by SS Sunder Singh Khalsa, Herndon VA
Summer 2012

I feel China has a very important role to play in the Aquarian Age. The symbol of China is the Dragon. The Dragon is a symbol for heaven and can bring a shower of blessings or a shower of fire. So the mission for me is to plant the seed of consciousness through the technology of Kundalini Yoga for peace, goodwill and human excellence. The people we train in China are fairly accomplished in their personal and professional life and they want to serve.  We want to reach people who can make a difference, who can bring peace and prosperity and blessings to China and the world.

Teaching in Asia has its own dynamic and it is a slightly different ball game. It is not just doing the yoga but how we applied yoga to our daily life  The psyche of many people in these countries has been heavily impacted by war, poverty and trauma. For example in Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge there was about 40 doctors left in the country with most of the educated class killed. For the most part, Guru Arjan Dev’s life was peaceful, yet he was a warrior in some ways.  He taught us by example to be both flexible and strong. This understanding has helped us as we grew.

Since 2001, my team has spent more and more of our time and resources spreading the teachings in Asia including Thailand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan and or course China with students from international destinations coming to courses.

One of our trainers has started a program in Cambodia training young people to teach Kundalini Yoga to other young people and children from disadvantage backgrounds. This includes people living with HIV and orphaned children. This program is so successful (it reaches hundreds and hundreds of children) he was invited into Burma or Myanmar by NGO affiliated organization to establish similar programs. Also after the tsunami another trainer spearheaded financial and emotional support to children orphaned by the tsunami.

Ramadasa in Asia

From all this the idea came to me to establish Ramadasa as a training institution for the development of human excellence. Ramadasa is not a physical location although we do have one, but a space in the heart. Just as 3HO to me is not a place but a shared vision as held by Yogiji to live healthy, happy and holy.  We are the out-reach and training institution for leadership, conscious business development, health and consciousness.

The Asian Yoga Festival brings all of the students and teachers from Asia and internationally together every fall. In the spring of this year we hosted a Yatra to India and the Golden Temple and Anandpur Sahib. We have teachers from all parts of the world including Europe and the US participating.

We are building a conscious community in Asia. Community does not mean conformity, but a common unity in which there is a unity that is common to all in the community. Of course that unity lies in the practice of Kundalini Yoga. However I like to think of it as something slightly deeper. In classical yoga, yoga means union which presuppose there is a separation to begin with. I use the idea of “saibhang” from the mul mantra of Guru Nanak.

I think of yoga as more of an awakening to our essential nature which is and always was and will always be complete. The analogy is we are like frozen blocks of ice floating in the ocean of consciousness searching for H2O. All it takes is to melt the ice. As Einstein said form is condensed emptiness. And that condensation is the labeling and the stories we create to justify our existence. Behind that is the essence, the ocean of consciousness where there exist a natural compassion, love with no object and happiness is what is as it is. That I feel is the unity common to our human heritage.

There is a saying and it goes like this “the map is not the territory.” All techniques are maps and they help lead to the territory. However to enter the territory requires a certain spiritual maturity. Our community is diverse with different cultural and financial backgrounds. Each person is unique and of value and that allows deep listening where instead of trying to agree to a certain perspective there is a recognition of the other person, which allows the space for infinite possibilities to happen.

As John Lennon sang in one of his songs, “There are no problems only solutions.” It is a blessing to serve in this way; it is both challenging and satisfying.

About the Author

SS Sunder Singh Khalsa is an ordained Sikh Dharma Minister. Sunder Singh has taught Kundalini Yoga and meditation for the past 30 years. Born in Taiwan and raised in the US, he began his spiritual path when he was very young, studying Yoga and Taoism. He became one of Yogi Bhajan’s earliest students. He serves as the KRI Coordinator of Teacher Training Asia, is on the KRI Board of Directors and the Teacher Training Executive Council. He brought the first Yoga Festival to Asia, now an annual international event, and has served the emergence of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® in Thailand, China, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, and Sri Lanka. RAMADASA.ORG