Quote:
Aad0002: "How does a convert change from a Western name. Is baptism the only way? Or may I start referring to myself as "kaur" right now? One of those puzzles and I never get the same answer when I ask the question."
Namjap: "I've also heard extensively that anybody wearing all the 5K's is an Amritdhari (baptised). They are two separate issues. You can still wear all 5K's without first being baptised. So is it with change of name. Separate issue altogether. There is no physical law enforcement in Sikhism where you're caught and put before a Sharia Court for proceedings against you."
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ਜੇ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਕੀਚੈ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਲੋਚੀਐ ਕਿਰਤੁ ਨ ਮੇਟਿਆ ਜਾਇ ॥
jae har har keechai bahuth locheeai kirath n maettiaa jaae ||
Even if you chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, with great longing, your past actions are still not erased.
ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਭਾਣਾ ਭਗਤੀ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਸੇ ਭਗਤ ਪਏ ਦਰਿ ਥਾਇ ॥੩॥
har kaa bhaanaa bhagathee manniaa sae bhagath peae dhar thhaae ||3||
The Lord's devotees surrender to His Will; those devotees are accepted at His Door. ||3||
ਗੁਰੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਦਿੜਾਵੈ ਰੰਗ ਸਿਉ ਬਿਨੁ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਲਇਆ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥
gur sabadh dhirraavai rang sio bin kirapaa laeiaa n jaae ||
The Guru has lovingly implanted the Word of His Shabad within me. Without His Grace, it cannot be attained.
~SGGS Ji p. 65
What is the purpose of conversion? Is it about finding a philosophy that matches your beliefs? Can you realistically be baptised, receive deeksha with a Satguru just by wearing kakkars because people extensively tell you this? I invite you to consider such an "amritdhari" as delusion. It has no reality. Where is the power in such a conversion? Is it life-changing, experiential, push you beyond your limits? Will changing your name to Singh or Kaur accomplish this? Will wearing kakkars give this to you?
If you really want to have a Guru, it doesn't happen because you decide you have ideological conformity. It doesn't happen because you copy the outward forms of religion. It happens when you surrender to a Satguru. How does someone surrender? Can we decide the time and place? Can we select the method? Can we change the religion to suit our desires and call it surrender? How would following our own will give us attunement to a Satguru?
Conversion is a Western connotation of changing one's beliefs which has no validity in a
Guru-chela based spiritual system. Guru doesn't care if you believe or not. Guru needs you to surrender, to be open, to be receptive. This doesn't mean become mindless, or don't study. It means
relationally, in your attitude to Guru, don't stand in His way with your own beliefs.
Discipleship initiation is a requirement. To undergo this process of surrender, Guru has given
Khande-ki-pahul. This is how you give Guru your head, your will, your total commitment to His discipline. If you don't receive amrit from Guru in the Beloved 5, what does it matter what you call yourself?
Without receiving amrit you have no Guru-disciple relationship at all. There's no bond created just by wishing for it. But when you receive Guru's deeksha, Guru implants something inside you, and that's the Naam. That's when you become the Guru's chela, His shishiya, His sikh.
Because that's when you have this relational attunement with the energy reality of Guru's living Presence. You see, no one is able to give himself intuitive perception. Just talking about shabad-jyot as a concept does not impart
Jyot-Vigas.
A disciple is the one who practices daily attunement with His Guru. There's a saying in ashrams about
mixing spiritual practices and teachers, "Whatever you do - do it correctly or leave it." Just like you can't teach yourself medicine or theoretical physics, spirituality can't be self-taught, you need to follow the guidance of a Master. Guru literally translates Light which dispels the darkness. A chela comes to Guru needing his own darkness to be dispelled. Guru gives the disciple transmission, and Guru's own Light and activating vibration of Sound enters into the consciousness of the chela. And when you have found a true Master, let Him guide you. Gurbani says if you want to be a Hindu, be a good one. If you want to be a Muslim, be a good one. And if you want to be a Sikh of the Guru, surrender.
ਪੂਰਬਿ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਕਮਾਵਣਾ ਕੋਇ ਨ ਮੇਟਣਹਾਰੁ ॥੩॥
poorab likhiaa kamaavanaa koe n maettanehaar ||3||
They act according to their pre-ordained destiny, which no one can erase. ||3||
ਸਤਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਗਾਖੜੀ ਸਿਰੁ ਦੀਜੈ ਆਪੁ ਗਵਾਇ ॥
sathagur kee saevaa gaakharree sir dheejai aap gavaae ||
It is very difficult to serve the True Guru. Surrender your head; give up your selfishness.
~SGGS Ji p. 27
There's a Sanskrit word called
Spho Ta, "which means 'to burst', or become suddenly rent asunder (with a sound)." Language is a multidimensional psycho-spiritual symbolism. And all words have an energy current and vibratory frequency. We can study
psycho-neuro-linguistic programming and
attitudinal healing and conclude that language indeed has an effect on consciousness. When you receive a
Sikh name, it
comes from Gurbani so it is of the energy consciousness, the enlightenment of Guru. So the Sikh name is derived from root words and concepts in Gurbani, these words are imbued with shabad-jyot, which is more than a concept of light and sound but it's a
multidimensional vibration. It has
Guruji's energy signature.
