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Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
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<blockquote data-quote="Astroboy" data-source="post: 60051" data-attributes="member: 4990"><p><strong>Re: Why I chose Sikhism</strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="color: gray">Cornelis Heule - Harjinder Singh</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>FROM AMSTERDAM TO AMRITSAR</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Harjinder Singh</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>After hesitating for two years and last minute refusals to face the reality that</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I had given up my apartment, my job, my life in Amsterdam, and at least</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>for one year all those who I love and care for, even those who I took for </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><strong><span style="color: gray">granted until I realized how much I would miss even my favorite <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'">barmaid,</span></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I left Amsterdam.</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And what is the program, what is the plan? One year in India, and at least </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>for that year no drinking, no smoking, a year of thinking about me and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the rest of my life. Go to Amritsar and find about those intriguing Sikhs,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>go to McLeod ganj and find out more about those Tibetan Buddhists. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Go to the Himalayas, hire a donkey, a horse or a combination of the</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>two and go on a long trek. Will that fill a year, will I be happy, will</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I really be able to give up the booze? Will I be able to live with the </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Indians who never leave one alone? Will I not go completely </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>bonkers and crawl up against the wall after one month? And what </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>about my health, and what about my friends, girlfriends?</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>But I'm going, I'm going to do it, I am going to show them that there </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>is still life in this old body and not-so-old mind. To hell with them and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>their 2-3 children, their second motor car and their rat race. I am</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>different, I do not need a wife, a God, a job, stability. I am strong</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and independent, and above all I do not need God, and I can give up </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the booze without any help. Or can I?</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And thus we land at New Delhi airport on the morning of January 10, 1996,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>only some 4 hours later than scheduled. It is bright and sunny, and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>rather cold. I pay far too much money for a cab to a far too expensive hotel.</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>In spite of being exhausted I go out for my first walk and meet my </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>first "sadhu", meet my first Kashmiri hawker, get an unwanted but </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>unrefusable ride into town by some dodgy fellows, walk around Connaught Place </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and get an auto scooter back to my hotel. There is a real shower with hot </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and cold in the room and a television, this is going to be the last room </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>like that in a long time! Next day to Pahar Ganj, to a hotel off the main market,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>first 300 rupia for a three bedded room just for me, with windows and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>attached bathroom, then 200 rupia for two bedded same without windows </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and finally 200 rupia for two bedded with windows and excellently positioned </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>opposite the flat roof where they keep the dogs that bark all night. I can also </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>hear the horns of the diesel locomotives at New Delhi station, all night long.</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Things are wonderful and very rotten. Wonderful because I enjoy the lepers, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the cows, the hawkers, the elephants, the soothsayers, the Hindu mandirs, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the camels and the down and out Western hippies. My heart is pinched </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>by seeing kiddies doing very unhealthy looking jobbies on the pavement</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>next to an overflowing drain and crores of smelly two-wheelers, old cars, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>trucks and buses passing by, but still I love it. Rotten because I have </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the big one: spending loads of time in the loo with a bucket of water </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>in front of me. Going for a meal and after being served and eating two</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>bites leaving in a hurry because I get the feeling of vomiting </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>(as the Indian doctor put it). But with the help of the nice Kashmiri</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>boy I find the aforementioned doctor, get antibiotics and get cured. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And I take a very serious haircut, because in this hot climate and</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>insufficient hygienic facilities I might as well. </strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I get myself out of Delhi and go to see this Golden Temple. And do not </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>sleep very much, and am rather speedy without the drink. A non-drinking me,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Dutch by birth, Irish by choice, can it be done? </strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Of course I pay way too much for my train ticket to Amritsar and get </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>unwanted luxury. We only arrive 30 minutes late and I am abducted by </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>a cycle rickshaw-wallah to a crummy hotel, charging 150 rupia + 10% tax</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and not offering too much in return apart from drunks that gather </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>in the dining room every night. The light is beautiful, the days are very clear,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the air is of an almost transparent light blue that in NW Europe only </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>appears on very rare winter days. </strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And on January 19, 1996, Cornelis Heule, a mere 48 years of age </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>makes his first appearance on the parkarma of Harmandir Sahib. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And I am bowled over. The music that is broadcast from the </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>gold top building in the middle of the square pond ("sarovar")</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>that surrounds it, is divine. The beautiful light is there, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>the marble walkway ("parkarma") around the sarovar, the white </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>buildings around that. I spend 4 hours just sitting there, not </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>going into the actual temple at all. And day two I come back for </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>more, and again spend 4 hours, drinking in the atmosphere. