Home / Current Issue / Previous Issues / Exam Questions / Notification / Contact Us

A Publication of the Sikh Dharma Office of the Secretary of Religion, October 2004

SORATH, FIFTH CHANNEL OF LIGHT

The Perfect Guru has granted me His Grace, and God has fulfilled my desire. After taking my bath of purification, I returned to my home, and I found bliss, happiness and peace.

O Saints, salvation comes from the Lord’s Name. While standing up and sitting down, meditate on God’s Name. Be of service every night and day.

Pause

The way of the Saints is to climb the ladder of righteous living. It is found only by great good fortune. The sins of millions of incarnations are washed away by focusing your consciousness on the Lord’s feet.

So sing God’s Praises forever. His infinite power is perfect. Listening to the True Teachings of the True Guru, all beings and all creatures are purified.

The True Guru has implanted the Nam within me. It breaks all barriers and is the destroyer of all pains. All of my karmas were erased and I have been purified. Nanak, the servant has returned to his home of peace.

-- Hukamnama from the Bhog ceremony ending the Akhand Path at the ranch on October 8th, 2004.  SGGS: pp: 621-622.

From your Secretary of Religion

A Starry Night in Espanola - SS Sat Nirmal Kaur Khalsa

The Siri Singh Sahib's Hands - SS Sat Nirmal Kaur Khalsa

Grief, a Yogic Model - SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa and SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa

Last Night - SS Ek Ong Kar Kaur Khalsa

Death and Dying in the Concept of Consciousness -  SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa

The Journey of the Soul

A Quote from the Siri Singh Sahib

Dear Sikh Dharma Ministers: 

Our beloved teacher has left his body. His spirit lives unto infinity. We are in a time of great change and transition. The Ministry’s role in our Dharma is essential. During the Khalsa Council meetings that were just held in the beginning of October, we used a system called Appreciative Inquiry. One of the processes we went through was creating provocative propositions about a variety of areas in the Dharma. A provocative proposition is a statement that bridges the best of “what is” with your own speculation or intuition of “what might be”. It is visionary and provocative to the extent to which it stretches the status quo, challenges common assumptions or routines, and suggests real possibilities representing desired futures for the organization and its people.  

SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur and I met about the Ministry. I wanted to share with you our provocative proposition for the Sikh Dharma Ministry: Now and as we are 960 million, the turban wearing Ministers are the keys to maintaining the vibratory frequency of the Dharma in all areas across all continents. Sikh Dharma Ministers embody the Guru and the teachings. We as Ministers, keep the spirit and the frequency as point people in whatever domain we are gifted in. It is our destiny. It is our integration of the Dharma and the teachings. It is the lineage of the Golden Chain of us as leaders, living this life style; we radiate the fruits of our labor. It is the essence of our presence working: Victory.

Jini Nam dhiaia, gae masakat ghal

Nanak te mukh ujle, keti chhuti nal. 

Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa,

Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh! 

May God ever keep you in His light and love. 

Humbly,

SS Dr. Sat-Kaur Khalsa, Secretary of Religion

Back to Top

by SS Sat Nirmal Kaur Khalsa

A cold, clear night in Espanola.  Summer is over.  The sky is black.  No clouds. No visible moon.  The sky is carpeted with bright, shiny stars.

 At 9:15 pm the call came.  The phone call we had been expecting for some time.  The Siri Singh Sahib had left his body at 9:05pm. 

A group of ministers were meeting at that time, discussing logistics and organization of the event that we knew was coming soon.  We chanted ‘Akal’ and then held hands in silence.  We weren't sure what to do because the SSS had requested that we not start calling people for 2 and 1/2 hours after his last breath.  More phone calls came.  We tried our best to focus.  This is the test of leadership.  A few of us went to the ranch to see if we could be of some service.  We were unsure if this was the appropriate action to take at the time, but what happened at the ranch that night will go down in our history as one of the most powerful, defining events in our lives. 

