Bhai Thakur Singh ji in Woolgoolga

Last night Bhai Thakur Singh ji had his first session. He said all the things in his katha that I talk about with our Granthi and was pleased that my understanding is correct and that this speaker is really promoting Naam / meditation and considers Guru Granth Sahib ji as the pratakh / ever present Guru.

A few days ago my brother rang and was mentioning that his gursikh friend was sharing his doubt about the Panj Bani's of Nitnem, which one's are suppose to be in the Nitnem. My answer was that why is the friend discussing such an issue with him. He is not the Guru. If the friend truly is seeking for an answer, he should meditate and ask Guru Gobind Singh himself. Its not as if the Guru is dead and can't be reached. Guru is present in the sukhsham roop and reveals himself and answers when a true seeker asks for something. Most people simply do not trust that this is possible.

Bhai Thakur Singh ji told a beautiful incident on a Sikh who asked the holy book Guru Granth Sahib to breath if Guru was really ever present in it. He reported that after half an hour of prayer, he was shocked to see the rumala lift up and down several times like someone was breathing.

Taking a hukamnama, after doing Ardas is an easier way of finding the answer and Guru's Hukam but we do not believe in that either. If this is level of faith, then the problem in seeking truth is yourself not the Guru. Guru is showing the way everyday to those who are seeking his support.

Nama Kahe Hon Tarbhi Na Jano, Moko Banh De Banh De Bethla
Bhagat Nama says, I don't know how to swim, hold my hand, O father.

Pray with the above feeling and Guru will help you find the truth. Bhai Thakur Singh also said that political powers are paying huge amouns of money for wrong prachar of sikhi and creating doubt in sangats heads, so people sotp trusting Gurbani, the most trustworthy source of information about spirituality in Sikhism. Thakur Singh ji's example of four robbers who planned to get a poor man's baby sheep by creating doubt in his mind that the sheep was a dog so he abandons it, by simply repeating at different places the same message.

I was pleased that Bhai Thakur Singh mentioned about the night time from 11 pm to 4 am as the prime time for meditation by giving the example of Sant/ Bhai Harnam Singh ji. I don't know who he is, but our Gyani Gurmandeep Singh and I both believe in this time. Thakur Singh ji's example that a serious student studies at night so he/ she can learnt it by heart to get better marks was so appropriate.

He also mentioned that just by repeating the Math Tables everyday for years at school helps remember them, same way its important to repeat gurbani and Waheguru mantra so it resides in the heart. Then the time comes when it vibrates inside you even when you are not saying it and you can still hear it.

It was amazing how my husband was expressing his deep desire to learn Sukhmani Sahib path yesterday and then Bhai Thakur Singh ji said that Sukhmani Sahib has majority of the answers to the frequently asked questions in Sikhism.

Thakur Singh ji also believes that the Earth is under pressure and is already reacting and warned to expect big catastrophic events towards 2012. One sikh who doesn't believe in 2012 rang and reported to Bhai Thakur Singh ji that Guru Gobind Singh ji gave him darshan and said that he won't be able to save those Sikhs that do not read Gurbani. According to Bhai Thakur Singh, we pay a price for everything we need and use, in the same way, this earth asks for its price - meditation. Meditation helps the earth handle the burden on it. The news of buildings sinking in parts of the world recently are a result of this earth not being able to handle the burden, and needing help of meditation to balance its frequency.

Meditation that is Naam creates the vibrations and balances the body and the earth. Elsewhere I wrote a blog on Matter, Body and Spirit. The only difference between the three things -Non-organic matter, Living beings and the Spirit (Sukhsham body / spirit body) is the frequency of vibration.

Neh Kich Janme Neh Kich Marai
Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed, just the form changes.

There is no need to panic as there is nothing else but God himself manifesting himself in different forms. We are part of those manifestations of God, so we will always be, in one form or the other. We do have a choice now. We can meditate and raise our vibration to spirit body level and become immortal, so we don't loose our identity and have the capacity to manifest ourselves and reveal our physical presence when required and yet be able to travel between worlds and reside in God's presence. Or we don't do anything and gravity and age will reduce the frequency of the vibration within us and eventually we will have to become matter, as its the matter that needs the least vibrational frequency. We are not punished for not meditating, I believe, we simply choose consciously or unknowingly between Matter, Body and Spirit.

After all we are part of the One God that always was, is and, always will be. Time is an illusion.

If you are interested in Giani Thakur Singh ji's katha, go to http://www.gurmatveechar.com
Listen to Chaupai sahib by Giani Thakur Singh on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuiLwJSP20s

Which five bani's are part of Nitnem?

