Ideal Singh

The call was controversial - just as all really close calls in baseball are. Full speed the runner slid home and thinking he had just scored a game-altering run, he stood up only to face the words, "You're out!" Now you know how it is when you've given your all to an effort and you stand up, only to hear the ump say, "You're out!" Just running for home when the play could be that close takes confidence and determination, not to mention a certain amount of competitiveness that doesn't just evaporate when you stand up. And it didn't with this teenager either. Furious, he threw off his helmet and ran over to explain to the ump in no uncertain terms why the call was wrong, why the ump needed glasses, and why he was clearly home and nobody could miss that call so badly. Before his temper really got out of hand, someone pulled him away, and he walked to the bench - livid. Long after the coaches, players, and fans had gone home, this typical teenage boy realized the impact of his decisions at home plate. Like most of us do when we are faced with the embarrassment of our actions, he could very well have made the logical next choice and just let it slide, reasoning: "Everybody does it." "The ump's probably heard that stuff a million times." However, in the silence of his heart, this young man knew that just because everyone else does it, that doesn't make it all right. And so, long after his buddies had gone home, he tracked that ump back up to the school - not to vandalize his car and not to further harangue him. No, this typical teenage boy tracked this man down so he could tell him face-to-face: "I'm sorry, Sir. I was wrong." It takes true courage to stand up in the face of those everyday indiscretions we all make and say, "I was wrong. I'm sorry." What makes this apology even more unique is that it wasn't meant for the world to hear, it wasn't meant to make the apologizer look better in the eyes of anyone else. It was meant simply as a way to stay true to his own heart. In reality the story may well have ended there, and no one would have been the wiser. However, on the way out of town, the ump saw the superintendent and flagged him down to express his appreciation and surprise at the boy's apology. But the ump wasn't the only one who was surprised. The superintendent later talked to the coach to say how impressed he was that the coach had sent the boy to apologize. Only problem: The coach hadn't sent him and knew nothing about the apology until that very moment. A few days later the coach ran into the boy's father and remarked how impressed he was that his parents had sent the boy to apologize. You guessed it - they knew nothing about it either! The truth is at one time or another we have all been this boy - acting out in rage, saying hurtful things, and feeling justified for doing so. The real test comes later when we are presented with the choice to make amends or to walk away thinking, "Ah, they'll get over it." Maybe the "they'll" is a co-worker, a customer, a friend, a sibling, a child, or a spouse. Whomever it is, don't pass up the opportunity to get right with your own heart. Don't let them walk off the field and drive out of town, thinking, "Oh, well. No big deal. They'll get over it." The time for apology is now! Courage is a matter of the heart. I wish that every person in the whole world had the courage of this one typical teenager. If they did, just imagine what "typical" might come to mean! (And a last caveat: The whole world starts with YOU!)

Thanks a lot G !!

Happiness is a selfless state of mind. Happiness, in my views, comes through those small things, those little acts of kindness we do for others ofcourse with the help of the Almighty... What Gurbani says about Happiness?

Well all of us have responded in Big No then why this act has been done and that too without the knowledge of the Sangat. Who takes such important decisions which have a direct impact on the outlook of Sikhism, which is globally praised for its diversity? Dont you think it is a narrow mindedness ?

Let us discuss all about AHAMKAR & What Gurbani has to say about this VIKAAR?

Let us discuss all about MOH & What Gurbani has to say about this VIKAAR?

Let us discuss all about KARODH & What Gurbani has to say about this VIKAAR?

Let us discuss all about KAAM & What Gurbani has to say about this VIKAAR? Is it Lust or Desire ?

Let us discuss all about LOBH & What Gurbani has to say about this VIKAAR?

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without your being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house. The Moral of this Story: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what s/he is, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there.

Yeah... so that the whole British Empire was Shaken.

Well I think Kaam is rather Lust and not Desire... How would you prove me wrong? :?:

What are your views about the following happening? Frescos of Hindu gods whitewashed Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, July 26 Wall paintings of Hindu gods including Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, which were unique specimens of Sikh school of art, have disappeared from the upper storey of Sri Darbar Sahib here founded by fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev in 1597 A.D. It is learnt that the frescos of Hindu gods were erased during the kar seva being carried out by Baba Jagtar Singh at the behest of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. The frescos were unique specimens of Sikh school of art, completed in the year1824, during the regime of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. According to Sikh history, Maharaja Ranjit Singh got the gold-plating and interior decoration of the Darbar Sahib completed by taking personal interest. However, Baba Amrik Singh, in charge of the ‘kar seva’ feigned ignorance about the existence of the wall paintings of Hindu gods, he claimed there was not even a single painting of Hindu Gods when the SGPC had handed over the ‘kar seva’ to Baba Jagtar Singh in 2000. He said the interior decoration of the upper storey including the wall paintings were badly damaged due to seepage. However, rest of the paintings which were visible at the time of ‘kar seva’ could be preserved after taking lot of painstaking efforts. When asked that the history had record of the paintings of Hindu Lords in the upper storey of Darbar Sahib, Baba Amrik Singh hastened to add that, “it was practically difficult to revive those paintings which were beyond recognition”. Now all the 16 paintings which were revived by using the similar style and colours that of the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, belong to Sikh Guru, Sikh warriors and religious leaders including Baba Deep Singh, Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Ghanaiya, Baba Budhaji. The first head granthi of the Golden Temple (Amritsar) and four ‘Sahibzadas’ (sons of Guru Gobind Singh) and Bhai Gurdass. Some of the paintings depict Guru Nanak Devji flanked by Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana. Though the ‘kar seva’ of the paintings has been completed yet the upper storey has not been open to the devotees. Mr Jaswant Singh, an artist of ‘Dera Baba Jagtar Singh, Kar Seva’ claimed that the specified colours were used to complete the art work. He claimed that the paintings would last long as efforts had been made to stop seepage of the upper storey. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030727/main5.htm

Nice information !! I think these Raagis are Bhatts !! One of the instruments is Rabab or Sarangi What are the rest of the Instruments??

