Sat1176

The counting devices are called Tally Counters. (cheaply available on ebay from Hong Kong ) Although be careful you don't get repetitive strain injury when using them. You can get ones that go upto 9,999 which makes it easier then not having worry about counting how many malas have you done.

Giani Thakhur Singh also said that you don't have to go for completing in 40 days as that would just be extremely difficult for a beginner. Just start of doing as many as you can and try and reach the 125,000 target. With guru ji's kirpa you will reach there eventually, just not in 40 days.

I think it's in Giani Thakur Singh's Japji Sahib katha that he advises against the jaap of only "Ongkar" as it's too powerful for the body/mind to tolerate. According to him one person actually died because when he got darhsan with that jaap only. He advised always reciting something else after "Ongkar...". i.e. either complete the mool mantar or other tuks.

Sant Baba Nahar Singh (Sunheran/Nanksar Wale) used to incourage the jaap "Ik Ongkar Waheguru"

If you recite the Ongkar jaap with the inhalling of the breath you can easily see how it draws your breath upwards towards the trikuti (3rd eye) and above.

I was reading Discourse on the Beyond again by Sant Baba Waryam Singh in which Sant Baba Isher Singh Ji (Rare Wale) mentions a jugti for jaaping Mool Mantar which can be obtained from Sants. Does anyone now any techniques for this? I assume it something along the lines of swas swas simran or chakras. There are loads of techniques out there for Waheguru simran but I have never come across something for the mool mantar.

Any insight from abhiyaasi Sikh's would be much appreciated.

http://www.ratwarasahib.com/babawaryamsingh.html

More photos available here

Photos

Hukumnama written with signature of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Lathi Sahib Guru Amar Das Ji.

Was surprised to find the following article in The Sun, a daily UK tabloid, this morning.

SIKH TERROR CELL

Britain has been warned of a new terror threat from Sikh extremists linked with al-Qaeda. Experts in the US and India have told authorities they are watching a handful of British-based Sikhs who they say have trained at terror camps in Pakistan which have connections to Islamic extremists.

They tell tonight's File on Four on Radio Four that they fear the radicals may be planning terrorist acts in their fight for an independent Sikh homeland.

FYI:

BBC Radio 4 is a UK national radio station.

BBC Radio 4

Sikh extremism: Tuesday 26 February 2008, 2000 GMT, repeated Sunday 2 March 2008, 1700 GMT.

With attention focussed on Islamist extremism, Armadeep Bassey asks whether the authorities are doing enough to counter the activities of UK-based Sikh groups supporting the violent campaign for an independent homeland in the Punjab. Producer: David Lewis. Editor: David Ross

Absolutely brilliant katha, the best I have heard to date..

Thank you.

More more more.....

I just got back from a trip to Singapore and at Katong Gurdwara I came across many Sikhs both men a women who wore blue kamar-kassas around their waste and kind of blue keski-patka. NOT AKJ! The locals just refer to them as blue-belts and are known to be quite strict in the beliefs.

They follow a sant who is referred to as Pipli Wale Baba Ji.

Anyone know who they are? I am told this baba ji also comes to UK quite frequently.

You can find a few photos on:

www.karamsar.co.uk

www.karamsar.org

www.karamsaruk.com <- down at the moment

Pray Truth for all and say Satsriakal!

Dear all!

Gurdev is singing

"naanak amrit ayk hai doojaa amrit naahi." SGGS Ang 1238-18

Nanak, Amrit is one. Other is not Amrit.

Please express your views why Sikhs need five to get One Amrit.

Thanks.

Balbir Singh

Guru de Guru jainnae but I assume it so that no one individual considers himself special or surpreme in that only he may administer amrit.

Here are some photos I took whilst visiting the Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Pakistan Gurdwara Photos

I needed Divx to view the video footage.

I was listerning to a discourse by a sant who was explaining the first sant behind kar sewa was Sant Baba Gurmukh Singh. Baba Gurmukh Singh had been doing sangat of Baba Biram Das for quite some time when one day Baba Birman Das decided to test him. Apparently the test set by Baba Biram Das upon Baba Gurmukh Singh was so difficult that the sant said it cannot be told on stage. Never the less Baba Gurumukh Singh passed the test with flying colours. Baba Biram Das told Baba Gurmukh Singh to ask for whatever he wanted, at which point baba ji asked for sewa.

