This is very cute Simran by two sisters. They are repeating name of Waheguru. They are kids but doing Simran very effectively. I would like to add here that encourage your kids to sit like them and do Simran. If the child has some weakness - physical or mental - power of Simran would cure that problem. Kids do Simran with more devotion as they are innocent and don’t have any questions. Simran started at this age would make them intelligent, healthy and persons with high character and values and that too very harmoniously . You won’t have to tell them - Do this, Do that, Don’t do this, Don’t do that. They would know themselves what is good and what is not good for them. Better would be if you give them some drops of Amrit from Panj Piaras at Amrit Sanchar ceremony. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh…..Balbir Singh Khalsa.
Quick Answer - No
Why ? Body is perishable, Word isn’t.
There is nobody else than God. God and Guru are same. The word Waheguru contains word “Guru” in it. It indicates that God and Guru are one and the same. God is not a phyical being. He has no color, form or layout. If we want to merge with Him, we have to be like Him. God represents Himself through Guru and educates us about Himself, makes us walk on His qualities and merges us with Himself through these qualities. So when God is Word, how can Guru be a body. Guru is also word. The Word (Guru) gets merged with us. Word is like a thought. So how can a physical Guru fit into our body and mind. Can he become a thought and enter our mind. Can he reach our Dasam Duar (Ten Gate) ? Impossible. That why, we cannot have a body as our Guru.
Teachings are more important
Follow teachings. Adapt your life as per teachings of Guru. Guru Granth Sahib Ji says “Bani (Word) is Guru, Guru is Bani, if you follow whatever Bani says, you can see Guru face to face.” And its not that you have to follow any Bani, follow only true and tested Bani. Bani of Guru Granth Sahib Ji is eternal and tested by 10 Gurus. After we practice and follow Bani, we can see God and Guru in abstract form and only then we actually understand “O My God, God and Guru are same, God Himselves was guiding me, I am also like Him.”
Then why we had 10 Gurus ?
10 Gurus were 10 Perfect Gursikhs. They lived life of a perfect Gursikh and set an example how to live. They themselves followed all the teaching of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and proved each and every verse of it themselves. Guru Nanak had no Guru except Word. Then all the subsequent Gurus worshipped the light of predecessor Guru as their Guru, even if they were themselves Guru. Guru Angad worshipped Guru Nanak as his Guru even if He was Himself a Guru. If you read Bani of any Guru, you will find that He had sung it as a Gursikh. That is the reason that after compilation of Adi Granth, Guru Arjun Dev Ji (5th Nanak) sat down to Adi Granth. He always had His sleeping place below Adi Granth. He taught us that Bani is above body. Body is perishable, Word isn’t. That is the reason why Guru Gobind Singh Ji (10th Nanak) bestowed Guruship on Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
All these so called Gurus, will ultimately go away. Don’t waste your time and resources for these frauds. They cannot take you anywhere.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh…..Balbir Singh Khalsa.
To understand spirituality broadly, I have framed these questions and their brief answers. Actually when we have lot of information, we get confused and its very hard to coordinate different aspects. When confused we tend to lose interest in the subject. These questions and answers would serve as a broad framework within which spirituality revolves. These questions and answers have been drawn from actual experience. If you don’t agree with anything, hold your doubts and questions, move ahead, practice chanting the Name and you would find answers yourself. Actual experience is key to all questions. The list of these questions is not exhaustive. I am continuously adding more questions. Should you have any question, let me, and I’ll try to add it here.
