das

For the record, I'm pure vegetarian......and I fail to see where did I say it's okay to kill if you want? Stop putting words in my mouth.
What I meant was: Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian involves the killing but being vegetarian involves lot less karmic burden as compared to non-vegetarian. It implies that the debate on This-vs-That is useless mind's habit where we forgot that the real thing is be out of karmic cycle by putting the dhayan/concentration on that which will lift us Spiritually. Concentrating on Vegi as well as Non-Vegi would NOT make you or me Spiritually advanced. e.g If you're pure-vegetarian but constantly debates about the benefits of being vegetarians (non-killers), then your mind is still concentrating on vegi-nonvegi.
Don't make This-vs-That your profession. Be wise to see beyond. And again, I'm a vegetarian and thinks that being vegetarian gives me somewhat more edge on the thoughts of the mind; because after-all: we are what we eat.

For the record, I'm pure vegetarian......and I fail to see where did I say it's okay to kill if you want? Stop putting words in my mouth.
What I meant was: Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian involves the killing but being vegetarian involves lot less karmic burden as compared to non-vegetarian. It implies that the debate on This-vs-That is useless mind's habit where we forgot that the real thing is be out of karmic cycle by putting the dhayan/concentration on that which will lift us Spiritually. Concentrating on Vegi as well as Non-Vegi would NOT make you or me Spiritually advanced. e.g If you're pure-vegetarian but constantly debates about the benefits of being vegetarians (non-killers), then your mind is still concentrating on vegi-nonvegi.
Don't make This-vs-That your profession. Be wise to see beyond. And again, I'm a vegetarian and thinks that being vegetarian gives me somewhat more edge on the thoughts of the mind; because after-all: we are what we eat.

Here you're again forgetting the reality. Paapiman is right that all foods (veg or non-veg) means you're killing something, even a grain of wheat does have a germ........the air we breathe also contains lot of microorganism which we kill after we breathe. So, that the way this damn universe works. It is just a matter of choosing which involves least amount of karmic burden.
Otherwise, this universe's karmic cycle (matrix) is so vast, so complex, so strong that without the Kirpa/Grace it's impossible to break. e.g Our body does have millions of different kind of micro-organisms which survive only till we're alive and they are dead with our death. So, we've to give lekha/hesab-ketab (consequences for our deeds) because we forced the microorganism to die as we left our body (even though we've no control over our death). This is the bhav sagar/Matrix which we have to cross. In order to survive, we have to do karma.

Bro, a vegan diet also involves plenty of cruelty to animals.
The below is from another topic.
Quote 
1 scientist in north america did calculation and said that if people of north america shift to beef and dairy products instead of grains then it will result in 80 milion less lost lives of animals as so many rats, rabbits pheasants a birds are killed for harvesting , so no food comes to human plate without killing
Unquote (Kdsingh80 jee)
 
Bhul chuk maaf

This is so true ! There is only one 'jyot" exist on the earth in the human form and you need to be have GREAT GREAT Fortune to see him or meet him . Even if I or somebody try to tell ,you will not have a faith on his words if you are not destined to meet that special one.
With Great Fortune I feel I am the blessed one who found him .Acutally he found us . we cannot find him ! So donot worry about finding him just yearn for it with prayers ,vairaag ,love and when your hunger gets to extreme he will appear.
like said " When disciple is ready Guru appears " Good Luck

Damn man I forgot how good the threads on this site used to be about ten years ago

I think the forum should be available for everyone to read (no account or whatsoever needed). But in order to post or reply to anything, one should create an account......I don't think it's that much hard or lenghly process to create a simple account. That will save volunteer's time and will also filter the guests, I mean only serious (relative sense) guests will register.