It has the Presence of Guru conveyed in sound and carried on the breath. And it has the
power to activate latent qualities in your mind which can
affect your thoughts, clear your vritti, those whirling thoughts that cause you to lose contact with your inner nature. That's why there is no name you could ever give yourself that would be as powerful as the one you receive from Guru at amrit sinchaar.
You cannot make yourself into Guru's Singh or Singhni.
Guru has to
implant something for this to happen. And the amrit which you receive contains
sarbloh from the khanda rubbing against the sarbloh batta and mixing in the sugar water. The Panj Piare then
recite Gurbani. And the
energy is transmitted and the water becomes amrit.
When you drink it, when it's splashed in your eyes, on your hairs it's activating something. It's transmitting the shabad-jyot. And when you receive
Naam Gurmantara, that Naam is a
power word. The Guru's shakti is in it. A Sikh name is taken directly from Gurbani and so it relates on one level to
qualities the name inspires but also has a
subtle energy imprint of the sound current. A name which comes from Gurbani has the latent potential to
activate certain awareness in Guruji's chela. It is a
word-seed because it arises from Guruji's shabad. Just to have this name has no power. But
when the name is received from Guru's form in the Panj Piare, that's something given directly to you from Guru. That's when it becomes an
attunement of yourself, even to the naming of your multidimensional being.
ਬਿਨੁ ਨਾਵੈ ਜੀਵਣੁ ਨਾ ਥੀਐ ਮੇਰੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਨਾਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
bin naavai jeevan naa thheeai maerae sathigur naam dhrirraae ||1|| rehaao ||
Without Your Name, my life does not even exist. My True Guru has implanted the Naam within me. ||1||Pause||
~SGGS Ji p. 40
ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਪ੍ਰਾਨ ਸਖਾਈ ਹਰਿ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਹਮਰੀ ਰਹਰਾਸਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
guramath naam maeraa praan sakhaaee har keerath hamaree reharaas ||1|| rehaao ||
Through the Guru's Teachings, the Naam is my breath of life. The Kirtan of the Lord's Praise is my life's occupation. ||1||Pause||
~SGGS Ji p. 10
ਹਰਿ ਧਨੁ ਰਤਨੁ ਜਵੇਹਰੁ ਮਾਣਕੁ ਹਰਿ ਧਨੈ ਨਾਲਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਵੇਲੈ ਵਤੈ ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤੀ ਹਰਿ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥
har dhhan rathan javaehar maanak har dhhanai naal anmrith vaelai vathai har bhagathee har liv laaee ||
The Lord's wealth is like jewels, gems and rubies. At the appointed time in the Amrit Vaylaa, the ambrosial hours of the morning, the Lord's devotees lovingly center their attention on the Lord, and the wealth of the Lord.
ਹਰਿ ਧਨੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਵੇਲੈ ਵਤੈ ਕਾ ਬੀਜਿਆ ਭਗਤ ਖਾਇ ਖਰਚਿ ਰਹੇ ਨਿਖੁਟੈ ਨਾਹੀ ॥
har dhhan anmrith vaelai vathai kaa beejiaa bhagath khaae kharach rehae nikhuttai naahee ||
The devotees of the Lord plant the seed of the Lord's wealth in the ambrosial hours of the Amrit Vaylaa; they eat it, and spend it, but it is never exhausted.
~SGGS Ji p. 734
Naam drirh, the implanted Naam. It refers to a practice of
pranayam (lifeforce-breath) given to
activate a psycho-spiritual awareness with Guru's grace, through
shaktipat of Guru's power. So you receive something very powerful which can only come from Guru. Naam Gurmantara has the power of
Spho Ta, it has the power to
pierce through the energy chakras in our being
with sound current and allow the
inner prana to ascend so we can achieve liberation consciousness. That's the whole point of having a Guru, to initiate and activate this latent human potential. You can't get it just pretending to be baptised and wanting to call yourself a Sikh name or wear kakkars. To become amritdhari
initiates a whole process. Amrit is the deeksha of the Sikh Satguru.
Some people say keeping
amrit vela is brahmanic ritualism. If so, why would Guruji put that in His bani? And the reason is clear. Many people have no understanding of the basic yogic mystical practices Guru is teaching. Because they don't understand it, it seems meaningless to them, and they call it a ritual, a superstition, or a waste. Amrit vela is a powerful time for
simran and dhyan. Just as the body has a
chronobiology where the enzymes and cells follow a rhythm based on diurnal and nocturnal processes, so do the subtle centers.
Ayurvedic medicine teaches that the
tri-dosha have a relationship to certain hours. At amrit vela time, the
vata is strongest and the body naturally responds to
arousal and excretion of waste. The timing of this practice is designed to
raise your energy consciousness. It's an ancient yogic science that this time of
brahma muhurta (2 hours before sunrise) is the best to
clear obscurations of thoughts and
open the inner wisdom eye. And it is the sadhan prescription of Satguru Nanak Dev Ji. The disciple has to bring his 5 senses under control in a
daily disciplined practice just to be
receptive. The effort you're making is to be
attuned with Satguru.