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1 |
Is there any God ? | Yes |
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2 |
Can we see Him ? | Yes |
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3 |
Why cannot we see Him ? | God is everywhere. Its our problem that we cannot see Him. We should improve ourselves. |
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4 |
Who has created God ? | Nobody. God is self-illuminated. |
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5 |
Why there is so much pain in the world ? | There is no pain. Its our illusion. When there is only God everywhere, how can there be anything else ? |
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6 |
Who has created Evil or Devil ? | God has Himself created Evil to complete His game. Have you seen any movie without a villain. The villain is just playing his character. |
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7 |
Can we get God ? | We cannot get God. We can only get merged with Him. A drop of water cannot get ocean, but it can be part of it. |
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8 |
How can we get absorbed in God ? | By Chanting His Name and singing and listening to Kirtan. |
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9 |
What is Name of God | God is like an ocean and His Name is like drops of water. Ocean God is made with drops of Name. |
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10 |
Why should we Chant His Name ? Isn’t that flattery ? | To get absorbed in God, we need same qualities as He has. After chanting the Name, we get those qualities. God does not increase or decease if we chant His Name. Its for us that after chanting the Name, we raise ourselves to a level equal to God. Chanting Name is not a flattery. |
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11 |
Why God created this world ? | This world is a game created by Him. God is very big. So His game is also big. He has created this world, He is taking care of it and He Himself destroys it. |
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12 |
In which sequence God created this world ? | First God created Himself. Secondly His Name. Thirdly mother Nature and its laws. Then water and all creatures. Man is the best creature of God and who can understand God’s game and truth about this world. |
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13 |
Who is Guru ? | God represents Himself through Word. This word is called Guru. The word WaheGuru contains word “Guru” which means that God and Guru are same. |
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14 |
Why do we need Guru ? | You cannot just see God. You have to understand everything. To understand that you need a teacher. Through Guru’s words, you develop your understanding. |
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15 |
Give me an example how Guru helps us ? | You have a machine. Its right before you. To operate it, you need knowledge. You go to engineering college and take a course. The teacher in the college transfers his knowledge to your mind. Now you know what that machine is. Similarly, Guru transfers His knowledge about God into your mind, and you understand what God is. |
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16 |
Is Guru just knowledge ? | Guru shows us the target. Guru tells us the means to achieve that target. He gives you power to reach that target. Guru creates actual power in you. You can feel that power within you. Guru protects you physically. He is knowledge but very much living knowledge and power. |
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17 |
How much time we need to realize God ? | It depends. It can vary from one year (even less) to your entire life or more than one life. Even then that’s not a bad deal. But you have to realize Him while you are alive. If you die without realizing, you have to take another birth to do that. |
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18 |
Can we get salvation while we are alive ? | Yes, we get salvation only when we are alive. Who has seen anything once we die. |
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19 |
What is spiritual world ? | Child has his world. A young man has his world. A doctor has his world. Similarly a spiritual person has a world. This is the same earth, sky and stars but with a different focus. But this focus is not just imagination or perception, but a reality. |
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20 |
Where is God’s abode? | Nowhere. Gold is in the jewellery and in the jewellery is Gold. Similarly God is in the creation and in the creation is God. God is infinite, so how can He have a small physical abode ? |
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21 |
I am very ethical, do I need spiritual practices ? | Yes. What is actually ethical you understand only after chanting the Name and you get a very harmonious ethical life as a part of spiritual life. You don’t have to work hard for that. |
When we think of meditation, we think what is the best technique to do that. How should we sit ? Where should we concentrate ? How we should speak ? Should we speak or just keep quite and chant in mind or chant with breath ? What is the best place to meditate ? Should we close our ears so that we don’t listen the noise outside ?
What is the best technique ? Spirituality is not a technique or a mechanical process. When we remember our loved ones, we never look around for a definite time or place. Tell me one thing, when you remember your husband or wife, what you do ? Do you sit down in a particular pose and start remembering ? Your anwer is No. Because you love him or her and he or she is in your mind and you are constantly attached to him or her with your thoughts. The same is true with God as well. Worshipping God does not mean doing some fixed rituals in the morning or evening or on weekends only. Its a continuous process. You remember God when you are driving. You remember Him when you are alone. You remember Him when you wake up in the morning or go to bed at night. Whenever you have any problem, you first communicate with Him.
This is true that to do meditation you need a proper place and you have to sit in a comfortable position. But don’t think that you are going to do meditation or you are going to Chant the name. Sit down and feel that you are going to have a meeting with your God whom you love. When you say Waheguru, say with love, as if you are calling him, as if He is in the word “Waheguru”, as if you are listening to Him, as if He is touching your body and mind. Feel one with Him. Pray “O Lord, I cannot live apart from you, merge me within you. Remove the veil of darkness and appear before me. I am not worth anything without you. Ignore all my sins and misdeeds, forgive me and give me place in your lap”. Have this feeling of love within yourself while Chanting the Name.” When you Chant the Name with love, to your surprise, you will learn all the other techniques yourself. You will straighten your back, sit in upright position and you will concentrate on your forehead (third eye point). You will learn how to say Waheguru in different ways. The reason is now you are searching for your Love. You will start crying in love and your eyes will be full of tear. Please note that such tears of love are cold and will wash all you sins. Guru Nanak Says that my thirst for Chanting the Name has taken away all my pain. Feeling of love is so powerful and so quick in effect.
