harsharan000

Dear all,
so much we talk of impurities, but let us pause and think:

Before ponting anybody, am I myself free from impurities? Because, whatever we eat and drink, it turns out into "mal" "mootar" within us, and thus we are most the time a carrying bags of them. Then why to look and point outside when our own body is factory of waste, of impurities, on both levels, whether at the physical, or whether at the mental level.

You see, the world and creation is made in such a way, that one has to face different situations and circumstances, but the thing is, to keep in mind, I myself do not commit sins, by doing anything against Gurmat.

Someone once asked a mahapurukh, what is sin and what is virtue?

And the answer given to him in simple words was:

anything taking you away from Wahiguru is a sin, and anything taking you towards Wahiguru is virtue.

So naturally almost all of us know, it is only His Simran which takes us towards Him. And so why do we not eat and drink to the brim, His Naam Simran, which will not produce any waste of mal, mootar, or any other disease, but rather produce the pure Amrit within us, which will make us pure, paviter, and satisfy all our trishnas once and forever, which are the cause of our coming into this world, and make us fit to merge our souls in the Shabad Guru.

Brothers, let us eat His prasad of Nam Simran, then all our doubts and misconceptions shall flee away.

Sat Sree Akal.

I think, we are wrongly mixing 2 things, and we sholud separate them: one is the hygiene and the other is karmas.

Regarding hygiene, whether amritdharis or not amritdharis, all should be well conscious of its importance in heath issuses and try to act accordingly, whether in the langar, home, or anywhere else....


Secondly the karmas point, karmas do not get transferred from one to others, just like transferring or downloading an attachment file on internet, neither by shaking hands, or being in other´s company.

Karmas are created alone by one´s own actions, thoughts and behaviour.

Hygiene is on a physical level, while karmas are on a mental level.

I think, it was in Kabir Sahib´s time, that when he observed that people were going to the so called sacred rivers to bathe and think that by doing so, it will wash one´s karmas or sins...

So he said to them, take a "mirch" and dip it into that sacred waters belived by you people, and then cut it and taste it. You will see that the taste has not changed at all. So if these waters, can not even change, a physical attribute of something, how can you even think, that bathing in it, or drinking it, can wash your sins or karmas which are not material?


In the same way, our Guru Sahibans, have only stressed on His Naam, as the only washer or eraser of all our subtle filth of karmas and sins.

Once having tasted that Naam within, then one can see the changes, that one from a devil (sinner) or a manmukh, one is changed into a Gurmukh or a Saint.

After that stage, one´s speech, one´s thoughts, one´s actions, are changed drastically. We can say, one is converted from a crow which subsists on vishtaa or filth, to a swan which drinks the nectar of Naam only.

Such is the wadeeayee of Gurmat and Naam.

Continuing with the topic of this thread, Dhan Dhan Satgur Arjun Dev Mahara in Raag Bhairao, beautifully reveals us the secret of acheiving mukti, just as if we take any Ang from the Bani .

Of course, less is not expected from a Perfect Spiritual Master as Sachay Patshah Arjun Dev Maharaj.

He too, just like any other Gurmukh, any other Sant Jan, or Guru Sahibans lays stress upon Nam alone.

ਬਿਨੁ ਬਾਜੇ ਕੈਸੋ ਨਿਰਤਿਕਾਰੀ
Bin Baajae Kaiso Nirathikaaree
बिनु बाजे कैसो निरतिकारी
Without music, how is one to dance?


ਬਿਨੁ ਕੰਠੈ ਕੈਸੇ ਗਾਵਨਹਾਰੀ
Bin Kanthai Kaisae Gaavanehaaree
बिनु कंठै कैसे गावनहारी
Without a voice, how is one to sing?


ਜੀਲ ਬਿਨਾ ਕੈਸੇ ਬਜੈ ਰਬਾਬ
Jeel Binaa Kaisae Bajai Rabaab
जील बिना कैसे बजै रबाब
Without strings, how is a guitar to be played?


ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨਾ ਬਿਰਥੇ ਸਭਿ ਕਾਜ
Naam Binaa Birathhae Sabh Kaaj
नाम बिना बिरथे सभि काज
Without the Naam, all affairs are useless.


ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨਾ ਕਹਹੁ ਕੋ ਤਰਿਆ
Naam Binaa Kehahu Ko Thariaa
नाम बिना कहहु को तरिआ
Without the Naam - tell me: who has ever been saved


He goes to the extent, that if we moorakhs still do not have it clear the supreme importance of Nam alone, let us have a look at His words below:

ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨਾ ਸਭ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਛਾਰੁ
Naam Binaa Sabh Dhuneeaa Shhaar
नाम बिना सभ दुनीआ छारु
Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the whole world is just ashes.


ਪਤਿਤ ਪਾਵਨ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਤੇਰੋ ਨਾਉ
Pathith Paavan Prabh Thaero Naao
पतित पावन प्रभ तेरो नाउ
Your Name, God, is the Purifier of sinners.


We may use different methods, different recipes of worships to clean all the filth of our sins, but here Guru Jee, is telling us, that the devotion of Nam bhakti of Wahiguru, is the one which purifies us, nothing more, nothing less.

Everything else is "braham", is agyanta....is koor, is fanah....