:shock: Even all Hazoori Raagis use Vaja and you say this ain't the real thing. Then what is the real thing ? You mean to claim that everybody is wrong and what you utter is Truth.

Isn't Morphine a intoxicant and hence against Gurmat. Why not ask him to listen to Gurbani and Vichaar ?

If we all look into the meaning of all the Tuks quoated above, in conjunction with the complete Shabad respectively, we shall find that taking a single Tuk from entire shabad, takes away the real essence of the Shabad. This is total mis-Interpreataion of Gurbani. The most of the English translation of the Tuks/lines quoted above is highly un-intellectual and inadequate. I have looked into the meanings most of these shabads from SGGS. But you all would be surprised to know after reading the entire Shabads, these shabads hardly mean the way being suggested above and certainly not against eating meat specifically. Here is a link to a very precious website http://www.gurugranthdarpan.com I think you must be aware of this website which contains pagewise translation of SGGS by Prof Sahib Singh Ji. Just take your precious time and read the complete shabads with proper translation of each words and tuks and only then decide whether these shabads have any relation to topic of eating meat. By taking a single line from the Shabad we are ignorantly dis-respecting the shabad of the Guru and their true meaning. And one thing more as quoated below : These lines have been taken from a shabad not on Panna no. 196, but it is on Panna no. 16. Bhul Chuk Maaf

It is really amazing to join this Forum. It makes me feel so much relieved and delighted to know that there are so many Sikhs, though outside Punjab, who are much more attuned to Sikhism than in Punjab... sadly thoguh. I had some doubts over the survival of Sikhism but these doubts are now clearing out...

Above all we are humans. Humanity gifted to us by GOD. But we tend to drift away from it.

Can anybody define what is a Religion?

Taken... There've been lots of debates already about free will, whether it exists, and whether we really have it. My question is a slightly different one: Suppose we do have some kind of libertarian-type free will. What's so great about it? Why is it worth wanting? I approached this question from the angle of the problem of evil, namely: (1) There is evil in the world. (2) An omnipotent and good God would eliminate evil if he existed. (3) Therefore, no omnipotent and good God exists. The standard theist's reply is: God exists and is omnipotent and good, but he allows evil because it's logically necessary for free will. Giving humans the freedom to choose right or wrong is a greater good in itself than all the evil that's generated. End of story. But I wonder about this. Why would God allow all the horrendous suffering in the world just so we can have free will? What's so great about free will? Why does God value it so much? Tt would be possible for everyone to have free will and still always choose the right thing (hence, mentioning free will is no solution to the problem of evil after all, since God could have given free will and still do without evil). But theists disagree, claiming that sometimes making the wrong choice is logically necessary for us to have free will. Suppose the theists are right. Free will consists, then, solely in the propensity to make the wrong choice. What on earth can the value be in that?! Faced with the options of (1) a morally perfect world or (2) a world containing free will and evil, why would God choose the latter?

SSA Ji, I have been listening to Bhai Harjinder Singh Ji (Sri Nagar Walae) for quite sometime. He does not recite Gurbani on music based on Raags. Does this makes his singing the praise of Waheguru any lesser than those Ragis who sing on tunes based on raags like Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji. This question struck me when I was going through the debate going on AKJers. Where in one of the questions put forward by NARSINGA stated that AKjers recite Gurbani in simple tunes which is contrary to Gurmat. Frankly speaking , I find the Gurbani recitation by both of the raagis very enchanting and near to my heart. So my question is Should we only listen to the Gurbani being recited in tunes based on Rags only ?

A man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom-but also the thorns. And he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was ready to bloom, it died. So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential. Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others.This is the characteristic of love: to look at a person and, knowing his faults, recognize the nobility in his soul and help him realize that he can overcome his faults. If we show him the rose, he will conquer the thorns. Then will he blossom, blooming forth thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold as it is given to him. Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for each other; only then can we bloom in our own garden. Remember: "If we show them the rose, they will conquer the thorns!!"

If God is to be believed as omnipotent and infinite... how do we interpret his origin, what created God if he is to be the believed creator of everything?

TAKEN FROM ANOTHER FORUM __________________________________________________________ Although I am an old member but unfortunately I needed a new name for this question According to Biology, Humans/males are sexually most active in the age group of 20-28.But these days, marriages are as late as 32-35 due to career pressures.In any case, they are hardly solemenized below the age of 26. Spirituality forbids to sleep with anyone other than one's wife. Now, one of my friends, who is over 26, is a qualified engineer but still planning to do MBA and looking for a better job. He is also a gursikh.At this age, he has often found it difficult to control the urge but has managed to do so untill now.But now I have a gut feeling he might break all barriers. He is also into too much self-satisfaction.Is it unholy/unreligious/wrong. Is it the right thing to go against nature? I feel I might also be in the same dilemma sooner than later. Then should one worry about rehat maryaada or go by the findings of medical research? If one does manage to control, wont there be a guilt throughout one's life that he or she missed the 'golden period'? Why a pleasure, which god has gifted to everyone and which can be made harmless, should be so much restricted.In other words, what is wrong in having more partners from nature's point of view.?