The door to the dome was open.  In the living room, residents of the ranch and several other sangat members were sitting in a circle chanting beautifully and harmoniously to Guru Ram Das.  Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru.  This is the mantra the Siri Singh Sahib asked that we chant for 2 ½ hours after his departure.  The room was lit with candles.  I had never seen any sight so beautiful. 

My husband was sitting and chanting.  He looked up at me and told me to go into the bedroom to see the Siri Singh Sahib.  I hesitated.  He said ‘go’.  I walked through the kitchen and into the hallway, holding my daughter’s hand.  That beautiful hallway, with those magnificent swords covering both walls.  The hallway felt narrower than I remembered.  The walk felt much longer and seemed to stretch for miles to the bedroom door. 

The door was closed.  I took a deep breath and opened it.  The room was very dimly lit. Bibiji was sitting beside the Siri Singh Sahib.  His children and other family and staff were surrounding him.  He was lying down with his head raised slightly.  We stood at his feet, hands folded and heads bowed.   We whispered “Sat Nam, Sir” as we had done so many times before.  We lightly touched his feet, bowed our heads again, then turned and retraced our steps back to the living room.

We sat down and joined the sangat.  More and more people came in to pay their respects to the Siri Singh Sahib and to chant to Guru Ram Das.  The 2 ½ hours were completed and it was close to midnight.  The room was filled with sangat.  There were many tears.  I cried and thanked God and Guru for the greatest gift, to have seen the Siri Singh Sahib that night.  And then, a miracle happened.

Bibiji announced that all of the sangat should be called to come and see the Siri Singh Sahib.  We walked outside into the cold night air.  Cell phones were quickly produced.  Tiny green and red lights dotted the dark night.  It looked like a twinkling Christmas tree.  I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to reach everyone, but Guru was in charge. 

In just a few minutes, the sangat started to arrive.  One by one, they walked into the Siri Singh Sahib’s bedroom, that sacred space where he meditated for so many years.  They filed past him and paid their last respects to his physical presence.  It was a magnificent sight.  There are so many of us!  It felt like a tantric meditation, watching each blessed human go into the dome.  It was close to 1:30 am by the time we were done.

We stood outside the dome.  The ambulance came to transport the Siri Singh Sahib to the funeral home.  The EMT crew were all family as well.  It was like a microcosm of the entire world, standing there outside the dome.  The security staff stood outside his door.  We waited for him, as we had done so many times before.  We chanted to Guru Ram Das. 

The Siri Singh Sahib was carried out on a stretcher.  He was wrapped in warm, beautiful shawls.  Our EMT family escorted him along with the bodyguard team, who held swords in his honor.  We were witnessing the last escort.  We kept chanting, holding hands, staying close together and trying to keep warm.  The Siri Singh Sahib was lifted into the ambulance and his family followed him. 

In a state of Cherdi Kalaa, the sangat roared ‘Bole so Nihal, Sat Siri Akal!’ as we watched the Siri Singh Sahib leave the ranch for the last time.

Back to Top

by SS Sat Nirmal Kaur Khalsa

Your beautiful hands hold my heart;

we both know, we will never part.

We have been together many times;

through all the tests, cruel and kind.

Within these hands, I am safe;

my soul, my heart are yours with faith.

And when it is time for us to go home,

we’ll still be together, never alone.

Now on the earth as I write these words,

I pray to express that my love is heard.

In your beautiful hands, there lies my heart;

Eternally, forever, never to part.

For Siri Singh Sahib ji with love from

Sat Nirmal Kaur Khalsa

44th Birthday - August 19th, 1997

Hacienda de Guru Ram Das

Back to Top

by SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa and SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa

Grieving is a natural and normal reaction to loss. We can celebrate a soul leaving it’s body because it has fulfilled its soul’s purpose. However, we are still human and part of us grieves our loss. Since you, as Ministers, are leaders in your communities, I wanted to share some information with you that may be helpful at this time.

Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur and I have compiled and developed a non-linear yogic model of grief and loss.  The following reactions and processes may occur in any order, recur at any time, and last for any period of time:

Don’t expect or make things the way they used to be. Allow the change, explore it, and guide it. This model applies to individuals, families, communities, and organizational structures. Please note that this process can take more then a year, even up to three years or more to go through.

Here is a list of normal reactions to loss that may be helpful to you in recognizing grief in your communities or in yourself:

What is lost?

Self-concept, identity, the dream of the future, control, safety, relationship, any or all of these could be involved in the loss, not just the loved one, the job, the marriage etc. Identifying what is lost facilitates the grieving process and makes it more complete.

Yogic Techniques to Integrate Change and Thus, Transform Grief into Joy

(Although you may have already seen this information on Sikhnet, I am including it here so you can have all the information in one place.)

The Siri Singh Sahib once said the only time we grieve is when we forget God. The Siri Guru Granth Sahib teaches the way to remember: Keep the company of the Holy and Chant the Nam. This guidance is the base for conscious grief recovery. Nothing is more effective in transforming emotional pain, integrating change, and experiencing our Divinity than recitation of the Shabad Guru. Coming together around the sound current of the Nam in creative and spirited ways, through mantra, kirtan, akhand paths, singing 3HO songs, telling stories, or celestial communication, are powerfully effective for personal and community healing. 

Chanting the Nam with the Sadh Sangat gives us stability and security, connection and calm, an experience of union and joy. Sangat is all those you include as your community: yoga students, yoga teachers, Sikhs of all origins, children and adults.

Grief recovery--integration of change--is a whole brain, full body experience; it is not linear nor analytical. It lends itself well to our dharmic and yogic technology. As an international sangat, we can practice together, integrate change together, transform the energy of grief into joy, together.

There may be an international sadhana or practice, such as there is on the Siri Singh Sahib's birthday. For this and other notices of events and recommended practices, check www.sikhnet.org.  Some sangats also have their own web page to post sangat events and activities during the 17 days.

Following are some recommendations which can be employed in various ways, depending on circumstance. Bring your sangat together and decide what works best for your community.

At the time of first receiving the news:

1) Remove yourself from immediate demands, gather yourself, and chant Akal. If you are with others, or can be readily, chant together. Where possible, go to your personal altar, Gurdwara, yoga center, or sadhana room.

2) Gather with your community in someone's home or your community's Gurdwara, yoga center, or sadhana room. Chant together, sing together, join in a Shabad. Close by reading from the Peace Lagoon or take a hukam from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Suggested Shabad is Dhan Dhan Raam Daas Gur, suggested mantra is Guru Guru Wahe Guru Guru Ram Das Guru. These are helpful for grief release, as is, Aap Sahaee Hoa; Miter Piare Noon from Guru Gobind Singh is excellent for the resolution of loss.  Any Shabad or mantra will consolidate and elevate the sangat.  Please refer to Psyche of the Golden Shield or Psyche of the Soul for further information on the effects of the Banis and various Shabads. 

After the chanting, talk together, eat together, sit and make plans for your community to be together regularly for the next 17 days. Talk about what will comfort and uplift each other during this time.

As soon as reasonably possible, and continue for 17 days: 

3) Hold an Akhand Path or a Sahej Path, with plans to complete within 17 days; where resources are available, hold sequential Akhand Paths for the full 17 days. Where possible, include a daily langar.

4) Hold a full Gurdwara service; where resources are available, hold a Ransubhai (all night) kirtan.

5) Read 11 pages a day from the Peace Lagoon or Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

6) Recite an extra Japji or Sukhmani as a dedication each day for 17 days

7) Have a program of chanting, 3HO songs, or kirtan in a different person's home each evening for the 17 days, followed by langar and talking together. 

8) Listening and sharing can serve to help each other sort through feelings, uncover meaning. Tell stories of experiences with the Siri Singh Sahib, sharing what he and his teachings mean in your life. Identify what it is from his teachings, his example, that you want to bring into the future, that becomes part of your living legacy now. Post these and other expressions such as artwork, drawings or poems, in a community place, such as a bulletin board in the lobby of the yoga center; so all may share in this, and/or place on your personal altar.

