Posted by Dharmatma& filed under Your Stories
I didn't even use my name at all it for a couple of years, I wasn't a Sikh at the time and wasn't sure what to "do with it." But I was told by my Sikh friends that a spiritual name can be: what you have been, what you are, and/or what you need…
Posted by Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa& filed under Siri Singh Sahib Ji, Your Stories
Some schools of yoga teach that Shakti Pad is a good thing. And, of course, they’re right. As we’ve seen above, Shakti Pad should be a gateway to more and more blessings. Our Teacher gives his students a heads up, a warning that all isn’t beautiful until you begin to overcome your karma. Everything isn’t…
Posted by Sirgun Kaur& filed under Around the World, Community, The Guru, Your Stories
In times of strife, we often forget that some of these more esoteric solutions might work better than the biggest effort to manually "fix" our problem. When we are receptive to the sacred energy that holds this world together, it builds a bridge for us. …
Posted by harisingh& filed under Your Stories
My concern is that with the passage of time, the memory of the Oak Creek massacre and other tragedies will fade away. I strongly encourage all members of the Sikh community - and especially Sikh Dharma Ministers - to act now to meet this ever-present challenge - not out of a sense of reactionary fear,…
Posted by Snatam Kaur& filed under Community, Our Authors, Sikh Dharma International, Sikhs Feed People, Videos, Your Stories
In the honor and memory of those people who lost their lives at the Oak Creek Wisconsin Gurdwara (Sikh temple) shooting in the summer of 2012. Snatam Kaur, along with the Sikh community of the New Jersey Bridgewater Gurdwara, gives us an inside view of the beautiful Sikh way of life. Visit Snatam Kaur's website…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Your Stories
Bhajan Lal, my tabla teacher's teacher, was born in Lahore in 1935. One of three brothers, his father passed away before he completed the sixth grade, the grade in which he would end his formal education. He was twelve years old. Something else happened in his twelfth year: Indian independence, the formation of the Pakistani…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
What often happens, I think, to people born into a unique community with specific lifestyle, is that we do not feel we have chosen the life for ourselves. I think we also see a lot of hypocrisy. What is wrong with my parents’ marriage if they meditate all the time and bow before the Guru?…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
My inner dialogue is conflicted. As a Sikh, I value the principles of a person over their religion, race, or creed. I try to live by principles over rules and value inner faith and goodness over outer physical identity. Why, then, should I be so concerned with the outer representation of the buildings that house…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
Shabd celebrates the birthday of Kirshna: "I found myself in a minor inner dilemma: how do I interact with the shrines and idols that my fellow visitors each took the time to adore and meditate on? I do not value or worship those objects as divine or magical, but I do respect the place as…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Community, Your Stories
To be honest, I was not at ease. I felt that everyone stared in Har Rai's direction and mine and that we were outsiders to the whole. Through the fray walked a tall Sikh in a pale blue kurta, black dastaar, and a wavy black beard....He was eight. I had a spiritual experience as I…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
It's amazing how so much time and effort lead up to a sweet simple moment where two people sit before their Guru, bow, and commit.…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
The day was warm, but not too hot. The sun shone clear over Amritsar and the minarets of the Akal Takht glinted over the walls of the Golden Temple complex walls. It was difficult to move. Walking was more like wading through a rushing sea of people; pilgrims come to celebrate the birth of Guru…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
But our mission that night was to see a more somber vision. The only twinkle in this sea was the blade of a spear catching light. A sea of blue appeared before the Akal Takhat. Heads bowed, listening to Rahiras Sahib, sat 500 weapon clad Nihang Singhs. Representing the various armies, they were present to…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
Silence overtook the crowd and through the aisle, toward the sanctum sanctorum of the temple came a small band of monks. In the center walked a glowing faced man. He smiled and waved at anyone who caught his eye. I watched from across the aisle as he noticed Hari Mitar Singh. His Holiness stopped and…
Posted by Kulwant Kaur Khalsa& filed under Community, Service/Seva, Sikhs Feed People, Your Stories
I sent out a notice inviting anyone interested to come to my house for dinner and a discussion about the possibility of forming a seva group to serve at the soup kitchen. My hope was that the lure of delicious food would maximize the turn out.…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Around the World, Your Stories
The early morning air in Amritsar is balmy in mid-September. Our car raced through utterly empty streets. We were running late. Rickshaw peddlers covered in shawls slept on their chariots. Lonely incandescent bulbs uncovered stray dogs sifting trash heaps. The ghosts of a city.
My mind wandered. "Am I worthy of this?" Did I…
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