“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’that would suffice.” Meister Eckhart
Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh
While all samagams are held in high spirits somehow the love and seva that the Toronto sangat showered on all those who attended was monumental. Teh dilon dhanvaaad !
From the core of my heart thank you to all the pyaree sadh sangat children who listened so attentively and participated in the two classes we had at Toronto Samagam. Shukar hai !!
In the classes we went over some of the main points from Bauji’s lekhs on ‘Bandan Chutan (105 & 106)
These lekhs highlight the different types of ‘bonds’ we create for ourselves and how we become slaves of these ‘masters’. Our minds/thoughts are responsible for creating ‘prison cells’ from which it becomes very hard to escape.
Do you recall what these ‘bonds’ were??
One of them was ‘bhai charak bandan’ - bonds we create because of our obligations to society or socially related bonds.
One person suggested that this could in the present generation be related to Facebook, Twitter, texting. How our need to answer every beck and call of this media has taken away our freedom. We feel obliged to be in touch. Gurbani tells us to reduce our social commitments, however with the ability to stay in touch with more and more people with the aid of technology, we may be increasing these interactions.
However this does not mean that technology is not useful or is ‘bad’ for us. It only means that we have to use it to our advantage - as long as YOU are the master, and not the technology.
For example - technology has now made it so much easier to access gurbani and kirtan. We can even stream the samagams for those people who have not been able to come. The important thing to remember is to allow technology to work for us rather than it becoming our master an controlling us.
If your spiritual understanding is sound, then you will constantly be aware of the subtleties of life. If you fritter away your concentration on minor entertainment and trivial distractions, then you will never attain a profound level of awareness. 365 Tao Meditations
We visited many other themes - one was why it is important to wake up at amrit vele for simran and why and how it can help us regain our focus.
Usually we are constantly vacillating between two states:
YAAD - BHUL -YAAD - BHUL- YAAD
When we do simran we enter a state of remembrance.
Yaad - (a state of remembrance)
•when we remember who we really are. When we are in the flow, when we know that all that happens is in the Divine Will, and that we are one with the Universe and we are able to say SHUKAR. A state of mind in which we able to say thanks to our Guru for everything whether it is good or bad.
Bhul - (a state of forgetfulness)
•when we forget who we really are. When we are not in the flow, when we forget our Guru. This is when our egoistic mind makes us believe we are alone, and that we are in charge and we are unable to say thanks
•In other words when we are ungrateful, there is an absence of the spirit. It follows that only when we are grateful there is presence of spirit.
•However, offering thanks is not easy as it seems. We can all ‘say’ thank you, but to actually mean it is another thing.
•The attitude of gratitude is something that needs cultivating as a habit. One way is to make conscious effort of listing your blessings everyday - perhaps before falling asleep or on arising or both. This practise immediately begins to transport out ‘surat’ or our ‘mind’ to higher levels which brings us inner content. There is so much to be grateful for!
ਮਿਹਰਵਾਨੁ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਮਿਹਰਵਾਨੁ ॥ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਿਹਰਵਾਨੁ ॥
My Lord is gracious
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those
who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~
When drinking water remember the source.
Guru Ang Sang
(May you always feel His Presence)
DHAN GURU NANAK DHAN GURU NANAK DHAN GURU NANAK DHAN GURU DHAN GURU NANAK DHAN GURU NANAK DHAN GURU NANAK DHAN GURU