Record your stories via video, audio, or written form. The Secretariat plans to collect them world wide at the end of the 17 days and invites you to send yours as part of a memorial volume to be completed by the first anniversary.

9) Celestial Communication can be a part of any of these gatherings. Specifically for grief release, the Siri Singh Sahib has recommended practicing Celestial Communication with the Shabad, Dhan Dhan Raam Daas Gur. Upper body movement is especially helpful to release grief we may hold in the physical body.

10) Create opportunities for members of the sangat to serve: making langar, Gurdwara preparations, making a board for stories, etc.

11) Meditations specific for overcoming shock, and other emotional responses can be found in the Survival Kit yoga manual. A meditation as simple as Long Sat Nams can help transform depression. Kriyas for lymphatic system and lungs help to release grief from the body, and open one to joy. These can be found in various yoga manuals. These can be practiced during the yoga portion as part of the daily sadhana, and/or in the regularly scheduled yoga classes. The tratikam meditation can be done to continue guidance, support and clarity via the subtle body.

 As a community, you may choose to continue activities for a full 40 days

After the 17--40 days:

As a local community, you may want to come together to form a memorial, a living remembrance, or a commemoration; something tangible that benefits the community. Examples are planting trees, creating a memorial garden, hosting a free kitchen once a month.

Continue playing music and singing together, talking together, praying together, meditating together, doing sadhana together, playing together.

"Compassion brings trust forever."

 Back to Top

by SS Ek Ong Kar Kaur Khalsa, first published on Sikhnet

It was only a week ago yesterday that the Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan, strolled through the grounds of the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das ashram in his wheel-chair, looking dashing in his sunglasses and small white cap, smiling and speaking with people. He hadn’t been in public since our Japji course in June and it was a pleasant surprise for all the devoted sevadars preparing for the autumn Khalsa Council meeting to see him.

Khalsa Council brings together Sikh Dharma ministers from all over the world, so there was a lot of love and laughter in the air. People who had traveled hundreds of miles had a chance to greet him.  I saw the crowd forming and wondered what was going on, but was too pre-occupied with a meeting that I had to attend. It was only later that I heard he’d come by, doing a “surprise inspection” at the offices of the Secretariat.

That night he went home, fell asleep, and except for a few brief minutes on Sunday when he spoke through the telephone to those of us assembled at Gurdwara, the Siri Singh Sahib did not wake up again.

Khalsa Council takes a lot of dedication and energy to put together. With over 120 ministers from nearly a dozen different countries, there is a tremendous amount of work and love behind the Council meetings. I was exhausted afterwards, so I took Tuesday off from work.  Wednesday morning, I woke up dreading the office. Which hardly ever happens. There was some reason that I just couldn’t face going in to work. I spent the morning catching up on my errands; grocery shopping, dropping off my dry cleaning, and buying a birthday gift for a friend. By 1 pm in the afternoon, I knew I had to go in but I didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t that I was tired. There was just something I didn’t want to face.

In small communities, when something significant is happening, everybody knows, whether they’ve heard anything official or not. A few minutes after arriving on the ashram grounds, a friend pulled me into a quiet corner. “It could be hours. It could be days,” she told me. “But it’s really serious.” Our community in Germany had left emails and phone messages, asking for something they could translate into German for the press. They wanted it ready in the next 24-48 hours. And then one of the Secretaries called me. “The doctors are saying tonight,” she said. “Come by and be with the family. They need a lot of love and support right now.”

We’d already done a tremendous amount of preparation for this moment. Press releases written, leaving blank the time and day. Photos, the special section on SikhNet, all done months ago. But somehow you never really think that moment is going to come. You think ‘Oh, he’ll be around forever. He’s a yoga master. He can leave whenever he wants. He’s just playing games with us.’ After all, how many other times has the Siri Singh Sahib come so close to death’s door, only to recover and laugh about it?