A couple of times a month I spend time in an elderly care home sitting and listening with the old people there.  They are so lonely and love that someone young has taken time to be with them because they really have nothing else to do, and rarely visited by their family.  They share some lovely stories and really appreciate any visitor : )

That is really great seva!  I remember when I was younger my great grandmother was in a nursing home. (It was necessity as she was not only requiring heavy physical specialized care but was also combative with alzheimers) but we still visited often, decorated her room as if were home etc. But I remember some of the residents their families didn't even visit. They were always alone. Even worse some places just medicate combative residents to make them better to deal with.  It's sad.  I won't pretend to know how to deal with advanced alzheimers but there has to be a better way than medicating them to the point of drooling and staring off into space :( We must never forget our elders and what they have done earlier in our lives.  

I think the forum should be available for everyone to read (no account or whatsoever needed). But in order to post or reply to anything, one should create an account......I don't think it's that much hard or lenghly process to create a simple account. That will save volunteer's time and will also filter the guests, I mean only serious (relative sense) guests will register.

First and foremost, my response is NOT centered around so-called Man vs Women. Think in terms of 2 forces. I'm ***NOT*** interested in debating over who can do what, all these things are just a way of mind to divert the attention from the real task (which is to remember HIM). 
Nothing is possible without the combination of Male/Female (Positive/Negative [charge]) but each has its own place and responsibility.
e.g
* Male is the creator/donar but that creation is nurtured only by the female.
* If we want to fasten something, we do need both Bolt (Male) and Nut (Female).
* All the sciences/religions are created (relative sense) by the Man but their religion's first followers was almost always Females.
* It is only female who could sustain a culture, cultures are lost in couple of generations if women stop to follow it.
Bottom line is: Nothing is possible without the power of both forces. To indulge in useless talk about This-vs-That is nothing more than the useless/deceiving-exercise of the Mind; which is always played by the mind.
Mind always play the games.........he is Malabali but could be put down to work for much better purpose.......Man Tu Jot Sarup Haan, Apna Mool Pehchan

First and foremost, my response is NOT centered around so-called Man vs Women. Think in terms of 2 forces. I'm ***NOT*** interested in debating over who can do what, all these things are just a way of mind to divert the attention from the real task (which is to remember HIM). 
Nothing is possible without the combination of Male/Female (Positive/Negative [charge]) but each has its own place and responsibility.
e.g
* Male is the creator/donar but that creation is nurtured only by the female.
* If we want to fasten something, we do need both Bolt (Male) and Nut (Female).
* All the sciences/religions are created (relative sense) by the Man but their religion's first followers was almost always Females.
* It is only female who could sustain a culture, cultures are lost in couple of generations if women stop to follow it.
Bottom line is: Nothing is possible without the power of both forces. To indulge in useless talk about This-vs-That is nothing more than the useless/deceiving-exercise of the Mind; which is always played by the mind.
Mind always play the games.........he is Malabali but could be put down to work for much better purpose.......Man Tu Jot Sarup Haan, Apna Mool Pehchan

I think the forum should be available for everyone to read (no account or whatsoever needed). But in order to post or reply to anything, one should create an account......I don't think it's that much hard or lenghly process to create a simple account. That will save volunteer's time and will also filter the guests, I mean only serious (relative sense) guests will register.

I think the forum should be available for everyone to read (no account or whatsoever needed). But in order to post or reply to anything, one should create an account......I don't think it's that much hard or lenghly process to create a simple account. That will save volunteer's time and will also filter the guests, I mean only serious (relative sense) guests will register.

He does O... nnnnng.... and separates the sounds. So it's not ideal.
I am looking for a good video on youtube. If I don't find any, I'll just make one myself.

I personally have never felt like that or maybe never paid attention. But why don't you try this. Do jaap of Tati vao shabad, and imagine a line of protection being drawn around you or a shield around you. Try that and see if that works.
But it is really weird. Hopefully, other members can be more useful. lol.

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ
No time for intro, let's dive deep into it.

