Friday, July 19, 2013

Sikhism and the New age Religion: emphasis on Waheguru - The inner guide

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism calls God - Waheguru (Punjabi: ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ).

The direct translation of the word Waheguru (Punjabi: ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ) is Wah meaning "astonishing / wonderful" and "Guru" (Sanskrit: गुरु) is a term denoting "teacher" or "master".

The true definition of a Gu-ru is - One that takes someone from Darkness to Light, from Ignorance to Knowledge. This astonishing spiritual guide that Guru Nanak, refers to, is not a spiritual teacher in human form but the 'Inner Guide', 'All-Knower', 'The Light' within us all. This is apparent when Guru Nanak writes, "Atam Cheen Paratam Janai" meaning by looking inwards, one finds the God/ Paratam.

"paratam" meaning dance which might have generated from the root 'bar/par" ( to move about). Source: http://ulagank.tripod.com/vedictamil/rigved-tamil-1.html

So Paratam / God is something that moves about within you, and to know it one must look within.
Barbara Ann Brennan writes about The Inner Guidance System in the book 'Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing'

Shabad Bhed / cheen means Speak the word and listen to the sound of the vibration created by it, just like when you throw a pebble in the pond, it makes ripples; sound also make rippling effect in the atmosphere as well as insode your body.

Three actions to take - Make sound, Feel the vibration inside and Visualise its effect of relaxing your body.
Feel the heat in the middle of the soles of your feet. Use inhaling and exhaling to bring this heat energy in and out of the feet. Use the same technique to feel the heat in the palm of you hands. This is the beginning of learning to know the energy thta resides within you. Like Fire purifies, this energy burns all diseases and makes the body healthy. Practice daily moving this energy all through your body and at the very least you will have a healthy body.

Add emotion to this practice and have the longing to know the All-knowing wise creator and you will start to build a relationship with your God.

still writing this blog .....

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Magic in life is created by the Gratitude you feel.

Ten things I am grateful for are
1. Being born in a spiritual family, especially my father who practised meditation everyday in the early hours of morning throughout his life without fail.
2. Having older brother and sisters who's mistakes in life helped them guide me to a better life.
3. For always having Music in my life, that helped me feel I always had good company.
4. For the early success in life that helped me stay optimistic in life.
5. Finding the perfect partner who has immense patience for me.
6. for the most beautiful and emotionally intelligent and caring children I have.
7. For the perfect dream job.
8. For the paradise of a place where I live. The ocean, mountains and the fresh air that I enjoy everyday.
9. For the status I have in society.
10. For the time we spend together as a family meditating and feeling the presence of God.

What are the 10 things you are grateful for? This was my first exercise as I am reading the book 'The Magic' by Rhonda Byrne. Have you read this book?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Body element Wood

A human body is a tree. It's element is wood. Like wood carries fire and fire damages wood. Our negative emotions are fire element that damage our body. Like Water helps a tree grow, positive emotions help us flourish.

To grow a tree must have both earth and sky energies. Similarly, we must accept energy from above our head like a rain shower as well as from below like the roots of a tree do.

Meditation helps you keep yourself away from Fire.

Meditations

Feel your roots everyday. Feel the Energy coming out of your feet. Receive energy from the earth through your feet and take it up to the rest of the body through focus points.

Now feel the rain shower above your head. Feel the energy flowing down your body into the earth. Do this everyday to keep yourself healthy.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Realms encountered after death - Prepare for life after death

Bardo thodol (The Tibetan Book Of The Dead) explains the realms encountered after death before reincarnation. I recommend page 214 - 240 of the book, "You have been here before: reincarnation by Seiyu Kiriyama." The author explains that  there is huge variation in what people experience after death. The knowledge of the transition process is helpful in understanding the terror, fear and miserable despair one might have to endure after death.

This book says that upon death the consciouness becomes absent for 3 1/2 days. It returns abruptly. There is variation where some peoples consciouness may not return for months. This state of awareness / consciouness is called 'mental body'. The intense feelings one experiences when a person meets death, stay within the mental body, such as suffering, vengefulness, fear.
After a certain time clear light consciouness returns to everyone which is a sign that the person has entered the intermediate state of existence - a span of time between death and birth into a new existence called Bardo/ antarabhava.

The five characteristics of the intermediate state are as follows
1. The being has a mental body of consciouness without flesh and blood.
2. the being desperately searches for a way to get out of that state.
3. The being lives on aroma essences of food and is fond of carnal pleasure.
4. the being exists in this state between death and rebirth.
5. the being is nearing rebirth.