But this time…this time was different. “He hasn’t eaten for a week. His body functions are shutting down.” There are times for miracles, and there are times to accept that death is a miracle too. That we are born and we only have this body for a brief time. For an infinitesimal second in the time-line of Infinity, the soul has a chance to experience something, learn a lesson, leave a legacy. Nothing…nothing lasts forever. Except the love.

I drove over to the Ranch after work. The Ragis from our sister community in Phoenix had come a few days before and there was an Akand Path taking place in the Ranch Gurdwara. Friends and community were there, supporting the family and those closest to the Siri Singh Sahib. There was lots of food.

Guru Nanak says there are some things that we can experience, but we just can’t describe. Much of last night is something like that. There’s nothing to report, really. We ate, we talked to each other about everyday things, There were tears here and there. Some people waiting, wondering when it would happen. Other people saying, “He’ll be around for years – just you watch.” The Ranch Gurdwara was cozy and quiet, warmly lit with candles and low lights. Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru played almost imperceptibly in the background while the Ragis called out, chanting and chanting the Shabad. We meditated. We cried. We teased and joked. And somewhere right before 9 pm, I decided it was time for me to leave.

There are things we experience in physical time and space. And there are things we experience in sacred time and space. The beauty of life is when you can live in both worlds, enjoying the physical play without losing touch of that sacred dimension. As I walked out of the Ranch, the courtyard was dark and quiet. There were a few men on security duty and we exchanged a kind greeting. I turned and started to walk up the long driveway towards the street, but before I got very far, maybe just a few feet, I felt a subtle tap on my right shoulder.

In sacred time and space we can connect with each other and communicate with each other in ways that do not require the physical body. We can perceive directly what is true and real. It wasn’t a physical touch, I knew. It was subtle. I turned around and faced the Dome, the place where the Siri Singh Sahib was living.

The soul has its own language and there, in the darkness, with no one to watch and the breeze rustling through the trees, my spirit had a chance to say its goodbye. Thanking him for all the gifts he had brought with him, thanking him for all he endured to grow this Dharma, to give those of us in the West who had no hope a sense of hope. It was a wordless prayer filled with love, gratitude and affection. And at the very end of it, my soul remembered how temporary life is, how illusory death. What was the point of saying good-bye? I’ll be dead soon enough. (Even if I live another 50 years – it’s still not that long a time). We’ll meet again on the other side, in the Will of God, by the Grace of the Guru, in purity and in love. So I whispered, “See you soon” and turned to walk and go.

Once again, I felt a subtle tap on my right shoulder. Now what, I thought? And hesitantly, I turned around and faced the Dome again. And then I felt him, in that subtle way, pull me into a fatherly embrace. A cosmic hug and a quiet kiss on the forehead. It was just love and nothing else. And as I once again turned to walk away, there was no more tap on my shoulder. Just the sensation that he teasingly touched my spine, the tingling of the Kundalini playing around all the chakras.

He left his body a few minutes later. But I didn’t know that then.

Back in my home, I received the first phone call about an hour afterwards. From one of my best friends who had heard it from someone who heard it from someone. Nothing official, but you know how it goes. I was grateful, I told her, that I heard it from you. We chanted “Akal” together and I knew it was time to get to work.

But not just yet, because the “official” call hadn’t come.

Less than 30 minutes later, a dear friend from Austin, Texas phoned. She’d heard that the Siri Singh Sahib had left his body. Was it true? Yes, I said. Nothing official, but it’s true. Has the phone tree already started? I asked her. Oh no, we heard it from someone in Houston who heard it from her daughter who heard it from….

O.K. O.K. – I get the picture.

30 minutes after that, the ashram secretary called. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d already heard the news twice. I thanked her for the message and thought…OK…now it’s official…time to get to work.

11:15 pm at night and I’m sitting in front of my computer, getting the press releases ready to send to the media. I call Guruka Singh, SikhNet’s Executive Director, who is working with me on this. “Yes,” he said as soon as he heard my voice. “You’re someone I’m supposed to call but it isn’t time yet.”

