by MSS Guruka Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM Summer 2009 In 1992 I learned the true power of “A Dish and a Wish.”* I remembered that the Siri Singh Sahib had said to cook a dish “with your own hands” from scratch. I spent several hours doing just that and brought it to the Gurdwara and presented it with my $11 and my prayer to Guru Ram Das. The Siri Singh Sahib had just told my wife and me to move to New Mexico immediately, and my prayer was very simple: “Guru Ram Das Ji, let our house in California sell
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Archives for 2009 - Summer
A Wish and Dish Prayer
Remembering the 6th
by SS Sarb Nam Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Summer 2009 Our teacher said, “So, it is a privileged day today, it’s the sixth, we celebrate every sixth, the day of the Akal Takhat, and it’s a day of the dish and wish and it’s a promise by the Guru. It dawned on me and that is what Guru Ram Das said, on this day, the saddest day, celebrate. I said, ‘How?’ Guru Ram Das said, ‘Let anybody prepare with love a dish, bring it with a wish and I shall grant it,’: and it has become our regular feature, it has
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A Throne of Timelessness
Excerpts from July 6, 1987 lecture by the Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji The word is akal and what we are celebrating today is in memory of the Akal Takhat. Takhat means tirath. Tirath means that which has the base and which ultimately means sovereign. Takhat means throne. Throne was a place which was thrown away from God. So word is Akal Takhat. Timelessness. Throne of timelessness. So what I’m explaining here today is that in Sikh Dharma we have a place we call Akal Takhat. It is the nerve center of the planet’s psyche. It
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The Martyrdom of the Akal Takhat
by SS Dr. Harjot Kaur Singh, Calgary, Canada Summer 2009 In the concept of Miri Piri, there is a subtle co-existence of the two bases of authority—spiritual and temporal. The Sikhs were acknowledged spiritually in India but not politically and this lack of recognition eventually resulted in the attack on the Akal Takhat. The Sikhs fought valiantly for India in the World wars and also during the partition of India and Pakistan. More than 80% of the freedom fight for India came from the Sikhs who only represented less than 2% of the Indian population. So respected were the Sikhs
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The Akal Takhat
Summer 2009 How did the Akal Takhat come into existence in the Golden Temple complex? In 1608, Guru Hargobind Ji built the shrine Akal Bunga opposite the Golden Temple. This is now known as the Akal Takhat (which was the first Takhat built in Sikh history). Akal means deathless and Takhat means throne. This is the highest Sikh temporal seat, the supreme authority. What was the purpose behind the building of the Akal Takhat? The Harimandir Sahib is a spiritual temple, reserved for sacred activities, such as seva, kirtan, meditation and prayer. Guru Hargobind Ji built the Akal Bunga, later named the Akal Takhat,
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Secretary of Religion Column (Summer 2009)
Many years ago, when I first got into the Dharma, I thought that people on a spiritual path would not be plagued by the same issues I found in my counseling practice with the general public. How naïve was I? Over time I found that the Dharma was really a cross-section of humanity, dealing with all the same issues people had in the general public. However, there iss one big difference—we have the Guru as a touchstone and a lifestyle to uplift us. How blessed we have been all these years with a living teacher who was intent on giving
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#32 Summer 2009 Newsletter
The theme for our Summer 2009 newsletter is Remembering the Akal Takhat. On June 6, 2009, we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attack on the Akal Takhat. The Siri Singh Sahib ji referred to the Akal Takhat as “the longitude and latitude of the nerve center of the universe, which keeps the central movement of magnetic rotation of the shield of the planet earth.” The Akal Takhat represents the frequency of the majesty of the undying throne. How relevant it is to hold to that touchstone in our Dharma’s own test of fire. We requested Ministers to write from a personal perspective about the Akal Takhat. We
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