How You Pronounce Onkar ਓਅੰਕਾਰ
Before I get into the meat of the issue, I want to get one thing off my chest because I see a lot of people making this mistake.
Oankaar/O-a-m-kaar  have no meaning. This is a modern distortion of the word and symbol. People write ਓਅੰਕਾਰ as Oankar however, the ਅ in ਓਅੰਕਾਰ just a placeholder for the tippi. 

ਓਂਕਾਰ
ਓਅੰ means ਓਂ and is pronounced as such.
But since one never puts a bindi or tippi on ਓ, they never wrote ਓਂ. So they wrote ਓਂ as ਓਅੰ. Even today this is the case.
ਓਅੰਕਾਰ is Onkar, two syllables not three.
ਓ - ਅੰ - ਕਾਰ  - incorrect pronunciation
ਓਂ - ਕਾਰ  - correct pronunciation

So ਓਂਕਾਰ is written as ਓਅੰਕਾਰ. It means - one continuous ਓਂ sound.
ੴ <------ Try reading this as an action. something you do, something you perform, rather than something you spell out.
Like this -
ਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂਓਂ...

ਓ isn't pronounced as O, with rounded, squished lips, rather it is pronounced as AU (AO) with mouth wide open and relaxed, as if you are gasping for air.
ਓਂ AUM is then split into its three components. ਆਕਾਰ ਉਕਾਰ ਮੰਕਾਰ meaning continuous A ਆ , continuous U ਉ, continuous M ਮੰ
A U M ਆ ਉ ਮੰ -These are the three sounds that go into making ਓਂ .
Thus ਓਂ is the most primal sound vibration. Now why is that? There are several reasons for this.
 
Onkar ਓਅੰਕਾਰ Comes from Your Mouth
When you do not use your lips or tongue there are three sounds you can make with your mouth. Try it, pull back your lips and hold your tongue in place and try to make different sounds with your mouth.
Look in a mirror to make sure no movement occurs in those areas.

You'll get something like - ਆ ਉ ਮੰ  A U M
This is the most primal sound to you because it can be made prior to any movement of lips and tongue. Thus ਆ ਉ ਮੰ are considered the most primal sounds known to man. This is the beginning of speech.
All other sounds are more complicated like B, P, K,G, J, Y, V etc. they require more complicated vocalization, movement of lips and positioning of tongue. Certain sounds are very hard as they require very precise and sharp speech like this Sanskrit letter - ष, which shows up in Gurbani as ਖ or ਸ/ਸ਼ in words like ਪੁਰਖ, ਮੋਖ and ਵਿਸੇਖ, and ਦੋਸ, because it is complex and noticeably harder to pronounce.
But back to Onkar - AUM is such a sound that is most basic and most primitive and most primal. I believe AUM can even be made by those who lack the ability to speak. As long as their vocal chords are functional, they will be able to say A, U, and make nasal sounds.


Onkar ਓਅੰਕਾਰ Resonates in Your Body
The 'O' sound resonate more in your belly. Than any other vowel. 'A' typically resonates in your chest and nasal M resonates in nasal cavity, nose. Thus AUM is meant to resonate in your entire torso and make it come to life.
Onkar is designed to cause your Chakras to activate
"Chakras" might sound like woo-woo nonsense but it basically means your "nervous system" in your belly, chest and nose. Chanting Onkar, causes these areas to vibrate as the air is forced out of the lungs through the vibration of the vocal chords.
When you open your mouth wide and make this noise it will stimulate your nervous system around your vital organs.
AUM resonates and stimulates your nerves in the torso. It stimulates the nerves in your belly, chest and nose. And through this resonation, you can stimulate the nerves in your entire body, including your vital organs, around your cardiovascular system, digestive system, etc. I believe this type of nervous stimulation is actually great for the health of your organs, as it increases the circulation of blood to these organsl.
Start with that, you can further attune your attention and focus to the point where you can see your whole body vibrate upon one chant of Onkar.


