by SS Sham Rang Singh Khalsa, Millis, Massachusetts 2022 (Fourth Quarter) My friend verbally attacks me in a meeting. I feel angry and defensive, but I keep my mouth shut. I sit and contemplate as the meeting proceeds. Who are we in this time of widely disparate beliefs? Where do we stand? And who even stands there? Parents, teachers and society train us to individuate and know who we are. We define and then project this refined story of self, even when it requires glossing over inconsistencies, some of which can be major. Some of us even train in
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Archives for Sikh Dharma Ministry
Examining our own Projection during Challenging Times
The Minister’s Role in Conflict Resolution
by SS Gurujodha Singh Khalsa, Coarsegold, California 2022 (Fourth Quarter) Conflict is a flower rising up out of the earth. Conflict is the resistance the mountain gives to the wind. Conflict, movement and change are all part of the same system. Resistance to conflict implies a resistance to change. And since change is the one constant in life on the earth plane, the resistance and avoidance of conflict is the avoidance of life itself. The role of a minister, a man or woman of Spirit or God is to bring change, love, and elevation to environments simply through his or
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To Be Unaffected by Slander or Praise
by SS Shiv Charan Singh Khalsa, Quinta do Rajo, Portugal 2022 (Fourth Quarter) A personal note: I have spoken out and been damned. I have held my silence and been damned. Therefore, it is with some trepidation that I write this article. I am fully aware that we live in a time when misunderstandings are part of the deal right now. Nonetheless, Guru Teg Bahadur’s Bani inspires us to be “Unaffected by slander or praise.” The whole shabd describing the state of the Neutral Mind very well is on page 633 of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Whatever I write here
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We Are a Force for Good ~ We Must Preserve It!
by SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa, Phoenix, Arizona 2022 (Fourth Quarter) As I completed our current Sikh Minister exam, this phrase came immediately to my mind. We (our community of Sikhs and Yogis) are a Force for Good in this World. We must preserve it. How do I know this? And how do we apply it in our lives as Sikhs and members of the Sikh Sangat? I have been a minister for almost 30 years, a lifelong counselor and a teacher. I am responsible for what I have and have not done. In my 83 years in this life I
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Finding Opportunity in Times of Crisis
by SS Har Tirath Kaur Khalsa, Luján, Argentina 2022 (Third Quarter) As I look at this world in crisis, I see it from the viewpoint of someone who lives in a country that is continually in crisis—Argentina. I would like to share this viewpoint with you. As a servant of God, I have learned through the years that challenges are full of opportunities, that changes are wonderful and necessary, and that every time we do not accept an ending, there is no possible beginning. I have learned that real strength is put to the test when structures break down and
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Overcoming Isolation through Seva and Sangat Engagement During COVID
by SS Guru Darshan Kaur Khalsa, Puebla, Mexico 2022 (Third Quarter) Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! Sat Nam Dear Sangat, I’m happy to share with you my inspiration and love of the Guru and the teachings that have given me strength in these changing and challenging times. I enjoy sharing with you a little bit of my earthly human life. My motto is: Those who learn and work as a team multiply the benefits of what they teach individually and more easily fulfill their mission, understanding the power that we are ONE. How have I,
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The Gift of Slowing Down and Going Within
by SS Guru Jivan Kaur, Melbourne Australia 2022 (Third Quarter) Sat Nam, dear brothers and sisters, We have all found the last two and a bit years—challenging, shall we say. The uncertainty, the fear; for some illness, for others the loss of income and so much more. Change is a certainty in life and how we meet those changes is what makes us who we are and how others see us. For me personally it was not too bad—once I got used to the lack of income and purpose that I had become accustomed too. I had been flying constantly
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Aadays Tisai Aadays: An Academic’s Experience of Guru’s Grace
by SS Atma Chanan Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D., Mendocino CA 2022 (Third Quarter) A month ago, as I was driving away from the Española ashram towards California, I reflected on having taken my recent Minister vows. After two difficult years of a global pandemic, the many challenges of worldwide polarizations, and all the soul-searching from the shared stories of the early years of our Dharma, I wondered if I had made a mistake. I felt disconnected from my own Western values and everything I had learned thus far. Had I been selfish in thinking I was responding to a soul calling,
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Keeping Up During Times of Challenge
by SS Sat Inder Kaur Khalsa, Kansas City MO 2022 (Second Quarter) These times have been challenging in many ways, but Yogi Bhajan said it would be like this—so I am not surprised. I met Yogi Bhajan in 1976, at the age of 33, and moved into Hacienda de Guru Ram Das a few months later. I participated in ashram life and solstices, and attended as many lectures as I could. Karta Purkh Singh and I married in 1977 and became Sikh Ministers in 1979. As co-directors of Sat Tirath Ashram since 1980, we have had a wealth of opportunities
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Communicating with Compassion
by SS Siri Hari Hari Singh Khalsa, Anchorage AK 2022 (First Quarter) Overall a core value, or what I would call a useful skillset, which I rely upon, is tolerance—the capacity for and the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others. For me, achieving tolerance depends on several other core values. Those are: the ability to genuinely communicate; to be empathic; and to have compassion for each individual’s cumulative circumstances. Using these core values gives me tolerance to accept all individuals for what and who they are at the present time. Years ago, someone recommended the
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