Suppossing if one is dirty, naturally one will grab the soap as soon as possible to wash oneself.... one is not going to wait for the municipality members to come and with a protocol procedure give us a soap which is already in our house, then we will say, now we can wash ourselves ....is it not illogical to think so?

Is His Name not the same within everybody just as like in us?

Maybe worldy soaps, are of different makes, different smells and prices.... But the spiritual soap(Nam) which washes all our sins, is kept by Wahiguru within each one of us in equal measure, of same value and smell.... And that spiritual soap, is none other than His Naam Simran

If we lack anything, that is a clear thinking. that is why we are so much engaged and busy in putting more dirt on us, rather than washing ourselves with His Naam. For this very reason, the Bani says: without devotion to Nam, everything else we may do, is like decorating a dead body.

Just let us see the whole scene , the soap is already in our house(our own body) kept by the house owner(Wahiguru), then why to wait for outsiders to come and tell us, please use the soap now and you may have a bath.....

is it not ridiculous ?

If we do not use the soap as soon as possible while alive without waiting for anybody, so if death call us, we may die dirty, so let us be wise and use the soap of His Nam as soon as possible, to clean ourselves in time, and achieve mukti, not otherwise.

Waheguru.

Sat Sree Akal Lunalon,

Personally i wouldnt encourage anyone to pursue Astral travelling...i would suggest doing Naam Simran to subdue the 5 thieves in the subconsious mind and as a means to experience Waheguru (which is what Gurbani states over and over and over....and over again )

my argument about desires is of not having control over them...if someone addicted to porn and sex in this world...starts Astral travelling, he takes with him that same mindset to the Astral Realm...so then what will that person be likely to indulge in there? and once they have some 5 thieves inspired action in the astral realm could they also be suscebtible to getting attached to what they see/experience in the Astral real...can greed hit them there? Anger?

Therefore i will never encourage anyone to pursue Astral Travelling as focal point...

Naam Simran - yes! and maybe a long the way you will get to Astral Travel (but having your primary compass firmly poiting to Waheguru)..
or maybe once the 5 thieves are subdued and Waheguru is Experienced...you can enjoy Waheguru's whole creation without getting lost in it and attached to it..

under the guidance of Naam Simran you are putting your whole faith in Waheguru's will and waheguru's Will only...trusting in Him, and surrendring to his Will...you are saying "here i am...please come and take my hand"

From my very little experience so far...stick with Naam Simran...everything you need to see/experience of Waheguru's creation will be revealed at perfectly the right time for you...when your mind is ready for it....

it will all happen naturally under the guidance of your inner shabad (which is your internal satelite navigation system), it will make sure you bypass all the traffic, road works, dangerous paths, cliffs, and get you to your destination
it will clean your mind and inner body so that you are ready to take the journey ahead with complete concentration and focus and reduce the likelyhood of you wandering around aimlessly and getting distracted over and over like we already do in this world

Just my view based on my little experience on this journey so far....you are obviously free to continue in any way you wish

Totally agree with what your saying bro. The problem is that we all want shortcuts to get the job done whilst putting in minimum effort ourselves. Gurbani places so much emphasis on Sants, Sadhus, Saadh-Sangat. We are conditioned to get close, but when you get too close you begin to see some holes or things we don't understand. Then we are told it's all about following bachan's without any question otherwise you don't get that blessing.

jae ko bachan kamaavai santhan kaa so gur parasaadhee thareeai ||
One who practices the Teachings of the Saints, by Guru's Grace, is carried across.

I was listening to some of the kathas at Sant Baba Isher Singh ji's (Rare Wale) Salana Barsi this weekend in West London and one of the Sants narrated a incident from Babaj ji's life. He said there was a baba ji who's name I cannot remember who used to manage the langar seva at Rara Sahib Gurdwara. One day he came to Baba ji and handed over the keys to Baba ji and said I'm leaving and going to become gristi and get married. Baba ji asked what the problem was? This mahapursh replied that many people come to the langar and my vikars/thoughts/desires are troubling me too much. Rather any kind of incident occurring and I bring this place into disrepute it is better I leave now. Baba ji called him over and placed his hand on his head for a few minutes and then asked him how he was feeling? The mahapursh replied that his mind had been totally cleaned and there were no more disturbing thoughts. Baba ji gave him back the keys and said you asked for this seva from dargah so now go back and complete the job.

Boom job done! If only it was that easy for the rest of us.

Acheiving mukti is only possible by becoming one with the one who is Akaal and Ajoonee just as the Bani says.

And this Akaal and Ajoonee, supreme being is none other than Wahiguru Himself.

So the question is now how to become one with Him?

For that purpose, the Bani also gives us the precise answer.

The Bani says: Jin Har japeeya, se Har hoeeya.

So you see, in the end, it is His Simran, which purifies us from our sins, sanskars, vikaars..... and which makes us worthy to merge and become with Him.

And that is possible by His grace alone.

That is when the Bani says: Jevad Aap, te vad teree daat. Means, this is the best bakshish He can shower on us.

Of course from such a High being like Him, less can not be expected. He gives us Himself to us, when pleased with our bhakti, which also, is not done by us with our efforts, but by His grace alone.


