Did I tell you, I love you?

Once again as I embarked on a long journey, without my wife, I felt the pang of separation from my love and friend. I was filled with thoughts and emotions. 

When our being overflows with emotion it drives thoughts out of the mind emptying it, even if only for a brief moment. Then in this emptiness many thoughts surge in.

What if I never get to see her again? 
Its strange, that I have surrendered to Mohini, yet rather than becoming less I am further enriched, physically, emotionally and intellectually. This I guess is the power of love and friendship.


I always want to tell her that she means the world to me and I love her,  and a thousand other things. Words and thoughts which a man and woman, friends, and lovers  should be sharing with one another, but for some inexplicable reason almost never do so. 

Soon after leaving I usually sent her a message from my phone. The message could reflect care, love, regret, a joke, something romantic, advice, maybe even a reminder, whatever it is I feel at that moment. True friends and lovers never adulterate their feelings with too much thought. 

I asked myself, 'If you love her, why did you not tell her directly?'
For one my wife never believes me, after all the grief I give her. 
Secondly the last time I hugged and told her I loved her, , she spun around and confronted me, "Are you having an affair? "
"Of course not, I replied." 
I thought to myself, "By God! what a delightful thing that would be."  

______________________________

I like to converse with myself. 
Why do we seek to cling on to what we have? Maybe this is all that we have. 
There is God I am often told. 
But where is He?

God, He seems so very far away. The more I approach Him the more distant he seems to be. How many steps more must I travel to reach Him? And there are so many middle men.  My wife and my family, they are here and now. I have invested so much in these relationship, of course I have a right to expect a return on my love and devotion.

This is nonsense. If we expect something in return for our love and devotion then it's not love, its business. A commercial deal of give and take. 

Again I asked myself, 'what if I never saw her again?'  The survivor would be devastated. Really? Why should it be so?

From experience and understanding, realisation is born which blooms into acceptance.
Worry never robbed tomorrow of its sorrow, it just robs today of its essence.

We come alone into this world and alone we shall leave it.  How silly we humans are, that for the brief time we spend while we are here, to gather so much?  As if we will live here forever. Things, relationships, wealth, position, status, all we should relinquish voluntarily or they will be snatched away from us anyway.  Give and give with joy and without expectation. Share and share with compassion. 

Love is not a demanding but a giving. Only an Emperor can give with magnanimity. Where as a beggar is exacting, expecting his or her due in full, and if possible even more.  

Love and friendship fortunately are unlike money.
If we give and love unconditionally, the more we give the more we are enriched. 
Maybe I have evolved, maybe I have just grown too comfortable and lazy, maybe I am trying to fool destiny. I am lucky that I live like an emperor, I treasure just the moment, and I never send her sentimental messages anymore. 

The force is with you

My year old grandson Tegh Vir Singh, has discovered mobility. He crawls rapidly all over the house, being followed by some member of the family.

There is a heavy drawer in our bedroom which houses all the sheets and blankets etc. Tegh Vir had observed the actions of his grandmother as she cleans up the room every morning.

Children learn by imitating the behaviour of people around them. Even though Tegh is still so little, and unable to pull open the drawer, he persists, in trying to copy his grandmother's actions

This morning the drawer once again caught Tegh' attention. He huffed and he puffed but the drawer would not open. I decided to assist Tegh, so I discretely pulled open the drawer from one corner. Tegh Veer beamed with joy and he looked  around announcing his success in that strange language that only mothers understand.
  
He then pushed the draw shut, again with my discrete help. He was delighted by his success and on discovering his new found capabilities.

We both played our roles in the game several times. After about a dozen cycles I stopped, because the game was becoming boring and hence weary.

Tegh, was so confused. In spite of all his efforts the drawer now refused to budge. He tried and he tried, looked around for support, and when none was forthcoming, began his huffing and puffing all over again. 
"Well, my world is full of other fun things to do", he probably thought as he
embarked on a new adventure.

It suddenly dawned upon me that had just transpired was a great lesson in spirituality. 

Each individual feels that he or she alone is the doer. Everything that succeeds is because of us and us alone. But hands and forces hidden and unknown to us are always working and assisting us. 

Such is the power of creation which many call God, that miracles happen all the time.

__________________________

I have experienced, that whatever we do with commitment and all our focus and passion, will automatically draw the energy from the cosmos and from within our higher self to support whatever we do.

This is what all the great masters and teachers tell us, "Be true to yourself" or "seek and you shall find". But be a true seeker.

The spiritually evolved individual knowingly or unknowingly taps into this this vast reservoir of energy. We should remember that the energy of the cosmos or energy within us is just pure energy, and energy is not judgemental, it just follows its own rules.

If we are full of hate, anger, jealousy, then our bitterness and negativity will be magnified and we will be destructive and cause only harm and sorrow.

So it is with goodness. If we are compassionate, loving, friendly and helpful, we will achieve joy and well being, not only for ourselves but we will enrich the cosmos and everyone we come in contact with. 

