Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh! When technology works for us, it is an incredible thing. Hopefully, it can work for you in this newsletter! At the April 2015 Khalsa Council meetings, I gave a presentation on the Ministry (see video below). The presentation covered information about our newly-designed Minister ID cards. I also shared about the inspirational booklet, “I Am a Sikh Dharma Minister”, created as a 2014 year-end gift to Ministers from the Office of the Secretary of Religion and we took a brief look at the 2015 quarterly Minister e-newsletter theme focusing on our
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Archives for Secretary of Religion Column
Secretary of Religion Column (Summer 2015)
Secretary of Religion Column (Spring 2015)
There is a passage in the Ardas that strikes me deeply: “…but never gave up their faith and determination to live according to Sikh Dharma, with all their hair, to the last breath. Meditate, O pure ones…” Our Sikh history is full of examples of extreme sacrifice to carry this faith forward. The Ardas speaks of this heritage. It is a daily reminder of our roots and what qualities help us overcome the obstacles and challenges in our lives. It can serve as a reminder to keep up. As a therapist, I must utilize the neutral mind. The Siri Singh
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Secretary of Religion Column (Winter 2014)
Your voice counts. Yes, it really does. As your Secretary of Religion, I have said over and over again that I look to our Ministers to help create the future of our Ministry and our Dharma. I am not in favor of top-down administration—rather, a more distributive style of management with real empowerment. The question is, how do we create this? Yes, we have Minister gatherings at Winter and Summer Solstices and the European Yoga Festival. As yoga festivals grow globally, there will be a need for Minister gatherings at these events as well. The gatherings are purposely not intended
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Secretary of Religion Column (Fall 2014)
What a special Minister’s Gathering we had at Summer Solstice 2014! These gatherings were created to help build a sense of community among the Ministers, to offer tools for our Ministers and to support each other with our unique contributions. As Secretary of Religion, I am dedicated to supporting Ministers to help shape the future of our Ministry. It is my belief that Sikh Dharma Ministers, through their leadership, will manifest the future of our Sikh Dharma Ministry and thereby, Guru will manifest the future of the Dharma. Towards that vision and purpose, this gathering was the fifth in a series
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Secretary of Religion Column (Summer 2014)
The definition of Ministering is expanding. That was the theme for our Minister presentation at the April 2014 meetings of the Khalsa Council. When you say Minister (which is what the Siri Singh Sahib named us), we who came from a Judeo-Christian background tend to think of a religious setting like Gurdwara. Yes, of course, our touchstone is the Guru; but how else do we minister? Thanks to so many of you who responded to our request for pictures and video, we have an expanded global view of our Ministry (see our Ministers in Action Video). Here are some examples: SS Guru Simran
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Secretary of Religion Column (Spring 2014)
What does it mean to be a Sikh Dharma Minister? Perhaps your soul incarnated during the lifetime of Guru Amar Das Ji, when the Sikh Ministry began in the mid-1500s. Unfortunately, over time the system became corrupt and Guru Gobind Singh put a stop to it. In 1972 the Siri Singh Sahib saw that there was again a need for an organized system of leadership for our Dharma, and he established our Sikh Dharma Ministry. Whether the Siri Singh Sahib awakened your soul to this destiny directly, or you experienced this calling within yourself, being a Sikh Dharma Minister is
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Secretary of Religion Column (Winter 2013)
I am struck by what Dickens said in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way. In short, the
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Secretary of Religion Column (Fall 2013)
The Sikh Dharma Ministers’ Gathering at Summer Solstice 2013, with the theme Bij, Bindu and Shaping the Future of the Sikh Dharma Ministry, was pivotal for the future of our Ministry. Despite the dust, wind, and sounds from a nearby teaching tent, a profound planting of seeds for our future took place. I started by explaining that we are now operating from a new paradigm. SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur, the Assistant Secretary of Religion, and I are looking to the Ministers to help shape the future of our Sikh Dharma Ministry. Those souls who were destined to be present for
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Secretary of Religion Column (Summer 2013)
This is a time of tremendous change administratively for our Dharmic organizations. Many very dedicated individuals have stepped forward to help straighten out multiple problematic issues, procedures and policies for the functioning of our Dharma. They have given hours and hours and hours of their time and energy. I appreciate and acknowledge their work. It will be a long, slow process but there is movement. It is my prayer that we end up with a more Aquarian infrastructure with checks and balances that support a healthy future. We are in the midst of a gigantic change process. There is always
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Secretary of Religion Column (Spring 2013)
“Once a person gives himself to the righteous path of divinity and decides to be a soldier for righteousness and a saint for humanity, that person has achieved God-like grace. It is a mental capacity. When you reach a state of consciousness where nobody can reach you, nobody can buy you, nobody can have you, then you are priceless.”—The Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji (1975) This year (2013) seems to have arrived incredibly quickly for me. Is that your experience too? In numerology, 2013 becomes the number 6. Tantric Numerologist Nam Hari Kaur Khalsa said in her Numerology Forecast for January
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