by SS Gurudev Singh Khalsa, Houston TX Fall 2010 The translator’s desktop is seldom considered a place of pilgrimage, a sacred space where the seeker can find his deepest realization. Most of us imagine a place of pilgrimage as a physical place full of beauty and inspiration, where our prayers and hopes are answered and where our pain and suffering are healed. How could one imagine finding such a place in the humble desktop of a translator? Let me try to open a small window to gain a glimpse of such a place. During the years that I spent translating
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Posts by Executive Assistant
Transformation Through Translation
Making it Sweet
by SS Sat Mohine Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Fall 2010 The focus of our Fall 2009 Khalsa Council Meetings was the Shabd Guru. We broke into small groups to discuss this topic. It came up in our group, through Sat Bachan Kaur, that we needed a good translation of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Right away pearls of wisdom from our teacher came to me from Ladies’ Camp when he asked us to translate the Siri Guru Granth Sahib as a group of 300. I shared what I could remember from his request and the whole group lit up. Everyone was
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On Being a Sikh Dharma Minister
Reprinted from “Victory and Virtue: Ceremonies and Code of Conduct of Sikh Dharma,” published by the Office of the Bhai Sahiba of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere. THE FUNCTIONS OF A MINISTER OF SIKH DHARMA A MINISTER of Sikh Dharma is a shining light, a radiant son or daughter of Guru Gobind Singh who lives to be healthy, happy and holy, and who inspires others to live so. A MINISTER lives with an open heart, open ear and open eye in order to feel, hear and see the needs of people around him or her. A MINISTER serves the
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Secretary of Religion Column (Fall 2010)
Our Summer Solstice Ministers’ gathering on Sunday, June 20, 2010 was a unique experience. Based on the theme that the Ministry is the heartbeat, pulse, and spirit of Sikh Dharma, we began by using sound and beat to open up the entire body through the sound current of Ong. This was followed by a moving, sensing exercise to soft music, and then a meditation to release fear of the future. SS Dev Suroop Kaur and Siri Chand Singh played a classical Raag rendition of the Dhan Dhan Ram Das Gur shabd from Dev Suroop Kaur’s new album Sahej-Peaceful Acceptance. If
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#37 Fall 2010 Newsletter
The theme for the Fall 2010 Ministry Newsletter is Transformation Through Translation. We asked Sikh Dharma Ministers and others to share the experience of translating the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Please enjoy the following articles on this topic. We welcome comments and feedback on this newsletter and our website. Please contact [email protected]. The views expressed in the articles on this website are those of the various authors and not necessarily those of the Office of the Secretary of Religion or Sikh Dharma International.
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The Power of the Word
“I know of a man who used to say, ‘God bless you. May you be restored to health.’ His virtues were many. People with diseases which we cannot imagine would ever be cured used to get cured by his word. So I became very interested in studying that man. “To my surprise, he used to say one word whenever he talked and that word was Tuhi, Tuhi, Tuhi—‘Thou, Thou, Thou.’ If you gave him food, he would say ‘Thou, Thou, Thou;’ water, ‘Thou, Thou, Thou;’ slap him, ‘Thou, Thou, Thou.’ He went through every experience saying, ‘Thou, Thou, Thou.’ “When
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Simran and the Journey to Sahej
by SS Hari Nam Simran Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Summer 2010 How does Simran serve me in my life? To me, Simran is vast, with so many different infinite intertwining connections. In fact, Simran is so vast that any attempt to describe in words the essence of Simran becomes a difficult task. Nevertheless, I will attempt to relay how Simran serves me in my life. Each day, at every moment, Simran seems to have a different effect, a different meaning, and a different result in my life. Essentially, Simran is a multifaceted component that interweaves my every breath. My challenge,
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Meditate on God
by SS Har Simran Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles CA Summer 2010 I was less than thrilled when the Siri Singh Sahib Ji gave me the name Har Simran. Meditation was something I did because I felt better afterward and I knew it was good for me, not because I enjoyed it. I was relieved years later to hear him say that Simran is the same as Jaap. Both mean “repeat.” That meant I could fulfill my destiny simply by chanting, regardless what I felt or thought. My first practical experience of Har Simran came one night, trying to fall asleep.
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The Habit of Simran
by SS Satsimran Kaur, Los Angeles CA Summer 2010 The good thing about practicing meditation for a long time is that we can see that it works. In the beginning, it feels good. We notice small things like having more energy and, although we might have added time for spiritual practice, the time we have for the rest of the day’s activities actually seems longer instead of shorter. As time goes on our practice of meditation becomes a pleasant habit, which takes us out of our routines and mundane thoughts and connects us to the essence of our being. Then,
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Living in Simran
SS Simran Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles CA Summer 2010 Simra-o simar simar sukh paava-o|| Meditate, meditate, meditate in remembrance of Him, and find peace. Prabh kai simaran ridhh sidhh no nidhh || In the remembrance of God are wealth, miraculous spiritual powers and the nine treasures. prabh kai simaran giaan dhhiaan thath budhh || In the remembrance of God are knowledge, meditation and the essence of wisdom.— from Sukhmani Sahib by Guru Arjun Devji Several years ago, while I was assisting Hari Kaur at the Master’s Touch, students asked Gurucharan Singh questions about the meaning of the Sikh spiritual names. I was in
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