sikhi

Life in gurdwara Sangat Sahib.

(you can click on the image to enlarge it)

sevadars

Yesterday it was "The day of the senior". And so some of the seniors of my hometown came to visit our gurdwara.

For most of them it was almost impossible to sit on the floor, so i searched every chair available. i was so busy answering questions i forgot to take any pictures of this group. But i took a few of our faithful sevadars in the kitchen who made some great chai and pakorè.

Thank you guys!

There is still a lot of ignorance about sikhs and sikhism and it filled me with happiness that my fellow citizens took the effort to discover their new "neighbours".

Like one elderly lady said: " I am over 80 and before i die i wanted to see "the church of the sikhs". I am so happy now, they are such nice people, so friendly. We were worried for nothing."

Of course i could have told you that a long time ago!

My soul is not Sikh

One of the blogs i visit often is the one of Sat Purkh Kaur.
It is called "Greetings from the land of enchantement"
She seems a wonderful lady to me and a very honest woman. Her blog is so straight out of the heart.
Awhile ago she wrote a very special poem, it touched me very deep. So i want to share this with you (yes, i asked her permission). If you want to read the full entry:

http://satpurkh.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

My soul is not Sikh

no, my soul cannot

be confined

-

to one name

to many names

to any name

-

My soul is as wide

as a sea with no horizon

no shore

-

My soul is not Sikh

no, my soul

speaks a greater truth

-

and,

bows to all names

or no name

my own name

-

My soul is as endless

as the summer sky

a mile wide

-

No- My soul is not Sikh

young visitors

Again in Mai and June i will guide many visitors in our gurdwara. i like doing this seva, it lifts me in chardi khala.
If only one person in the audience understands sikhism and the sikhs a bit better, it is all worth the effort.
But there is still a long way to go....

ardas

Zho

The day before Christmas this book arrived by post. The timing was perfect, this book is a real gift! It is the visual art journal of a young Dutch woman, Marloes Lasker.
She is wonderful, almost blind and deaf, she made this absoluty honest diary of last year. Her illness is not easy, but she radiates so much happiness.
Her dharma name (she is a zen buddhist) is "Ziende het onzienlijke" ("Seeing the unseen"). So that made the title of the book:"ZHO" (Ziende Het Onzienlijke).

She has a nice blog: www.tussenpoZen.com and i wrote her that her dharma name reminded me of some Gurbani by Guru Angad Dev:

Akhin bajhon vekhna bin kana sunana

To see without eyes,

without ears, hear,

to walk without feet,

without hands, work,

to speak without tongue-

thus living, yet detached from life.

o Nanak, if you follow the word of your master

You shall surely meet Him/Her.

cold

sabhna marna dya vichhoda sabhna

"death will come to everyone,

to everyone separation,

who will heareafter be reunited?

go ask the wise ones."

Guru Nanak

soulbrides' kitchen

Those who visit this blog now and then already found out that this bloggie is not the blog with big statements and strong opinions. It is just a reflection of my little life...and it is good this way.
But...
if you want to have a strong opinion or statement i know excatly which blog you have to turn to:

http://kamallarosekaur.wordpress.com


Her blog is called:"Soulbrides'kitchen" and Kamalla Rose Kaur is just wonderful. She is sikh and not afraid to challenge the full world- sikhs and non-sikhs- but she does this in a very funny and intelligent way. She is a great writer!
I love her to bits, because she reflects very often my own search as a sikh and a woman.

So off you go, pay her a visit! You will not regret it!

pure ganesh

Last September i saw a concert of Snatam Kaur and in her band is GURU GANESHA SINGH playing guitar. And believe me he is a great guitar player!
So of course i bought his CD: "Pure Ganesh".
It is just great!
It is always on in my car (sorry for Snatam Kaur who was always on, before this one was always on) and so my granddaughter and i sing along in the morning on our way to school and in the afternoon again on our way back.
It is fantastic to hear this sweet voice in her childrenseat sing: "WAAAAAHEGURUUUUU".
Or: "Ek Ong Kaaaaaar, Sattenaaaaaaam...."
It makes my day every morning!
Thank you Guru Ganesha Singh!

hair

Last monday again a group of young pupils, aged 15-16 years, came to visit our Gurdwara Sangat Sahib. i showed them the slide show: "Introduction on sikhism".