Listening to Onkar ਓਅੰਕਾਰ with Your Ears
Not only does Onkar exist in the form of primal human speech and noise-making, and not only does it stimulate your nervous system in an extra-ordinary way but it also exists as the background naad, meaning sound vibration, in your ears.
Your ear-drum's resting vibration is the Onkar.
Listen to it.
When you enter into a silent state of being. In your ears, what you are hearing can ultimately be described as Onkar.
Try to listen to this tone in your right ear because your right ear is connected to the left side of the brain. Neuroscientists know that the left side of the brain is more associated with language and recognizing distinctions in the world.

The left side of your brain causes you to sense a distinct shape of your body and separates shapes of other bodies so that you may navigate in the physical world. The left side of the brain also has language centers that process words and meanings.

So I believe that when you listen to Onkar with your right ear in silence or when you make the AUM sound and listen to that, what you are doing is sending direct signals to your left brain and telling your left brain to quiet down.
When you stimulate the left brain with sound, it has to quiet down with regards to its language, distinction-making processes and it must now focus on the sound. When you do this, you will feel very much at ease with life, and you will notice that the inner monologue that is constantly playing in your head will become quiet as it is mostly the product of your left brain.
This inner monologue can drain you so be careful, recognize when it is draining and quieten it, to achieve the best results.
Overall this will fill you up with vitality and lots of energy for the day. No need for coffee or other stimulants.

Conclusion
ਓਅੰਕਾਰ is pronounced as Onkar/ ਓਂਕਾਰ It means - one continuous ਓਂ sound - composed of ਆਕਾਰ ਉਕਾਰ ਮੰਕਾਰ meaning continuous ਆ , continuous ਉ, continuous nasal ਮੰ, which in English is - A, U, and nasal sound M Onkar is the primal form of speech, existing prior to other complex sounds like B, K, J, Y, etc. Onkar resonates in the belly, chest and nose and thus stimulates the nervous system around your vital organs, which has multiple health benefits. Onkar can be heard in the ear. It is the resting tone of your ear, which can be heard in silence. Listening to the Onkar, with the right ear, stimulates the left side of the brain, which also has multiple health benefits.  

Magnesium Sulfate/Hydroxide(a.k.a Epsom Salts) do cause diarrhea, but NOT the Magnesium Citrate (100% pure powder) unless you intentionally take many tablespoons in one go. Magnesium Citrate is the most widely used form of Magnesium because of its good bioavailability, extensive health benefits: IBS, Heart-diseases, Brain issues, and so on..
Moreover, if you take anything abnormally, you're bound to have its side-effects......e.g if you take excessive amount of water, you would have negative side-effects. Everything has a consequence (positive/negative) in this universe.
At last, do your research properly before taking any medication (including 5HTP or Magnesium or anything else), don't just take it because it is popular. The brand medicines do carry risk for long term. Chalo Raab Rakha.

Magnesium Sulfate/Hydroxide(a.k.a Epsom Salts) do cause diarrhea, but NOT the Magnesium Citrate (100% pure powder) unless you intentionally take many tablespoons in one go. Magnesium Citrate is the most widely used form of Magnesium because of its good bioavailability, extensive health benefits: IBS, Heart-diseases, Brain issues, and so on..
Moreover, if you take anything abnormally, you're bound to have its side-effects......e.g if you take excessive amount of water, you would have negative side-effects. Everything has a consequence (positive/negative) in this universe.
At last, do your research properly before taking any medication (including 5HTP or Magnesium or anything else), don't just take it because it is popular. The brand medicines do carry risk for long term. Chalo Raab Rakha.

No, I've no experience with St Johns Wort but do know the most potent techniques to relax the Nervous tension (which helps in depression). Personally, I've used the first two in my family and perfect results:
1. While the patient is lying on the back, bend all the toes of both legs, backward. Keep those bend for at-least 1-2 minutes. It may hurt but give little more pressure and bend them as much as possible. Repeat this three times a day till the tension is removed.
2. Take Magnesium Citrate (and not magnesium sulphate or any other magnesium xxx). Opt for 100% pure powder and not any other derevative  http://www.amazon.ca/Now-Foods-Magnesium-Citrate-Powder/dp/B004189JCW/
Also, homeopathic bio-chemic salt combination number 16 (a.k.a BC salt # 16) is very effective in treating depression.

