A Publication of the Sikh Dharma Office of the Secretary of Religion, August 2004
A Quote from the Siri Singh Sahib
From Your Secretary of Religion
The Relevance of the Guru in our Lives Today - MSS Hari Dharam Kaur Khalsa
The Art of Leadership - SS Harbhajan Kaur Khalsa
Ministers Reaching Out to Serve Around the World
SS Tarn Taran Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, NM
SS Guru Terath Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, NM
Minister in the Spotlight: SS Deva Kaur Khalsa
“Tomorrow’s leadership will be based on one line, and that is Ang Sang Wahe Guru. The one who has given me this life, this lifestyle, this Dharma, this look of mine, this face of mine, this grace of mine is within me, around me, for me, and challenging me. If all that is His, then what is mine?…Let the world know that we exist by the will of God, we survive by the will of God, and we shall serve by the will of God.”
SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa
For those of you who were unable to attend our Summer Solstice Minister’s meeting this year, I wanted to briefly share with you what transpired. On Sunday evening, June 20th, 5:30pm, we gathered for an hour of inspiration and upliftment in the Sikh Dharma/3HO tent. After a brief check-in, we learned that people are reading the newsletter and enjoying it. Waheguru!
As an introduction to the evening’s experiential training, I read this short story:
The Goose Story
Next fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a V formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least seventy-one percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going.
When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It pays to take turns doing hard jobs.
The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. An encouraging word goes a long way.
Finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by a gunshot and falls out,
two geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They
stay until the goose is either able to fly or until it is dead, and they launch
out on their own or with another formation to catch up with the group. If we
have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that. -- Author
Unknown
The theme of our meeting was the Power of Prayer through the Naad. We had the blessing of having MSS Livtar Singh Khalsa from Atlanta, Ga. as our presenter. He shared a life-changing event that happened to him after more then 30 years of studying and practicing the teachings: a state of experiencing the One in all. The event happened two years ago while he was driving his car and it has stayed with him perpetually since. He has started sharing this story as an encouragement to keep up—something is coming for you! His kind, loving, gentle manner permeated his presentation. He then led us in a rousing Gobinday, Mukhanday meditation to end our meeting. His presentation was uplifting, interesting, and powerful. I hope you can join us for our next Minister’s gathering.
Humbly, your Secretary of
Religion, SS Dr. Sat-Kaur Khalsa
QUESTION:
One of the Sikh youth in our community just married a non-Sikh girl and she wants to take his last name but is unsure if taking the name "Khalsa" is appropriate. This issue seems to be coming up more and more frequently. Do you have any thoughts or guidance on this question?
ANSWER:
It is just fine and appropriate for this young lady to take on this most honorable name. In this case, she is adopting it through marriage. That's okay. Actually, even if one is not receiving a new name through marriage, one can decide to adopt any name in order to associate themselves with that vibration. When one takes on a name, particularly a spiritual or destiny name, they are not doing so as a "title." A name is a vibratory frequency that one wishes to live up to. What more beautiful vibration! Khalsa: the one who sees the purity of all. As for this young lady, marrying a Khalsa man, she is obviously attracted to the frequency of the Khalsa. May the two of them continue to rise to their caliber and do justice to this noble name.
Siri Sardarni Dr.
Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa is the Bhai Sahiba, or Chief
Religious Minister of Sikh Dharma. Please feel free to
submit your dharmic questions to:
ministers_newsletter@yahoo.com.
Mukhia Sardarni Sahiba Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa answers on
behalf of Bibiji
and the Office of the Bhai Sahiba.
A
warm welcome to new ministers:
Devmurti Singh
Khalsa, Espanola, NM
Mahan Rishi Singh Khalsa, Princeton Junction, NJ
Sarb Nam Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, NM
Would
you like to share
your thoughts with other ministers? You can answer the
reflection questions at the bottom of this newsletter and
send them to the editor at
ministers_newsletter@yahoo.com. Your answers will
be posted on the website where your peers can read and
respond to them.
Register
for upcoming Sikh Dharma teleclasses at
www.aquarianinstitute.com
As narrated by MSS Hari Dharam Kaur Khalsa to SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa
This article is the third in a series celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Adi Granth. Each newsletter this year will feature an article about it's history and influence.
Sometimes people describe the Siri Guru Granth Sahib as a ‘book.’ But I ask, how can a book be a Guru? When you develop a personal relationship with the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, you quickly see that it is a divine, great, living Guru. The same hukam is heard in Gurdwara by countless listeners, yet it can be interpreted individually, globally, universally.