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Babaji speaks to me, the man who I will get to know very well later,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and he points out the four open doors of the temple, welcoming</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>everyone from all creeds, castes, directions. And I decide to leave</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>my hotel and move into the (free) Ram Das Niwas (guesthouse) </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>of the temple itself. And thereby seal my fate. </strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>In the far corner of room 43 in the dormitory of Guru Ram Das Niwas </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>was a heap of bed clothes, and underneath those was Audrey, Dutch,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>black, Christian. She took me to the temple, she took me to the </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>ceremony of bringing the Sikh holy book into the temple, and</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>she took me for a Christian as I was reading the Bible. We got on</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>very well and drank in the atmosphere of the place, told each other </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>that the Sikhs were great and got intoxicated on the good vibes. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>We went for a meal, and we went and talked, and I was speedy and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>could not sleep. But I was winning. After Audrey there were the </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Germans, Stephan and his wife, their friend Peter from Tienen in</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Belgium, John from the North of England who had given up the </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>drink too and was busy cycling from the North Cape to England </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>going the long way around, Elizabeth from Anchorage, the reformed</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>drunk from Ireland (does not even take a sweet containing </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>liquor in future) and I talked, went to the temple morning and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>night, was speedy and could not sleep.</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Some nights I fell asleep utterly exhausted only to wake up after </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>a few hours, and thoughts would start milling through the head again.</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Sometimes I was awake all night until at dawn I fell asleep, exhausted. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And what went on in my mind was incredible, images from the past </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I hoped I had long forgotten, images from yesterday and even those</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>from tomorrow. There was no stopping it, there was no stopping me. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I talked, talked, I talked at a hundred miles an hour, and I could not sleep. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I went to the temple at 5 am for bringing in the Guru Granth Sahib</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>(Sikh Holy Book) and at night at ten I took it to it's room again.</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And why? Did I believe in God? There was no need to believe in God, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>whatever God is, I felt the presence in me and around me from day one. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Was I a Sikh? No, but I was becoming one.</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>One day I was sitting behind the temple, and all of a sudden I started crying,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and felt great at the same time, and the next day it happened again. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>And whenever I felt those massive copper bars of the "palki" in which </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>we carried the Guru Granth Sahib on our shoulders I felt something </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>like an electric current going through me. And finally one night after </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>fervently praying (me! praying!) and asking for peace of mind I walked</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>back to the dormitory and was suddenly overwhelmed by the ultimate </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>heebee jeebees. I had to drink, I had to smoke. All the devils from the </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>seven hells were shouting at me: drink, drink, smoke, smoke. And I ran, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I ran to find my friendly Babaji, who of course was not in his room, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I ran back to my room and there was no one there, I went to the room </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>next to me and flung myself on an American (imagine!) who was great,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>did not say much, but just was there. And after 30 minutes I quieted down, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and that was it, the final act. I was not a drunk anymore and I knew that </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>something, someone was out there, playing games with me, and nasty</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>ones at that, but, I was cured.</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Still I knew nothing about Sikhism, and I definitely did not know what God is.</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>I started reading Sukhmani Sahib, a part of Guru Granth Sahib, I started</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>reading Guru Nanak's Japuji Sahib and Guru Gobind Singh's Jap Sahib,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and through their meditations on God learned that even the Gurus, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>who were so close to God, were more sure of what God is not, than of</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>what God is. And I learned about meditation. I learned that this</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>indescribable, un-understandable God was everywhere, in waters, on land,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>in you and me, in a worm and an elephant, that God was definitely not </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>an old man having a long white beard living in a place called heaven, that</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>God was One, that God is not linked to any religion, country or nation, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>that God has no family, that we cannot make any pictures or portraits of God, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and that whatever we do, we should keep God in mind. And there is no use </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>in retiring from the world and contemplate your navel. Live in the world but</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>be not ruled by hunger for money or sex, be not ruled by anger and </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>pride, and recognize all humans as your brothers and sisters, all of the universe </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>as His manifestation.</strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Everyone is welcome in the temple, everyone has the right to believe in his </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>own way, but if you want to be a Sikh you will have to wear the 5Ks, </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. First I thought that if that is</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>what it takes I will do it, although I do not see why. Later I discovered </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>that having to face the world as a very recognizable Sikh, you will have </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>to live up to the Sikh standards: be honest, be fair, be compassionate,</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>and traveling to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and facing </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>all the Muslims successfully, does add to your self confidence. </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>Do not have personal pride, but be proud to be a Sikh. And, we </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>cannot be like St. Peter, we cannot deny what we are, and have </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'"><span style="color: gray"><strong>to face the questions and sometimes the mockery. Does you the world of good!