Ahankaar And Haumai

[Xylitol]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa!

Waheguru Ji Kee Fateh!

A discussion of Haumei also involves Haumei. Those who understand it thoroughly do not discuss it. A complete understanding resides only in the heart of someone who is liberated, a Sant. We learn its secret from spending time in their company, not from a discussion. A spiritual osmosis occurs in Sat Sangat. That is the only way to understand it properly.

I feel that Haumei has not been discussed properly so far. As we know, when we understand the nature of Haumei the path is clear to us. This very fact indicates the enormity of this topic. There is wisdom in brevity, but how can we describe the problem of ego adequately without also discussing the reason and the mechanism of its removal, in other words, without discussing Gurmat?

Only rare individuals really want to understand the ego, and even fewer want to lose it. This is why Sant is such a rare entity. Self-help is more popular than the study of Gurbani. The Yoga and meditation schools flourish everywhere, because they bolster our ego. On the other hand, a group started to study Gurbani fails due to the egos clashing, because Gurbani exposes our ego. This creates conflict. Most people want to learn just enough to get through their personal problems. Some others want to know enough so they can write a book or teach others.

Much in this article will appear to be a repetition but, it seems that we have difficulty in comprehending what we know already. Well, we cannot understand any more than we really want to. So here is an effort to define the Haumei in view of what others have written in various groups. I have tried to be brief. If something is not clear then, please ask.

It does not matter what we call Haumei in English. It matters that we try to understand it in the light of Gurmat. For simplicity, we could call it the ego as long as we understand that, a sense of self as distinct from others, does not represent an accurate meaning of the Haumei.

Haumei stands for the sense of “I” “me” and “mine” and everything, desirable as well as undesirable associated with the "I" in us. Haumei keeps us separated from perfection. It is also described as a thin veil between God and us. We cannot remove this veil through our own efforts because our own efforts are based on Haumei.

Gurbani enumerates various expressions of Haumei. For example wishing for something in the future or having any apprehensions (Aassa and Andesa) keep us from Sehej or the awareness of the present moment and keep us stuck in our own ego. Staying above these and living in Hukam, eradicates the ego or Haumei.

Being spiritually in the presence of Guru, living with Guru and by the Guru, a Sikh is naturally established in the present moment awareness. Such a Sikh is called a Sanmukh Sikh.

Inversely, we could say that living devoid of Naam Simran and not living in Hukam or, not staying in Guru’s presence is living with Haumei. Let us also not forget that Naam is not something we do. If Naam was something we did then it would involve the ego and it would not be the True Naam, or SatNam. Gurbani is also an embodiment of Naam. We have discussed all this before.

Being proud of something is a very crude form of Haumei. This is one end of the wide spectrum of the ego. Giving up pride does not rid us of our ego, either. Someone could be very humble and poor and still have the Haumei of being Humble and poor.

Some people say that Haumei is identification with the body and the mind but if we noticed, Gurbani regards this misidentification as ignorance, not as Haumei. Gurbani calls the mind and body as something that belongs to the “I” in us. The “I” creates an illusion of distance from God. This is why we see that, in Gurbani, giving our wealth, our body and our mind is not enough. The “I” needs to go with it.

Some others have said that the sense of duality is Haumei, but the “I” that makes distinction between this ignorance and enlightenment, sense of being wise or foolish in this regard, is the real Haumei.

At the other end of this spectrum, someone could master perfect meditative state, staying in the state of Sehej, in the present moment awareness all the time, and still have a hidden Haumei of being in that state.

We see that Haumei is an elusive disease. It enters even the exalted acts and thus, it goes unnoticed, often for a lifetime. Its remedy lies in its own hunger for survival and for love, something that only Guru has. We discussed all this, along with the significance of present moment, under free will and redemption, over Five years ago.

Even a small amount of proper meditation and proper effort to rise above the mundane existence, can result in some spiritual growth, enough to keep us, as well as the crowds, satisfied for life. Among Sikhs, many such individuals are revered as a Sant when in reality, they are not, and this error is very common. Characteristics of Sant are given in Gurbani. There is no need to repeat them here.