I am curious to know what was the test?

I get audio feed only and no picture.

What codec has been used to encode the file?

Just remembered hearing in one of Sant Ranjit Singh's videos where he states that the actual amrit vela state is a fine line between the wake and sleeping states, and being able to lock oneself into that moment.

Anyone have a problem with dozing off during simran with eyes closed? I am finding that at times I am sometimes sliping into a sleep state yet still consious. It's like your body is falling asleep yet you are still consious and know you are falling asleep. Should you bring yourself back to fully awakened consiousness, or go with the flow....

Any advice would be much appreciated..

Don't get me wrong, I am all for Amrit Sanchar, but I don't agree with this whole only the panj pyare from a particular jatha will give you the proper technique. I see this as a form of advertising to attract the sangat to take amrit from a particular jatha or group. I am 99% certain it's probably one of the techniques already mentioned on this forum. The real test is do you have the determination and will to jap naam, do paath once the amrit sanchar is over, after the inital buzz of I am now a amritdhari has subsided. Have you truly given yourself to the Guru and will you now live your life as instructed. If your faith and sharda is strong, not matter where or who you partake the Amrit ceremony with, will have the same effect on you. When standing before any set of punj pyarey always envisge them as the roop of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Some faiths choose to keep the naam they recieve secret, in Sikhi the naam is common knowledge, so some have choosen to make a big secret about a jugti.

Canada sangats loss!

Sant or no Sant he still does good parchar of Sikhi and is one of the most inspiring individuals I have ever listerned to. Hope he rises above this and carrys on doing what he is doing.

Reading about this makes me want to puke.

I have also noticed that some people do simran in reverse.

Exhale with Wahe

Inhale with Guru

What ever tickles your fancy I guess.

Also noticed some slightly distorted pronunciations of WaheGGGuru. Bhai Manpreet Singh is a classic example, but he still kicks it..

Thanks. Well worth a listern. Neo's files are better quality recordings than ektaone's.

I haven't been able to connect to it for ages. Is there a new address or has it gone?

8. The Purity of Mind

Don’t entertain in your mind the feeling of enmity and jealousy for anyone. Don’t listen to the evil talked about another. Don’t deliberately give advice to anyone to commit fraud or deceit on anyone. Similarly practice non-violence, meaning that keep your mind free from any thought of violence, never commit physical violence, nor violence of speech or mental violence, nor violence or thought or violence through your powers. In place of this (violence) offer prayer to Waheguru. Keep in mind the magnificent maxim;

Nanak, God’s Divine Name is exalting and may all proper by Thy Grace.

Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere Bhane Sarbat Da Bhala.

Cultivate this mentality (of wishing well to all) and don’t keep in your mind any idea of hostility or violence for any living being. Rather practise love and non-violence. Sharing your food with others (the needy) and giving one-tenth of your earnings in charity are acts of purity. The mentality of giving donations frees man of Maya (false deceptions). Cultivate contentment in your heart. Restrain the untrammelled flights of your sense organs. Practise this self-control.

So when we have achieved control over our sense organs and also control over our mind, then it will become very easy for us to practise jap of Naam, So when after preparing the soil of the body we sow in it the seed of Gur Mantar, and also put in hard-labour as explained above, then the harvest of Naam will soon bear fruit. Also Nine Treasures and Eighteen successes will be following us. We will then enter the divine circle of Naam and drink the nectar of Naam. We will obtain the divine sight with which we will see God in all His Creatures. Our existence will merge in God and our soul, separated from God for so many births and lives, will be united with God. That would be the riddance from all the miseries and troubles. Our soul would become an indistinguishable part of God, Who is Sat, Chit, Anand (Truth, Consciousness and Bliss)

7. Strong determination for the Jap of Naam

The two examples of this are Bhagat Prahlad and Bhagat Dhruv. They worked wonders by the jap of Naam. Bhagat Dhruv immersed himself in repeating God’s Name, after getting such advice from Narad, the Godly Rishi. The world was wonderstuck to see Dhruv’s iron determination to carry on the programme of Naam. There is a reference to it in Gurbani –