“Guruka Singh,” I reply, “I’ve already heard about his passing from three different people.”

“Yes, well, the Siri Singh Sahib requested that no one be notified until two and a half hours after he left his body. We still have 15 minutes to go.”

“The people in Austin have already called to ask if it happened and what’s being planned.”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “I know,” Guruka Singh sighed at last. “Los Angeles already called here, too.”

Our community has its own way of communicating. We waited another 15 minutes and sent out the press releases.

11:30 pm New Mexico time is around noon in India. The press releases were just the beginning – there was other work to do. Responding to requests from India for more information, posting the information on the SikhNet homepage. Around midnight, Guruka Singh called and said, “Whatever you’re doing – just stop. It’s time to come over to the Dome.”

Imagine, if you will, a semi-arid land, filled with rocks, scrub brush and cacti. Fatherly mountains shoulder the sky, giving a sense of security and protection. It’s almost an empty place, but in one tiny little spot, someone decided to build a courtyard to the Guru. With fresh green grass, fruit trees, and rose bushes. Beautiful statues, styled Greek, Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese gracing the lawns. Traditional yellow adobe buildings face each other with curves instead of edges, warm and welcoming. And tucked back among the tallest trees, an architectural structure created in wood and glass in the shape of a Dome.

Last night, the courtyard was lit by the stars in the heavens. There were hundreds gathered but it was so quiet, the trees whispered and murmured louder than the people. Everywhere you walked, there was someone to hug. Someone to hug you. An open heart, grieving and offering support all at the same time.

The Siri Singh Sahib’s senior staff and students formed a receiving line. More hugs and kind words. Shared tears and smiles. Their presence created a tremendous sense of comfort as we entered the Dome to pay our last respects.

This is perhaps where the story becomes too private to put into words. There was a sweetness and a silent peace in the air…I half expected him to open his eyes and give me that piercing look he gives when he’s examining you from top to toe…He just looked like he was sleeping…

Around this time, the shock of it all hit me. I felt my body start to go numb as we waited outside together, chanting Guru Guru Wahe Guru Guru Ram Das Guru. Because God is so great and so merciful – it was a total blessing that the ambulance crew charged with taking his body to the hospital was made up of young, bearded and turbaned Sikh men. In Espanola, many of the young Sikh men have found good jobs with the Emergency team. They drive ambulances, perform first aid – and last night – three of them were there, turbans, beards and uniforms – a Sikh detail on duty to escort the General home.

There was so much chanting as the ambulance pulled away from the Dome. “Bole So Nihal…Sat Siri Akal.” “Akal. Akal. Akal.” “Sat Nam, Siri Wahe Guru.” It was a joyful sound. It was the sound of victory.

There was more work to do for the press after all of this. By the time I crawled into bed – it was 3 am in the morning. I sobbed into my pillow, but they weren’t tears of pain. They were cries of gratitude. All I could say over and over again, as every memory of my time with him coursed through my body, all I could say was, “Thank you. I’m so grateful. Thank you.”

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.

Back to Top

by SS Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Ph. D, first published in Aquarian Times

On a cool Tuesday morning in January 1990, Jonathan called. I had been teaching yoga to people living with serious illness for about five years in Los Angeles. "I'm calling to let you know I may not make it to class on Friday, "Jonathan began in his soft British accent. "I've gone to the doctor this morning and he told me I have just three days to live. Mind you, I am not actually canceling. If the doctor is right, my partner David will give you a ring. If the doctor is wrong, I'll be in class, in my usual spot."

Jonathan spoke with ease and calm. From the time he had first started classes in Kundalini Yoga for people living with HIV, he took to heart the yogic perspective on living and dying. He used this time to explore his life. What was he afraid of? What was holding him back from fully enjoying the gift of his life? Jonathan used the practice of meditation to help him become aware of his feelings, beliefs, decisions, words, and actions and to transform them. He then made a conscious choice to live in a way that honored the sacredness of his life. He was 39 years old. When it came time for death, he was prepared.