Through many years and experiences, I have developed my own relationship with the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, often through the nurturing of the Siri Singh Sahib. Years ago during Gurdwara, the Siri Singh Sahib kept correcting someone who was reading an English hukam. I thought I would die if that ever happened to me. But years later, it was my turn while I was reading the English hukam. The Siri Singh Sahib stopped me and said: "Are they hearing what you are saying? Do they understand?" At this, I froze and stopped reading, but he said to go on. As I continued, he stopped me again, with: "Are you just thinking of going to the movies? Are you understanding what you are reading?" As he kept stopping me, I became irritated and thought, “Is he ever going to let me finish this hukam?” With the irritation, I started reading using my navel. To my surprise, the Siri Singh Sahib then said, "Good." This was my first lesson in how to be “present” when reading, and to read from the heart and navel to create the necessary impact of the hukam.
Years later, I had lost my self-consciousness in reading hukams in Gurmukhi; I was simply in love with the Guru. I wasn’t thinking about pronunciation or melody - just in love with the Guru. During another Gurdwara, the Siri Singh Sahib said that I had pronounced the hukam perfectly. With that honor came the joyful responsibility to teach others and serve, since we all need to share what Guru’s Grace blessed us to learn.
So many souls are longing to be touched by the Guru, no matter what their path may be. When we went to the Chilean Yoga Festival this year, most of the participants had never been to a Gurdwara before. Everything was unfamiliar to them. After sharing a hukam in Spanish, we left the Guru in Prakash so that people could take their own hukams as they wished. To our surprise, many people lined up to read for a few minutes, and this lasted for several hours. Afterwards people shared what realizations they had while reading, and how the Guru had personally touched and guided them. Most of these people were Catholic, yet they experienced the Guru as something other than a religion, so they felt open to connect. It showed me again how vast and universal the Guru’s teachings are. The Guru has its own calling for people, no matter what specific path they travel.
It’s hard to put my love for the Guru into words. It’s like falling in love with someone. How can you say the moment in time, how, or why you love? I am just in love with the Guru and am humbly grateful to serve in His Court.
by SS Harbhajan Kaur Khalsa, Millis, MA
If there is an “art” to leadership, it is in self-mastery – rather than calculated manipulation or control over others. While it is regrettably easy to cite examples of leaders whose words, mannerisms and actions betray self-consciousness, partisan interests, and preoccupation with what makes “us” different from “them,” it is rare to find a leader who is, by nature as well as discipline, a “master of the unity.”
The reach of a leader can only be as great as his/her “constituency” – those who are included when the leader speaks of “We.” The reach of a truly great leader extends in service to all of humanity for all time. The truth of this last statement must be so glaring in its obviousness that we can’t see it for the light. How else can we explain a President of the United States who openly greets “elite” fundraisers as his “base?” In one moment of ego-salving did the President simply forget about (not “sense”) the spirit of the “huddled masses” and “founding fathers” who might take exception to the new and exclusive club being formed in the public psyche?
My point here is that we can’t escape our identity – because our identity will always “escape” and define us and our “constituency.” What we relate to in consciousness is what we become. If we ultimately identify ourselves as “elite, rich, poor,” “Americans, Europeans, Asians,” “Christians, Jews, Sikhs,” “black, white, red,” then who or what part of ourselves are we excluding from our “constituency?”
It is easy enough to see how we fall into limited definitions of ourselves. Socially, we are often expected to introduce ourselves in ways that distinguish us from others, that makes us memorable or marketable. Indeed, some of the greatest leaders and saints have distinguished themselves by standing out and up – even in the face of martyrdom - for the right of every human to live to his/her highest values and beliefs. In truly “defining” moments, how would the leader who serves humanity through all time identify himself or herself? In The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, Yogi Bhajan defines the Self, “You are what you relate to. If you relate to an infinity, you are an infinity. But if you limit yourself, you are limited.” (#132)
To understand this definition of Self is to understand the inherent “selfishness” of the universally expansive spirit who relates to every part of creation as him/herself, and to him/herself as a part (bindu) of God. One with such an identity promotes unity and sensitivity, and finds prosperity in serving others and leading others to serve. Such a person deeply understands that anything that divides the Self will be experienced as a mental, physical or psychological wound that causes dis-ease, however subtle.