I heard this question first time in a Sikh Youth Camp in Sydney, run by Malaysian Sikhs. They say that the Sikhs only need to do Japji, Jap Sahib and Tvaprasad Savaiye in the morning and Rehras Sahib and Kirtan Sohila at night. This is what they preached the young Sikhs attending the camp. Their argument is that if we sing /read 'Kabiyo Baach Benti Chopai' and Anand Sahib that would count as seven bani's a day. They also argue that these two bani's are included in the Rehras Sahib anyway (only the 6 pauris of Anand Sahib). I didn't think much of it then, as I was going to continue what I do anyway.

A few days ago my sister rang and she was very concerned about it as some Malaysian Sikh lady was fostering the same philosophy in the Parklee Gurdwara. I also asked her to simply ignore such people and keep doing what we do. We enjoy and feel comfortable doing five Bani's in the morning, one in Rehras in the evening and Kirtan Sohila at Bedtime as we believe its the right thing to do.

Then I really thought harder about it. What did Guru Gobind Singh ji asked us to do when he said Five Bani's to recite as Nitnem? The answer lies in the following simple question. "Which five Banis do Panj Pyaras recite before the Khanda Bata Amrit Sanchar ceremony since Guru Gobind Shing Ji's time?" As far as I know these are - Japji, Jap Sahib, Traprasad Savaiye, 'Kabiyo Baach Benti Chopai' and complete Anand Sahib. They are the five Bani's of Nitnem that are compulsory for an initiated Sikh to recite in the morning.

Another point that these change lovers might have missed is that all the Nitnem Bani's were completely written by one Guru where as Rehras Sahib and Kirtan Sohila are both compilation of Shabads by more than one Guru. For those who don't understand , the number after the word Mehla indicates which Guru from 1-10 wrote the Bani or Shabad.

If the modern Malaysian Panj Pyaras have changed the five bani's for Amrit Sanchar as well then it won't be long before they will start Fast Food style Amrit Sanchar soon, just because they believe people don't have time and Sikh rules should be changed to accommodate that. Fast food didn't help anyone get healthier and short cuts never helped anyone finish their research for Doctorate quicker.

Conversation with God demands time, feeling and complete attention /devotion. Reciting path is not about ticking another box. If the path is recited only so you can say you did your Nitnem, you are wasting time in a game that you may never win. Do you count time when you sit with your loved one's and have nice time together? Doing path is having a conversation with God and time for contemplation. Guru Nanak says - Parh parh Gaddi Ladiyai - you are only adding more burden to you daily chores and more burden on your headspace, if you are memorising path without understanding the message and without taking action to follow the message. Therefore, if you do not feel like spending time with God, having a conversation with your Guru for understanding, then what is the purpose of doing the daily prayer anyway?

Meditation an adventure

I had never known meditation is an adventure as I do now.

I have been reading a book "Opening the third eye" and another one "The chakra handbook". I have also read "Kundalini .." . Although I found kundalini book difficult to understand because of yogic jargon as the book uses the names of the yoga-mudras that it does not explain but refer to another book, it is still useful to understand certain concepts.

I have had several precious experiences in the last few months. I can see the colour purple in the third eye. I can feel my etheric body between my hands.

If you read Guru Granth Sahib or do your nitnam, you will realise that the Guru is not asking you to read the scripture in a parrot fashion. Its actually giving you the same message again and again in different ways. That message is simple. Meditate. I understand that if you call yourself a sikh- do your nitnam but don't do meditation then you are wasting your time. Nitnam is actually telling you to meditate.

My meditation technique is simple.
10 Minutes of vocally reciting the word Vaheguru. You can divide the word and just repeat Vah then just repeat Guru.
Then the important part is to become quiet and concentrate on your breath going in- expand your chest and going out contract. Just observe.
When you normally get up and think you have done enough, just wait another few minutes and just observe. If thoughts came in to disturb your observation of the breath, start vocally repeating vaheguru again for a few minutes before becoming quiet.

Don't expect anything, just observe and you will have different experiences each day. I was very happy a few days ago when my heart chakra opened and I saw a triangle made from the rays from the third eye to the hear chakra. It was one of the most amazing experiences I had. It still doesn't beat the session when the colourless energy rushed in from above entering my seventh chakra (dasam dwar, 10th gate). Guru says again and again "Anhat shabad annant vaje" It has a very deep meaning. I am still waiting to hear the anhat shabad and the numerous musical instruments that you hear while in deep meditation.