Sat Nam Dear Friends,

By great good fortune, the mind is uplifted and exalted, and the Word of the Shabad dwells in the heart. The jewel of the mind is contented; the Guru has implanted the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within. || 2 || SWAIYAS IN PRAISE OF THE FIFTH MEHL: Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Page 1406

Everyday I am on the lookout for inspiring and motivating moments which always provide that extra juice, the ‘ras’, in life! I call them the daily miracles. Often we are in the flow but sometimes it can take an extra effort to jack up the joy and enthusiasm! Did you know that the word enthusiasm means full of the “Spirit of God!” Theo is God in Greek. I have started looking and notating the daily miracles that are always entering my life. They are such a sweet confirmation of the vastness of God and the presence of Guru in my life.

A few years ago I created a line that personally reminds me of God’s miracles: ‘God Amazes Us!’ It’s my shortcut. USPS, the United States Postal Service, seemed to be heading for big financial trouble a few years ago. There was talk of suspending Saturday delivery and much more. Out of the blue, Amazon, perhaps the biggest retailer in the world, needed help in delivering its sales. They hired USPS! Wow. Win-Win. ‘God Amazes Us!’ is good enough by itself but the back story of this joint venture of Amazon and USPS really adds power.

We start the day in our Sadhana by giving one tenth of ourself to God, just like tithing of money. This is how we daily give of our time, our focus and commitment. One of my treasured moments is coming home after my morning routine to a warm, Aryuvedically correct, cup of Yogi Coffee! (Side note…as I get older a tiny bit of caffeine, and this may not be Aryuvedically correct, seems to be required, but only up until noon!) Another digression – I am proud to say that, after a slow year- long effort, I was able to wean myself from milk in this elixir, now using only almond milk, coconut cream and maple syrup. OK, the truth comes out…I am still stuck on a tiny bit of cream!!! Who said change was easy? So now I relax and read the morning paper – the Santa Fe New Mexican – and tune into a pretty liberal view of world events and local news.

Today’s tumultuous political events have created the newest Reality TV. Being informed is always good and seeking out a variety of differing views is even better. But the bottom line for me is how can the world, society and humanity improve without a spiritual view? Now, in this time of Kali Yuga, a positive mind, a view of hope and consciousness is required more than ever.

Years ago I saw a short documentary about the Dalai Lama. He was giving a talk at a luncheon for Journalists. He was reminding everyone present that “people are basically good.” He challenged everyone to see that their duty is to report this goodness, not the shadow side. He knew that sensational news sold more papers but that negativity was intrinsically toxic for our souls and could even help further such degradation. Focusing on the tragedies and misdeeds would not provide the hope the world needs to heal and elevate. He urged us all to “not get discouraged.” I was relieved to hear him say that discouragement is a universal human trait that we all deal with. It was a miracle!

I remember a lecture one evening in LA where the Siri Singh Sahib Ji Yogi Bhajan said “Everybody has problems. Rich people have rich people problems. Poor people have poor people problems. .. “ etc, etc. This talked right to my perfectionistic streak. Being a perfectionist, again, wasn’t unique to me and wasn’t the big ‘problem’ I had made it out to be! Look at that, another miracle!

We can even turn this around. Rather than waiting to see how many miracles arrive at our doorstep, let’s see how much joy we can give out in a day. Let’s see how we can stop looking for happiness and miracles and just give. Let’s see what our giving nature returns. Now, thankfully, we are steered back to the foundations of our teachings: Seva – selfless service, the ultimate act of freedom.

At a Siri Singh Sahib Ji lecture at Ladies Camp in the 1990’s , he brought up a new idea so revolutionary that he kept hinting about it before he finally delivered the message. This was the summer he talked to us about us sitting still and waiting for things to come. Hustling and hassling was not for Sikhs of the Guru. He said the there is no need in running after things but rather sit and wait for God to bring to us what is needed. It is a sophisticated concept because he was not telling us to be passive or to not act. Rather, we must Keep Up, always doing the duty that lays before us, but with an attitude of acceptance of God’s Will.

The Hukam the other day at Sadhana Gurdwara was from the section of Asa Di Vaar. Guru Nanak Dev Ji told us :

He who owns our soul, and our very breath of life — why should we forget that Lord and Master from our minds? With our own hands, let us resolve our own affairs. || 20 || Siri Guru Granth Sahib Page 473-474

Guru Ji is telling us that really our only job, is to chant God’s Name, as we Keep Up, doing our duty,. This is how we resolve our affairs. This is how we sit still and watch God’s blessings and protection come to us. Once again, we see that at the base of everything that the Siri Singh Sahib Ji taught us, there lies the Guru’s teachings, straight from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Wahe Guru! By going to the Guru, relating to Gurubani, and reading from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, we are learning from the Source and are also making our earthly spiritual teacher happy! What a miracle!

“God created you, therefore you should be hopeful. Things will come at the right time, the right place, for the right reason.” Yogi Bhajan 3.10.98

Humbly yours,
SS Sat Bachan Kaur Khalsa

Sat Bachan Kaur is a Sikh Dharma Minister and is a member of the International Khalsa Council as part of the Bhai Sahiba section.  She is also a member of the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation.  She and her husband have a jewelry business called Nine Treasures.