Each day we live and learn – at least I do.
Life changes each day and before we know it, it has changed a lot from what it was say ten, twenty years ago, i.e. in my own lifetime (I am in my late sixties) I have seen considerable change in values and things I took for granted – imagine the shift in thinking from what it was hundreds of years ago.
The biggest, age old, problem is that we often entrench ourselves (me included) in our comfortable positions and defend that position come what may.
Here I can see both sides of the argument, spirituality and politicisation of issues. When we make a statement such as “Guru Gobind Singh is the greatest” we will attract some political reaction. However, if we expound on a particular aspect of Gurbani, it will, generally, stay within a discussion focussing on spirituality.
Let us take the first statement“Guru Gobind Singh is the greatest”. Often when we say it we are not making a political statement. To me, personally, he has been the greatest and there will be no one like him again in Kalyug. That is my belief as is the fact that were it not for Guru Nanak there would be no Gobind Singh and vice versa. The point is Guru Gobind Singh was the Tenth Nanak and all forms of Nanak, for me, were pre-ordained and were the greatest. The extensive tours of Guru Nanak, the sewa, dedication and unflinching loyalty of Guru Angad Dev Ji, the humility of Guru Amar Das Ji, the ingenuity and ghalna of Guru Ram Das Ji, the serenity and supreme sacrifice of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, I could go on….
There are occasions when I hear the name of Nanak and it sends a sensation through my body, mind and soul, hard to describe. The name of Nanak does not represent only the first jama but also his nine successors and Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sikhi as a whole – what Sikhi has done for the underdog, the down trodden - the supreme sacrifices of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his valiant Sikhs must not be overlooked.
There is no doubt that Indians have not truly appreciated the contribution of the Sikh Gurus, in particular those of Guru Teg Bahadur ji and Guru Gobind Singh ji, and we Sikhs often feel the hurt. Therefore, this fact is at the back of our minds (and it makes us sensitive) and hence sometimes when we hear back-handed compliments, it makes our blood boil. But how should we go about it? Mudslinging, in my opinion, is not the answer, we must argue from a position of strength and for that we must, first, put our own house in order. We must not let splinter groups upset us - they were always there, even in the times of our Gurus (see how Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was revealed by Makhan Shah Lubhana) and they will always be there in the future. But the good thing is they will come and go provided we stay firm and steadfast in our beliefs.
Now coming to spirituality, I notice there is less interest in this and more in argument and debate. There is nothing wrong in healthy debate but often it becomes the end and not the means. Some of us get obsessed by this activity and spend more time on it then on meditating and understanding Gurbani. I feel I am lucky to have grown up in the pre-internet era and to have experienced a much simpler mode of life. These days there is a tendency to skip the ‘meditation hour’ and instead spend it flicking through the pages on the internet.
There are only twenty four hours in the day and for most of us these run in a regular pattern:
(1)
Get up in the morning, say our prayers, have breakfast;
(2)
work between, say, 9 am to 5 pm;
(3)
Eat, socialise, pray, read or watch TV between 6.00 pm to 11 pm.
(4)
Sleep.
For most of us, we have no or little control on (2) above and the remembrance of the Lord will depend a lot on how we discipline ourselves in (1) and (3). We generally, in speak terms, refer to (1) as amrit vela and (3) as rehras da vela I have no intention of going into theinterpretation of these termshere as these will require separate threads – suffice to say, for now, that the words do change their meaning according to the context in which they are used.Discipline is important in any field and it is even more important in respect of our spirituality, since the time to practice this is very limited. If you are a professional athlete, for example, then you have most times of the day at your disposal. However, in the case of our faith, the time is limited. Unfortunately the mornings and the evenings, whilst more under our control than (2) above, do have other claims on them and most of us end up spending little time on meditation, interpretation of Gurbani and history. Some believe they can do so at other times of the day and that there are no specific times of the day earmarked for meditation. True, but how many of us are able to do so. For most, I am afraid this becomes an excuse more than justifiable reason. I must add that from mediation point of view this can be done at any time of the day – here we are discussing the practicality of the issue.
It is also curious to find that ‘Spiritual Articles’, on the SPN format is the last sub-heading under the last heading, although I do admit there are other headings where matters of spirituality can be discussed – but it is not always easy to make the correct selection. Perhaps the format needs to be simplified, which I understand is already in hand.
I apolgise for the long post and any sentiments I may have, unintentionally, treaded upon.
Humbly
Rajinder Singh ‘Arshi’
