordered them to produce him and handed over his houses, dwelling-places, and children to Murtaza Khan, and having confiscated his property commanded that he should be put to death."
Accordingly in Late May 1606, Guru Arjan Dev was arrested and brought to Lahore where He was subject to severe torture. He was made to sit on a burning hot plate while hot sand was poured over his head and body. It is said that Mian Mir (a Muslim Sufi Saint and friend of Guru Sahib) tried to intercede on behalf of Guru Sahib but Guru ji forbid him to interfere in the "Will of the Almighty".

'Tera keea meeta laagai, har naam padaarath Nanak maangai...'
'thine doings seem sweet unto me, Nanak craves for the wealth of Gods name' Dhan Dhan Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj- these were his words as they tortured him...

Guru Ji body was blistered and burnt. For several days, the Guru was subjected to this unrelenting torture. Subsequently, Guru Arjan Dev was taken for a bath in the river, Ravi. As thousands watched He entered the river never to be seen again. Thus Guru Sahib embraced martyrdom on Jeth Sudi 4th (1st Harh) Samvat 1663, (May 16, 1606).

The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Ji life:
Made a huge contribution in the number of hymns & finalisation of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Guru Ji contributed a total of 2218 hymns to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Author of Sukhmani Sahib Bani – Prayer for Peace
Compiled and installed for the first time the holy Sikh Book, which at this stage is called Adi Granth, a major achievement.
Built the Golden Temple
Developed Amritsar as a Centre of Excellence.
Enhanced the Structure of Sikh Society by introducing the Masund system
First Sikh Guru to be martyred. See Martyrdom of Guru Arjan

This extraordinary Man who gave Sikhi two of its greatest gifts ... the Guru Granth Sahib and the Harimandir Sahib ... was in the prime of his life, a mere 39 years old, when his spiritual activities were deemed a threat to institutionalized religion by the ruler of the land. Refusing to waver from his faith, he was tortured until his body succumbed.
Guru Arjan, on whose shoulders stands much of Sikhi as we know it today showed the world the ultimate way to tackle the terrorists head-on. And from his suffering were inspired many millions who understood his message and treaded the same spiritual path as him. Following in the Guru's sacrificial footsteps were many thousands of Sikhs who had learnt the lesson taught by the Guru and have walked in his path of self sacrifice for their commitment to truth and justice.

To them I could only say Parnaam....I am merely dust of your sweet sweet charan...

We are sikhs

I was thinking today, about the mass conversions amd attempts to convert (or worse) made by many diverse groups. At first, I thought....this is terrible. But then I thought...if these people are unfulfilled as Sikhs, then why not let them go? If they aren't forcefully converted then where is the harm to US? Are our own jeevans affected by them? Nope. However it is when groups such as the RSS, fundamentalists, try to DISTORT sikhi...it becomes wrong - and MUST be put to an end. I'm going to speak about the RSS because I was sent a very disturbing e-mail about the activities in which they participate. They have been described as the 'Nazi's of Hindustan' and I believe this is a pretty good description. Sikhs have been living in the Indian sub-continent for hundreds of years..since the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Since then, they have been fighting for justice and truth...for all religions. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji died to achieve the rights of Hindus, under Moghul regime. Sikhs have never been 'anti-such-and-such-religion.' We believe in the equality of all human kind...all paths lead to the One. However Sikhs..as Bhagat Kabeer Ji put it:

qorau n pwqI pUjau n dyvw ]thoro n paathee poojo n dhaevaa

I do not pick leaves as offerings, and I do not worship idols.

Therefore I beg of those who are being brainwashed by these fascist groups...don't get hoodwinked...look at the history Sikhism...we are a seperate qaum! Don't let those who assimilated Buddhism (Buddha as an avtar of Vishnu) into their religion do it to Sikhi. We do NOT worship idols, partake in rituals, etc. We are Sikhs of Guru Ji...not Vishnu. Ik Oankaar!

pwrbRhmu pRBu eyku hY dUjw nwhI koie ]paarabreham prabh eaek hai dhoojaa naahee koe There is only the One Supreme Lord God; there is no other at all.

Milk

This sakhi about Baba Ravidass Ji is soooo good...really makes you think how hard we try to look good and clean on the outside and in our efforts to do so, we forget to clean our insides...mind and body (mann and tann)...and this can be done so easily in so many ways...one of the best ways is though, is through Gurbani...

gurbwxI iesu jg mih cwnxu krim vsY min Awey ]1]gurabaanee eis jag mehi chaanan karam vasai man aaeae 1

Gurbani is the Light to illuminate this world; by His Grace, it comes to abide within the mind. 1

A rich man came to see Baba Ravidas Ji and said to him "I am a very busy man, I have so many businesses to look after, so many people to see, I can only come and see you when I am free which isn’t very often, so please just hurry up and bless me with naam!"

Baba Ravidas said "Ok, I will see what I can do, but first can you get me some milk?"