Some people say that we should not utter Name, just say it in mind, so that nobody comes to know what you are doing. Probably they think that if they speak it, other may think that they are egoistic and they show off that they are religious. Whatever the reason is but you should speak the Name with your tongue and listen to it with love. Our ears are source of input to our mind. Whatever we listen goes straight into our mind. We all know whatever we sing in the morning, we sing it all the day whatever it is and that too automatically. We are light of Waheguru and Waheguru is in the form of Word. When we continuously speak this word, it enters our mind and we realize that we are part of Waheguru. When we chant the Name in the morning with our tongue, then during the day, we automatically chant it in our mind and alongwith our breath. But this will not happen if we just chant it in our mind in the morning. We cannot achieve this stage without chanting with Tongue. Because without chanting with tongue, our ears cannot listen.
Another important point is where should we concentrate when we meditate or Chant the Name. The answer is nowhere. Nowhere ! What’s that !!! Rember one thing, you are light of God. There is only one God. When there is nobody else, then where should you concentrate. Everything is God and you are part of God. Waves in the ocean are part of the ocean. Drops of water is part of the ocean. Fish is in the ocean. Should the fish concentrate on ocean and imagine that it is in the ocean. What a foolish idea ! Whan it is in the ocean and part of it, then why should it concentrate on that. It just enjoys the water and lives as a part of it. You are light my friend. YOU ARE LIGHT. When you understand this idea, half of your tension to find out God will go away. And the remaining tension will go when after Chanting the Name, you will realize that light within you. Yes you can concentrate on one thing - Your own voice. That too, you don’t have to concentrate, just listen harmoniously and feel that you are this sound and you are not this body. You are having this body just as a shell and one day you will have to vacate this body and merge with the bigger light. What happens if you break a glass (full of water) in a water tank. Water is outside, water is inside the glass, water just gets mixed up with the water in the glass. The glass just breaks apart. Another example is baloon full of air. When we break the baloon, the air inside just gets mixed up with air outside. Exactly this is what happens with our body and soul. Our soul just merges with the bigger soul outside when we leave our body. We don’t go anywhere.
To summarize
- Chant the Name “Waheguru” with your tongue with love.
- When you chant it in mind, continue it. Try to coordinate it with your breath.
- Don’t try to concentrate anywhere in the body, just feel that you are the light of Waheguru and be one with It.
- All places are good for meditation, but its better if you can find a quiet place.
- Just listen to your own voice when you say “Waheguru”.
Good luck
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh…..Balbir Singh Khalsa
We have been hearing from everybody that God helps us when we are in trouble. We should pray to God. But the question is HOW ? Does He comes to earth to solve our problems. Where is He and what is His method of working ? And if he helps us , are we supposed to do anything ? What is our role ? If we are doing it by ourselves, then why we need God ? If we are making our own destiny, then why should we pray. Can prayer change our destiny ? We also hear that God is doing everything - true - then why we are having all these problems. These questions are really confusing and all religious people want to answer them. They continue to blindly believe these words because this is written in their holy books. They cannot deny it. But my friend, these words are true. God really helps us and prayer always works. Lets see how.
God helps us in different ways. When we say that God is everywhere, it means that He exits in everybody - human beings, animals, birds, other creatures on this earth and in the water - where else - in the mother nature - air, water, mountains, soil, sky, everywhere. When we say that God is one , it means that there is nobody else than Him. When we see jewellery , we see different kinds of ornaments, but if we say that this is gold, its true. This is gold in the form of ornaments. Similarly if we say that all creation of God is God, its true. He is in His creation in different form. As He is a big God, His creation is also big. He is absorbed in everything. Everything is God. He is not sitting in any seventh sky and looking at you. HE IS EVERYTHING AND EVERYWHERE. He is sky. He is air. He is earth. He is tree. He is soil. He is water. He is fire. He is every human being. He is speaking in everybody. He is foolish. He is clever. Everything is representing Him. The problem is WE DON’T UNDERSTAND HIM. Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib says that all your ignorance will vanish when you see yourself inside you. Why ? Because everybody is like you. If you can realize your light within you, everybody can do.
