Sikh Dharma Ministry Exams 1984-2010
1984 EXAM QUESTIONS:
(1) Please write an essay on "religious prosperity".
(2) Please write one page on the protocol to maintain the respect of Khalsa
women.
(3) What shall be the position of Panth Khalsa to surmount the period of 1984-1988
if it becomes a real bloody challenge?
1986 EXAM QUESTIONS:
A. The boundaries and the spheres of a Sikh Minister?
B. Religious law versus country law - positions and protective areas.
C. How to process your life where you can serve and be successful overwhelmingly,
that you can share with your constituency.
1988 EXAM QUESTIONS
1. Someone in your community whom you have known for many years has recently
stopped attending most of your Dharmic events. How would you respond?
2. What would you tell a stranger who asked you how your religion differs from
others?
1990 EXAM QUESTIONS:
A. Explain and discuss "The Status" of being a minister of Sikh Dharma.
B. Define "spiritual misunderstanding". How does it happen? What can
be done about it? Where do you see it manifesting in your own life? What are
you going to do about it?
C. Give a detailed plan for instilling the 'caliber' and 'grit' of the sons
of Guru Gobind Singh in all of our children.
1992 EXAM QUESTIONS:
1. As we say good-bye to the Age of Pisces where the slogan was "I want
to know, please help me" and we enter the Age of Aquarius where the slogan
is "I know: let me help take you there," the world shall change. In
light of this shift, how do you, as a minister of Sikh Dharma, plan to serve
your constituency while avoiding the pitfalls of spiritual arrogance and spiritual
ego and/or self-belittlement and self-negation?
2. What do you perceive to be your responsibility to the children in your constituency
and how are you delivering that perceived responsibility?
1994 EXAM QUESTIONS:
1. What do you see as your strengths as a Sikh Dharma Minister?
2. (a) What do you see as your weaknesses as a Sikh Dharma Minister and (b),
what are you willing to do to address those weaknesses and change them?
3. Please write a short narrative of how you have personally ministered to someone
in your community.
SIKH DHARMA 1996 MINISTER'S EXAM
In light of the Sikh Dharma Ministry mission
statement ("To selflessly serve and uplift humanity and to perpetuate Sikh
Dharma in the spirit of Cherdi Kala"), please identify a goal (the what
of your vision of yourself as a Sikh Dharma Minister)that you will make an inner
commitment to completing by 1998. State your goal, your objectives, your strategies,
and your concrete action plan you have designed to attain your goal. Than please
do it. It's time to take action.
Definitions:
Goal: What
one intends to do or achieve. This step defines the dimensions of the vision.
Some examples are: to set up a children's Dharmic Education program in your
community, to write a book of inspirational stories, to establish a Gurdwara
in your home, to set up a free kitchen, to participate in a community action
team, to peer counsel five people in your community a week, etc.
Objective: The
points or milestones along the way to your goal. That which takes you towards
your goal and is stated in measurable terms, with targeted completion dates,
milestones and benchmarks.
Strategies:
The "how". Methods for making, doing or accomplishing something. Your
means to an end. This area includes dates, financial needs and measurable success
factors.
Action Plan: A
plan and flow that show exactly how to use existing resources to the actions
in the strategy. It might include people, resources, time lines, evaluations,
and revision processes.
SIKH DHARMA MINISTER'S EXAM, 1998
1. The 1996 exam asked you to identify a goal (in light of the Sikh Dharma Ministry
mission statement: "To selflessly serve and uplift humanity and to perpetuate
Sikh Dharma in the spirit of Cherdi Kala") that you were willing to commit
to and complete by 1998. To follow up on that question, did you achieve your
goal? Please explain (in at least a paragraph).
2. "The time has come to share the universal impact of Shabd Guru to uplift
and inspire the whole world with this technology. The time has come to awaken
and arise." (From "Shabd Guru" by Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib
Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, p.ii. This paper is available from the Shabd
Guru Team, Route 2, Box 137, Espanola, N.M. 87532.) On a personal level, in
relating to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, what line, hukam, or Shabd speaks to
you in a profound or significant way? How have those words made an impact on
your life? How do you share that impact with others? Please explain.
3. Baisakhi Day, 1999 will mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa.
As a Sikh Dharma Minister and leader, what are you planning to do to make this
celebration an auspicious one? Please respond to this question on a separate
piece of paper and return it to the Chancellor's Office along with the rest
of your exam and requirements. The Siri Singh Sahib has asked that he be provided
with your plans as soon as possible via the Chancellor's Office.
4. In the spirit of "reach out and teach out" what course are you
willing to teach within the next two years? When and to whom?
