Moksha, nirvana is liberation from what?

In my last blog I raised a few questions about society, it's  beliefs about success and our entire life engulfed in living up to society's standard of perceived success. All our actions are geared towards acquiring more wealth.
This morning I came with the insight that may be moksha is this awareness that they are all false goals and the real goal is self- satisfaction and a state of contentment. Contentment can't come if you stay tuned to what society wants of you in terms of their version of progress and success. Contentment can only come with the awareness of one God, a source of universal energy and wisdom that lives within us all. The realisation that we all have same needs and if we just give up greed for more, and be happy with sharing whatever we have for we all have same needs; contentment will come because there is no competition to snatch from one to be gained by the other. This sacrifice of the techniques suggested by the clever mind to get more than others in favour of the heart's desire for equal share for everyone, is moksha and nirvana. The literal translation of Moksha and Nirvana is Liberation. The oneness with God gives us liberation.
The question is liberation from what; societies false ways, beliefs and expectations. Is it that simple? Is finding God the simple realisation to follow your heart and not the society? Is finding God the simple realisation to make your own path and do something for the humanity instead of working for self greed? Wouldn't life become so simple, if we didn't have that care for showing off to society that we are successful as per their definition?
If so, then what is this war of religion? Does religion even matter, if it's about the realisation that contentment is the key and taking the actions based on the realisation of God within us all. If so, then the only gauge for religious success is how humane actions we take in life. It can't be about how many people we converted into our own religion and weather we stood up to fight for our religion. Trying to change people's belief system by force, by war; is that even possible?
Guru Nanak said contemplation on God is the key. What is God to you? How do you satisfy God within you? Do you ever talk to the God within you? Does the God within you approve of your lifestyle and actions? Do you care about his approval? Or societies standards and approvals are more important to you? God is self that has realised the self in the other. Realisation of God builds compassion in the heart. The simple thought - does the other need it more desperately than me and letting go of it without regret, is Godly. It's not the easiest thing to do when the mind constantly fights the heart and brings the societal standards to the forefront.
 It all comes back to what is success in your mind? What does a successful person look like to you? Is it the one in the suit and tie or the one that is above the worries of what I look like and how others perceive me? Is the successful person the one who works to satisfy his own greed or the one that works to make this earth a better place to live for all? What is success to you? Please leave a comment.

Slaves of a system ?

Are we wasting our lives finding jobs to pay our debt, buying properties and getting more deeply into debt? Are we truly victims of a capitalist system? Are we kept so busy buying things small and big and working hard to pay for them, that we are left with no time for contemplation on our actions? Is keeping us busy a deliberate attempt to keep us dumb? Why do fall for it? Is it because we all like to be seen as successful by the society and the society measures success with material wealth? Why do we have to satisfy the society and its standards?

Would the world fall apart if I left my job of last 20 years? Would it be too bad if I refuse to compete with others in the pursuit of finding a better paying job? Why don't we try a different strategy and instead of increasing funds, try to simplify our way of living. Why does the look of disgust on people's face bother me when I don't wear the latest fashion traditional suit to the temple, just because I am in a different state of mind and do not want to wear shiny, attractive or expensive clothes. Has the society been brainwashed so much that we simply can't think past money and fashion? Why are we acquiring more and more wealth and properties year after year? Why can't we start using that money to feed others and be happy and contented with each other? Why are we ignoring the world poverty? 

Wouldn't the world come to a stand still if we suddenly changed our shopping habits? The reduce the hours we work and spend some of that time meditating and singing?

It disgusts me to see that people are using yoga, meditation and singing to make money. Then again every other profession is doing the same. Why the exchange value for everything is money and measure of success is money? What can we replace money with?

Money has only separated brothers from each other. Money has made us loose our hearts and work with our minds. We are getting better at communicating, marketing and understanding human psychology but what are we using those skills for? To sell more material goods? Why not to promote understanding of the value of contentment, meditation and singing?

Money has brought war. We have not developed at all. We are as savage as we were before. We have just developed better weapons to kill ourselves and our environment. What for? How can we call it development when we are heading towards a world where we are buying water and soon be buying clean air. Wasn't it that we were advanced when we had everything for everyone for free? Why aren't we making any effort to free ourselves from our self created misery?

The only things that have ever satisfied me completely are silence, inner journey through meditation or when I am completely lost in the notes of music. When I loose myself that's when I find myself completely. The joy of silence and nothingness and what happens afterwards can't be compared to any amount of wealth and possessions. Just like the experiences of  traveling to places of natural beauty can't be measured in monetary value, the value of non material experiences is priceless.

God is the vibration of love - a solution to depression

What is God? God is the vibration of love within every living thing. God can't be found through religion but only by sharing, caring and unconditional loving service towards another. To feel loved, you need to give love.