Gods, godesses, avataars, can give us Baikunth, riches, comforts, kingdoms, possesions ....but mukti from the cycle of births and deaths, only He can give us, and that also not by wavering a magic stick like a jadugar, but, by sincerely applying each and everyone of ourselves to the jugtee of Naam Simran.

Waheguru.

Good read.

Meditation on sound or light
Along with the awareness of tripura, one comes to a point of following either sound or light, depending on his or her personal predisposition. Your intuition will tell you which is more resonant for you. If you have difficulty discerning which is right for you, it will probably help to have a conversation with someone who has already tread this later stage of the path. In either case, both (sound or light) lead to the same place out of which they both emerged. It is somewhat like choosing which door to use to enter a ballroom; both doors lead into the ballroom.

With predisposition for sound, the sadhaka listens into the sound of silence, as if the source of all sound will emerge. It has a feeling somewhat like stretching onto silence after mantra, as was described above. With predisposition for light, the sadhaka watches into the darkness, as if the source of all light will emerge. Here, there is also a stretching of awareness into the formless darkness, as was described with body, breath, mantra, and sound. Eventually, the sadhaka experiences the formless source that is common to both sound and light, regardless of which was followed in the practice (like finally being
in the ballroom that has two entrance doors).

If a mantra has been used as a focal point for meditation, this will have already been followed into its silent, felt sense of awareness, with the syllables having fallen away. The sound or light that is eventually experienced is an aspect of the mantra, only at a very subtle level. Sound and light are then experienced as inseparably mingled. In a higher state, the common source of sound
and light are experienced.

Advancing in meditation
A time comes when meditation stirs the unconscious mind and brings forward hidden impressions. It quickens the method of analyzing, understanding, and surveying the unconscious.

If you are emotional, use anahata chakra, the center between the two breasts. If you are intellectual, or think much, use ajna chakra, the breath chakra, between the two eyebrows. In no way, at this point, should you meditate on the crown chakra, or any lower chakra. If you meditate on the crown, on sahasrara chakra, you might hallucinate. There is a tiny circle on the space between the two eyebrows. In the center of the circle, there is an unflinching, milky white flame steadily burning. Sound and light come from within. Either you should strengthen visualization or you should engage your mind in listening to the sound coming from within. Those who listen to the sound within begin to hear the anahata nada, the inner sound. When an aspirant is able to make his whole being into an ear, he hears the sound of anahata nada. Finally, you’ll hear the sound like OM; your whole being vibrates from within, though your body is still. Your mind is being led by the mantra, toward the silence. When your mind is not following the subtle sound of the mantra, then it becomes aware of the illumination of ajna chakra.

Suddenly your mind enters into something like a tunnel, that leads you to the gateway of sahasrara chakra, the thousand-petaled lotus.

Constant awareness of mantra
When the consciousness of the mantra is deepened, the mantra is able to guide the mind in the inner world.
The student is then taught to be aware of the inner light that already burns without flickering. The light which is within us is the finest and best form upon which to meditate. The mind then begins to see clearly; it is no longer clouded. Then the light of consciousness and mantra become one, because at that stage the mantra is not actually remembered, but its meaning and feeling are revealed. When one develops the feeling of constant awareness of the mantra, it unites with the mainstream of consciousness where light and sound are inseparably mingled. In a higher stage sound and light are united, and in the highest state pure Consciousness alone exists
Grace and shaktipata
From here on it is only grace of guru, Self, god, or whatever else you might like to call it, which can take us the rest of the way. I liken it to the space probes sent to Mars. As with sadhana (practices) it took a great deal of energy to break away from the Earth’s atmosphere and gravitational pull (like us breaking away from our false identities, attractions, aversions, and fears). Finally, when coming close to its destination, it took very little power to go the rest of the way, as it was the gravitational pull of Mars that pulled the probe to its final destination.

That which pulls us the rest of the way is similarly a naturally existing energy (analogous to the gravitation pull of Mars), which for convenience sake is called grace . Different people have lots of different opinions about the name and nature of that grace, but such a gravitational energy is definitely there to pull us the rest of the way, once we have put in all of the exertion we are capable of putting out. Our job is to do the work we are capable of doing so as to get within reach of that grace or shakti. It is also called shaktipata , or the bestowing of grace.

Piercing the bindu
At some point of meditation the mind enters into something that is experienced as a tunnel (called brahma nadi, which is the energy channel of manifestation itself, as consciousness has come outward to become who we are as a person). The tunnel entrance is near the end of the mind and what it can do for us as a tool on the inner journey. Everything collapses , so to speak, into the point from which all of our being has originally emerged.

That point is called bindu , which is a Sanskrit word that literally translates as point or dot. Consciousness recedes into and through that point or bindu in what can only be described as being like an intense explosion. On the other side (for lack of a better word to describe the indescribable) of the explosion of the bindu is the direct experience of the absolute reality, Brahman in Vedantic terms, or the preexisting union of Shakti with Shiva, in Tantric terms. It is called Mahatripurasundari in the samaya sri vidya tantra of the Himalayan tradition.
Mahatripurasundari is the great (maha), beautiful (sundari) one who dwells in, and is the substratum of the three cities known as waking, dreaming, and sleeping, or the gross world, subtle plane, and causal realm, or simply Tripura , the one in the three cities. This is the real Self, which is the Self of all, which is spoken of as the goal of life called Self-realization.