In this Age, we are able to experience the global impact of every action, communication, or story that frames our reality. In any instance where the status of an individual or creature is not respected within the integrity of the whole, a Self-wound is created that everyone either senses or ignores. In such light, anything which promotes Self-integrity (yoga, prayer, remembering the Naam-identity, Shabd Guru) has the potential to heal the neurological and physiological impact of ungraceful, unmannerly, or unwholesome relationships and environments. One of the many blessings of our Dharmic lifestyle is that daily greetings by our spiritual names reinforces our sense of divinity. It is critically important that we promote the understanding that we are already what we need to be – an infinite Self who is not condemned to bemoan the past or to fear the future - and that all “others” are part of that same divine Self. No enemy remains to be conquered, only One Self to learn to love with confidence.
When we sense, relate to, and vibrate Oneness, our passions are tempered by compassion. Ironically, this same compassion is found at the heart of the spiritual warrior. Many leaders have recounted that at the moment(s) when they felt most spiritually challenged – and arose to meet that challenge – they felt quite alone (“all One”) in defending another person or Truth itself. In one moment, a person of integrity will sacrifice “all” (including popular approval), for “one” cherished person or value. Such are the fruits of self-mastery – knowing where your integrity lies, maintaining a relationship with your soul, seeing God in all at all times, and communicating to reach the heart of the other person.
If it were simple to continually remember the infinite Self, we would all be saints and heroes. The unfortunate reality is that the smorgasbord of things to “relate to” includes plenty of stuff that is less than saintly or heroic. In each moment there is a choice to be made that will reflect our consciousness and caliber. Entertaining even one lemon of a fearful, attached thought can split the milk of human kindness. While no one would dispute that grace is a matter of grace, any honest spiritual teacher – and our Guru(s) – say there is a price to be paid for consciousness and spiritual liberty – the frequency of our spiritual, mental and physical disciplines; constant remembrance of the Naam/identity. One could say (at least a corny one like myself) that this unending sadhana requires the heartiness of a spiritual cowboy/cowgirl. We “harness” our minds so we can “round up” our thoughts and actions. The frequency with which we “corral” our intentions into gratitude for experience of the One determines the radiance of our electromagnetic frequency. The greater the frequency, the greater the possibility that every action will be experienced as a prayer, that the mundane will become sacred, and that leadership will seem as simple as “being your Self” in the world.
“Tomorrow’s leadership will be based on one line, and that is Ang Sang Wahe Guru. The one who has given me this life, this lifestyle, this Dharma, this look of mine, this face of mine, this grace of mine is within me, around me, for me, and challenging me. If all that is His, then what is mine?…Let the world know that we exist by the will of God, we survive by the will of God, and we shall serve by the will of God.”
-Siri Singh Sahib, Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa YogiJi , in his address to Khalsa Council, April 10, 1996
SS Karta Singh Khalsa, France
It has become my mission to create a link between serving ordinary people through teaching Kundalini Yoga and serving them through Sikh Dharma. Yogi Bhajan is Mahan Tantric, Kundalini Yoga Master, Yogiji and Siri Singh Sahib, and in my eyes all these avenues of teaching come from the same source. His teachings are one. Having no separation in how I serve has become very important to me.
I started to teach Kundalini Yoga in that spirit, a spirit of service. The concept of being a Sikh Dharma minister and of the Saint/Soldier in the Aquarian Age is like an emissary for carrying the light, bringing the clarity of mind to the world, to the person and those you serve. You carry the light and have the impact of that to everybody.
For me, a Sikh Dharma minister and a Kundalini Yoga teacher is a bearer of that torch and is also a healer, and a leader. Before all, a teacher and a minister is a servant to others during this transition into the Aquarian Age. She or he leads by example. I feel that I participate in the true formation of the Aquarian Age, that I am actively a part of the hidden revolution.
The Guru has answered my dream to initiate a Gurdwara locally. About two years ago we had the opening Gurdwara at the time of the equinox. It was my surprise that a family of Indian Sikhs came--seemingly out of the blue. The Hukam that day was "When you make one step toward the Guru, the Guru makes a thousand steps toward you." They never thought that the Guru would come so near them in France.
The general vision of my Sikh Dharma ministry is to generate communities where people of all walks can live together and learn and practice the Dharma so that they may grow in consciousness. This way we can become more self-sufficient as a community and then help others. The idea is to include all generations, parents, children, grandparents. Specifically, my ministry is:
1) To maintain a local Gurdwara so we can have services. We are working to form a community to maintain the Gurdwara. We intend to fund ourselves and then to help others financially. It is intended as a community to gather, share and donate.
The vision I have of this is that the Guru is the center, around which people gather. We surround ourselves around the Guru, so we can participate as a collective body from my local city, France, all over Europe, and also respond to local needs.