Under the counsel of Narad, Bhruv the child was completely immersed in the worship of God (SGGS P. 830)

As the elephant offers his head to the goad and as the anvil offers itself to the hammer, So place, thou, thy soul and body, before the Guru and ever stand and serve him. (SGGS P. 647)

By the desire less service of the Guru, purity begins to shine in your consciousness; and thus dirt gathered there through many lives is washed away by jap and soon success is achieved. But to do such a service, it is very necessary to adopt the fundamental principles of the Gurus –

He who does desire less service without expecting any fruit achieves the Mast (God). (SGGS P. 287)

Beyond this, there are two major faults, praise and censure. One feels very happy at heart on hearing one’s owns praise. And hearing ones dispraise, one’s mind becomes despondent. Later both these (praise and blame) produce misery, that comes of desire and jealousy. They shake the mind and make it restless. The mind is not inclined to the worship of God. Rather different types of stray thoughts cross the mind. For this reason, Guru ji commanded us to leave these two defects and try to search for salvation. Praise and blame are both great obstacles in the programme. Apart from these, one should develop virtues like fortitude, forgiveness, charity, soft heart, life of truth and speaking sweet words. These greatly help in the path of the seeker’s progress. Lack of egoism and prayer and devotion prove generally very good ornaments. Life should be run within the limits of the code of conduct prescribed by the Guru Maharaj.

One’s eyes should not covert the beauty of other people’s wives. (SGGS P 274)

Our ears should not hear the slander of anyone. (SGGS P. 274)

Says Farid, Do good even to the bad man. Let not anger spoil your mind. You will not suffer ailments of the body and all objects will come within your grasp. (SGGS P. 1381)

Do not show enmity towards anyone, because God dwells in each one of them. (SGGS P. 259)

Cursed be the hands and feet that do not service humanity. Any other action is useless. (Bhai Gurdas Ji, Vaar)

Leading ones’ life in the light of these instructions of the Guru is living according to the code of conduct.

Also purity is a very great quality. Bodily purity is a very great quality. Bodily purity saves us from many diseases and hindrances. For this reason, taking a bath at dawn is very necessary. One should practices purity of speech. As commands Guru ji –

By uttering harsh wards man comes to grief Hearken, O’ my foolish ignorant soul! (SGGS P. 15)

Nanak, by speaking dryly, the soul and body become dry (evil).

He is called the most evil of the evil and the most evil is his reputation.

The sour-tongued person is discarded in God’s court and the evil one’s face is spat upon. The harsh man is called a fool and he received shoe-beating as punishment. (SGGS P. 47)

6. Keeping one’s mind untouched by the lure of Worldly Desires

These desires are the cause of our circle of births and deaths; they give us only temporary pleasure for the moment. A person tied in these desires remains drowning for all time in this ocean of the world. The influence of these desires runs so deep that one cannot forget them.

It is narrated in the book Yog Vasishth (Rishi Vasishth was the Guru of Sri Ram Chander) that once saint Vasishth enquired of Ram Chander why he (Ram) had laughed loudly, while sitting in a spiritual meeting. Ram replied thus; I laughed at that broken legged ant, which is trying to climb the wall. I laughed at it mentality. For I was surprised at this ant, which before now had graced the throne of Inder, King of the Gods for 14 times. Bound in the whirl of desires, it is caught in the cycle of 84 lakh births and deaths. Even now, its desire is to be born a man, to pass that life without any obstruction and after that once again to reach the position of Inder. This fool does not posses this knowledge that he can be immersed in happiness for all time, only seeking the company of a divine Guru and by forsaking all his desires.

Many kinds of such desires lie hidden in our subconscious and they remain the biggest obstacles to the jap of Naam; so long as we do not live contented with whatever is the Will of God for us, we will remain bound in the circle of being born and dying again and again. In our consciousness are present different kinds of desires, such as desire for wealth, desire for a son, desire for worldly success, desire for heaven, desire to be learned in scriptures, desire for performing great religious programmes, desire to have all sorts of possessions and successes. Because of these desires, a living being can’t get out of the circle of lives and deaths. So when freed from all these desires, we perform the jap of Gur Mantar, tehn alone our efforts will bear fruit quietly and we will find our residence in the hemisphere of Naam. (we will live in God)