The rich man thought is that it? "Of course I can get you some milk I will bring it next time I come to see you, but I’m not sure when that will be, because I am a very busy man."

Baba Ravidas said "No problem, you just come back with the milk when you have time."

A few weeks later the rich man came back to Baba Ravi Das Ji and he was carrying the biggest, most shiny, clean new bucket filled with beautiful pure milk.Baba Ravidas had a bucket too; it was in the corner of his house. This bucket was very filthy and old; it had not been washed for a while. Baba Ravidas Ji told the rich man to pour the milk in this bucket. The rich man looked at the bucket and said "no way, that bucket is really filthy!"

Baba Ravi Das ji said to the man, "the milk is for me, why are you bothered about what you pour it into?"

The rich man replied, "I have brought you milk which is expensive, pure and beautiful, and you want me to pour it into a filthy bucket, the milk will be ruined and become like the bucket."

Baba Ravi Das Ji said "I don’t care just pour the milk in the bucket" The rich man said no way. Baba Ravi Das Ji said "so there’s no way you are going to pour that milk in the bucket?" The rich man said no way.

Baba Ravi Das ji then said “Well how do you expect me to give you pure beautiful naam, when your mind and body is like my bucket?"

Just call

Sometimes I wonder what the world is coming to...when I was a kid it was unheard of for parents to split up...it was a myth that asian parents split up anyways....suddenly wherever I look all I see or hear of is divorce, affairs etc etc....This is what I trully believe is kalyug....

iqn pRB jb Awies muih dIXw ] qb hm jnm klU mih lIXw ] 4 ]thin prabh jab aaeis muhi dheeyaa thab ham janam kaloo mehi leeyaa 4

At the command of God, I was born into this dark age of Kalyug.

When I look at a lot of my friends, on the outside they seem fine, happy or content...then when I look closely I notice that none of them are trully happy...it's more like a mask of happiness. It is said that we dont know that happens behind closed doors...I think this is very true. I find too much that people don't wish to burden others with their problems but this leads to more problems because they SHOULD talk...these things shouldn't be bottled up (I've learnt the hard way). I am always willing to listen to others...only when I hear them I wish I could trully do something to help...too often nowadays do I hear a close friends say that they wish to end their life, or runaway or that they hate their parents, siblings, freinds etc etc. I really do wanna help them. But I feel so helpless sometimes because I live in the middle of nowhere and so I can't just go and see them and talk to them properly and really help them. I wish that I could just open up my home to all of them...I know that they really would be happy but I can't...but I will...I promise myself I WILL. There is too much hurt in the world and not enough people stop to listen to it and tend to the wounds of others....but I WILL. I won't have another person tell me they wanna die and not be able to do anything to stop or help them.....but I also think that without faith I can't help these people (although some of them have more faith than you could imagine) they need to embrace God and call and I know that they will surely be answered.

suixAY dUK pwp kw nwsu ]8]suniai dhookh paap kaa naas 8

Listening-pain and sin are erased. 8

The dark side of the force

I am no perfect person (despite many common misconceptions). People often believe that because I do paath (prayers) and have saroop (dastaar, panj kakkars) that I am perfect. What people don't seem to understand is that these are simply small steps we make to try to better ourselves...More important than looks etc is seva (selfless service), simran (meditation on the name of God- Waheguru) and defeating the 5 evils within ourselves...kaam (lust), krodh (anger), lobh (greed), moh (attachment) and ahankaar (ego). I have serious anger problems. For the past six months (since a major chnage in my life) my anger has gotten worse and is harder to control. There are no excuses for this, I know. I believe that if we fight our vices we will get better, the harder you fight yourself the faster you can get closer to Waheguru.

siqgur dieAwl ikrpwl Bytq hry kwmu k®oDu loBu mwirAw ]sathigur dhaeiaal kirapaal bhaettath harae kaam krodhh lobh maariaa

Through the Kind and Compassionate True Guru, I have met the Lord; I have conquered sexual desire, anger and greed.

I fought (verbally) with my brother Shaan today. Not good. I already have a bad relationship with him and by fighting it only makes things worse. Over something so silly, I ruined my entire day because I could not control my anger...I had a good law exam, good economics lessons, was getting on well with friends and the rest of my family etc etc. It does not matter if Shaan was in the wrong...by fighting I became just as bad as him, if not worse. This is why Guru Ji emphasises so much for us to conquer our evils...I realised this properly today. You know what? By smiling and saying 'have it your way' or 'sorry' you can fight and beat that anger to a pulp. Yeah, it's hard (no way am I gonna say it's easy) but what are you losing? Pride? Arrogance? Ego? Hate? What? I think that by losing these things you gain a heck of a lot.....more!

kwmu k®oDu psirAw sMswry Awie jwie duKu pwvixAw ]2]kaam krodhh pasariaa sa(n)saarae aae jaae dhukh paavaniaa 2

Sexual desire and anger are diffused throughout the universe. Coming and going, people suffer in pain. 2

O to be a child once more

Children are the most astonishing creation of Waheguru, I think. Their innocence is inspiring. I have a 4 year old sister and because the world is new to her, everything is a new adventure. She is at that curious stage. When I take her to the Gurudwara... She does her matta tekh and runs to sit down as fast as she can so that she may listen and learn more about this experience. I am glad when she sits still for at least 15 minutes. We sit and meditate together and then her curiosity gets the better of her and she goes to look out the huge window and talk to a nearby Baba Ji.

pihlY phrY rYix kY vxjwirAw imqRw bwlk buiD Acyqu ]pehilai peharai rain kai vanajaariaa mithraa baalak budhh achaeth

In the first watch of the night, O my merchant friend, your innocent mind has a child-like understanding.