2) To actively participate in the local life of the community I live in. To include local residents, non yoga students and non Sikhs as part of the life of the community we are creating.
3) To spread the word of the Guru through the teachings of Kundalini Yoga. The way I do that is by incorporating the Shabad Guru into the yoga classes, during the deep relaxation and exercise portions. This practice also inspires the longing to belong to a team, where together we get inspiration to serve, and gather the means to do it. We especially address this in training teachers. They go through the test of teacher training together, creating bonding and feeling of family. After the teacher training, they want to keep the connection and network. This is how we develop the desire for seva in those we train.
4) To encourage the teacher trainers and trainees that I lead to participate in Sikh Dharma practices, so that they can have the experience personally. Even though they may not identify themselves as Sikhs, they are learning to live by the practice of a Sikh.
5) To take more time for the young adults and the children, to get them involved and to be a part of how we live. I do this with my own children now. This has impact on all the people they know or come into contact with. I want to give them the opportunity to develop the values and make them ready to face the difficult time that is coming.
6) We also work with drug detoxification and recovering from addiction. Through the technology we have, I can verify that, "the last shall become the first."
My concept of teacher is not just to be a teacher, but a minister. Our purpose is to help people become free from social pressure and environmental conditioning, and to assist people in their growth. Through Kundalini Yoga and the practices of Sikh Dharma, I started to build groups of people who support each other in their transformation, and also in their daily life situation, whether it is dealing with being a single parent, or facing unemployment. We help people with means to match up with people in need. Through the discipline, and especially the practice, of sadhana, the people start to trust each other. They are inspired themselves to start to initiate the same projection and service. They are echoing back the impact.
In spite of my strong desire to develop a local community, for the past 15 years I have been called to participate in a more global mission. To my big surprise I went once to teach in Moscow in the Yoga Festival held there and for years since have gone back to train teachers. In this way I am also teaching and training teachers throughout Europe and in Central Africa.
It is by the Grace of the Guru that we serve and inspire others to serve as well.
SS Tarn Taran Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, NM
(as narrated to SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa)
In 1972 Siri Singh Sahib ji sent Tarn Taran Singh and me to Amsterdam to start an ashram. At the time I was six months pregnant, and had never been to Europe. I remember how amazed I was to find so much interest in Kundalini Yoga. We had a restaurant with another couple. Many Germans would come to eat and they would ask: "Can’t you come to Germany to teach?"
And so we went to Germany. The fact that most students did not speak English and everything had to be translated was immaterial. They would sit there, hour after hour, never tiring of Kundalini Yoga. One day in 1975 we drove to a checkpoint at the Communist wall separating East and West Berlin. The guard stuck a machine gun in our car-- the standard protocol at the time. After he left I started crying. I had such compassion for people who had to live that way. So I thought, if these people are asking me to come, it’s a call that I must answer. We started the first Guru Ram Das Ashram in Germany with five hundred dollars and one yoga student. I found (and keep finding) that as soon as you give the Universe the okay, saying "Yes, I’m here to serve," things happen. They may not happen as you planned, but they manifest and grow.
One spontaneous manifestation for me was teaching young mothers. As a young mother myself, I had learned so much about child-raising from Siri Singh Sahib ji. He has said that if we want to change the planet we must start with woman. Woman is the first teacher. She determines the frequency of the home and the frequency of all her relationships. In my half-German, half-English, I started teaching courses to young mothers and pregnant women. Out of these courses emerged the manual The Gift of Giving Life. [Ed. Note: The Gift of Giving Life is now republished and KRI-approved. Certification courses have been taught in London and in New Mexico, and will be shortly given in Munich and Rome.]
These days I have been working closer to my home in New Mexico, in various settings like crisis centers, Social Services, etc. I collaborate with counselors, teaching Kundalini Yoga, meditation, posture, and communication. When women get food stamps they have to take a lecture class on different topics. I will sit on the floor with the young unwed mothers, massage the babies, and talk about the effects of massage. Simple suggestions, like ‘Turn off your TV and sing to your child’ are major revelations to these young women. So we will sing "Jesus Loves Me" together while doing baby massage. This to me is ministering.
Recently I was a guest presenter at a crisis center, where the girls had been raped or had attempted suicide. I taught a meditation to clear the subconscious mind. One rape victim kept crying and saying: "That was so wonderful - can we do it again?" Experiences like these re-affirm for me that you don’t need to know everything from A to Z - teach what you know and give a little inspiration. Being relaxed, being yourself, coming with your open heart, seeing people as souls - is ministering.
