by SS Sada Sat Simran Singh Khalsa, Santa Fe NM

Courtesy of the Sikh Dharma Ministry Newsletter #63 Spring 2017 Newsletter

It is now 2017. Things have evolved and continue to evolve minute by minute. We are so modern that we have to update every morning to keep up with the times. One news outlet isn’t enough. We need an array of companies to deliver our news to us in a thread on a device that we are convinced is as necessary as water. We are plugged in and switched on constantly.

Amidst all of this we have ways to describe every experience in abbreviated terms. Everything must be summarized in an emoticon or GIF so that it can be validated and shared via text, Twitter or some other form of impersonal social media. Our lives and our personalities are subject to so many compartments of accessibility. We are at hyper speed.

How can a human being be expansive and stable? We are constantly under pressure. Pressure of time. Pressure of money. Pressure of relationships. We hardly have space to check in with ourselves, let alone recognize what the Siri Singh Sahib taught us to remember—that the other person is you.

The new generations don’t want digital relationships or digital perspectives. They are looking for one thing and one thing only—authenticity. They are desperate for it. They long for what is real and genuine. And at our core, at our center we are all the same. We all want to belong and we all must relate to the soul.

So, my question to you is: What is more authentic than wearing Bana? How can we imprint a memory to inspire the consciousness and the radiance of the Gurus? Actually, it’s very simple. Let your identity be shown and wear Bana. Speak from the heart and be in the frequency to elevate others.

As practitioners of the Guru’s teachings we have the tools we need to be a lighthouse to everyone around us. The first tool that we have is to be distinct. In the words of Guru Gobind Singh:

When our Tenth Master gave the Amrit, the first process was to dress his Beloved Ones in the perfect Bana. He blessed them with his image by giving them the most elegant Khalsa dress. It was his first gift to us—to live as Sat Nam, our true identity. When we wear Bana, we are unmistakable. We are immediately recognized and identified as Khalsa.

Often you hear the argument: “In the West the image of a turban and beard has connotations of evil because it is synonymous with Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda and terrorism. Was this what Guru Nanak wanted of us? Is this the result we are going for?”

While I understand some individuals may struggle with being judged, I choose to wear Bana and a turban because I want to live with grit and courage to stand out and be different. I know that acting royally and rising from the “ranks of commoners” doesn’t come without challenges. It doesn’t come free.

However, the benefits you gain from wearing Bana really work and I guarantee you will experience a difference in the way people interact with you and the way you interact with your own soul.

“Guru Gobind Singh, the father of this great nation, took us out from the ranks of commoners and made us his own Khalsa.”—The Siri Singh Sahib

About the Author

Born into a 3HO family and raised as a Sikh, SS Sada Sat Simran Singh Khalsa has spent most of his life under the guidance of this lifestyle. He went to boarding school in India at 9 and graduated from Miri Piri Academy in 1999.  At the age of 18 he was sent back to India by the Siri Singh Sahib to further his studies in martial arts, the Sikh lifestyle, and Gurbani Kirtan/Naad Yoga. He trained under his Ustad Ji for over 10 years. Sada Sat Simran Singh has been blessed to be a member of the Chardi Kala Jatha and sing Gurbani Kirtan inside the Harimandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) many times since 2001. He maintains his practice of Kundalini Yoga and Naad Yoga and is always honored to share his experiences.  He is also a board member of Sikh Dharma International.