ਸਬਦੁ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਜਪੈ ਨਾਮੁ ਨਵ ਨਿਧਿ ਅਪੈ ਰਸਨਿ ਅਹਿਨਿਸਿ ਰਸੈ ਸਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਜਾਨੀਅਹੁ ॥
sabadh har har japai naam nav nidhh apai rasan ahinis rasai sath kar jaaneeahu ||
Chant the Shabad, the Word of the Lord, Har, Har; the Naam, the Name of the Lord, brings the nine treasures. With your tongue, taste it, day and night, and know it as true.
ਫੁਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਰੰਗ ਪਾਈਐ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਹਿ ਧਿਆਈਐ ਅੰਨ ਮਾਰਗ ਤਜਹੁ ਭਜਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਗ੍ਯ੍ਯਾਨੀਅਹੁ ॥
fun praem rang paaeeai guramukhehi dhhiaaeeai ann maarag thajahu bhajahu har gyaaneeahu ||
Then, you shall obtain His Love and Affection; become Gurmukh, and meditate on Him. Give up all other ways; vibrate and meditate on Him, O spiritual people.
~SGGS Ji p. 1400
ਖਟੁ ਮਟੁ ਦੇਹੀ ਮਨੁ ਬੈਰਾਗੀ ॥
khatt matt dhaehee man bairaagee ||
Above the six chakras of the body dwells the detached mind.
ਸੁਰਤਿ ਸਬਦੁ ਧੁਨਿ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਜਾਗੀ ॥
surath sabadh dhhun anthar jaagee ||
Awareness of the vibration of the Word of the Shabad has been awakened deep within.
ਵਾਜੈ ਅਨਹਦੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਲੀਣਾ ॥
vaajai anehadh maeraa man leenaa ||
The unstruck melody of the sound current resonates and resounds within; my mind is attuned to it.
ਗੁਰ ਬਚਨੀ ਸਚਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਪਤੀਣਾ ॥੧॥
gur bachanee sach naam patheenaa ||1||
Through the Guru's Teachings, my faith is confirmed in the True Name. ||1||
~SGGS Ji p. 903
You can call yourself "Kate Kaur" or "Joe Singh." And those would be nice names.
But they have no power. Just by calling does not
imbue a person with the power of a princess, with the power of a lion. It doesn't make you the Guru's Singh or Singhni. When you take amrit, the Panj Piare opens the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. And the first letter of the page is the letter you take your name from. So this is the way that Guruji names you. It's far more meaningful then if you only name yourself. You can take the name you like from this letter.
But the Panj Piare have to agree. It's that agreement, that attunement, that obedience that has the power which is something beyond your own choosing. Do-it-yourself Sikhi is like being your own disciple since you follow your own will, your own daily prescriptions for spiritual practice. Some people mix in teachings and practices of others gurus and other religious traditions. How is this being attuned to the energy of
this Satguru? If you are following prescriptions of 6 masters of 6 different traditions and paths how can you get anywhere when not one of them has become
your Guru? That person is following himself! Even the paths that mix traditions like Radhasoami have a guru lineage and transmission through initiation. Nobody is a spiritual disciple of a Guru who does not conform himself to the Guru's own prescriptions.
Transformation is simply not possible by diluting your spiritual forces this way. Why would we need a Guru if there's no need to be obedient to the wisdom of His discipline? If we have our own wisdom and do things our way,
who is Guru?
So I say everyone should take amrit and become a
disciple of a Satguru.
Not to take amrit, and you are not a disciple. You are not committed to the sadhana. You did not receive the initiation which is like a marriage to belong to Guru. But just to take amrit, that's like entering first grade. It's no grandeur on
your part. It's no certificate of degree or attainment of spirituality. It only means you have been
implanted with a seed. And the gardener of that seed is Guru. And every spiritual practice is
submission to that Guru.
ਐਸਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਕਥੈ ਬਨਵਾਰੀ ॥
aisaa giaan kathhai banavaaree ||
Such is the spiritual wisdom which the Lord has imparted.
ਮਨ ਰੇ ਪਵਨ ਦ੍ਰਿੜ ਸੁਖਮਨ ਨਾਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
man rae pavan dhrirr sukhaman naaree ||1|| rehaao ||
O mind, hold your breath steady within the central channel of the Sushmanaa. ||1||Pause||
ਸੋ ਗੁਰੁ ਕਰਹੁ ਜਿ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਕਰਨਾ ॥
so gur karahu j bahur n karanaa ||
Adopt such a Guru, that you shall not have to adopt another again.
ਸੋ ਪਦੁ ਰਵਹੁ ਜਿ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਰਵਨਾ ॥
so padh ravahu j bahur n ravanaa ||
Dwell in such a state, that you shall never have to dwell in any other.
~SGGS Ji p. 327
~Bhul chak maaf karni ji
Babiha
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09-06-2005, 08:37 PM