The only way to be free of Haumei is to give it to the Guru. This is why Guru is essential. Often, there is a feeling of loss in the beginning. We cannot give up our ego, but Guru can take it from us. This act is called Nadar or Grace. Guru kills our ego with arrows of love. Those who do not want to lose their ego, enticed by paths that support their ego, they reject Guru’s love. Such a person is called Bemukh.

Guru is completely free of Haumei. This is why a perfect spiritual Guru is called SatGuru. Guru pulls us with love. Even a moment, a glimpse of Guru’s nature, Guru’s love, is enough to unleash a course of events that eventually lead us to liberation from Haumei. A Sikh who dwells in the light of spiritual glimpse of Guru is called a Gurmukh.

How do we get that glimpse? Gurbani, because it is free of the ego, leads us to the state of its origin, the ego-free state, but only if certain conditions are met. We need to understand Gurbani. When under God’s will we are connected with Gurbani, in proper Sangat, we can enter the state of Sehej where, it is possible to recognize the Guru and get that glimpse. We read this daily in the Nitt Nem. I do not like to quote Bani in vain. If we cannot find this in the daily Bani, even after this discussion then, the quotations cannot help us either. Rather, the purpose here is to make us search Gurbani. Until we have seen our Guru in spirit, we see the Guru but we have not really met our Guru.

Once we recognize the Guru then we start to enjoy Gurbani in spirit. Company of a Gurmukh acts as a catalyst here. We cannot help it then, but give everything, body mind and soul to the Guru. We live in complete surrender, belonging to the Guru. If during the midday Guru says that it is midnight, it is midnight for us, or vice versa. This process is mentioned as an “indescribable tale” in Anand Sahib, involving an emotional state of intense love, and growth. Then we live in a state of gratitude because Guru makes possible all this along with what follows. At every opportunity, Guru’s presence steals our Haumei and feeds us with Naam instead.

Then our life blossoms with new revelations everyday and in awe, we say “Waheguru” with every breath. We discover hidden layers of the ego that we did not know we had. If we are acceptable to the Guru then the “I” is slowly, eliminated. Eventually, we become like the Guru, completely free of Haumei. This completes our journey.

Thus, we can say that the Sikh dies in the Guru while being physically alive. This may seem illogical. Guru’s path is unique and we cannot walk on it unless we subjugate all personal learning and preconceived ideas in the presence of Guru. There is a delicate balance between what a Sikh does (very little in fact) on this path and what the Guru does for the Sikh. Without understanding this, a Sikh ends up with a stronger ego of being a “good” Sikh. Guru does not want this to happen.

We see from history that Guru challenges the Sikh’s ego by putting on acts that appear wrong to the Sikh’s intellect. We will also notice that women were stronger in faith during the testing times than men, probably because, faith resides in the heart. Only a Sikh who has surrendered his or her intellect to the Guru can survives such a show. This is where most Sikhs fail. This is where Kirpa versus personal Karam, Guru’s grace versus the ego’s efforts, become clear and they part company. Only rare Sikhs are able to stay the course by the Grace of Guru.

From a Sikh perspective, when Jesus said that no one enters the Kingdom of Heaven except through him, it was because only Guru can take our ego and give us what we thirst for. Judas seems to have failed the test miserably but apparently, so did the other apostles. Even Peter failed to stand by Jesus. To save his own life he denied knowing Jesus. Then he cried.

It is said that when Bhai Gurdas Ji wrote, “If the Guru puts on a show the Sikh must not lose faith” (Vaar 35:20:6) Guru Ji wanted to make him realize the deficiency in this statement. Guru sent Bhai Gurdas Ji to purchase horses. The bag of coins he was given turned out to be only clay disks. We cannot say what Bhai Gurdas Ji should have done and whether this was real or an illusion created just for the test, but apparently Bhai Gurdas Ji lost faith for a while and ran away to another city. Later he realized his folly and returned to Guru Ji. It is said that Bhai Gurdas Ji wrote the subsequent Pauris of this Vaar upon his return. The purpose of Guru’s testing the Sikh is not to see how strong a Sikh is but to see if the Sikh has surrendered his ego completely.

