By Sanrajpreet Rai Kaur Khalsa

Summer Solstice Sadhana on the Ram Das Puri land has been an empowering time in my journey ever since I have been part of 3HO. The profound experience of this year’s Summer Solstice unfolded this year at the ashram with a couple of Sangat community events. The first was the Iftar Langar when we invited our Moslem neighbors on June 8th in the honor of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting to the ashram. The practice of Iftar Langar was when I first learned about Sikhism; serving God in serving others regardless of their race or religion. Being part of the event and serving it for the intention of unity and watching the Sat Sangat’s seva in serving others in their worshiping of God, gave me an indescribable experience of peace.

The other event, the International welcoming dinner on June 16th was just another evidence for that, serving others to feel at home by eating together, singing and dancing together and knowing each others’ traditions and cultures. It reminded me of the time that I had just arrived in the US and was shocked by the distance that social connections seemed to me compared to our Eastern traditions. Feeling included, recognized and connected was the pure feeling of peace on the night of the event, I could say.

Both events gave me a deep experiential understanding of the Guru Nanak’s approach to unity in worshiping God. God is One and the only creator, regardless of the tradition or language that we worship Him. Race, religion, gender and all else will fit in this one teaching as long as we open our hearts to serve it.

The loving presence of Sat Sangat that was there to welcome and host our Muslim guests, some greeting them with Assalam o Alaykum and others with Sat Nam, and hearing Sat Nam from Muslim fellows gave me new faith of being able to make it to peace even in our current time of disconnects.

Intoxicated with the blessing of service and moving around, I might not be the most qualified person to write a detailed report on the Iftar event. I only know that I felt the pure love in those few minutes that I got a chance to sit at the Gurudwara and felt the unity between our hearts when my Chardi Kala Jatha brothers were serving their Muslim fellows by singing the Sufi Chants from the Guru Granth Sahib.

Also, experiencing the Muslim group feeling welcomed at the house of Gurus, singing “ God is one”, “ there is no God but ONE GOD” and the beloved Sat Sangat singing with them brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. We are walking the talk. We are the teachings of these saints that were given to us back then and meant to bring us to unity at the most needed time like our present time. All of that vibration was sending out to our world from right under our beautiful Guru Ram Das stained glass picture. Hail Hail Guru Ram Das, Heal our world is happening by His Khalsas.

The Muslim call to prayer, AZAN, at the outside court of Guru was a call not only to the Muslim prayer but a call to peace, and unity, that which that the core truth of Islam is about. Muslim standing in lines of NAMAZ and the beloved Sat Sangat being in the back in absolute silence, strength, and support was the truth of Khanda and Kirpans that Sat Sangat decided to vibrate in our world this year in the holy month of Ramadan.

The abundance of our langar dinner, the beauty of sitting together, and the Sikh fellows bend their heads to God in serving food to fasting Muslims was the most harmonious presentation of love and service, of what Sikhism is. We are the true religion, as a way of life and not the preach and the mere words in the scriptures. We honored the spirit of Ramadhan in Guru Nanak’s way.

And yes, “Hail Hail Guru Ram Das Heal the World” inspires our Seva; Healing our world by opening our hearts and our doors and serving others in love and peace on their path, whatever that is in worshiping THE creator!

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh
Nazanin Zahra Angoshtari, Sanrajpreet Rai Kaur Khalsa