by SS Guru Dharam Singh Khalsa, Mehedeby, Sweden
Fall 2012
As the fifth Guru of Sikh Dharma, Guru Arjan Dev ji exemplified the qualities associated with that number in the numerological system expounded by the Siri Singh Sahib ji. As a Spiritual Teacher, Guru Arjan exemplified and defined the path of Sikh Dharma by collating and creating the first version of what would become the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred seal of the Khalsa Panth.
Guru Arjan himself wrote approximately one-half of the Adi Granth, which contains much of the finest spiritual poetry ever produced by humanity. It is interesting to note that Guru Arjan (1563 – 1606) was a direct contemporary of William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616), whom literary commentators consider the finest playwright who ever put pen to paper. Both represented the pinnacle of the creative surge that characterized the Renaissance, a cultural transformation which was common to both the European and Indian continents.
Guru Arjan exemplified the quality of sacrifice, following the example of his great spiritual forebears who offered their own physical forms as a final act of mastery. This is the timeless teaching that the finite physical body is the repository and the servant of infinite divine consciousness.
Sacrificing Our Shadow
The template for success and prosperity given to us by Yogi Bhajan, the Master of Kundalini Yoga was to teach and to become neutral by sacrificing our own shadow on the altar of higher consciousness (Gu Ru = Dark Light). This is why his stated intention was “I have come to train teachers, not gather disciples.”
He told his students to consistently engage with this process on a daily basis through Sadhana and to offer it to all those who are ready to receive it. He also taught us to acknowledge the Guru as the constant guide and compass to universal awareness. Hence his statement, “Without the Guru there is no hope.”
This deceptively simple formula has yielded the most exquisite and rare fruit: a global grassroots network of Kundalini Yoga teachers who offer the promise of core transformation and the shift in consciousness that the Aquarian matrix requires.
My personal experience and observation after 33 years of practice is that the Grace of Kundalini Shakti merges with the innate creativity of the individual, enhances it and amplifies it into a wider arena. Thus, the yoga teacher is recognized as a healer and a transmitter of spiritual knowledge.
The yoga teacher takes on an increasingly pastoral role as he/she is perceived to have a direct relationship with Spirit. The Kundalini Yoga teacher inexorably earns the trust of the local community and out of that trust arise countless offers, opportunities and projects. The yoga teacher becomes an Elder within the community and earns its respect.
As the holistic philosophy and practice intrinsic to both the Dharma and Kundalini Yoga are recognized as a cogent long term response to the increasingly fractious projections of the external world, Kundalini Yoga is rightly being acknowledged to be an effective preventative and curative against stress and burn-out syndrome.
By attempting to follow Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s peerless example of trusting in the unknown, using our personal qualities and attributes, our spiritual consciousness will expand and blossom. The way of the Dharma unfolds as a “progressive path to Infinity.” As long as we walk this path in gratitude, service and humility, we shall always be remembered.
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
About the Author
SS Guru Dharam Singh Khalsa is an ordained Sikh Dharma Minister. He is the course Director of the International Kundalini Therapy Training held in Sweden and an associate Director of the Institute of Medical Yoga, Stockholm. He trains yoga teachers and healthcare professionals to apply the principles of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation in a therapeutic context for challenging modern conditions, such as stress burn-out and attention deficit disorder. In addition to his practices in Kundalini Yoga and Yoga Therapy, Guru Dharam is also a qualified practitioner of traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbal Medicine, Internal Feng Shui, Numerology, Dream Teaching, and Red Thread Empowerment.