SIKH DHARMA MINISTER'S EXAM, 2000
1. We have moved into the new millennium. Many things are changing very quickly.
What is your vision for the Ministry in the next decade? What do you think Sikh
Dharma Ministry needs to become? Please write at least a paragraph and explain
your vision step by step.
2. During the annual Minister's meeting at Summer Solstice, 1999, one of the
topics of discussion was: "how have you integrated being a Minister with
the rest of your life at this point in time?" It was incredibly interesting
and informative to hear what people were doing and how they were doing it. In
light of this information and in connection with question number one, a) How
is what you are currently doing linked to your vision of the Ministry for the
future? And b) What skills are you using and what activities are you engaged
in that can help you to manifest your vision of the Ministry over the next decade?
Please explain.
3. Minister training is a focus area for the Ministry now. In order to develop
an effective training program, it would be helpful to have your input and suggestions
on what to include for Minister training. Please target your ideas to either
[1] a specific age group (6-12; 13-18; 19-25; 26-45; 46-60; or 61 and above;)
or [2] one of the following larger groups: a] those individuals who want to
become Ministers, or b] on-going training for ordained Ministers. What information,
topics, and ceremonies do you think need to be included in Minister training
for the age group or larger group you have chosen? What are the needs of that
group? Thank you in advance for your input and suggestions.
SIKH DHARMA MINISTER'S EXAM, 2002
Please respond with at least a paragraph to each of these questions:
1. These chaotic and troubled times have been predicted for a long time. What are you doing as a Sikh Dharma Minister to a) raise your own spirit and b) to raise the spirit of your community?
2. The power of prayer is one of the most effective tools we have available to us. a) How are you as a Sikh Dharma Minister using the power of prayer in your life? b) How are you inspiring others to use this tool in their lives?
3. This is a time of co-operation rather then isolation. What are you doing to help build team work in your community and/or place of work?
SIKH DHARMA MINISTER'S EXAM, 2004
The Siri Singh Sahib said in April, 2002, we have finally graduated. We are at a point of maturity where we are now collectively holding the torch.
Please write at least a short paragraph for each of these questions:
SIKH DHARMA MINISTER'S EXAM, 2006
1. As a minister, are you taking leadership in growing your community, developing your community, nurturing and/or expanding it? If yes, how? If not yet, how do you see yourself beginning?
2. What are you doing to foster, enhance, and enrich your relationship with the Siri Guru Granth Sahib?
3. You have been asked to teach about Sikh Dharma: Who is your audience, and what will you cover?
4. In what ways are you known for your service?
SIKH DHARMA MINISTER'S EXAM, 2008
It is 2008. Time and space are moving so quickly, the Age of Aquarius is almost upon us. It is essential that between now and 2012 we master and own our destiny as Sikh Dharma ministers. In systems of Numerology as described by the Siri Singh Sahib, 2008 equals 10, which relates to the Radiant Body, to majesty, and to Guru Gobind Singh, delivery and mastery.
1) As a Sikh Dharma Minister, how do you experience your
Radiant Body (the 10th body, which gives you spiritual royalty and radiance)
and how do you sustain it? What impact do you find you have through your Radiant
Body?
2) What are you working on to master and deliver this year as a Sikh Dharma
Minister? Please explain.
3) The year 2008 marks the 300th anniversary of the installation of Siri Guru
Granth
Sahib at Hazoor Sahib, India by the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Please share a
short story of how the energy of Guru Gobind Singh has directly impacted your
life.
Sikh Dharma Minister
Exam 2010
1) The Siri Singh Sahib often referenced and recited the 33rd Pauri of Japji:
AAKHAN JOR CHUPAI NAH JOR
JOR NA MANGAN DAYN NA JOR
JOR NA JEEVAN MARAN NAH JOR
JOR NA RAAJ MAAL MAN SOR
JOR NA SURTEE GI-AAN VEECHAAR
JOR NA JUGTEE CHHUTAI SANSAAR
JIS HATH JOR KAR VAYKHAI SO-AY
NAANAK UTAM NEECH NA KO-AY.
No power to be silent, no power to speak.
No power to beg, no power to give.
No power to die, no power to live.
No power lies in worldly might,
No power lies in worldly treasure.
They only increase your mental chatter.
No power to meditate or know the unknown,
No power to leave this world and go home.
One Power. One Actor. One Doer. One Known.
O Nanak! No one is higher or lower.
(Translation into English from the original Gurbani by Guruka Singh Khalsa)
How do you employ this Pauri in your Ministry?
2) One of the Sikh Dharma Minister’s Vows is: “We will always be
ready to serve and will understand, being of God, that we will give a universal
truth and not a personal or experimental truth.” (a) What does this vow
mean to you and (b) how
do you deliver it?
3) This is a new decade. What do you want to see manifested through the Ministry
over the next ten years?