Yes, I agree that escaping radiation is very hard.....but mostly we're using microwave because of easy-of-use. Moreover, any information is supposed to help us and not to instil fear into us. I always give the example of highway warning signs (e.g deer crossings signs), these signs are meant to warn us so that our drive is safe and not to generate the phobia/fear of deers. So, all knowledge is good; it's upto us how to take it.
Personally, we try to avoid microwave if possible especially whatever children are supposed to eat.

After 4 minutes in microwave, it could no longer be called as healthy.....no matter what you put in microwave........
A simple experiment: Boil the water in microwave and let it stay there (in microwave) until it cools down, then pour this water to your plant and compare with plant grown with plain tap water.
or do you know a person in USA has been killed when her blood was warmed in microwave and later given in transfusion?
I would suggest everyone to read this link thoroughly, it's best article without any overburdened information and with the facts (a rare on internet): Read the first article, your body will thank you!
https://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/radiation_ovens.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3605560
 

Bro, this is from another post. Hopefully, you will get the point.
Quote
Srimaan 108 Sant Baba Nand Singh jee Kaleranwale's bachan (something like this) - The seed which remains exposed is never able to sprout, while the one which stays hidden in soil, can become a huge tree.
It implies - The more secret/hidden one keeps his spiritual state, the more progression one will make.
Unquote
 
Please go through the link below too.

Bhul chuk maaf

Yes Bhagawati means follower of Bhagawat/Vishnu. Notice that the Bhagawati ashtpadis follow from the Vaishnu ashtpadis. They are the both referring to followers of the supreme God, Vishnu. They are to be read together.
Some fun facts for you -
1. In the Vaishav religions, the Supreme God is called Bhagawat/Vishnu/Hari/Ram/Krishna.

2.The supreme God is imagined with certain qualities. Somebody drew a blue man with four arms as a representation of Supreme God. He is drawn with four arms so you don't mistake him for a drawing of a human being, (meaning no human has four arms so this is not a picture of a human).
3. Pay particular attention to the objects in his four hands, these are referring to certain qualities of the Supreme God, Vishnu.
Shankh - Naad Swaroop, he recognized when you hear a shankh while meditating
Swadarshan Chakra -  resides everywhere, recognized within yourself (swa-darshan)
Padam - recognized through sensitivity, he is blossoming. He is recognized when things become more beautifiul for you
Gada - his hukam reigns through the universe, he recognized as per his hukam
4. You have probably read his stories. His popular followers include bhagats like Dhruv, Prahlaad, Arjun, Ganika, Ajamal, etc.

5. The 9 modes of Bhagti (including simran), were taught by Bhagat Prahlaad ji in Bhagawat Puran.

I was trying to find out the Spiritual material (with photos, cartoons etc) in order to teach my growing kids some basic things: Love, Sharing etc...... but was unsatisfied in regards to the unavailability of this kind of material in Sikhism. Our parcharaks are doing nothing in this regard. We ourselves are also hopeless, we waste so much time in arguring about what we think is right interpretation of a religious concept. I feel that we're The assholes, good for nothing......anyways, but I was happy to find that there are lot of educational material in Buddhism (created by educated and level minded people). So, just want to share if anyone is interested:
http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_childrens.htm
We should also create some material NOT to show how we survived in history and sacrifices....but also the concepts of a beautiful Sikhism. Sometimes, I feel that I'm in the wrong place where everyone is after the money race (be it because of family or for oneself), but then realize that I'm also part of this world and if I want to come out, then do the hard work and the Grace will follow. But you know sala maan kurta ha!