Praise the Formless Lord in your mind.
O my mind, make this your true occupation.
Let your tongue become pure, drinking in the Ambrosial Nectar.
Your soul shall be forever peaceful.
With your eyes, see the wondrous play of your Lord and Master.
In the Company of the Holy, all other associations vanish.
With your feet, walk in the Way of the Lord.
Sins are washed away, chanting the Lord's Name, even for a moment.
So do the Lord's Work, and listen to the Lord's Sermon.
In the Lord's Court, O Nanak, your face shall be radiant. (Ang 281)
I spent a number of years during university searching for what was incomplete. No matter what ways I would try to fill it, the feeling of having something empty was still there. It seemed that all the things we are taught to achieve and want in life didn’t fulfill this void. Finally, I came to a time when I understood that this is the feeling of separation from God that exists for all of us until we complete our journey. This explained to me why nothing within maya could give me what I needed: “By Guru’s grace, one understands himself; know that then, his thirst is quenched.” (281). When listening to kirtan from certain Raagis, I would feel that sense of separation so distinctly, it shook my core and moved my soul: “My heart is gripped by a yearning for my Lord God, and with my eyes, I behold my Lord God” (Ang 711). This feeling of yearning helped to guide me, and the positive influence of sangat made me start to feel alive in a way that I had never felt before. The depth of these new conversations continues to inspire me.
As I have been walking, my path has crossed many others. There have been many times when my heart has poured out in a desire to share this gift, knowing that takes away the root cause of our pain. Learning about rajogun, tamogun and satogun, I realize how much of our lives we spent discussing worldly affairs that pass away. My wish to help others was born out of compassion to help people awaken out of their suffering. Yet as much as I am passionate to share what I learned from Gurbani or share resources that expand spiritual awareness, sometimes people are not ready for that spiritual work. We all wish the best for people in our lives and we often try to subtly change others thinking it will benefit them. Yet this is an exhausting and dangerous path to travel since our emotional attachments get in the way of my acceptance of Hukam. “Sehaj Subai Hoi So Hoi” translated as “By its own natural course, whatever will be will be” (Ang 282). I was taught in my schooling that telling a person to change almost always doesn’t change them. Even when people know the negative consequences, they need some motivation to change before they can start the process. At the same time we do not give up helping them- we simply accept where they are in the process and go from there. This also applies to our spiritual life. I needed to accept that the pace of our spiritual journeys is different, while recognizing never to give up on spreading this love and passion for Gurbani. It has the power to change those who, by God’s Grace, have started the process of awakening.
It is easier for people to float through the life of maya. Especially in western society that’s what we are taught to do through high school. We are taught to become popular, which ultimately means sacrificing our individuality in order to fit in. It is inherently a hierarchy of ego and of thinking that one group is better than another group or individual, yet getting to the top of that hierarchy still leaves us emptier than ever. Any group- friends, coworkers, those we live with, all have an influence on us whether we realize it or not. Unless we have worked to win the mind’s journey, their thinking will influence us. When people are joking about things at the expense of our values, do we laugh, stay silent, or do we actively disagree? Do we talk about things that uplift, that inspire, that help us grow towards our purpose or change our thinking, or are we simply just passing our time. It is harder to stand up for a principled life, respecting the values that our Sikhi has given us. Gurbani is clear that no one will go with us, nothing will go with us from this worldly life, and what this time and energy spent on the pursuit of maya means for us. In the shabad Tilak Janju Rakha Prabh Ta Kaa, it talks about how Guru Teg Bahadur Ji gave his head but not his principles. This should teach us something about maintaining our values in the face of adversity. Yet most of the time we aren’t even giving up values for adversity, we are giving them up simply to please others or feed our ego. Pleasing others isn’t worth it when we have to sacrifice our dignity, self-respect and our principles. As I’ve moved through life, I’ve realized how important it is to be true to those values and principles and not to hide it. I pray, I do kirtan, I don’t go out to bars and clubs, I don’t drink, I stand up for the rights of women- and these are my principles. My duty as a Sikh is to spread the word of God so I will keep passing on this message, knowing that we are all responsible for our own journeys.
The Jewel of the Lord, Waheguru Ji’s Name abides within my heart; My Guru Ji has placed His hand on my forehead. The sins and pains of countless incarnations have been cast out. My Guru Ji has blessed me with the Naam, the Name of the Lord, Waheguru Ji, and my debt has been paid off. || 1 || O my mind, vibrate the Lord, Waheguru Ji’s Name, and all your affairs shall be resolved. My Perfect Guru Ji has implanted the Lord, Waheguru Ji’s Name within me; without the Name, life is useless. || Pause || Without My Guru Ji, the self-willed manmukhs are foolish and ignorant; they are forever entangled in emotional attachment to Maya. They never serve the feet of the Holy; their lives are totally useless. || 2 || Those who serve at the feet of the Holy, the feet of the Holy, their lives are made fruitful, and they belong to the Lord, Waheguru Ji. Make me the slave of the slave of the slaves of the Lord, Waheguru Ji; bless me with Your Mercy, O Lord, Waheguru Ji of the Universe. || 3 || I am blind, ignorant and totally without wisdom; how can I walk on the Path? I am blind — O My Guru Ji, please let me grasp the hem of Your robe, so that servant Nanak may walk in harmony with You. || (Ang 696)
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