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…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under The Guru, Your Stories
I am a Sikh who bows to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib as my spiritual teacher. I regularly read Guru's bani and I regularly sit with sangat. I work to change my habits in life to the healthy, wise, and kind principles shared in the Guru's word. One of the ways that I help calm…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Your Stories
For a while, I found myself in a conundrum; how do I relate to people that live in such a different way? Because they drink and do not meditate, does that mean I should not be in their company? Shall I seclude myself from a majority of the people around me? I decided that I…
Posted by Shabd Singh Khalsa& filed under Your Stories
Naam, Daan, Ishnaan - The Name, Giving, Cleansing. Of all of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's teachings, the above is the distilled triplet that often defined the early Sikhs.…
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