SunnySingh

Found the following interesting article on the net, and thought of sharing with the sangat here.
 
Is meditation, observing thoughts or not thinking? What is it exactly?
Answer by Brian Jones, experience sharer/heartful helper.
 
First, there are different types of meditation.
For me, it is neither of the two that you mention.
First, not thinking is a result of meditation and not the meditation itself. The mind thinks, period. That´s what it does!
Now lets discuss observing thoughts.
You are observing thoughts all the time. We are constantly doing this. Meditation is a practice that should train our awareness to NOT be observing our thoughts.
If your mind is a hurricane and you learn how to gain control of where you place your awareness, you can train it to stay aware in the calm eye of the storm, instead of the wall of the storm (thoughts).
The other example I give is if you want to become a skilled archer and you only shoot arrows into the sky, no skill really develops. You need to have an objective and target to develop that skill.
So, in the meditation I do, we very gently keep bringing our awareness to the area of the heart. When we realize we are thinking again, we don’t struggle with it. Just very gently redirect your attention to the heart with the idea that we are resting there, on the source of light (love), already present within us. We feel it is drawing us inward.
This type of meditation re-trains the mind from its random and often chaotic tendencies to become more regulated. Just the very act of taking our attention out of the head helps reduce the thought flow.
Within a very short time, you will become quite expert at meditation and the mind will become permanently regulated.
This is the practice of Heartfulness meditation. Combined with the transmission aspect available in Heartfulness, it is possible to reach deep samadhi in one or two sessions. This brings a lot of peace.

Many translations are given and can be given by different people, which may and may not be accurate.
In the verse above presented by you, I personally think the translation given is not correct, and is quite a manmukh view.
Gurbani regarding this topic says: Sach Khand vaseh Nirankar.
That´s it.
Sach Khand is the abode of the True Emperor Akal Purukh.
To say, He pervades every heart and then say also in the belly...is quite silly.
Now, if by Ghat if it means the soul, then it it would be correct, for here heart could be a metaphoric term used to describe something related to life, for as we know as long as the heart keeps pumping/beating, means there is life in that body.
Similarly, as long as the soul is within the body, it means that body is alive, for the soul is an particle of that Infinite Ocean of Truth Consciousness, namely Satnam.
But from here as seen above, to the point to say, He is contained in the belly, sorry to say, but it is quite a capital nonsense.
People may say things, let them say, but thankfully to Him, He has given us also some amount of budh and vivek, so for god´s sake, let us make use of  it a bit.

How to make people feel good.mp4

Official Live Telecast from Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib Ji, Amritsar | PTC Punjabi | 12.07.2022
To anybody who would like to view live Gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib can click here below.
 
Enjoy.

Hello Veer Jee,
regarding your question above, found the following information on the net:
 
THE COMING OF NIKALANK AVATAR: A MESSIANIC THEME IN SOME SECTARIAN TRADITIONS OF NORTH-WESTERN INDIA
Journal of Indian Philosophy 25: 401-426, 1997.
(c) 1997 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
Dominique-Sila Khan
In the literary tradition associated with a few "obscure" religious movements of Rajasthan and Gujarat[1] one finds a number of prophetic songs the central motifs of which are of an eschatological and messianic nature.
They describe the end of the world or rather, according to Hindu beliefs, the cataclysms and disasters preceding the dissolution (pralaya) of the universe at the end of the fourth cosmic Age (Kali yuga) before a new Era begins.[2]
The advent of a saviour and restorer of justice in the form of Vishnu's tenth incarnation is also predicted, although, unlike the Epic and Puranic Kalki, he is referred to as Nikalank Avatar.
 
Hope it satisfies your query somehow.
Anyhow, if you or anyone wants to read more about it, following is the link :
http://www.ismaili.net/Source/nikaintro.html.
 

Don't you think a thing as big as bhagats formally converting to Sikhi would have been clearly mentioned by Bhai Gurdas ji?

The bhagats are not mentioned as Sikhs of Guru Nanak in the 11th vaar of Bhai Gurdaas nor are any of the sakhis in the Vaaran about their lives any way related to Guru Nanak.

if we take the definition of a Sikh into consideration, philosophically they would be Sikhs, however if we go in accordance to rituals, then the answer would be no

THE GRACE OF THE LORD
 
Try to surrender completely to the Lord by killing your haume, and under the cover of His power, protection and grace, you will wade through the waters of life unscathed.
The loving Father will protect you like a baby, in the might of His strong arms, and pass you scot-free from the fires of life without a burn.
Everyone errs.
Through these errors you have to grow into a pure and lusterous soul. Weed out the shortcomings, one by one.
The diary is a necessity and must be used for this purpose. It helps you to keep an eye on your ethical side of life, for this must be developed along with the spiritual growth.
Remember that the Father wants to embrace His child.
If the child’s clothing is soiled with dirt or mud, He will not forsake him, but cleanse the child and take him or her into His lap.
He is always with His children whom He loves, a hundred times more than the proverbial love of a mother.

The 10 characteristics of a mentally mature person
 
Don't chase validation from other people. Self-validation is what really matters to them. Trying to rationalize their problems. They do not allow negative or overwhelming emotions to overshadow their judgment. View constructive criticism as valuable feedback. An opportunity for growth and personal development. Don't get irritated by unconstructive criticism (or try not to). Because someone who takes their time just to say something negative to another person is not worth the mental energy and time of emotionally strong people. Accepting adversity. Emotionally strong people see the difficulties of living as necessary elements of life, leading to a stronger and wiser version of themselves. Have an optimistic or positive mindset. If your inner world is already gloomy or dark inside, even the sun that shines for you every day will not be able to cheer you up. Don't let fear paralyze you. Keep in mind that the errors themselves do not define them. Focus on finding solutions instead of endlessly crying about your problems and blaming others for them. Being grateful. Nothing destroys a person inside like always directing his attention to what he lacks while he completely ignores what he has.  

1 Oankar Satnaam. 

ਮਹਾਦੇਵ ਕੌ ਕਹਤ ਸਦਾ ਸਿਵ ॥
Mahaadev Kou Kahata Sadaa Siva ॥
He calls Shiva “The Eternal Lord,
ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਕਾ ਚੀਨਤ ਨਹਿ ਭਿਵ ॥੩੯੨॥
Nrinkaara Kaa Cheenata Nahi Bhiva ॥392॥
“but he does not know the secret of the Formless Lord.392.
 
Bhul chuk maaf