I like to sit and watch the kids play freely, crawl around and study the sangat's faces. The kids do their matta tekh, then stare at the golden paalki, then they turn and stare at those solemn faces - looking for a smile...anywhere! I cant help but laugh and theres a connection - they found someone! As we laugh together, the sangat stare at us like...'what are you doing!? You cant be happy in here!' But we dont care, we will carry on playing and listening to the sweet words of Guru Ji and the wonderous kirtan...and why shouldn't we? It seems nowadays that Punjabi people think of sikhism as doctrine. The gurudwara is a formal requirement where happiness is extinct. Are they serious? Do they really think that Guru Ji wanted us to unhappily visit him? This is why I happily sing along loud to the kirtan and laugh and smile...the thoughts need to removed from their minds with happiness :D

Who am I?

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and 'why I chose Guru Nanak over Kate Moss came up?' I thought about it for a while...my answer I think is faith. I have no faith in people like Kate Moss...what do I gain from people like Kate Moss?..People dont realise what our Guru Ji has given us. Someone once asked me a question...'are you the daughter of Sri Guru Gobind Singh JI and Mata Saheb Kaur, and are you a descendant of millions of Shaheeds who lost their lives and more for our faith and the right to wear our hair long?' My answer was yes...and I've never felt better in my life, my realisation of my faith and belief makes me feel strong inside. My faith and belief is undescribable... I believe in truth and the Sikh religion is truth. I love my Guru Ji and I cant hurt Guru Ji by cutting my hair, wearing make-up, tight clothing etc etc. I want to walk on the path of my sweet Guru Ji the best I can.

mMny kI giq khI n jwie ]ma(n)nae kee gath kehee n jaae

The state of the faithful cannot be described.

The creator and the creation

I was just sitting in the study yesterday evening and I was whistling and singing along (not very well) to some Kirtan tracks on the computer. Suddenly a small bird came and stood on the patio...it was eating ants or something and out of nowhere it seemed to sing along with me...I turned the kirtan off and sang and whistled and the bird was replying. I thought it was awesome. I've always had a thing for animals and plants since I was a kid. A few years ago - the same kinda bird flew down onto my shoulder as I played in the front garden. Dont ask me why, it just did. I've loved gardening since I was a kid. I think Waheguru's creation is beyond words. The beauty is everywhere. This is why I fail to understand why 'athiests etc.' question and say if 'God is real, where is he? Why is their so much pain in the world if he is so great?' Well then I say to those of you who feel that way that all you have to do is look at the creation, look at the complexity.
Kbir krqu hY pwq pq fwlI ]2]khabar karath hai paath path ddaalee
2He takes care of every leaf and branch. 2

jw krqw isrTI kau swjy Awpy jwxY soeI ]jaa karathaa sirat(h)ee ko saajae aapae jaanai soee
The Creator who created this creation-only He Himself knows.

Pick up something as small and 'simple' (to the human thought) as a leaf. Then look closer. It is so beautiful, complex and wonderous that it could not have just happened from say a 'big bang'. Look at its veins and colours and think about how they change along with the seasons...

kir kir vyKY kIqw Awpxw ijv iqs dI vifAweI ]kar kar vaekhai keethaa aapanaa jiv this dhee vaddiaaee
Having created the creation, He watches over it Himself, by His Greatness.

I believe that Waheguru created us and left us to it and only intervenes when Waheguru Ji wants to...this is Hukam...There is a bigger picture that we can never possibly understand and why should we try? The bad things that occur in this world only occur because of bad people. So why should Waheguru be blamed for this? What we should be thinking always is 'WHen you hurt the creation, you hurt the creator!'

new-commer

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!

A heartfelt welcome to my blogspot. This is the first time I've kept a blog but I felt I'd give it a shot. A little about me (for those who wanna know)... I'm a member of the Sikh faith...the 5th largest religion on the planet. I came into Sikhi a few years back... I grew up in a household of non-orthodox Sikhs who believe in God but have never really been into religion. I've always been quite spiritual yet I never really knew much about my faith...after doing a lot of research and being inspired in a number of ways I decided to tread on the path of Sikhi. I wear a dumalla styled dastaar (which took aaaages to tie) but I am not yet a Khalsa...I hope to (with Maharaj's Kirpa) take Amrit in April and become a true daughter of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Saheb Kaur....