It was with this fearless depth that Jonathan heard the doctor's prognosis. In the early evening on that same Tuesday, David called to let me know that Jonathan had passed away peacefully in their home.

When I first started to teach Kundalini Yoga to people with HIV, cancer, and other life-threatening illness, a renowned health care leader told me bluntly, "Death is a medical failure. We don't want our patients to die, so when it looks as though they will, we start to pull away. We turn our attention to the patients where we can win."  At that point, there was nothing in my life experience that had taught me how to serve people facing death, and I was seeking the wisdom of those in the field. I stood in front of a leading representative of modern medical health care, astounded.

So, I thought, this is how medical people are trained—move away from a dying person. How would a yogi respond? Simple. Move closer. Closer to the dying person, and—especially—move closer to the realization and acceptance of one's own death.

Yogi Bhajan says that to know how to live, we must know how to die. To a person following a yogic way of living, life is a conscious preparation for death. When we remember in life that we are to die, our awareness does not allow us to do a wrong act. We remember the preciousness of our life and choose right action.

Roger was a chemical engineer and a methodical man. For him, everything had to have a reason, an explanation, and it had to make sense. When he received a diagnosis of stage IV colon cancer, he approached his treatment with the same one-step-at-a-time system that he used in his lab at work. When his oncologist told Roger there was no further treatment he could give him, Roger said, "I'll just keep turning over more stones, until I find a solution."

His efforts led him to meditation and yoga practice and the inner work of facing death—and finding new life. "I have discovered a world beyond my intellect and this has been an extraordinary experience. Now, to me every place is an altar, every experience is a blessing. Life has become magical, even though I am doing the same routine." Roger encouraged his family, friends, and colleagues to explore this process with him. He made new friends along the way and continued undaunted, even when others around him did not share his enthusiasm for addressing death.

"I was an old guy, 68, when I was diagnosed. I didn't think there was anything more I could learn about life. I never thought spirituality or religion had any value. I was mistaken. After I reached the limits of medical treatment, I learned to see and to serve the purity and piety in all. Shocked the hell out of me and everyone who knew me."

"Facing my death has been the most important work I have done in my life. I believe death needs to be more openly discussed and planned for in families, the same way that education of the children, retirement, and buying a home are discussed and planned for. Understanding death has such an impact on living life that we need to give it more attention."

Roger lived four years longer than his doctors foresaw, and at the time of his passing he was surrounded by loved ones who were at peace with his death, and who could support him calmly. His wife, Melinda, described his last moments. "His breathing became difficult for a minute or two, then calm and even again until it stopped altogether. I noticed he had a slight smile on his face. Though I was right next to him, it was clear that he was not smiling at me."

What happens when we die? According to the yogis, at the time of death, each of the nine gates close, one at a time, until the energy of spirit is consolidated at the crown chakra. The soul is carried with the subtle body through the tenth gate.  The person exhales, the soul is released. There is no next inhalation. Stillness follows.

At the time of the passing of the soul from the body, each of us experiences 30 seconds of "divine grinding." This divine grinding comes in three stages. During the first 10 seconds you face the entire panorama of your life. The next 10 seconds, you judge yourself. During the final 10 seconds you take your last breath, your last exhalation, and your soul and subtle body pass.

Once the soul passes from the body, it enters a "cylinder," the tunnel of white light described by so many who have had near-death experiences. As it moves along in this space, the soul may sense the passing of other souls. At the end of the tunnel, there is a choice. On one side there is a warm, cozy path; on the other side is a cold, snowy path. On both sides are your relatives, calling you. The message of the yogis is, "Go toward the snow."

At 17 days after death, the soul chooses to stay in the electromagnetic field of the earth, or to cross through the electromagnetic field, into the blue ethers. Most souls remain in the first level of blue ether for a period of time before entering the next life.

