July 20, 1947 – September 11, 2020 Sardarni Sahiba Ram Das Kaur (nee Lois Katz/aka Rami Katz) served as the Secretary of Religion for Sikh Dharma International through the 1970s and 1980s. She inspired a generation of Khalsa men and women in the West in her embracing of the Sikh faith and her spreading of the Guru’s teachings. She was a mother of two children and a grandmother of three. She traveled the world as an ambassador of the Sikh religion, teaching philosophy, yoga, Kirtan, and the Gurmukhi language. by SS Siri Ved Kaur Khalsa, Bakersfield CA Winter 2020
Read More
Monthly Archives December 2020
In Memoriam – Rami Katz (Ram Das Kaur Khalsa)
In Memoriam – SS Sada Simran Singh Khalsa
March 25, 1952 – October 1, 2020 by SS Pritpal Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2020 I first met Sada Simran Singh as we both tried to enjoy our bowls of un-spiced boiled wheatberries (a weekly routine in the Pomona ashram) for breakfast on my first day in Pomona, California. His outgoing charm was on full display, even though we both were struggling to find an understanding of how we ended up in Pomona, eating wheatberries together that day—but we did find friendship. Born and raised in Renton, Washington, Sada Simran Singh began his journey on the path as a Kundalini
Read More
The Beauty and Grace of Charan Jap
by MSS Nirvair Singh Khalsa, Tesuque NM Winter 2020 On a daily basis, I walk in our neighborhood. I walk on dirt roads for 45 minutes to an hour. There is virtually no traffic and just an occasional neighbor with whom to smile, wave, or exchange a few words. I walk with Mantra. My mantra of choice is the Guru Gaitri Mantra: Har Har Har Har Gobinday, Har Har Har Har Mukanday, Har Har Har Har Udaaray, Har Har Har Har Apaaray, Har Har Har Har Haree-ang, Har Har Har Har Karee-ang, Har Har Har Har Nirnaamay, Har Har Har
Read More
Understanding Through Compassion
by SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2020 Sometime in the mid-1970s, the Siri Singh Sahib defined “understanding” as “standing under.” Now, perhaps more than ever, we are called to go within, to become still, to resonate and to calibrate with what this means. How does “standing under those we serve” affect our words, actions, and relationships in daily life? Like many of you, since the beginning of 2020 I have been hearing from individuals looking for an assurance that I think as they do. It can be about whether to wear a mask or not, or
Read More
I Am With You
by SS Hari Charn Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2020 I am with you. I hear you. I am here for you. These very simple words—I am with you. I hear you. I am here for you—are words from the heart for these times. As Ministers it is a critical time to open our hearts and, for many of us, to open our phones and our zoom rooms. Showing up for each other has never been more important and today, for the safety of all, we do this from our own homes. Reaching out is a touchstone of seva and
Read More
A Ministry of The One
by SS Siri Akal Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2020 “What’s so funny?” my wife Hari asked, looking up from her book. “I just got an e-mail inviting me to contribute to the next Sikh Dharma Ministry Newsletter,” I replied. “And that’s funny because…?” “…Because the editors are obviously thinking of someone else.” “What do you mean? They invited you, didn’t they?” “Yes, but we’ve been quarantined since March. I hardly go out, except to shop, and when I do, I’m all masked up and social-distancing from everybody. And even before the Coronavirus isolated us, ever since you were diagnosed
Read More
Ministry News and Notes (Winter 2020)
In this time of quarantine, the Secretary of Religion wanted to ensure that individuals seeking to become ordained Sikh Dharma Ministers would have the ability to take their Ministerial vows in a timely fashion. Traditionally, Sikh Dharma Ministers took vows at our Winter and Summer Solstices, as well as at the European and Chilean Yoga Festivals and—in some rare cases with permission—within their local sangats. This Ministerial ordination tradition began in 1971 and has continued for nearly 50 years, following the first “group” ordination ceremonies at the Summer Solstice celebrations in the early 1970s. That all changed in 2020. Fortunately,
Read More
Secretary of Religion Column (Winter 2020)
In the previous three issues of this column, I have written about qualities of Guru Ram Das (true listening, neutrality, and the ability to hold polarities), the six stages of change, and the grieving process, along with an assessment tool for understanding where one might be in this journey. Drawing on the ideas and information shared in our authors’ articles as well as in this column, we are compiling a kind of “blueprint” for Ministers, offering an in-depth look at the meaning of Standing Under Those We Serve–the cornerstone of Aquarian leadership. For this last issue of 2020, I would
Read More
#78 Winter 2020 Newsletter
Throughout this year we have been exploring the qualities of Guru Ram Das and the Neutral/Meditative Mind and how these qualities are fundamental to our ability to serve one and all as Ministers and leaders in the Aquarian Age. The theme for the Winter issue is Standing Under Those We Serve: Vision or Division? At the memorial service of John Lewis, the legendary Civil Rights leader who passed away this summer, a minister said: “It is a matter of vision or division.” This speaks to where we are in our world right now. How can we deliver this vision of standing under all whom
Read More