</strong></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Astroboy, post: 60051, member: 4990"] [b]Re: Why I chose Sikhism[/b] [CENTER][B][COLOR=gray]Cornelis Heule - Harjinder Singh[/COLOR][/B][/CENTER] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]FROM AMSTERDAM TO AMRITSAR[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Harjinder Singh[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]After hesitating for two years and last minute refusals to face the reality that[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I had given up my apartment, my job, my life in Amsterdam, and at least[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]for one year all those who I love and care for, even those who I took for [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][B][COLOR=gray]granted until I realized how much I would miss even my favorite [FONT=Trebuchet MS]barmaid,[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I left Amsterdam.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And what is the program, what is the plan? One year in India, and at least [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]for that year no drinking, no smoking, a year of thinking about me and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the rest of my life. Go to Amritsar and find about those intriguing Sikhs,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]go to McLeod ganj and find out more about those Tibetan Buddhists. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Go to the Himalayas, hire a donkey, a horse or a combination of the[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]two and go on a long trek. Will that fill a year, will I be happy, will[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I really be able to give up the booze? Will I be able to live with the [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Indians who never leave one alone? Will I not go completely [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]bonkers and crawl up against the wall after one month? And what [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]about my health, and what about my friends, girlfriends?[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]But I'm going, I'm going to do it, I am going to show them that there [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]is still life in this old body and not-so-old mind. To hell with them and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]their 2-3 children, their second motor car and their rat race. I am[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]different, I do not need a wife, a God, a job, stability. I am strong[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and independent, and above all I do not need God, and I can give up [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the booze without any help. Or can I?[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And thus we land at New Delhi airport on the morning of January 10, 1996,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]only some 4 hours later than scheduled. It is bright and sunny, and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]rather cold. I pay far too much money for a cab to a far too expensive hotel.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]In spite of being exhausted I go out for my first walk and meet my [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]first "sadhu", meet my first Kashmiri hawker, get an unwanted but [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]unrefusable ride into town by some dodgy fellows, walk around Connaught Place [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and get an auto scooter back to my hotel. There is a real shower with hot [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and cold in the room and a television, this is going to be the last room [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]like that in a long time! Next day to Pahar Ganj, to a hotel off the main market,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]first 300 rupia for a three bedded room just for me, with windows and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]attached bathroom, then 200 rupia for two bedded same without windows [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and finally 200 rupia for two bedded with windows and excellently positioned [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]opposite the flat roof where they keep the dogs that bark all night. I can also [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]hear the horns of the diesel locomotives at New Delhi station, all night long.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Things are wonderful and very rotten. Wonderful because I enjoy the lepers, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the cows, the hawkers, the elephants, the soothsayers, the Hindu mandirs, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the camels and the down and out Western hippies. My heart is pinched [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]by seeing kiddies doing very unhealthy looking jobbies on the pavement[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]next to an overflowing drain and crores of smelly two-wheelers, old cars, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]trucks and buses passing by, but still I love it. Rotten because I have [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the big one: spending loads of time in the loo with a bucket of water [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]in front of me. Going for a meal and after being served and eating two[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]bites leaving in a hurry because I get the feeling of vomiting [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B](as the Indian doctor put it). But with the help of the nice Kashmiri[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]boy I find the aforementioned doctor, get antibiotics and get cured. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And I take a very serious haircut, because in this hot climate and[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]insufficient hygienic facilities I might as well. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I get myself out of Delhi and go to see this Golden Temple. And do not [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]sleep very much, and am rather speedy without the drink. A non-drinking me,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Dutch by birth, Irish by choice, can it be done? [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Of course I pay way too much for my train ticket to Amritsar and get [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]unwanted luxury. We only arrive 30 minutes late and I am abducted by [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]a cycle rickshaw-wallah to a crummy hotel, charging 150 rupia + 10% tax[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and not offering too much in return apart from drunks that gather [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]in the dining room every night. The light is beautiful, the days are very clear,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the air is of an almost transparent light blue that in NW Europe only [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]appears on very rare winter days. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And on January 19, 1996, Cornelis Heule, a mere 48 years of age [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]makes his first appearance on the parkarma of Harmandir Sahib. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And I am bowled over. The music that is broadcast from the [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]gold top building in the middle of the square pond ("sarovar")[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]that surrounds it, is divine. The beautiful light is there, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]the marble walkway ("parkarma") around the sarovar, the white [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]buildings around that. I spend 4 hours just sitting there, not [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]going into the actual temple at all. And day two I come back for [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]more, and again spend 4 hours, drinking in the atmosphere. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Babaji speaks to me, the man who I will get to know very well later,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and he points out the four open doors of the temple, welcoming[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]everyone from all creeds, castes, directions. And I decide to leave[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]my hotel and move into the (free) Ram Das Niwas (guesthouse) [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]of the temple itself. And thereby seal my fate. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]In the far corner of room 43 in the dormitory of Guru Ram Das Niwas [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]was a heap of bed clothes, and underneath those was Audrey, Dutch,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]black, Christian. She took me to the temple, she took me to the [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]ceremony of bringing the Sikh holy book into the temple, and[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]she took me for a Christian as I was reading the Bible. We got on[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]very well and drank in the atmosphere of the place, told each other [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]that the Sikhs were great and got intoxicated on the good vibes. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]We went for a meal, and we went and talked, and I was speedy and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]could not sleep. But I was winning. After Audrey there were the [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Germans, Stephan and his wife, their friend Peter from Tienen in[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Belgium, John from the North of England who had given up the [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]drink too and was busy cycling from the North Cape to England [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]going the long way around, Elizabeth from Anchorage, the reformed[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]drunk from Ireland (does not even take a sweet containing [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]liquor in future) and I talked, went to the temple morning and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]night, was speedy and could not sleep.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Some nights I fell asleep utterly exhausted only to wake up after [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]a few hours, and thoughts would start milling through the head again.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Sometimes I was awake all night until at dawn I fell asleep, exhausted. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And what went on in my mind was incredible, images from the past [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I hoped I had long forgotten, images from yesterday and even those[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]from tomorrow. There was no stopping it, there was no stopping me. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I talked, talked, I talked at a hundred miles an hour, and I could not sleep. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I went to the temple at 5 am for bringing in the Guru Granth Sahib[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B](Sikh Holy Book) and at night at ten I took it to it's room again.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And why? Did I believe in God? There was no need to believe in God, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]whatever God is, I felt the presence in me and around me from day one. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Was I a Sikh? No, but I was becoming one.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]One day I was sitting behind the temple, and all of a sudden I started crying,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and felt great at the same time, and the next day it happened again. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]And whenever I felt those massive copper bars of the "palki" in which [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]we carried the Guru Granth Sahib on our shoulders I felt something [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]like an electric current going through me. And finally one night after [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]fervently praying (me! praying!) and asking for peace of mind I walked[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]back to the dormitory and was suddenly overwhelmed by the ultimate [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]heebee jeebees. I had to drink, I had to smoke. All the devils from the [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]seven hells were shouting at me: drink, drink, smoke, smoke. And I ran, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I ran to find my friendly Babaji, who of course was not in his room, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I ran back to my room and there was no one there, I went to the room [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]next to me and flung myself on an American (imagine!) who was great,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]did not say much, but just was there. And after 30 minutes I quieted down, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and that was it, the final act. I was not a drunk anymore and I knew that [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]something, someone was out there, playing games with me, and nasty[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]ones at that, but, I was cured.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Still I knew nothing about Sikhism, and I definitely did not know what God is.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]I started reading Sukhmani Sahib, a part of Guru Granth Sahib, I started[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]reading Guru Nanak's Japuji Sahib and Guru Gobind Singh's Jap Sahib,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and through their meditations on God learned that even the Gurus, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]who were so close to God, were more sure of what God is not, than of[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]what God is. And I learned about meditation. I learned that this[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]indescribable, un-understandable God was everywhere, in waters, on land,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]in you and me, in a worm and an elephant, that God was definitely not [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]an old man having a long white beard living in a place called heaven, that[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]God was One, that God is not linked to any religion, country or nation, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]that God has no family, that we cannot make any pictures or portraits of God, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and that whatever we do, we should keep God in mind. And there is no use [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]in retiring from the world and contemplate your navel. Live in the world but[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]be not ruled by hunger for money or sex, be not ruled by anger and [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]pride, and recognize all humans as your brothers and sisters, all of the universe [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]as His manifestation.[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [B][/B] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Everyone is welcome in the temple, everyone has the right to believe in his [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]own way, but if you want to be a Sikh you will have to wear the 5Ks, [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. First I thought that if that is[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]what it takes I will do it, although I do not see why. Later I discovered [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]that having to face the world as a very recognizable Sikh, you will have [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]to live up to the Sikh standards: be honest, be fair, be compassionate,[/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]and traveling to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and facing [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]all the Muslims successfully, does add to your self confidence. [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]Do not have personal pride, but be proud to be a Sikh. And, we [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]cannot be like St. Peter, we cannot deny what we are, and have [/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=gray][B]to face the questions and sometimes the mockery. Does you the world of good![/B][/COLOR][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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