by SS DukhNiwaran Kaur Khalsa, Chicago IL Summer 2019 At this year’s Baisakhi celebration in Los Angeles, I had the profound honor of meeting with Dr. Roop Singh, Secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parandhak Committee (SGPC). Members of the Dharmic Office of Public Affairs, the International Khalsa Council’s LGBTQ+ Task Force, and representatives of the Los Angeles Guru Ram Das Ashram gathered for this discussion about LGBTQ+ issues in Sikhi. Our meeting was an informal and cozy breakfast held at the Bhai Sahiba Bibi Inderjit Kaur’s home, hosted by her children SS Kulbir Singh and SS Kamaljit Kaur in her
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Posts by Executive Assistant
The Gifts of Shared Commitment
Valuing and Preparing
by SS Kirti Kaur Khalsa, Tucson AZ Summer 2019 Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa! Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! I have always had an affinity for my elders. I grew up in a multi-generational environment where elders were greatly respected and valued; they loved me and I loved them. This flowed effortlessly into my work with Dr. Dharma Singh and the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. (The Siri Singh Sahib arranged it, so, of course, it would flow effortlessly, right?) Because of this, in the past 26 years I have learned a great deal about aging, memory, health, family dynamics
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Building and Serving Community
by SS Meher Kaur Khalsa, Phoenix AZ Summer 2019 Several months ago, I took out the folder of the letters the Siri Singh Sahib sent me over the years. I had not read them in a long time and was surprised to read in one of the letters that he had requested that I report to him on what was going on in the Phoenix community. I mentioned this to a friend of mine the other evening and she reminded me that years ago the Siri Singh Sahib had designated her and me as the secretaries of the Phoenix ashram.
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Fostering Group Consciousness: An Inside Job
by SS Dr. Sham Rang Singh Khalsa, Millis MA Summer 2019 Ashrams, probably like all spiritual communities, attract a diverse lot. Over the decades of living in an ashram community, we have often seen individuals causing problems and requiring much time and attention. A response often appears as an effort to try to remove the person causing the problem, but the Siri Singh Sahib consistently urged us to remain open and welcoming to all. Group consciousness has parallels with individual consciousness. As individuals, if we try to purge the shadows from our psyche, that very resistance can bring more energy
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Communities of Equality
by SS Sat Sansar Singh Khalsa, Santiago, Chile Summer 2019 Becoming a Sikh Dharma Minister has been a long path of learning, practice, and growth for me. Guru Amar Das has been a central inspiration for my journey on this road, and his teaching of equality and inclusiveness has been ever present. In my early 3HO days, there was a painting of Guru Amar Das carrying a vessel of water that hung on of the wall of the ashram kitchen. That was my first awareness of his legacy. At that time I was living in a different country and culture
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Minister News and Notes (Summer 2019)
SS DukhNiwaran Kaur of Chicago, IL, received a “Spirit of Baisakhi” award at the 2019 Los Angeles Baisakhi Gurdwara on April 14, 2019 on behalf of the Sikh Community of Southern California for her “dedicated service to the Sikh Dharma in fostering important dialogues about issues of diversity and inclusion in our Sikh communities.” She was also recognized for her work with young adults struggling with emotional crises. The award noted her “courageous example of serving in the spirit of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, reflective of his message of One God in All and his unwavering commitment to championing
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Secretary of Religion Column (Summer 2019)
As part of our theme for this issue, we are focusing on building community, creating inclusiveness, and living in the Company of the Holy—the Sadh Sangat. How timely is the announcement by the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation (SSSC) regarding expanding the electorate! Letter to Ministers from the SSSC (new Electorate Procedure) This new procedure is an attempt to include some of our long-standing sangat members who are also impacted by the SSSC’s decisions. As Ministers, we play a vital role in this new voter approval process. Consequently, I want to give you some history and background as to how this
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#72 Summer 2019 Newsletter
The theme for our Summer 2019 newsletter is Connection. In this issue, we address the topics of building community and inclusiveness. Guru Amar Das is our shining example; he was a visionary who built communities of equality, carrying Guru Nanak’s teachings far and wide. We asked Sikh Dharma Ministers to reflect on the question: “In your life and in your work as a Sikh Dharma Minister, how do you foster inclusiveness in your community, living in the Company of the Holy?” “In the Siri Guru Granth Sahib it says: ‘In the company of the holy, you will find God. In
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The Nectar of Anand Sahib
Quotes about the bani of Guru Amar Das by the Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji “Bani is Guru, Guru is Bani and all nectars are contained in it. If there is a nectar inside, then outside shall be with nectars. Every sector of life will become nectar when inside there is no façade, but only nectar. Those who do not produce any inside are besieged by ambitions, temptations, desires, adversities, you name it. Our fort is our own radiance and within that fort we need that radiation to just be alive and [we need] that nectar to
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Living In Bliss
by SS Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa Michaud, Espanola NM Spring 2019 Wisdom comes to us as a gift. We can only find it when humility brings us to the state of surrender. When we surrender, we become zero. And this zeroing out creates a vacuum for something new. As wisdom pours into the space created by the vacuum of surrender, we grow. We learn. And that learning transforms us, bringing the hope and the promise of a new and better day. The Anand Sahib, composed by the third Sikh Master Guru Amar Das, was birthed through such a profound
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