by SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa, Phoenix AZ
Spring 2010
Sitting in Guru’s beautiful golden-domed sanctuary atop the Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple in Amritsar India) this past October, listening to the beautiful chanting of the Akhand Path (scriptural reading) while watching peace spread over the faces of those who had come here with me from the States, it was natural to feel life so full of ease, so perfect.
Transfixed by the tones, elevated by the spirit, who could even remember the hectic lives we had all left barely a couple of days before? In a place such as this, ease is easy. We had three weeks here in this land, crossing from Goindwal and Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib and on to Rishikesh. As the time of our inevitable exodus neared, I could hear the nervousness creeping into their thoughts and see it on their faces.
The question held in common was simple: “When you leave such a place of ease, how do you carry this ease with you? I could give them an answer, but the best answer to this is the one each person discovers for themselves, just as I did.”
On my very first trip to India, in the mid-90s, I remember that thought crossing my mind. The point of discussion among many of us yatrees (spiritual pilgrims) on the plane ride home was how soon we would be coming back. My husband and I have since returned about every other year, sometimes more often. But I discovered after that first trip the real answer.
Temple of the Heart
You see, I brought the Golden Temple home with me in my heart. I discovered with glee that I could meditate every day in each separate chamber of my heart. In one, I’d be sitting on the cool marble of the perkarma (marble walkway). In another, I’d be just inside on the first floor absorbed in the music of the Ragis (spiritual musicians).
In the next, I’d be sitting on the second floor near where the Granthi is reading the old volume penned by Guru Arjan Dev ji. And in the fourth chamber, I’d be up on the roof sitting beside the golden dome as the first glimmer of sun struck it.
From that first trip on, my work as a teacher grew exponentially. My workshops turned into women’s retreats, the inspired teachings of Yogi ji led me to write the Womanheart book which other teachers would use in their workshops, and my life went from one easeful step to the next.
Almost without my counting, my 50s cascaded into my 60s and they rolled onward and upward. And then suddenly last year I turned 70. I still work too many hours, burn the proverbial candle at both ends, pushing the envelope, and so forth.
I still live in the Golden Temple in my heart. My voice in the morning doing my banis blends with the voices of thousands of others, so many sitting together on that second floor, some faces wet with tears of release. I am one with them and their tears and joy are mine as well.
My work now is to continue building bridges for others to walk this path to the Guru and to discover what can sit in their hearts. In that discovery they will find there is no separation in the realm of the Divine, no East or West, no difference between one seeker or another.That is the state of sahej for me living in the Harimandir of the Heart.
About the Author
SS Sangeet Kaur is an ordained Sikh Dharma Minister. She is founder and director of The Healing Source, LLC, and she established the Womanheart Program in 1991 following a 27-year career in New York as an executive of several Fortune Top 50 corporations. Sangeet is an International Senior Lead Trainer of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation having studied nearly 30 years directly with the Master Yogi Bhajan. She is also a popular Reiki Master-Trainer and healer, an NLP Master Counselor, and a Master Numerologist with her “Blessings Code” system. Her books and CDs continue to inspire people worldwide.