On the majesty and inmensity of Shabad as Guru, and the relation of the soul with it, as a disciple or chela, Dhan Dhan Satguru Amar Das Maharaj, sheds some more light for us moorakhs manmukhs in His Bani in Raag Sarang :

ਜੀਆ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਸਬਦੁ ਹੈ ਜਿਤੁ ਸਹ ਮੇਲਾਵਾ ਹੋਇ
Jeeaa Andhar Jeeo Sabadh Hai Jith Seh Maelaavaa Hoe
जीआ अंदरि जीउ सबदु है जितु सह मेलावा होइ
In all the living beings, the soul is a particle of Shabad. And through it we meet Him.

Here He cleary tells us, that all living forms, irrespective of, their sizes, colors or shapes..... as long they are alive, or their is life in them, it is because the soul as a particle of that primal energy named Shabad, is present in them for that time being.

It is not alive because it breathes, but because the soul is present there, Breathting is just a function of the body, and the breathing goes on, as long as the soul stays/remains there.


ਬਿਨੁ ਸਬਦੈ ਜਗਿ ਆਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੇਰੁ ਹੈ ਸਬਦੇ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ
Bin Sabadhai Jag Aanhaer Hai Sabadhae Paragatt Hoe
बिनु सबदै जगि आन्हेरु है सबदे परगटु होइ
Without the Shabad, the world is in darkness. Through the Shabad, it is enlightened.

Then He says, without this Shabad Guru, there is utter darkness in the creation. Only when this Shabad manifests itself as Shabad Guru, we get enlightment of the one Truth, Wahiguru Akal Purukh.

And when we say we get enlightment, then who are we? Are we those of a particular community, caste, color or creed?
No.
Because as Guru Jee made clear in His first line, The enlightment is for the mind, which is an obstacle in our way towards Wahiguru. Just as in darkness, the theives steal, or the evil doers commit sins, so in agyanta, we moorakhs are entangled in manmukhta, and in name of dharam, mazab, a lot of atrocities are commited, a lot of nonsense is said and followed blindly.
Mind works in full force, while the poor soul is asleep, but once one´s soul is under the sunlight(gyan of Gurmat), the thieves run away, as now the owner of the house is awake. So it is essential for us, to take shelter of the Bani by practicing what it says, and workout our salvation in time before the yam doots come and snatch us from our hair, by not taking refuge in Naam Simran.


ਪੰਡਿਤ ਮੋਨੀ ਪੜਿ ਪੜਿ ਥਕੇ ਭੇਖ ਥਕੇ ਤਨੁ ਧੋਇ
Panddith Monee Parr Parr Thhakae Bhaekh Thhakae Than Dhhoe
पंडित मोनी पड़ि पड़ि थके भेख थके तनु धोइ
The Pandits, the religious scholars, and the silent sages read and write until they are weary. The religious fanatics are tired of washing their bodies.

In the line above, He clears our doubts even more. He says, all that is done as devotion or bhakti by means of the body such as rituals and ceremonies, or outer venerations, that is darkness which runs away, but lighting on, Gurmat in our lives.

ਬਿਨੁ ਸਬਦੈ ਕਿਨੈ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ਦੁਖੀਏ ਚਲੇ ਰੋਇ
Bin Sabadhai Kinai N Paaeiou Dhukheeeae Chalae Roe
बिनु सबदै किनै न पाइओ दुखीए चले रोइ
Without the Shabad, no one attains the Lord; the miserable depart weeping and wailing.

Then in the next line as seen above, He goes one step further, and tells us, if one does not hold on to the Shabad Guru, one can never ever merge in the Lord. Then it will be too late, with no time left to rectify our foolishness. Then even if one weeps and wails, the yam doots will not stop even for a moment. These messengers of death will say stop protesting you foolish man, Wahiguru gave you a whole life, and you just waisted it after peanuts and stones.... And so what is that true wealth, to be gathered before one dies?
Or what is that holding and giving oneself to the Sahabd Guru?
Well, it is placing one´s hope only on Him, through His Shabad, and thus through His Naam Simran. As simple as that.

ਨਾਨਕ ਨਦਰੀ ਪਾਈਐ ਕਰਮਿ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਹੋਇ
Naanak Nadharee Paaeeai Karam Paraapath Hoe
नानक नदरी पाईऐ करमि परापति होइ
O Nanak, by His Glance of Grace, the Merciful Lord is attained.

And so in this His last line above, Guru Jee is saying, that soul is a wadbhagee soul, who recieves His Daya Meher, does that devotion which pleases Him the most, which is as seen, Naam Simran, thus that soul frees it chains with the wheel of the eighty four, and merges in the Lord for once and forever.

Waheguru bless all.

Beautiful is the title of this thread by brother Truthseeker.

I was just listening a beautiful shabad kirtan, from the Bani of Fifth Patshahee in Raag Sree Raag, and though the whole shabd is beautiful and blissful, but there comes a line, in which Guru Jee reveals us our true essence as souls, as sikhs, and His true nature as True Guru.

Here it goes:
baah pakarh gur kaadhi-aa so-ee utri-aa paar.
Grasping him by the arm, the Guru lifts them up and out, and carries them across to the other side.


Now let us just pay attention and see the beauty and depth in it.