When one enters the realm of Bardo, he gradually gains clear perception of his surroundings. First, he realises that he has left his body. He cries out to his relatives that to see that he is over here but the loved ones can't See or Hear him.

Then the dead person experiences completely unfamiliar Sounds, Colours and Rays of Light.

Read this article http://www.spiritualtravel.org/OBE/afterdeath.html

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Pinderpal singh ji in Australia 2013

Guru Nanak writes in Sidh Gost
O Nanak, meeting with the Saints, Truth is obtained, and one is spontaneously blessed with distinction. ||1||

A true sikh, Pinderpal Singh ji has a very pure consciousness. I heard his two session lecture on 'prem te perteet' which explained that God can only be experienced with Pure Love and Gratitude. He gave examples of the extent of Charity, Sacrifice and Love, and compared Guru Gobind Singh ji to these standards.

All what giani Pinderpal Singh ji explained was of scholarly level but what I was most impressed with was the level of Bhagti / meditation / Naam simran Pinderpal ji must do himself. I automatically started meditating while he was lecturing. I haven't been able to meditate for long time to the standard I like. I was amazed when I woke up at 3.30am yesterday besides being so sick and was able to have an extraordinary meditation session. I still don't know the connection with Lord Shiva. I am a believer of One God waheguru, follower of Guru Nanak and his path but yet again in deep meditation I saw Shiva standing and undoing some kind of lace near my 2-3rd chakra. Without much thinking, I picked it up, broke it into two pieces and placed one lace each under my two feet. The energy started flowing from the top of my head, through my body reaching below my feet into the earth. I also saw a metal Garhva (probably cast iron) 2/3rd full of water with a candle floating in the middle. The candles light was however, turned off temporarily. Then I felt healing in several points of the body, saw green colour scenary in 2-3rd chakra. After this session I was so much better even though I had bad flu.

During the lecture, Pinderpal ji explained the meaning of two lines from Jaap Sahib. First time in life I felt a deep love for this bani and had this sudden realisation that Jaap Sahib has been said while in a meditative state, hence repetition of some words. Previously, I use to feel upset with the length of this bani and couldn't understand the objective of repeating some words explaing God. I took that as poetry and that the words were repeated for the necesity to match the next line and in the absenceof another word, a previous word being repeated. Ideally, I believed that each new line should be giving a new / different explanation about the existence of God. I never realised that it is uttered in deep love for God while being immersed in Him. Today, I am reading Jaap Sahib and cherishing it like never before. I use to enjoy Japji Sahib and Anand Sahib like this previously. Now I am repeating a few lines over and over again to contemplate on the depth of the meaning of those words.

I have always experinced heightened state of consciouness after Kirtan but never after a katha/ lecture before. Pinderpal Singh ji must be a practising sikh with lots of deep love and meditation expreince to influence, motivate and envelop my inner being in God's love, so quickly and easily. My mother and husband also confessed how they both woke up early in the morning as if his words about getting up in the morning penetrated so deep within us all.

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A pot in a dream also denotes one's contentment and his acceptance of his destiny and of the divine providence. Since my garhva was made of cast iron it probably represented my ordinary state of being as cast iron is not a valuable metal like silver, gold etc.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Attention, sickness, rejection and the end result

Why does soul get so desperate for attention that it makes our physical body so sick? Why attention is more important than our Love and responsibilities towards our family?

I can think of only two reasons for the dis-ease. We do not like our present circumstances and are desperately seeking change. Since the circumstances are outside our control, we reject certain parts of our life either by denying or not accepting a person or a situation.

We need to realise that the thing we influence the most when we reject something is our body. Any negative / unhappy thought makes our body sick. Lifetime after lifetime we reincarnate to take revenge and it goes on and on but never gets even.

The only thing is to accept the Hukum - the divine order. By doing so we immediately shed Ego which tells us to Reject something or someone. This takes away the unhappy thought that is the cause of sickness. Therefore, be careful of what you think and reject. As they say, don't throw away the baby with the bathtub. You took birth to DO certain things. Don't be that child that says,"if you don't give me a chance when it's not my turn, I won't play the game with you." If you have this attitude, then it's you who is spoiling the game by being unfair to other players. Don't tell that you are the victim. You just don't understand the rules. Therefore, your belief that you are the victim, is misleading.

By believing that God is never unfair and Natural justice prevails; you are helping yourself get out of the Thought pattern that is making you sick. Do some Soul searching and ask some difficult questions to yourself. Why am I attracting attention and grief at this time? What is it that I am unhappy with and why? Is this situation making me sick? How can I amicably resolve it without trying to get out of it?