I couldn't finish the introduction because we got stuck in a pretty heavy discussion about the 5 K's.

The kakkar we discussed most was Kesh, keeping your hair unshorn. Accepting the way our Creator made us and realising that we are perfect the way we are.

Through fashion -which is just an industry and a real big one-children and young adults are made believe that they should look like young children, hairless, almost naked.

They don't accept that growing up means that hair is appearing on your body. i can understand (i remember well) how confusing this can be, but this greedy industry makes them believe they should fight, in every possible way, these signs of getting mature.

And if possible by using their products, of course!

Hair in armpits, on legs, facial hair, on chest or back or pubic hair it all disgust them and their cries were without any doubt showing how they resent even the smallest hair on these "places".

i try to imagine how difficult it is to survive your "group" if you decide to be different and accept who you are. So i am very grateful to the young sikh who showed his Kesh. He is a nice young man and his undisturbed brave flair made great inpression.

dance

it rang nachahu rakh rakh pao

so dance in this love and keep the beat with your feet

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Sukh main bahu sangi bhaye

Many were my friends in the hour of happiness,

In sorrow none remains.

Says Nanak, recite the Lord's Name,o mind,

He alone is yours in the end.

Guru Tegh Bahadur

equal

If men and women are equal, then i want a turban too, she said.

Hey, who said they were not paying attention! That is the spirit!!!

raga jatha

Of course the visitors wanted to try the tabla! It sounded more like an African drum or even mum's old kettle, but it was straight from the heart. They were taking it very serious!

While Granthi ji was singing kirtan, one of the boys started to sing along. The tune was okay, the words were something made up that sounded like punjabi-dutch? now that's better than some members of the sangat.... (like me).

children of God

Today a very special group of visitors we had in the gurdwara. It was a wonderful visit. Of course i could not do the usual programme, but i managed to explain a bit about the sikhs and sikhism.

So we had to do different things, like tying turbans, playing harmonium and tabla. Our granthi read out of Shri Guru Grant Sahib. Many questions had to be answered, different questions: how much has it cost, where is it made, who made it, does it hurt, how long you have this? Questions out of a child's mind. Heartwarming!

And now that i see the pictures i feel happy all over again!

And don't they look beautiful!

debat

The reason why Harjinder Singh and Amrik Singh were in Sint-Truiden, my hometown was that a debat amongst several religions was held.
Harjinder Ji held the sikh colors and he did very well. Half of the audience were sikhs, most of them could not understand a word, but they came anyhow to support Harjinder Ji.
That is why Sint-Truiden is called Sikh (or Singh)-Truiden!!!!!

The bottom line of the debat was:

"If you can't see God in all,

you can't see God at all."

And where did we hear that before?
So the sikhs had the last word...

the man in blue

This evening Sardar Harjinder Singh Ji talked to some of the youngsters on what it means to be a sikh in Europe in 2007. How they can be the difference!

The man in blue- as he is known- is a talented speaker and he knew how to get their full attention.

Of course i am not one of the youngsters, but new in the religion (that is a kind of "young" too) so i was glad to participate.

Afterwards we prayed together, it was so uplifting.

i feel really, really contented!

Thank you, Harjinder, you made my day!

too many funerals...

my generation is the generation that seems to go the cemetry every month, sometimes every week....
suddenly all these strong fathers and mothers are leaving this world... hopefully finding peace and bliss when they merge into Waheguru.
i accept death, i know it is white and light, it is not something to be afraid of.
but it is the sadness of all family members or friends that are left orphaned, that upsets me.
too many funerals...

Saranjami lagu bhavjal taran kai

Prepare yourself to swim across the fearful life's ocean

do not waste life by dabbling in colourful illusions.

(Guru Arjan Dev)

Guru Ji

The Guru's word has the sage's wisdom,

the Guru's word is full of learning,

for though it be the Guru's word

God Himself speaks therein.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Nishan Sahib

For those who do not know what is going on on these pictures.
The Nishan Sahib (flag) is lowered, the orange cloths are removed, the pole is washed with milk and then covered again.
Then Nishan Sahib rises again in full glory.