He is telling us, that, we by ourselves can do nothing, however much jap, tap, poojas, paaths we may do, even any outer rituals, but even then, we by ourselves can never ever get out from this mayavee creation. Because , all these types of devotion we do as manmukhs, we think we are doing it.

The thing is, in real devotion we have to dissolve our ego, our ahankaar, our sudh, our budh, only He has to exist, we simply are not.

That is why, our Guru Sahibans have stressed so much on Naam Simran. It is the only method or jugtee, by which we break the barriers of our minds and place ourselves at His Lotus Feet.

As long as we think I do this or that, He does not come into the scene. But when we take refuge at His Lotus Feet, through the devotion of Naam, then He sees our humility and likes us, He says, now you have become light by removing the weight of the haume of me, mine, mind ....

Then in the next moment, as Guru Jee tells us in the above line, the consequence of giving ourselves totally to Him, is that, He extends His powerful arm and pulls us out from this mayavee bhavsagar.

That is when Guru Jee says:Baah pakarh Gur kaadeeya

The thing and beauty of sikhee is, it makes us consciouss by realizing in a most simple way, our true spiritual nature as souls, as disciples, as sikhs, as chelas, as dhun, and the also the True status of Shabad Guru.

So, as long as we think we are so and so, from here or there, and have to do so and so.... we are bound to remain in this creation, with hardly any spiritual progress.

But the moment we realize we are the soul, trapped by the mind and maya, we shall do the bhakti as per Gurmat, then we shall shed all our outer coverings on our souls, and go in the search of the Shabad Guru who is within us, and waiting eagerly for us, so that we may reach Him there within, and thus He pulls us out from the realms of karma, of pain and misery, from the realms of maya and Dharam Rai, to the realm of Dayal Purukh.

We are not the body, as we shall have to leave it here, it is nothing but a handful of dust ....our real self is the soul, the sikh, the chela, which is in nature a drop of Satnam, and in that Satnam Samundar it has to merge and become the Ocean itself, through bhakti, not otherwise.

So if we never do Naam Simran, how will our soul reach at His Lotus Feet?

How will our surtee, be pulled out by Guru Jee within?

Some may think, I am crazy, I do stress a lot on Naam Simran, and not on other things.

But that is, because we have a very short time, and as per Gurmat, if we do not do the real thing as seen in the Bani of Fifth Patshahee, how will we save our souls?

The path of Gurmat or sikhee, is for the freedom of our souls and defeating our minds, and not for our bodies which are insentient and perishable, however we may decorate and make up them, but in the end it is nothing but clay, while our souls are His essence.


It is our souls which shall merge in Him, and become Nirankar as He is.

And when this is achieved, who is there a sikh, a khalsa, a muslim, a christian or a hindu?

Or who is an american, indian, british or chinese over there?

All these outer aspects simply do not exist there, for which we so foolishly fight and kill, and burn with the fire of haume....


He is not realized by us, by belonging to any culture, class, caste, creed or country, but by putting into action a particular discipline : Gurmat, the bhakti of Naam Simran, taught by our Guru Sahibans and all True Gurmukhs, or Sant Janas.

The relation as per the topic of this beautiful thread: Shabad Guru, surat dhun chela... is described in a very clearly and simple langauge, by Dhan Dhan Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj in His lines above.

Waheguru.

Beautiful is the title of this thread by brother Truthseeker.

I was just listening a beautiful shabad kirtan, from the Bani of Fifth Patshahee in Raag Sree Raag, and though the whole shabd is beautiful and blissful, but there comes a line, in which Guru Jee reveals us our true essence as souls, as sikhs, and His true nature as True Guru.

Here it goes:
baah pakarh gur kaadhi-aa so-ee utri-aa paar.
Grasping him by the arm, the Guru lifts them up and out, and carries them across to the other side.


Now let us just pay attention and see the beauty and depth in it.

He is telling us, that, we by ourselves can do nothing, however much jap, tap, poojas, paaths we may do, even any outer rituals, but even then, we by ourselves can never ever get out from this mayavee creation. Because , all these types of devotion we do as manmukhs, we think we are doing it.

The thing is, in real devotion we have to dissolve our ego, our ahankaar, our sudh, our budh, only He has to exist, we simply are not.

That is why, our Guru Sahibans have stressed so much on Naam Simran. It is the only method or jugtee, by which we break the barriers of our minds and place ourselves at His Lotus Feet.

As long as we think I do this or that, He does not come into the scene. But when we take refuge at His Lotus Feet, through the devotion of Naam, then He sees our humility and likes us, He says, now you have become light by removing the weight of the haume of me, mine, mind ....

Then in the next moment, as Guru Jee tells us in the above line, the consequence of giving ourselves totally to Him, is that, He extends His powerful arm and pulls us out from this mayavee bhavsagar.

That is when Guru Jee says:Baah pakarh Gur kaadeeya

The thing and beauty of sikhee is, it makes us consciouss by realizing in a most simple way, our true spiritual nature as souls, as disciples, as sikhs, as chelas, as dhun, and the also the True status of Shabad Guru.

So, as long as we think we are so and so, from here or there, and have to do so and so.... we are bound to remain in this creation, with hardly any spiritual progress.