So now its clear that God is everywhere and He is in everybodya and spread in different forms. Now if you need help , He helps you from any form. Suppose, you need a job and you are trying hard. You pray to God. Pray like this ” O my Lord ! I need a job to survive. I want to work hard and earn money. I don’t want to borrow money from anyone or beg. I want work. Please ENABLE me to pass the interview and get the preparation done from me. Please ENABLE me to do the job and give me all the qualities to be successful.” Do this and start observing what goes on. You will find that you are getting new thoughts. (God is sending you those thoughts from within you , because He is sitting in you). And you will find that now you are not confused or worried, but you have found a direction. God will bring you closer to the information and resources which you need to pass the interview - it may be a book or a person who will guide you in the whole process. God is working through that person or book to help you. That person will tell you how to prepare your resume, what questions are important in the interview, how you should answer these questions and how to follow up after the interview. God is creating the circumstances to help you achieve your goal. God is cause of the cause. When you go to attend the interview, God makes sure that you reach in time. He will provide you the best available means of transportation and available route. If your car breaks down on the way, you may meet a friend on the way, who will give you ride to reach the interviewer. God had created that circumstance that you met with your friend there. When you are attending the interview, God will give you confidence to talk confidently and keep you in good mood. And He will establish your good understanding with the interviewer. After you have attended the interview, God will send you a thought to send a “Thank You Letter” to the interviewer. May be out of all the candidates, you are the only one who is following up with this Thank You Note. God is in everybody, He knows who is doing what. So He gets done something different from you which will enable you to pass the interview so that you get the job.
So my friend, this is how God helps you. Its not like that you are sitting at home, doing nothing, just praying , that you will get a job. God has to comply with His law of nature. God never violates His own laws. Everything happens with His law.
This is one example how God helps us. There is another wonderful way and which may be beyond belief for some of you. But its very common in Sikhism. After chanting the Name, at one stage, the Seeker merges with God and becomes one with Him. Seeker’s tiny light merges with the big Light. Merging means that now whatever Seeker is doing is being done by God. Here work of each is substituted. Seeker’s work becomes God’s work and God’s work becomes Seeker’s work. Eg. Seeker is doing his route job but in fact he is not involved with it from his mind, he is just doing it. God is getting it done from him. But Seeker just want to Chant the Name of God and get it Chanted from others. He want to serve the humanity. He want to remove all the pain from this world. He want to help the needy. These are all work of God, but as lights of both have merged, there is no division of work now. Both are doing work of each other. At this stage if the Seeker forgets (or for any other reason does not do or cannot do his work) to do his work, God will form his body and go to do that work for him. eg. Bhai Randhir Singh Ji, when he was chanting the Name of Waheguru and was in the process of merging with God, he was so busy for a couple of days, that he forgot to go to his job and do his office work. When he came to know of this, he rushed to his office. To his surprise, nobody asked him, why he didn’t come to office for so many days. When he went to sign the attendance register, it was already signed for the holidays. When he started doing his work, his work was already done for all those days. He understood that it was his God who has done all this. This is another way how God helps us.
But you develop this faith slowly. Remember one thing, your faith in God is not without basis. If you trust God, it shall come true. There is no problem from God’s side, its only your own faith. And you develop this faith after chanting the Name. After chanting the Name, you will understand secrets of God yourself, you don’t have to ask anyone and once you establish this faith, nobody can shake it.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh……Balbir Singh Khalsa
Spiritual life starts with a turning point. It is said that fish comes back after touching the stone. What is this turning point ? How can I know when it will happen or perhaps it has already happened ? What happens after turning point ? Can we make this turning point ourselves or it just happens ? These are some of the important points which comes to our mind.
Turning point is that point of time when we turn to find truth of life. This is the point where we think what is going on. We lose our will power, become helpless and think that something else is controlling my life.
Mr X is very rich. He has worked hard to earn his wealth and status. He has seen poverty. After years of hard work, he earns so much wealth that he can buy anything. He thinks that money is everything. He is not wrong. Money HAS purchasing power. One day he finds that his child is suffering from an incurable disease. He loves his child so much. But the disease is incurable and he cannot find any medicine or doctor who can cure his child. He finds that he wasted all his time to earn this wealth and now its useless. It cannot return his child. He is helpless. He comes to know limitation of money. Now he understands that money cannot buy everything. This is turning point in his life. Now he starts searching for the truth. What is his status ? Am I worth anything ? Why this is happening to him ? What he got out of his life ? He is crying and trying to find answer to these questions.