Believe in yourself and the power lying latent with-in and with-out you.

Make your choices wisely, for the force is always with you.

A Saviour came this day

Wherever one goes in the world, you will find a special type of people.  They are inevitably respected for their integrity, passion and joyful nature. They work hard, live well and love passionately. They are the Sikhs.

Who are the Sikhs and where did they come from?

Whenever there is grief and unbearable anguish and humanity loses its way, there always arrives a saviour, to provide a loving balm, guide and inspire people to rise and discover through their true potential, salvation.

On this day in 1469 on the day of Kartik Poornima ( the full moon in the month of Kartik) such a saviour took birth in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi. Guru Nanak ji had arrived. The people who imbibe Guru Nanak ji's teachings call themselves Sikhs (meaning disciples).

When people are lost they seek guidance, but the priests inevitably land up distancing man from God. The older the faith the more distorted and abused is the religion by those who claim to serve it.

Sikhism is the most modern and relevant faith in the world. The teachings of Guru Nanak ji are easy to understand and hence follow, as it is in the spoken language, free of rituals and does not need middlemen. All it requires, is for us to be loving and to be true. 

Guru Nanak ji's preached three fundamental beliefs.

• 'Kirat Karo':  Fulfil your duties. Make an honest living. For if you do not earn how will you provide for those you are responsible for. This is why the Sikhs are extremely hard working and have a very good work ethic.
• 'Vand Chakko': Share what you earn with others, who are in need. This is why the Sikhs are so helpful and charitable.
• 'Nam Jappo': Remember God and joyfully sing his praise. This is why Sikhs are usually alway happy evening adversity.

Sikhism is relevant even more today for it teaches, 

• Tolerance and universal brotherhood. All are accepted and welcome without any preconditions or  compulsions.
• Breaks all forms of class barriers ignoring sex, colour, religion, caste, rank or wealth. 
• The "Langar" or the community kitchen where kings and the poorest break bread together
• Feed, protect and care for the poor, the hungry and the unfortunate.
• Promotes environmentalism. For to love and respect creation is to love The Creator.
• To honour and respect women as equals and give them same rights and privileges as men.

Guru Nanak ji had two constant companions Mardana a Muslim and Bala a Hindu. He travelled widely across a world torn by strife,  singing hymns and teaching love and tolerance by example.
They travelled mostly on foot from Punjab in all directions, up North till Tibet and South to Sri Lanka, up to Myanmar in the east and Saudi Arabia in the West.


If we do seek salvation then let us learn from a saviour. Paths may be many, but the destination is the same. "There is only One and He is Truth"

I congratulate all the people in all lands on this great day.

_______________________________

*Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi is now called Nankana and is in Pakistan

Must I live in fear?

The other day our friends accompanied by an intelligent and deeply religious man dropped in at our home. He spoke authoritatively on God, and religious practices and morality, which sounded more like a recording of the priestly class. The monologue was heavy and made worse by the lack of life in his lecture. My son whispered a question to me  "why does he never smile and why does he look so weary?"  

It soon dawned on us that the visitor misguidedly believed that  that religious people are not supposed to be joyful. God and religion was a heavy burden to be carried only by the   privileged few such as our visitor. To be joyful was taboo because being happy was considered frivolous. Lost deep in his religious dungeon he refused to enjoy the food, the beautiful weather, the lovely company of the people present.  The man might as well have been a totem pole for all the life he demonstrated.

We saw the light when he uttered the words "I am God fearing". That was it, the man lived in dread. He was consumed by fear that God would smite him down if he made an error, expressed a desire or to have wants.  To be happy was a sin in his belief system.

This belief system is not unique to our guest, for this fear is widespread. This malaise has afflicted a large chunk of humanity and many of them occupy high and exalted position in our society. All they do is spread the gloom. They have surrendered not to God but to priests who have evolved a self serving distorted message of God and the path to reach Him.

More hate has been spread, more blood has been shed in the name of God than in any other name or cause by these peddlers of organised religion. The continuous and ever increasing focus on fear gives rise to even more dread and then society begins to decay from within while maintaining a superficial sheen. This approach by Aurangzeb  is what caused the end of the Mogul empire in India.

God who created everything can only be found by love and compassion. He who creates need not destroy, He merely takes it away. Why would He want to harm insignificant creatures of cosmic dust like you and me?  He who protects and nurtures us looks after us like a loving parent, He would never harm us.

Many of the holy texts have been written by people long after the messenger of God has left this world in their physical form. To build their armies of followers, the leaders of organized religion only want compliance and rigidity, they care not for your spiritual development or growth. 

Compliance from the masses can only come from fear. That is why they advocate fear. Fear of God, fear of living, dying, loving and just being human.

Fear not God, nor tyrants who claim divine right to have the right rule over us by their terrible ways. Do not be God fearing but God loving.

Embrace God and love Him as a child loves the parent. Only the Creator can give you all you  need. Surrender to His will and live each moment as if it is your last, and you will live happily and die blissfully.