But the moment we realize we are the soul, trapped by the mind and maya, we shall do the bhakti as per Gurmat, then we shall shed all our outer coverings on our souls, and go in the search of the Shabad Guru who is within us, and waiting eagerly for us, so that we may reach Him there within, and thus He pulls us out from the realms of karma, of pain and misery, from the realms of maya and Dharam Rai, to the realm of Dayal Purukh.

We are not the body, as we shall have to leave it here, it is nothing but a handful of dust ....our real self is the soul, the sikh, the chela, which is in nature a drop of Satnam, and in that Satnam Samundar it has to merge and become the Ocean itself, through bhakti, not otherwise.

So if we never do Naam Simran, how will our soul reach at His Lotus Feet?

How will our surtee, be pulled out by Guru Jee within?

Some may think, I am crazy, I do stress a lot on Naam Simran, and not on other things.

But that is, because we have a very short time, and as per Gurmat, if we do not do the real thing as seen in the Bani of Fifth Patshahee, how will we save our souls?

The path of Gurmat or sikhee, is for the freedom of our souls and defeating our minds, and not for our bodies which are insentient and perishable, however we may decorate and make up them, but in the end it is nothing but clay, while our souls are His essence.


It is our souls which shall merge in Him, and become Nirankar as He is.

And when this is achieved, who is there a sikh, a khalsa, a muslim, a christian or a hindu?

Or who is an american, indian, british or chinese over there?

All these outer aspects simply do not exist there, for which we so foolishly fight and kill, and burn with the fire of haume....


He is not realized by us, by belonging to any culture, class, caste, creed or country, but by putting into action a particular discipline : Gurmat, the bhakti of Naam Simran, taught by our Guru Sahibans and all True Gurmukhs, or Sant Janas.

The relation as per the topic of this beautiful thread: Shabad Guru, surat dhun chela... is described in a very clearly and simple langauge, by Dhan Dhan Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj in His lines above.

Waheguru.

Sahib Jee,
meditation is the door which allows one´s soul consciousness, to trespass from the physical world into the spiritual world. There are quite a few things which are common to mankind as well as these highly spiritual beings, gurmukhs, sant janas, and as well as our very Guru Sahibans.

Meditation is one of them, it is not exclusive for any social or geographical status.

In the very begining, before Shabad manifested itself as Wahiguru or Satnam, that very Shabd was absorbed in itself in a meditative state.

The difference between us and these superior and pure spiritual beings is, that while we are full of rust of karmas and sanskaras, they are spotless and inmaculate, so naturally while we can not even think of meditating or it is as hard as like chewing iron; but for them, it just takes them to close their eyes, and wow, they are there...so quick, it is instataneous.

They are totally filled with Naam, their whole being, their rom rom, reverbeartes with Naam, nay, they are the embodiment of Naam.....

Waaaaheguruuuuuu.

Sahib Jee,
meditation is the door which allows one´s soul consciousness, to trespass from the physical world into the spiritual world. There are quite a few things which are common to mankind as well as these highly spiritual beings, gurmukhs, sant janas, and as well as our very Guru Sahibans.

Meditation is one of them, it is not exclusive for any social or geographical status.

In the very begining, before Shabad manifested itself as Wahiguru or Satnam, that very Shabd was absorbed in itself in a meditative state.

The difference between us and these superior and pure spiritual beings is, that while we are full of rust of karmas and sanskaras, they are spotless and inmaculate, so naturally while we can not even think of meditating or it is as hard as like chewing iron; but for them, it just takes them to close their eyes, and wow, they are there...so quick, it is instataneous.

They are totally filled with Naam, their whole being, their rom rom, reverbeartes with Naam, nay, they are the embodiment of Naam.....

Waaaaheguruuuuuu.

Just because sikh community loosing its sikh dharma spiritual hertiage does not mean sikh spiritual hertiage does not exist...Sikh history is filled with glorious examples of meditation, events of bedeh mukht (turiya atith- non transcedental sehaj state) avastha by gursikhs and our guru's.

For example, here are some of many examples:

Sri Guru Nanak dev ji meditating on itself-effortless meditation before in river where he disappeared.
Sri Guru Arjan dev ji in sahaj sun smadhi- bedah mukh avastha while he was being matyr- put on iron hot place
Sri Guru Tegh Bahudar Ji went in deep meditation for 10-20 years in bairaag.
Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji maharaj previous incarnation meditation as- dusth daman listed in his autobiography- bachitar natak, gone in non transcedental meditation when he uttered- tuhi tuhi 16,000 times in akaal ustat and cut it short later on.

Baba Deep Singh ji fighting with his head off, bhai taru singh, bhai mani singh ji also going through extreme torture yet smiling in samaj sun smadhi- bedah mukh avastha as they were merged in their atma.

I have heard that God is always meditating upon Himself.

If you are talking about outer physical bodies of Guru Ji, they showed us the way by meditating, singing Gurbani Kirtan, singing praises of Nirankar, doing sewa, sitting on tatti tawi etcetc. They practiced what they taught us.

Forget about them being meditating, They are whom we meditate upon.

Pen Jee,
thanks for such an inspiring and natural post; but if allowed I would like to share some points along :

The brain may be the receptor and decipher the electrical signals received, and is useful when there is body ....

But what about, when one deceases, and there is no physical body with its organs?