Turning point comes in different ways in everybody’s life. Someone may feel that he cannot trust anybody. He is betrayed by everybody. Why ? Whom he should trust ? Who is best ? Who is without evil ? Who can give him unconditional love and trust ? Is there anybody who can give him everything whom he gives nothing ?
Mr Y was driving and suddenly had a narrow escape from an accident. He saw death on his face. He was just going to die. He was shocked. Now he starts thinking, had he died, where would he had gone. He would have left this world. Then what ? Everything finished ! Then WHAT !!! Life is too short. How should he live his life ? What is purpose of life ? What is his relation with his wife and kids ? Once he dies, he would never see them. Relations have time-limit. What relation is ever lasting ?
We can summarise signs of turning point as follows :-
- You become hopeless.
- You don’t get satisfaction even after having everything.
- You lose trust in relations.
- You face death.
- You cannot control circumstances and your planning fails.
- Continuous loss in business.
- You become helpless.
- You see so much pain and suffering in this world.
- You get some deadly disease.
- You lose someone whom you love the most.
- You become alone.
- You don’t have a child.
But don’t worry. There are answers to all these problems. You can find satisfaction when you don’t have it. You can find hope when you are hopeless. You can become rich even if you have nothing in your pocket. You can cure the incurable disease. You can find meaning in relations even if you lose all your trust in them. You can be a winner even if you are always a loser.
What should we do when turning point comes into our life ?
Do nothing. Stay cool and pray silently to God “O my lord, I don’t know where you are. But please tell me the truth. I am helpless and know nothing. Please guide me. Please guide me.” With this prayer in your mind, start Chanting the Name of True Lord. Guru Granth Sahib Ji says “O My Lord ! I find your help wherever I Chant your Name.” Just observe what is going on in your life. Just be neutral. Don’t think that such things are useless (prayer and trust in God). Our negative mind always acts first. So be careful. You will be surprised to see that God sends you help from known or unknown sources. I am thinking of writing another post “How God helps us ?”. You can find more information on this in that post. But never panic when anything adverse happens in your life. Stay cool ! Everything will be alright. With U-turn in your life, you are going back to your destination. The outlook towards life will change for better. Turn this into an opportunity and become a win game of life. Good luck.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh…..Balbir Singh Khalsa.
Chanting the Name means to Spreak word “Waheguru” again and again. Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru. This is like we are calling our Lord to come to us. This applies to chanting Gurbani ( Words of Guru Granth Sahib Ji) as well. Someone asked Guru Arjan Dev Ji - the fifth Nanak, which is the highest religion ? He said “Chanting the Name of Lord” is the highest religion.
What is meaning of “Waheguru” and why should we chant this word ?
Waheguru is original name of God. When there was nothing in the universe, there was only one Lord “Waheguru”. He was in the form of sound “Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru ……”. There are other countless names of God. Even the word “GOD” is not His original name. We are just using it because we understand it better now. Other name of Waheguru describe His actions or His virtues. They cannot be equivalent to His original name “Waheguru”.
Example - 1
There is one man. His name is John. This is his original name. He is a doctor. We call him Doctor. He gives a donation to his hospital. We call him Donor. His children call him Father. His wife recognizes him as her Husband. Even if we call him by different names, he remains John.
Everything in this world is perishable and returns to its original form. eg. we sow a seed of flower, it grows, becomes a plant, grows flowers, flower has the same seeds. Man is born out of sperm, becomes a child, eats food, food becomes blood, blood again becomes sperm. Ocean is water. Water evaporates, becomes cloud, becomes rain, comes to earth, again going down to absorb into ocean. Similarly, soul is part of God, travels through different incarnations and again becomes part of God.
To be original, we have to chant the Original Name only.
O My Lord ! That time was great when I came to your door ! I thank my Guru million times who has shown me the path of truth. This blog is going to be turning point of your life. Stay in touch and keep visiting to learn and practice truth about yourself and Lord Waheguru - the wonderous God.
God’s is the Khalsa. God’s is the Victory.