Let us also not forget the Fateh when discussing Gurmat. Fateh is a complete statement of Sikhi in nutshell. Guru Ji did not say that "I" “we” or "you" belong to Waheguru. Guru Ji said Khalsa belongs to Waheguru. There is no ego in the Fateh. There is no me or us in the Fateh. We are not that Khalsa. I cannot say about you, but I am not. As Sikhs, did we ever wonder where Khalsa is?

We call various individuals Sant or Khalsa but delivering clever lectures does not make one a Sant. On the other hand, a Sant may appear to be rambling aimlessly but his ramblings arise from his heart and thus, they transform our heart. Clever and logical lectures appear to be more helpful but they fail to transform us. Here lies the difference.

Complete and unwavering faith in the Guru, cherishing Guru Ji’s gifts and holding them next to our heart opens a spiritual oasis from Guru to Sikh. This is one purpose of the Rehit. But Amrit or the 5Ks alone, without understanding Gurmat, do not make us Khalsa either. We fail to make the necessary progress because we fail to see the errors in our outlook.

A long time ago, on another site, we attempted to write the essence of Sikhi in 50 words or less. Here is that version again: “Sikh belongs to the Guru, period. This includes an emotional state of perpetual longing. In return, Guru gives the Sikh everything. This is an act of Guru’s mercy that culminates with, or should we say starts with, the Sikh becoming like the Guru. This is proclaimed in the Fateh.” Guru’s Fateh is antithetical to the ego.

Guru Nanak, down to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, devised the way so that the masses could be drawn for a moment, into a state of Sehej through absorption in the Kirtan and through company of a Sant. Such moments convert the crows and cranes into swans by bestowing glimpses of Guru’s love. This is no longer a privilege of only some spiritual masters. They gave us Gurshabad as the vehicle. The rest is history.

Please forgive the length and correct the mistakes.

Humbly

Yuktanand Singh

Saline, Michigan, USA

P.S. Every so often, some GurSikhs become just like the Guru. We can see Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s image in their face during their old age and their youth. We then, understand the true meaning of Khalsa being Guru Ji’s own image. These GurSikhs live unpretentiously like lilies in the valley, quietly doing what they came to do. Their work is seldom reported on the front page of any newspaper but the ripples they create continue to inspire us for decades.

Sant Naranjan Singh Ji, a great Sikh scholar, was one such GurSikh. I posted excerpts from his videos on the youtube about a year ago. These excerpts explain the essence of Sikhi. So far, I see that very few people have had any interest to view all 14 segments of the Katha. People with prejudice loose interest as soon as they hear a quote from Bhagvad Gita or when they see a traditional style of Katha.

I have these excerpts also recorded on one DVD. If anyone desires the DVD then just send me an email. Please be sure to specify whether you need NTSC or PAL. If someone has some other videos of Sant Ji then, kindly let me know so that I can digitize them also. I am still working on the audio files, correcting the distortion of sound and speed, etc.

I am not eager to tell anyone about these videos because, just like sharing the pictures of your newborn baby, others cannot feel what you have experienced being in a close relationship with such a person. Still, we could experiment with the video.

I suggest that you try watching the DVD without talking or other distractions. Try watching it several times. If this generates a true spiritual curiosity in your heart then, try watching the entire DVD in on sitting.

Here are links to the segments posted on youtube:

Excerpts from Katha:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4TpFyv_POQ&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADEF00Bxi1U&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sy58o6e1v4&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afv-TwVlECw&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AmoPm3p93I&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1aYFaAV-Y&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIcr1lZNY8c&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxLYwHSEB-4&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNPw_HATC4U&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scGKbbtgfTw&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McXc9hWQenE&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seKU3AjbVbQ&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN9td_O2zM8&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tz2e6NBdgE&autoplay=1

Some comments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbZfaPS5LBw&autoplay=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIWMEb5JEEo&autoplay=1

Sant Ji standing during Kirtan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kzbyJIY-lo&autoplay=1

Some pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNX9ZJpjQUo&autoplay=1

Closeups:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O1dEFg2pGE&autoplay=1

-originally posted on Sikhnetby Yuktanand Singh

[paapiman]

wjkk wjkf

A historical tale from the life of Sri Satguru jee (First Master), which illustrates the danger of Pride.

ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ - ਸੋਨ ਨਗਰੀ │Part 9│BachittarNet - YouTube

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[paapiman]

A short Jaap(from a Granth), which can done to fight Pride/Ego.