The thing is , the mind receives information through the senses and the physical organs. And all this, is limited between the material parameters.

Saints tell us, that the soul has the faculty to see, which is called "nirat", and the faculty to listen, which is called "surat".

Christ also referring to this topic says in the Bible: having eyes yee see not, having ears yee hear not.

Sachay Patshah Dhan Guru Angad Dev Maharaj also, tells us something on this Sound listening and seeing, in His pure paviter Bani of Raag Majh:

ਅਖੀ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਵੇਖਣਾ ਵਿਣੁ ਕੰਨਾ ਸੁਨਣਾ
Akhee Baajhahu Vaekhanaa Vin Kannaa Sunanaa
अखी बाझहु वेखणा विणु कंना सुनणा
To see without eyes; to hear without ears;

Here He is telling us, that, that power of Truth, of Shabad or Naam which is within us, is reverberating all the 24 hours, which can be seen and listened to, and for that, we do not need these physical eyes nor these physical ears. So what He is saying is, that Primal Sound or Shabad, has existed right from the very begining, and is the source and origin of everything seen or unseen.

Christ also says in the Bible: In the begining was the Word(Shabad), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....

Now most of us can not listen or see the reulgence of that Shabad within, and that is because, our minds are filled with the filth of karmas, desires, revenges, anger, hatred, falsehood ...... but that does not mean, that the Shabad of which our Guru Sahibans and all the true Gurmukhs or Bhagats talk about, is something a product of their imagination.

Nay.

It is their very interaction and experience with that ultimate and Supreme Truth, known as Shabad, Anhad Bani, Amrit Bani, Naam ..... different words have been used by different Lovers of God, at different places and times, but all do refer to the same Power

ਪੈਰਾ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਚਲਣਾ ਵਿਣੁ ਹਥਾ ਕਰਣਾ
Pairaa Baajhahu Chalanaa Vin Hathhaa Karanaa
पैरा बाझहु चलणा विणु हथा करणा
To walk without feet; to work without hands;


ਜੀਭੈ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਬੋਲਣਾ ਇਉ ਜੀਵਤ ਮਰਣਾ
Jeebhai Baajhahu Bolanaa Eio Jeevath Maranaa
जीभै बाझहु बोलणा इउ जीवत मरणा
To speak without a tongue-like this, one remains dead while yet alive.


In the above 2 lines, Satguru Jee is telling us, that not only can the soul see and listen without physical eyes and ears, but it can move and fly also, without any feet nor hands to work.
Naturally all these references by Guru Jee, are of the spiritual aspects of the soul alone, not of the body...

Now we may ask, what is the work of the soul which Guru Jee refers to?

Well, He clearly refers to the work of devotion, of bhagtee of Wahiguru ....

In which, one need not do anything such as rituals, customs, idol worship, etc(outer practices), in order to have the Darshan of the Jot of Wahiguru, and listen to the divine melodies emananting from that Shabad .....

But that much, as, His bhajan bandagee

Further on He reveals us some secrets for one´s spiritual progress and achievements, that, one need not the tongue to recite nor read anything in performing His devotion, but to do His Naam Simran with concentrated attention, in order to gather our dispersed consciousness throughout the nine portals of the body, and enter the spiritual realms, and there with the aid and guidance of Naam, through its Light and Sound, return back to our Nijh Ghar Sach Khand.

That is why the Bani says: Shabad Guru, Surat Dhun chela. The Shabad is our True Guru, and the disciples/ sikhs or chelas are our souls.

Sat Sree Akal.

Karma veer Jee,
what is all this rudeness? I mean, why is your speech so full of hatred, anger and intolerance? Can´t you be gentle and talk in normal tone? is that too much?

If others opinions are bullshit for you, remember, you too are not perfect as seen, which means, your nonsense is also bullshit. So do not try to be smart, by showing off that you know everything. Self respect starts, by respecting others.

Because, as you say and repeat: parents may have taught their children how to handle things in a sensible and a responsible way, which is quite valuable, but if they have not taught mannerisms and humanity to their children, than there is a risk, that those children get spoilt, and this shows one´s true colours, when they are grown up.

You have full freedom to disagree, as each one´s level consciouss is different, each one is from a different background, etc.

Myself for example, I do agree with some of your opinions, and with some others I do not, but that does not mean, that I start disrespecting you, bullying you, and talking bullshit of you.

No Veer Jee, that is not the way.

By being good and humble one may go a long way ahead, otherwise one may find an accident and finish before one´s expectations.

Being good, costs nothing and is the base of a human being; being hard and arrogant, just creates disharmony...

Sat Sree Akal.