The Panjabi community of Woolgoolga is a living example of how happiness can't be found through wealth. Despite abundance of money and the ability to buy anything they wish, these people are complaining that they don't feel loved by the family, just being used to make money. Why? Is it because we work so hard all day that we have no energy left to say 'I love you' to each other? Is it because we don't trust anyone to whom we can share our deeper feelings and expose our vulnerability ?

How can we address this problem of not feeling loved? The apparent problem of alcoholism is closely related to this feeling of not being loved and depression.

If you ever felt like there is a hole inside you. Nothing makes you truly happy, it's because of  the black dog that lives inside you. Read about the black dog, so when someone says I am going to die, don't just advice them to get over it, take them to a psychologist or simply make time immediately to listen to them. Help them open up their bundle of messed up feelings.

People turn to alcohol so they can't hear the black dog that gives that feeling of emptiness in life but Guru Gobind Singh identified alcohol as something that Fuels that issue even further and may lead to domestic violence. Therefore, Guru Gobind Singh's logic of no alcohol and drugs is stipulated.

Focus on deep breathing. Watch this breath go inside the tummy and touch your black hole where you feel that emptiness, hold the breath there and then release it. Next time feel God's love coming inside with the incoming breath and the life demeaning emptiness leaving your body.
Now you are loved and touched by God. To keep this feeling of love, you must go into the community and share the unconditional love with someone by doing something to make someone happy. Something as simple as greeting someone and smiling can be a gesture of unconditional love. Stay in touch with someone that you trust you can talk to without judgement and be that person for someone else. Do little acts of random kindness without commitment to take ownership of their welfare.

Join a group or pursue a hobby. Something as simple and buy a coffee and enjoy chatting or go for long walk on the beach. When was the last time you noticed the stars in the night sky, a full moon, the floating clouds and their changing shapes, the chirping birds, and the waves hitting the shore one after the other. The time wasting activities like read a novel or a poem, write in a diary are also highly useful in keeping us sane. Gaze into nothingness and take long but soft breaths.

Connect to your navel, your centre of power, breath into it again. This is the meditation, naam simran that Sikh religion talks about in the 1430 pages of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture. This is exactly the same stuff Jesus tried to teach the masses when he said, 'God is love and God is light'. Hinduism and Buddhism also believe in the same meditation. We started stipulating other conditions in the name of religion long after the original messengers passed away. All religions started with this basic message that there is an invisible power within us that needs awakening. When this invisible power unites with the same power that fuels the rest of the visible world, we call it God.

If you simply take away the word religion and just focus on one practical thing they all ask of you, it is meditation which is just a word to say focus on your breathing and you will feel strong and loved. Connect to the vibration of love that is the source of strength that created this universe and holds it together. Just like the internets wifi connection, this waves of love are unseen but powerful source of connection that recharges our battery of life. Let's recharge ourselves and others. Follow the Sikhi of Guru Nanak, the way of Jesus without labelling it. Follow the message not the messenger. In doing so you will make yourself happy and the messenger proud that he succeeded in delivering his message.

World divided in two halves - opposing ideologies but none in favour of human liberty

Human Liberty is at high risk everywhere in the world at the moment because of the religious intotelerance. Forcing people to change their religion or appearance to fit in with the dominant culture in order to gain employment in a society didn't start in India but it will make India an unstable place to live if the terrorist activity in the name of hindutva is not controlled.

The French tried to ban the burka in 2010, and claimed that the goal of the French authorise is to preserve the ideology of 'living together'. The burka, Nisan, hoodies, head covers like scarf and turban are to be removed for security reasons and can't be worn in public places.The media picked up on The fact that Muslim women wearing burka are targeted but failed to recognise that Sikh men wear a turban at all times and they would be affected as well.
If you ask a person from European background, they say that they fear going in parts of towns where black people live in bettors because if they walk those streets, they might get robbed.

Last Friday night, I went to an official Christmas party held in a beautiful beachside town of Sawtell near Coffs Harbour. I happen to sit next to a representative of the city who happens to be a school teacher as well. I know him from the past eight years and was happy to be sitting next to an intellectual person. Something sparked the discussion about the religion and he claimed that part of Europe are unsafe of these people because of the ghettos because the people living in the ghettos have been brainwashed by their religion. My claim is that it's not their religion making them steal from the rich, it's the gap between the haves and the have not's. The debater claimed that the people living in ghetto are responsible for their own poverty because when they go to other suburbs asking for a job, they are asked to remove their beard, if they want the job. Its's their choice to have a job or cut their beard. They chose religion instead of a job. My question was, would cutting the beard make them more intelligent or efficient in their job? If I cut my long platt, would I become a better Librarian ? If not, why should you ask such a thing? It's a symbol of my identity, my culture and then my religion. When you are giving someone that choice, you not giving them any choice; you are giving ultimatum that unless you abide by my rules, You shall suffer in poverty. Therefore, we are imposing our believes on others. The belief, in this case is that a western look is better, more civilised and less threatening. Did I just write that?

