SS Guru Dass Singh Khalsa February 4, 1954 – June 17, 2017 by SS Guruganesha Singh Khalsa, Herndon VA Fall 2017 Singh Sahib Guru Dass Singh, my beloved brother and fellow Minister in Divine, was a total gift from Guru Ram Das ji. I met him in January 1973 at Ahimsa Ashram in Washington D.C., where we lived, worked, played guitars, and sang together. I can’t tell you how many times during the last 45 years the tears poured from my eyes while listening to one of his beautifully crafted, heartfelt songs of devotion and Divine love. Songs like “Flowers in
Read More
Archives for 2017 - Fall
In Memoriam
Never Far from Simran
by SS Satya Kaur Corfield, Espanola NM Fall 2017 Simran—the constant remembrance of God—is the one aspect of Sikh Dharma that resonates above almost all else for me. Having two “10”s in my numerology has always given me a connection to Guru Gobind Singh. With two children who have Simran as part of their names, I feel I am never far from Simran. It is just a part of my life, and hard to separate from my total being. Even when I am at my lowest point, Simran can make me feel incrementally better, especially when practiced with a mantra.
Read More
The Practice of Naam Simran
by SS Guru Prem Singh Khalsa, Los Angeles, CA Fall 2017 I experienced a unique relationship in my practice of Naam Simran under the guidance of the Siri Singh Sahib. It began in 1981, when he asked a favor of me that would take the next seven years to accomplish. I was placed in a challenging situation, during which I fought doubt and despair. Blessedly, I suspended my doubt, didn’t despair and started pouring my time, energy and money into building a music studio and learning how to create, arrange and produce music. Utilizing this creative outlet, I managed to grow through
Read More
Simran is Everything
by SS Mata Mandir Singh Khalsa, San Francisco CA Fall 2017 Simran is often translated as “remembrance,” which, to me, doesn’t explain the word. Other people say simran is repeating a mantra. I understand repeating a mantra as japa, which means “to repeat a mantra.” Does repeating a mantra lead one in the direction of simran? Yes, scientifically so. Some people say that doing a meditation is simran. What we call “doing a meditation” to me is a practice called dhyaan or concentration. Does dhyaan lead to simran and a state of meditation? Yes, unless it is done out of
Read More
Honoring the Legacy
by SS Jot Singh Khalsa, Millis MA Fall 2017 It has been 45 years since I embarked on this sacred path of Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma. Along the way there have been many blessings that have helped me understand the concept of sacredness, and to begin to integrate it within my being. I consider myself fortunate to have had the Siri Singh Sahib’s (Yogi Bhajan) regular guidance. Many years ago he told me, “Son, you need to penetrate in your meditation.” It took me nearly ten years to learn to “penetrate or deeply focus’” with one-pointedness of mind during
Read More
Holding the Remembrance
by SS Prabhu Nam Kaur Khalsa, San Leandro CA Fall 2017 Simran is remembering of, or meditation on God’s Name. It is also prayer. “Simran” is the noun form of “simar,” which means to remember, to hold in remembrance, to meditate on. The Gurmukhi word sounds the same as the English word “simmer.” When liquid boils and is then turned down to “simmer,” those little popping bubbles are the sign that the heat is high enough and steady enough to maintain the constant pulsing. Doing Simran implies a seemingly effortless, almost automatic repetition of the Name. It is like “riding
Read More
Minister News and Notes (Fall 2017)
By Guru’s Grace, four new Sikh Dharma Ministers took their ordination vows in June 2017. SS Hari Bhagat Singh from Brazil, took his vows on June 4, 2017 in the gurdwara at Belo Horizonte in Brazil, administered by SS GuruSangat Kaur Khalsa. New Minister SS Hari Bhagat Singh shared his experience of taking his Minister vows: “With deep love and huge devotion and gratitude, I did my Minister Vows today. “They were administered by SS GuruSangat Kaur Khalsa in front of the whole sangat and it was SO special and SO amazing. It had a huge impact on our sangat
Read More
Secretary of Religion Column (Fall 2017)
Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh! I would like to extend a huge “thank you” to all Ministers who responded to our recent Sikh Dharma Minister Enrichment Survey. The average response rate to many surveys is often very small. Of the total number of recipients of our Minister survey, we had over 100 responses (representing over 30% of our Active Minister base). That is terrific! It is very helpful information. Also, for those of you who offered additional comments, your input enhanced our interpretation of the results. I am very grateful to all who participated. Our
Read More
#65 Fall 2017 Newsletter
Throughout 2017, we explore the example of the Tenth Master and the Radiant Body through the Four Pillars of Bana, Bani, Seva, and Simran. For the Fall issue, we invited Sikh Dharma Ministers to reflect on the concept of Simran—the constant remembrance of God. We asked our Ministers to share about how the practice of Simran supports and uplifts. How does the frequency of Guru Gobind Singh inspire one in the practice of Simran? “You are just scared. That is why you need to practice meditation, Naam Simran, and jappa—to cleanse the fear out of the mind. You can tune up
Read More