 

 

 

Ref: Shardha Puran Granth by Pandit Gyani Narain Singh jee

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[paapiman]

@GurjantGnostic - Brilliant point you made brother regarding Ego in the other topic.

Quote

That's their secret. Lol. Kaam and Krodh take all the heat. Lob, and Moh work from behind, nobody wants to see Ahankar, and thus Hau Me goes unnoticed and in fact kept in place. 

Unquote

 

Is that the war tactic of the demon of Ego? It probably wants to stay unnoticed in the subconscious mind and not to be discussed too much.

Further, Gurbani clearly points to Ego, as the most dangerous of all the vices.

 

ਮਾਨ ਮੁਨੀ ਮੁਨਿਵਰ ਗਲੇ ਮਾਨੁ ਸਭੈ ਕਉ ਖਾਇ ॥੧੫੬॥

(Muni) sages, even (munivar) the best of sages (galey = degenerate) are destroyed by (maan) pride; pride (khaaey) consumes (sabhai kau) all

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[GurjantGnostic]

2 hours ago, paapiman said:

@GurjantGnostic - Brilliant point you made brother regarding Ego in the other topic.

Quote

That's their secret. Lol. Kaam and Krodh take all the heat. Lob, and Moh work from behind, nobody wants to see Ahankar, and thus Hau Me goes unnoticed and in fact kept in place. 

Unquote

 

Is that the war tactic of the demon of Ego? It probably wants to stay unnoticed in the subconscious mind and not to be discussed too much.

Further, Gurbani clearly points to Ego, as the most dangerous of all the vices.

 

ਮਾਨ ਮੁਨੀ ਮੁਨਿਵਰ ਗਲੇ ਮਾਨੁ ਸਭੈ ਕਉ ਖਾਇ ॥੧੫੬॥

(Muni) sages, even (munivar) the best of sages (galey = degenerate) are destroyed by (maan) pride; pride (khaaey) consumes (sabhai kau) all

 

Bhul chuk maaf

Shoot. Kalyug is so inverted the Panj Chor are heralded as virtues.  Me and mine are like a mantra down here. 

[paapiman]

53 minutes ago, GurjantGnostic said:

Me and mine are like a mantra down here. 

Waheguru. Waheguru. Waheguru.

 

ਮੇਰਾ ਮੇਰਾ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਵਿਗੂਤਾ ॥

s/he remains obsessed with (m-era m-era = my, mine) the self and forgets what s/he is here for i.e. forgets Divine commands, gets entangled in vices - and (vigoota) is frustrated at the end;

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[GurjantGnostic]

3 hours ago, paapiman said:

Waheguru. Waheguru. Waheguru.

 

ਮੇਰਾ ਮੇਰਾ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਵਿਗੂਤਾ ॥

s/he remains obsessed with (m-era m-era = my, mine) the self and forgets what s/he is here for i.e. forgets Divine commands, gets entangled in vices - and (vigoota) is frustrated at the end;

 

Bhul chuk maaf

Fantastic reference of Gurbani bro. We are so blessed. 

[paapiman]

The below is from Bhai Desa Singh Rehatnama.

Please read the First line in the image below:

 

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[paapiman]

Bhai Lal Singh jee prepares weapons and presents it to Sri Satguru jee (Tenth Master). Maharaaj likes it at first, but then the demon of Ego strikes in the mind of Bhai saab jee. Please listen to the katha for the rest.

 

Remix Katha || Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Bhai Lal Singh || Jatha Bhai Mehal Singh Ji || - YouTube

@Soulfinder

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[Soulfinder]

3 hours ago, paapiman said:

Bhai Lal Singh jee prepares weapons and presents it to Sri Satguru jee (Tenth Master). Maharaaj likes it at first, but then the demon of Ego strikes in the mind of Bhai saab jee. Please listen to the katha for the rest.

 

Remix Katha || Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Bhai Lal Singh || Jatha Bhai Mehal Singh Ji || - YouTube

@Soulfinder

 

Bhul chuk maaf

 

[paapiman]

@Soulfinder

 

Bhul chuk maaf

[Soulfinder]

13 hours ago, paapiman said:

@Soulfinder

 

Bhul chuk maaf