SS Dr. Guru Terath Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, NM
"Let Your Light Shine in the Larger Community"
My love for community involvement started at a very young age. I remember going with my parents to "missionary night" at our Methodist Church. Our local missionaries would periodically return from Africa or other third-world countries, where they were stationed. I decided at that young age that I wanted to be a missionary, but not to convert anyone to Christianity, rather, to be a teacher missionary.
This zeal for community service continued in Middle School, where I was a member of a Service Girl Scout Troup. My Scout Leader, Margaret, had a son who was born with cerebral palsy. When Billy was born, the doctor told Margaret that he would never walk. Margaret rejected this prediction. Like our troop mascot, Billy went with us everywhere... on crutches. Billy taught us a lot about seeing what was beyond the physical of a person. Today Billy has a Masters in Political History. As Service Scouts, we did lots of camping and fun things, but our main focus was doing service in the community, like going into nursing homes and volunteering in other organizations. This experience had an immense impact on my life.
My dream of being a teacher missionary has manifested...in an Aquarian way. Part of my destiny is to share Kundalini Yoga and Sat Nam Rasayan in places where others don't readily go. While I enjoy teaching in European cities (which also helps finance my other trips), my real passion is seeking out the less frequented, like India, Japan, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. One of my most memorable experiences was teaching Kundalini Yoga to Caregivers for AIDS patients in South Africa. Today, one of our South African teachers has spread Kundalini Yoga to many HIV clinics in South Africa. This tool gives patients hope, and a technology to live and die with grace and dignity.
On the local scene, there are always many opportunities to serve in the community. One of my favorite ways has been to teach Chair Yoga and Celestial Communication in nursing homes. The residents are so appreciative of the attention, and the movement really helps increase flexibility, circulation, mental clarity and mood balance. They love it.
For the last couple of years, I have organized our ashram community, along with other local churches, to serve Christmas dinner to our homeless and less fortunate population. We also collect money to purchase practical items, like tooth brushes, hand cream, combs, shampoo, warm gloves, woolen hats, socks, blankets and throat scarves...as well as toys and candy for the kids. Many merchants are happy to donate these items as well. As Christmas time is a family event, many of our local Christian volunteers are not available to serve at this time. The Holidays can be a very lonely and even depressing time for many, reminding them of their less than fortunate situation. As Sikhs, Christmas doesn't hold the same importance, so it’s a nice time for us to be available to fill in the gaps and uplift sagging spirits.
There are so many ways we can be serving in our communities. Yes, Yoga Classes are a wonderful way, especially when we can get out there and volunteer classes where funds are not available, like nursing homes, youth groups, hospitals and prisons. There are many other ways as well - Habitat For Humanity, Soup Kitchens, Meals On Wheels, Let's Read Programs, Rape Crisis Centers, Suicide Hotlines, Lunch Buddies Programs - are just a few possibilities. The best is to choose something you feel passionate about...perhaps something you are good at...and find a way to get out there in the community and share that skill with others.
A common question people have is - Does volunteering really make a difference in someone's life? I'm sure there are hundreds and thousands of stories of people who have improved their lives because of a loving volunteer who took time to care. Right here in our local community in Espanola, I know of two beautiful true stories...two men, who were both homeless. One was a Vietnam veteran named Pilgrim. Pilgrim returned from the war to a society that did not support vets of that unpopular war. To combat his feelings of rejection, he joined a motorcycle gang. The trauma of a motorcycle accident triggered war nightmares to the point of driving him temporarily insane. He lost his wife, child and business. He lived on the streets for four years. How he survived is a miracle in itself. Someone took interest in him, helping him pull himself out of his black hole. Today, Pilgrim not only collects blankets, and other essential items to give to the homeless, he is there to give encouragement and hope. Many times he serves as a lay social worker, connecting the homeless with helping services.
The other homeless man ended up living under a bridge with his young son. When he was at his lowest point, he vowed to God that if he ever recovered, he'd devote his life to serving others. Some one took interest in him and he did recover. Today this hopeless homeless man is remarried with two more children. He went to medical school and is now a most popular ER Doctor. Why is he so loved? He is compassionate to human suffering.
Of course we don't have to be homeless to develop compassion. As Ministers of Sikh Dharma and practitioners of Kundalini Yoga, we are developing our open hearts. The Siri Singh Sahib once said that there is nothing more spiritual than kindness. Just keep in mind that what ever you have to offer is needed by someone somewhere. Volunteering will bring fulfillment you never realized existed. So, go out there and shine. You will truly experience the God In all.