"A STORY"

A Wealthy Man Was Walking, Along The Way, He Saw A Beggar On The Sidewalk.
The Rich Man Looked Kindly On The Beggar And Asked, "How Did You Become A Beggar?."
The Beggar Says. " Sir I've Been Looking And Applying For Jobs For Over A Year, But Haven't
Found Any."..
"You Look Like A Rich Man Sir, If You'll Give Me A Job, I'll Appreciate And Stop Begging".
The Rich Man Smiled And Said, "I Want To Help You, But I Won't Give You A Job. I'll Do
Something Much Better. I Will Make You My Business Partner. Let's Start A Business Together."
The Beggar Blinked Hard. He Could Not Understand What The Older Man Was Saying.
"What Do You Mean, Sir?."
"I Own A Rice Plantation. You Could Sell My Rice In The Market. I Will Provide You The Sacks
Of Rice. I Will Pay The Rent For The Market Stall. I Will Even Give You Food Allowance For The
Next 30 Days. All You Have To Do Is Sell My Rice. At The End Of Each Month, As Business
Partners, We Will Share The Profits."
Tears Of Joy Rolled Down The Beggars Cheeks.
"Oh Sir", He Said, "You're A Gift From Heaven. You're The Answer To My Prayers. Thank You, Thank You !."
He Then Paused And Said, "Sir, How Will We Divide The Profits? Do I Keep 10% And Give You
90%? Or Do I Retain 5% And Give You 95%?..I Will Be Happy With Any Arrangement We Agree
Upon."
The Rich Man Shook His Head And Chuckled.
"No, I Want You To Give Me The 10% Of The Profits, And You Keep The 90%."
For A Moment The Beggar Could Not Speak. When He Tried To Speak, It Was Gibberish.
"Uh, Gee, Uh Wow.., I Mean Hug..?"
He Couldn't Believe His Ears. The Deal Was Too Preposterous.
The Rich Man Laughed More Loudly, Then Explained, "I Don't Need The Money, My Friend.
I'm Already Wealthy Beyond What You Can Ever Imagine. I Want You To Give Me 10% Of The
Profits, So You Grow In Faithfulness And Gratitude."
The Beggar Knelt Down Before His Benefactor And Said, " Yes Sir, I Will Do As You Say. Even
Now, I'm So Grateful For What You've Done For Me."
And So They Commenced Their Partnership.
As The Business Grew, The Beggar Forgot Where The Blessing Came From..
Each Day, The Beggar, Now Dressed Better, Operated A Store Selling Rice In The Market.
He Worked very Hard. He Woke Up Early Each Morning And Slept Late At Night.
The Sales Were Brisk Because The Rice Was Of Good Quality.
After 30 Days Into It, The Profits Were Astounding.
As The Ex-Beggar Was Counting The Money, And Liking The Feel Of Money In His Hands, An Idea Stuck His Mind.
He Told Himself, "Gee, Why Should I Give 10% To My Business Partner?, I Didn't See Him The
Whole Month ! I Have Been The One Working From Morning Into Night For This Venture. I Did
All The Work. I Deserve 100% Profits!."
The Next Morning The Rich Man Came Knocking On His Door To Collect His 10% Share Of The Profits.
The Ex-Beggar Opened The Door And Said, “You Don't Deserve The 10%. I Worked Hard For This. I Think I Deserve All Of It!”, And He Slammed The Door.
If You Were His Business Partner, How Would You Feel?
Dear, This Is Exactly What Happens To Us…
God Gave Us Everything, God Is Our Business Partner
God Gave Us Life. Every Single Moment, Every Single Breath, Every Single Second…
God Gave Us Talent, Ability To Talk, To Create, To Earn Money…
God Gave Us A Body, Eyes, Ears, Mouth, Hands, Feet, Heart…
God Gave Us A Mind, Imagination, Emotions, Reasoning, Language..
So We Need To Give Back Our Business Partner Something In Return...
In What-So-Ever Way We Can..!!

And the simplest way is, to give Him some time of our day everyday, in His remeberance ....with that, He is more than satisfied.

Another blissfull simran session. Love the mandolin touch.

https://soundcloud.com/veermanpreet/3-veer-manpreet-singh

Dhan Guru Nanak Tuhi Nirankar....

dear brother harsharan ji... all things u r saying are true but just want to know if every thing was written by god even before birth thn why do we work hard... just live at mercy of god... if he has written food in the life of individual thn he will get... second thing bro one can only understand these things if he is not hungry... world biggest reality is hunger... apart from this every body recites or meditate for personal reasons... some bdy for brahmgian , others for higher spiritual level, and low persons like me for getting lif on track. i just dont want anything .. just need my life on track before i loose my health or my parents.. my age is 26 and i have depression problem and cant sleep widout pills... same wid my mother... during extreme situations suicide seems to much easier than life.... no friend or relative is ready to stand wid me... bro in these conditions who will think of karmas... if we cant change them thn its better to die once rather thn daily.. sorry if said anything offensive .... wrote wat was in my mind....

sorry to hear about your problem veer g.. hope every thing is fin now.... am also in same boat as yours and still not been able to find solution.. day by day loosing every thing in front of my eyes...am not so knowledgeable as certain senior folks over here...nd dont know how and where to find solution....

Trust me you don't know the kind of shyyt iv'e been through. Think of the sakhi of that garreb singh who shared half of one roti with a visitor and still thanked akaal pursh for his great blessings. Ruff times don't always last through time it will go. Ketiia dukh bukh sad maar, eh be daat tere dataar

Sat veere, thnx fr such a detailed reply, I agree that dukh brings you closer to god and he can be seen only by a bairagi heart, heart which longs for him, I have seen him giving a pause status to all my pains, otherwise things could get worse.

Fateh

thnx Sat and Jaikara veer ...

@ Pal 07 - veere easy to say....I m not expecting u to help,,,I jus wann my fellow singhs to be aware of tests we can encounter (I know its my fight bro)