In the process of death, it is important to keep connection with the neutral mind. This is the time to be deep in our identification with the infinite, undying self. Yogi Bhajan says, "You and your mastery must come through at the moment of death." We develop mastery when we wake up during the early morning hours, take a cold shower, and meditate before the sun rises. In the darkness, in the resistance of that time of the day, meditation practice gives us skill to penetrate the mind with the light of the soul. This ability is necessary during the divine grinding just before the soul leaves the body. It is also said that chanting Wahe Guru at the time of death helps to connect us with the neutral mind and release the soul.

The chanting of Long Ek Ong Kars, also called the Morning Call, is an excellent means to command freedom within one's self, increase vitality, and break through blocks. Yogis recommend practice of it to allow ease and vitality into the process of dying. Yogi Bhajan describes death as "a process where your consciousness does not exist within the control of your ego." This means that we must have a relationship of trust with the unknown, the unseen, in order to die peacefully. Much of yogic life practice is to deepen this trust.

Nam Simran, the repetition of the sound current, such as a mantra, with each breath develops such trust. The practice of the one-minute breath can have this benefit as well. The practice of giving to the Unknown, such as in charitable giving, and the practice of taking right action without attachment to outcome, are examples of deepening the relationship of trust with the Unknown.

Instead of judging oneself and others, practice blessing and forgiving so you can bless and forgive all that you see in the panorama stage. Practice releasing all attachment to what happened or did not happen during the course of your day and forgiving and blessing every person and every event. Roger found that this practice became his greatest power in life. "My best achievement is that I can bless all, forgive all. It has brought boundless joy to my life." And a peaceful, transcendent death.

The poetic words of Guru Nanak convey the feeling of vastness, joy, and deep calm that is the movement of the soul from life into death:  The nine gates are closed by the True Lord's Command and the Soul Swan takes flight into the skies.

Back to Top

by the Siri Singh Sahib Ji

Editor's Note: Upon the death of a highly respected and honorable gentleman who had devoted his life to serving God and Guru, the Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan described the journey of the "privileged soul" after death.

"You must understand. The privileged soul has certain privileges. When the journey begins, the soul leaves in the subtle body. The first privilege of the soul is to say good-bye to all friends and foes equally. I'm talking of the privileged soul. Then the soul travels to all places of reverence - those places which were sacred to it. That's called "the last journey." You might have read about this but you never understood it. I am making you understand it now. So the soul visits every place of reverence.

The third privilege is to visit all the places of the altar. That means the Guru's places. A privileged soul has very exalted manners and a responsibility to say a graceful good-bye before going home. That is why it became customary that when a person leaves, the relatives do kirtan, they do lofty bandagee, praising the Lord for all these days. Some do it for seventeen days, some do it for three days, some do it for four days. You know, the modern world doesn't want to do anything. But the soul is very ultra-modern. It does its job.

After visiting all the altars, the soul has the privilege to travel in the company of the angelic world. The privileged soul does not go through the normal path of the human. It doesn't pass through the test and triumph and trials.

After finishing its duties on the earth it travels to the angelic world. In the angelic world it entertains itself into the entire brightness, lightness, humor and glow, and practices forgiveness for the whole universe through which it has travelled many lifetimes.

You must understand - the soul which is a privileged soul has to enter the akal abode, the Infinity. The angelic world is defined. It is all good and masterly wonderful and excellently wonderful, but still it is defined.

After enjoying the privilege of the angelic world, the soul travels into the third blue ether. That is its own great abode of prayer. In its purity, in its piety, it settles its own account. Thereafter it crosses to the fourth blue ether. Chauthe par, the fourth step, is to find infinite salvation.

Therefore, if you join at this time in this journey, it will guarantee your journey in the future."

Back to Top

"It is my prayer that each day may be bright and beautiful.
As it comes, may it uplift your soul and consciousness towards God.
And let the light of the Guru's words enlighten you forever.
Sat Nam"

from The Power of Prayer, The inspired words of Yogi Bhajan, KRI 1985, p. 20.

Back to Top

Home / Current Issue / Previous Issues / Exam Questions / Notification / Contact Us