by SS Sat Avtar Kaur, Los Angeles CA Summer 2018 Having the blessing of serving the Guru at Summer Solstice gives me the gift of remembering to trust in God and Guru’s plan. Doing this blessed seva has allowed me to know that everything will be taken care of with grace and majesty. Whenever I worry about something, the Guru shows it is already covered. In my years of experience, the Guru’s seva is always covered. Everyone is full of enthusiasm for everyday tasks like cleaning and vacuuming—although at first some people feel disappointed to realize that a lot of
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Archives for Siri Guru Granth Sahib
Trusting in the Guru’s Plan
Devotion to the Guru
by SS Suraj Kaur Khalsa, Pasadena CA Summer 2018 I learned how to be devoted by observing the Siri Singh Sahib’s unwavering devotion to the Guru. While I was serving my spiritual teacher, I was actually serving the Guru! At age 17, I had found my way to the Houston ashram with its wonderful yoga classes that comforted my soul. I decided to wait for July 4th, 1976 to move into the ashram, claiming my own independence on the day of our country’s Bicentennial celebration. Not long afterward, one of the regular yoga teachers became ill and I was asked
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A Sparkling Presence
by MSS Hari Dharam Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Summer 2018 Many years ago, the Siri Singh Sahib looked into my eyes, and my heart was pierced with love for a master. I found my path and became a Sikh at that moment. During my first few years on the Sikh path, I experienced many challenges that can be expected when leaving behind the baggage of the past. At that time, I mostly relied on the Siri Singh Sahib for assistance, writing letters to him and attending his classes. This was my biggest link to being a Sikh in those days.
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#68 Summer 2018 Newsletter
Throughout 2018 we are exploring the topic of Shabd Guru through the concepts shared by the Siri Singh Sahib of Obey, Serve, Love, Excel. For our Summer issue, we are exploring Devotion to the Guru. We asked Sikh Dharma Ministers to share their thoughts about how to develop a personal relationship with the Guru. How does such a relationship create the longing to serve the Guru as an expression of our devotion? Please enjoy these inspiring articles by Sikh Dharma Ministers. “The Guru is a guide that can take you from the darkness into the light. The Guru is an ocean where you can totally
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Bowing to the Guru
We asked Sikh Dharma Ministers to reflect on the question: “What does it mean to bow to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib?” Here are a few thoughtful replies: An Act of Devotion SS Sada Sat Simran Singh Khalsa, Santa Fe NM Bowing one’s head isn’t just symbolic. It is an act of devotion. It is a reminder. It is a practice of maintaining a relationship to one’s teacher and the source of our path. We give our head so that all intellect can be guided by the Guru. We live through our heart because compassion is the foundation of all Dharma. We give our head to
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A Quiet River
by SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2017 Have you heard this story? When Guru Gobind Singh was 16 years old, he received an invitation from Medni Parkash, the ruler of the Nahan State, to select any place in the kingdom to settle permanently. The Guru traveled from Anandpur Sahib, got off his horse at a point along the Yamuna River, found it to his liking and stayed for more than four years. From 1685 to 1689 he built what is now Paonta Sahib. Paonta Sahib is in a green valley located below the foothills of the
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The Highest Meditation
by SS Siri Bhrosa Kaur Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib India Winter 2017 My personal approach to reading the banis has always been a very practical one. I feel that reading the banis in the vernacular (in English or whatever your native tongue) and pondering on the meaning of the words, either one line or one Pauri at a time, is critical to having a meaningful experience. The entire story of how to live is illustrated in the banis, in some form or fashion. Throughout the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, we are reminded that this world is not real at all. We
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The Rhythm of Life
by SS Prabhu Prakash Kaur Khalsa, on the road USA Winter 2017 Like my mother before me, I’ve been a singer all my life. While still in the womb, I absorbed my mother’s joy of devotional singing and the love she projected through her voice. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t equate the vibration of the human voice with the experience of being alive and loved. When asked to share my experiences with Gurbani, I was reminded of conversations I had with Mom before her passing. We would talk about how each being on this planet
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Resistance
by SS Kartar Singh Khalsa, Sterling VA Winter 2017 Let me be clear—I don’t currently read my banis every day, although I did so as a daily practice for many years. So let me speak honestly and openly about the topic of resistance. Three times the Siri Singh Sahib told me—all unsolicited—to read my banis daily. During my interview to become a Sikh Dharma Minister at Summer Solstice years ago, MSS Shakti Parwha Kaur also told me to read my banis every day. So, I used to read daily from a Nitnem and eventually I memorized Japji Sahib so that
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The Divine Presence
by SS Jai Hari Kaur Khalsa, Santa Fe NM Winter 2016 “True realization of the actual nature of the material world, its perishable, transitory and illusory aspects, best dawns on a person in suffering.”—Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, Ninth Sikh Guru In January of this year I learned that I had ovarian cancer. The news was shocking and at the same time it took me inward. During this whole journey—through the treatments and the consequences of the disease—my Subtle Body has been a strong ally. I never asked “Why me?” I just asked God to guide and show me the
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