At this point, you will realise that the only answer is a win-win solution for both parties. To achieve that, you need to think of the situation from another point of view. What does the other want? Therefore, you realise the need of the other. Fulfilling others needs is an act of Love and compassion. If you get to stay in this body at this time, is it really too high price to pay to let go of a little bit of ego and accept the other person or situation? Unless you feel that your purpose in this lifetime is fulfilled, don't quit; simply Accept. In return you earn yourself another chance of life. Is that such a bad bargain after all? Can any cost be too high to pay for a chance to live?

Visualise happy thoughts and situations. See yourself being healthy and enjoying the things you wish to enjoy in this life at this time. Little things in life that you enjoy. Smile as if you have just received what you always wanted. Be grateful for what you have. Thank God / Universe for all that has been provided. You don't DESERVE anything. A spoilt child always feels that his parents should do more for him / provide better services. A loving child simply loves his parents for whatever they can provide for him. Most of all, the loving child cherishes the company of his parents. Feel the Presence of God within and around you. Simply show GRATITUDE for what has been given to you. Talk to that little voice within you and receive wisdom and understanding so you understand the natural justice. Thank God for this lifetime as a human being and all the relationships and comforts you were provided. Thank for the beautiful Sunrise, the moonlight, the stars and the wide sky. Thank for the air you are breathing. There are endless reasons to thank and feel gratitude.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

most important hour of the day - planning / contemplating

I have been very upset with myself lately as I have started loving my sleep as opposed to getting up in the middle of the night when thevfamily was fast asleep, to utilise that time in meditation. My meditation time was the time to communicate my wishes and desires to the universe and seek support to fulfil them. At best, my desire was to meet God. For some strange reason, I have stopped meditation, Reiki and any other form of rmembering The Creator. It feels like I don't want to communicate anymore. I have remorse but still I can't motivate myself, as if the brain and the heart are not supporting each other. Its the brain- dead phase of life where I am doing the least. I can't even remember the dreams I see at night.

Secreatly inside I don't want to know the immediate future. When meditating, I had visions. Know I don't want them. It was too much information b'cos once I am aware of what's going to be against my wish, I had to pray to change that.

Now I don't know, so I don't have to bother changing anything.
What a cop out? I know difficult time is ahead and I need to prepare but instead I pretend I am living an average persons life - go to work, come home eat dinner and watch movies; wake up in the morning and repeat the same.

Tonight, I woke up to change the pattern. I am awake while the others sleep. And I read the most appropriate article on Planning your day. It gave example of a school teacher that teaches 5 lessons a day but have the one lesson free for Planning the lessons. The example that stuck me was of the builder who starts using bricks and mortel but doesn't stop to plan his next move using the excuse that he doesn't have time to stop and think. It is simply something we can't avoid.

If Planning is most important to the success of the day, the meditating is essential for life. Meditation time is the time for giving time to know your emotional turmoil, your thoughts that are sucking life out of you and planning how to fix the issues. It really doesn't help to say that I have no issues and nothng needs a fix. Even if that is the case, then you must meditate to thank the universe for looking after you so well. So either way, there is no case for 'no need to meditate'.

Friday, February 22, 2013

10 percent of time to be devoted to community and 90 percent to God or vice-versa

I was amazed to hear the other interpretation from a local caucasian guy about where we should spend our time. He said that his religion says to devote 10% to the community. Therefore, he believed that the other 90% of time must be devoted to God.

I was truely amazed to hear this and thought carefully about it.
Gurbani says - Hath paon kar kaam, chit niranjan naal. Let your hands and feet perform the jobs nessasary for daily living but keep your heart desiring the God.

Gurbani further says - Aathh pahar aradhiyai, puran satgur gyan.
Keep God in your conscience, 24 hours a day.

Talking of a Panjabi mentality, we are very aware of donating our 10% of money to the gurdwara and take this duty very seriously. It's ridiculous that 90% is much more than 10% and yet our focus in life is the 10%. on the same token, TIME is more important than MONEY but we worry more about donating money than devoting our thoughts to God.

It's actually appropriate to think about What is God at this point. If you believe that God is the Superconscious that created this uni-verse and that every particle of the physical world has God in it, then what are we to see in every being?

How are we to treat our customers, not how we speak politely because they buy our product. I mean, how are we to see our job/ duty to serve the humanity through the trade we have decided to adopt. I am getting at the doing our job consciously meaning that we must take responsibility for what we serve. If we serve poison when we are expected to serve the masses, who we are really serving is God. So when we hide behind the big names like Monsanto and other corporations and try to serve poison by pretending to be nameless worker - just a cog in the wheel; we need to know clearly that we are responsible for the time we are devoting to these Corporations.