Since when are beards and covering their whole body, not part of western culture! Only 150 years ago all Christians believed in cover themselves up. Covering head when going to the church has been the only way less than 50 years ago. We have uncovered ourselves a lot more and changed the culture very rapidly in a very short period of history. Who is to say this is the best practice. How do we know that 100 years from now we will say that humanity suffered highest rates of skin cancer due to this reason and may start believing that covering oneselve and keeping long hair is better ( don't we already say slip, slop, slap)?

Whenever people are forced to chose a look other than the one they prefer otherwise face economic sanctions, people have no choice but to revolt and pick up a gun. Read the history of Sikhism and you will find out how a religion that started as religion to unite all religions was also forced to adopt the policy of wearing a Kirpan, a dagger, because of the need to fight for their belief that everyone has a right to chose their religion, and yet a responsibility to not threaten anyone that is not encroaching on your human rights but protecting those who can't protect themselves, the downtroden.

The fastest way to change someone is through through leading by example and with love. The west has influenced the east by showing the path of Liberty. Sikhs feel safer Living in western countries that they do in the east. Sikhs also feel safer being ruled by the white man than by a black man because we associate Liberty with them.

When I first arrived  in Australia, I went for a walk on the beach by myself and a white lady walking in the opposite direction gave a beautiful smile and said, "Good evening". I gave a fake smile and was puzzled. She didn't know me personally, why did she say that to me? We don't greet strangers like this in India, asking for directions when you are lost is another matter but greeting someone you don't know with a genuine smile? Besides, she was a British, the same kind that committed atrocities on my kind for 200 years and took away all our gold and jewels and left us a poor country. They did the same with Africans. All that I read in my history books was buried deep inside that stopped me from smiling back at her. I went to my new and only husband and asked I a complaining tone. Born and bread in Australia, my husband didn't know any other way and said, "If one human being whom' talk to another human being then who else should they talk to?" These words hit me like a brick. What was I thinking? I had been brainwashed by history? No, history stands as it is but it should not come in my way of seeing a human being as a human being first and everything else later. My husband became my living spiritual master that day. I always forgive all his follies for he taught me the most invaluable lesson that day.

Those who have everything are not making any efforts to help those who don't have a way to provide for their family's basic needs. Instead, we are changing government policies to give subsidies to the rich because it's the rich who fund campaigns for both parties that hold power in government.

Religion itself is no threat to anyone. It's the religious fundamentalist ideologies in every religion that are a threat to everyone, especially to the people who belong to that very religion. It's religious fundamentalists who brainwash people and enforce their rules on everyone else, hence jeopardising their liberty to chose how to dress and how to act, think and behave.

 Sikhs should be on high alert - Gurdwara funds may get controlled by Indian government
shocking-video-recorded-gurdwara-sahibt

Shoes made with pearls

I have never understood how the universe runs several hours ahead of me. Yesterday morning just as I was trying to wake myself up close to 5.30 am to go to the Gurdwara to listen to the musical Asa Di Vaar', I saw a dream that I was getting off the bed and there were shoes made of white pearls right where I was about to put my feet, as if ready for me to slip my feet into them. They attracted me but I was puzzled. Wouldn't they be uncomfortable, I asked myself before trying to put my feet in them.

At 9 am as I arrived at the backdoor of my workplace; there was a fair European lady sitting on the steps with a used blanket near her. She was healthy, intelligent looking beautiful woman with a (fake) white pearl necklace. By the time I noticed all this, I was already at the door and as a habit  I had almost open the door to get in. I had already greeting her with 'Good morning' and a smile but I felt my heart melt a little. I couldn't go inside and let her be. I shut the door again, laughed and said candidly, " I don't want to go in" and started chatting with her to find out her situation and any way I could help her. I offered her help but she denied. I told her where I work and where she can find me should she change her mind later.

How did the universe know I was going to meet this girl in just under four hours time and will feel how uncomfortable situation she is in? It's always about the event that is going to happen roughly within that time frame, the magic number being 40. 

The worse part is that I get the visions but I never understand them properly until after the event. So what's the benefit of them! It just adds to my confusion. It's not even a significant event yet I talked about her plight even in the evening with some friends. Why was she so important that I had to dream about this meeting? Is the universe calling me to help homeless mentally ill women?