SS Deva Kaur Khalsa, Switzerland
Whilst I was participating in Master’s Touch October 2002, the Siri Singh Sahib blessed me as a minister of Sikh Dharma , as Inspector of Gurdwara, and as a representative of 3HO to the United Nations in New York, Geneva, and Vienna. He told me that "[I had] come late to the Dharma, [I knew] what to do and [to] go and do it". I understood my service to the 3HO NGO, therefore, to be an integral part of my service as a minister of Sikh Dharma.
Throughout the 2002/2003 scholastic year, I attended the Sikh Dharma Minister Training tele-classes. I remain eternally grateful to SS Mata Mandir Kaur, to her team of co-facilitators and to my fellow brothers and sisters attending the course for their love, encouragement and inspiration to me then as now. I was ordained a minister during Solstice 2003.
Sikh Dharma Ministry: to serve, to serve, to serve. To serve God and Guru, to serve the Siri Singh Sahib and his family, to serve the Sadh Sangat and the Khalsa nation. To serve all, at all times, in all places.
To serve my parents as they move into older age, to care for them with love, respect and gratitude in such a way that they may consciously prepare themselves to go home to the Beloved.
To serve my husband as he fulfills his destiny. To heal the healer. To love, honor and obey him for as long as God grants us breath and beyond. To be grateful to him for his love, without which I would not be where I am today.
To serve my daughter as she prepares to go out into the world as a conscious human being, cognizant of who she really is ,"a spiritual being born to have a human experience". To give her the tools with which she will be able to embrace all the challenges with which her karma will confront her and which will lead her to her destiny. To live with her the Seven Steps to Happiness so that she may in turn pass those values on to all those she will meet in this lifetime.
To serve in my local community, whether visiting neighbors and walking their dogs or running errands for those who are house bound, whether serving Yogi Tea to local shopkeepers on a cold winter’s night, whether joining the local Feed the Homeless initiative, whether offering those delightful bouquets of Lily of the Valley on the 1st of May to all those who serve me throughout the year.
Once, when I happened to be in the middle of a potentially explosive situation between the Church, the Police and some local addicts (those inside the Church had locked themselves in for fear of the reaction of the addicts to whom they had refused entry to the Church), the minister thanked me as he said "I prayed for a miracle and there you were". I was sitting with the addicts on the Church steps teaching them Long Deep Breathing and Alternate Nostril Breathing whilst the Police were standing by. It was a very powerful moment for me as I experienced the healing energy of Guru Ram Das reach out to all around me.
To serve as a Kundalini Yoga teacher . To serve those students whose destiny brings them to a Kundalini Yoga class where it is my duty to "poke, provoke, confront and elevate.” I try my best to fulfill this awesome responsibility in a conscious and compassionate way.
To serve as a representative of 3HO at the UN, whether I am attending an official luncheon in honor of the US Secretary for Health and Human Resources, whether I am making a presentation to the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief on the recently enacted Stasi law in France, whether I am delivering a Joint Statement to a crowded plenary during the Human Rights Commission, whether I am co-facilitating with SS Dyal Singh a discussion group at the UN Womens Guild on the subject of "Values,” whether I am writing a report for the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, whether I am serving as Assistant Secretary to the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns, whether I am representing Sikh Dharma at the Interfaith Platform of Geneva or at the World Council of Churches, or whether I am visiting elder members of the NGO community in their home in order to share with them the teachings of Kundalini Yoga.
A respected representative of a large Indian NGO now plays Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru 24 hours a day and reads Japji in the Hindi transliteration. She practices daily the "Meditation on the Self.” Another representative of a large Catholic NGO now proudly displays a photograph of the Siri Singh Sahib, BibiJi and His Holiness Pope John Paul II in her drawing room with other official photographs. Waheguru! As a minister of Sikh Dharma, I feel honored to be the instrument through which these and other countless blessings manifest.
I am grateful to you for having read these words. I thank God and Guru for having blessed me with this opportunity to serve as a minister of Sikh Dharma.
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
Would you like to share your thoughts with other ministers? You can answer the questions below and send your responses to the editor at ministers_newsletter@yahoo.com. Your answers will be posted on the website where your peers can read and respond to them.
1. How do you take a leadership role in reaching out to serve those who can't or won't come to you?
2. We already serve in many ways. How can we ensure that we are known for this service in the wider community?
3. Please share your own experience of volunteering to serve in the wider community.