Similarly, we have to be conscious of what we are buying. We can't simply blame others for our misery. We chose to be a customer of a corporation selling poison, then we must endure the cosequences.

So back to the Conscience - think very carefully about what thoughts are occupying our Mind and also of the actions / jobs we are performing with our hands to earn the money. Buddha talks of the Eight right things to do, Right Job is one of them. If you are doing a job that your heart / conscience doesn't agree to, then you are on the wrong path.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

A sikh must devote 10% of their time to spiritualism daily and yet ensure to not disrupt the daily life and resposibilities of home, community and humanity. We must not use religion as an escape from reality or responsibility.

Spiritualism calls for the deciple to be aware of his/ her internal feelings and conflicts. Feelings are the language of the soul, just like Words are the language of the Mind. THOUGHT is responsible for every ACTION. Together they become our KARMA. Behind every thought is a feeling. Happy feelings generate good thoughts and vise-versa.

Internal conflicts lead to dis-ease making the body lose control. Normally body run on instinct and automatic systems that are in place by nature and not on Mind. Mind is a great yet the most distructive weapon we possess. It can generate a negative thought pattern that makes our self-created reality a living hell resulting in disease and eventually death.

Therefore, it is imperitive that we stay very aware of our Mind and guard our thoughts before they create havoc in our lives.

Thoughts are directed by our wishes and desires (WaD). WaD are created by our five senses based on our previous experiences and likings. Ears like listening, eyes like viewing, mouth likes uttering, skin likes touching and nose likes smelling. Its easy for the five senses to find things to like in the physical world as they are tangible.

To devote 10% time (2 hours and 40 minutes) in the Spirit world or spiritualism or on devotion of the unknown, unseen and unfathomable is not at easy task for the five senses. Then how must we spend this time?

To successfully and attentively devote our 100% attention to Spiritualism will mean the involvement of all five senses. Therefore, we must have something to Speak, Listen, See, Touch and Smell. God is beyond the reach of all these five senses, and yet we must involve these to achieve our goal.

Generally, Sikhs read their Nitnem - daily prayer from the Gutka - holy booklet which engages our eyes and mouth. Most of us have memorised at least four of the five morning prayers. This means that we have only the Speech engaged and devoted. Then we wonder why it has taken us a lifetime and yet we have not accomplished much spiritually. We can't expect a 100% result by devoting only 20 % of the senses.

To achieve desired result, we must engage all five senses together at the same time. For this, we focus on the WORD that we utter. We must HEAR what we are SPEAKING. Alongwith this, we need to focus on our Breath and FEEL the temprature of our breath, focus our eyes on some point to SEE and try to SMELL the air around us.

There are two ways to do this. First method is to engage the senses in the Physical action - that is looking at a physical object like the holy granth/ book or gutka/ booklet. Similarly, the smell can be physical, like an incence. This is OK in the ealy stage of devotion.

Eventually, one must realise that the purpose is to be in the Spirit world, therefore, this process must be internalised and the five senses must be engaged in non-physical action, that is visualisation.

Visualisation is the vital part missing from our devotion. Very few sikhs achieve results with their Meditation, prayers and kirtan due to this issue. Gurbani has tried to clarify the methods of meditation clearly but we fail to contemplate on the meaning and in understanding it.
About Speech the guru says - Ek akhar jo gurmukh jape ta ki nirmal soi
About Seeing - Gur ki murat man mai dhyan
In Japji sahib the guru says - Sunyai, manyai, man keeta bhao
Speak, Listen and Feel the essence of the message.

Monday, January 14, 2013

What's the connection between half life and meditation?

Since I have found out that the person who found out about half- life principle, used in making the atomic bomb, was a spiritual person on the quest to find God; i want to know what half-life has to do with Spiritualism. Here is a book that addresses that issue.ThegistofwhatIhavereadisthatitsawrongquestion as my quest is ultimately about being one with God. The authorofbthis. book says that if u remove the identity from the energy, it becomes pure energy, in case of matter but the same can't be applied to humans as they have consciousness. In our case when the identity is removed, what is left if Pure Consciousness. Energy in the form of inorganic matter doesn't have consciousnesss.

 http://books.google.com.au/books?id=lpbf2YzLASMC&pg=PT103&dq=meditation+half+life&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0RjzUIuoLIT4mAX1p4D4Bg