Serve humanity before religion

The success of money speaks for itself. Majority of people are after money in their lives, more passionately than they are after their religion. Money is treated seriously in every country weather it is a secular nation or a one religion nation. It's because money buys the necessities and luxuries of life.
Money won the hearts of people because it itself never discriminates. It goes to whoever chases it more competitively regardless of their religion. The sudden rise in share prices of companies that invest in firearms in late 2015, a day after the terrorist attack in France in 2015, was a clear proof that those who are pretending to support the agenda of the western nations to bomb Syria, Afganistan etc are infact simply in favour of war because war benefits their pockets. It is clear that the weapons made by western companies are ending up in the hands of the very people the west is bombing. How is it happening? It's because money talks. And the firearms don't discriminate either, they simply kill.

War can never bring peace. All attempts of genocide of a race or a religion in history have failed. When Indira Gandhi's son Rajiv Gandhi gave orders to bribe mobs and give them ammunition to kill all Sikhs in Delhi in November 1984; it didn't end Sikh religion. The current paid acts of decimation of Sikh scriptures in the State of Punjab is not going to end Sikhism either. Instead, the Sikhs have taken citizenship of countries all over the world.
When Mughal rulers in India tried to convert masses into Muslims, Sikhism, a new religion was born to protect the Hindus and to help them save their religion and dignity. Today Muslims are being persecuted and Sikhs are feeding the hungry and war torn Syrian refugees. The message is clear, "Serve the humanity before any religion".
People of all races and religions are trying to feed and cloth their families. Then they will move on to seek the luxuries of life and in doing so will deprive others of a decent living. worlds-most-sustainable-country How many centuries do we need to understand this simple stuff. Every time you chose to spend money on buying luxuries for yourself, someone out there is dying of hunger. We have focused our energies and resources in the wrong direction. The companies that invest in firearms are there to make money and people investing in them are all criminals and should be treated that way. I can bet my bottom dollar that you will find the queen of England would have heavily invested in that too. End royalty, stop spending your money on luxuries and start feeding the poor. We don't need any weapons, we need more tractors to plow the land and to grow organic food.
Why have we got millionaires in a nation like India? It's because we are hording the money. We are not sharing it. Remember when we invented money, it was for a fairer bargain and easier way to be able to buy another thing in exchange.
God created a currency of LOVE. The more you give the more you get. The more you share with people, the more satisfied you feel. Man created MONEY, so the more he hoards, the richer and greedier he gets.
The real conflict is between money and love. If you intend to see any change, you need to change what you invest in - money or love, humanity or religious politics? We have been choosing other things over love and humanity for centuries. When are we going to learn our lesson?
Ignoring the governments doesn't help either, that's simply evading responsibility towards humanity.

Religious intolerance ramps up religion based brainwashing

Newton's third Law of  Motion' "Every action has equal and opposite reaction"' is proving to be correct in relation to religion as well.  America waged a war on Islam when it said its a war on terror after Al-Qaeda was blamed for the 'Twin Tower' attack in Sep 2001. Muslims were attacked in USA and tortured in Guantanamo bay.
Muslims ramped up their religious activity when they realised that the whole world was against them and every Muslim was being seen as a terrorist. They had to find better way to gain majority and support. There is a rumour going around since 2004-2005 that Muslim boys are preached to marry girls of other religions, make children with them and Turn them into Muslims. I saw a living proof of this act that happened to a Sikh girl from England.

Al-Jazira made a documentary showing the Hindu fundamentalist group Bajrang Dal holding camps for Hindu girls aged 15-35, teaching them fighting skills and preaching that Hindu girls should only marry Hindu boys because of this conspiracy theory that Muslim boys are out there to have an affair with Hindu girls and make them change their faith.
Worried about their own religion Hindu extremist groups like RSS are more active than ever before to exterminate all other religious minorities from India and make it a Hindu Nation by burning bible and decimating Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptures. They are also engaged in the murders mentioned in the Saffron Terror, an article on Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron_terror
Horrified by the decimation of Guru Granth, Sikhs united in holding a black Diwali at every gurdwara around the world. Some might like to take benefit of this unification and try to persuade others to work towards freeing Punjab, a small state in India to make a Sikh nation named Khalistan. So all we have achieved so far is more division and killings in the name of religion. Religious hatred and fear of attack from others hasn't and will not stabilise the world because we are placing religion ahead of humanity. The question is what is it that you want your religion to give you or help you achieve?
If you get into discussion about the religion every religious person is adamant that theirs is the right path but I ask the right path to what? What do you want your religion to give you or help you achieve? Political goals, a name in history, financial freedom, peace, success, leadership, acceptance, belonging, or a place in heaven after you create hell on earth?
Here is someone who believes in the Torah trying to prove everyone else wrong without even trying to ask some questions before handing out verdict http://www.therefinersfire.org/cr.htm I read what he has to say about Sikhism. Tired of this disregard for the other religion and the obedience to the ruler without concern for the daily needs of a common householder, frustrated Nanak left his job.  Nanak wanted better living for all regardless of their religion. I have the same goal. So I am comfortable following Nanak's lead.
What is the one think for humanity that you want your religion to deliver?