Stop Going to Samagams

Probably not something you might expect to read on this blog. But do continue reading.

In the past years, we’ve seen an amazing and inspiring growth in sangat in the States and in Canada. It’s amazing to see all the souls touched by the Divine Aura of Sadh Sangat. Guru Nanak, through the hands and efforts of Bauji and Mataji, has left us a priceless jewel of a gift with which to hone our minds, sharpen our intuition, and impact our lives and souls forever. We are blessed with a gift, of which no equal exists. The highest of the high gifts is sangat.

That’s “Sangat”. Not “Sang at”.

Sangat is not - can not! - merely be this thing you go to once a week or a few times a week, at someone’s house where you sat and you sang at God, or sang at the tabla, or sang at the vaja, or sang at the other people. That’s not sangat. That’s sang at.

I’m not just trying to make a play on words here, but the irony is staggering. How often have you heard the phrase “oh man… that session was amazing. Everyone was singing so loud!”. Similarly, “I love that keertani’s voice, it’s so nice. She sings so beautifully”. These sentiments can be innocent, but they are still so limiting, so superficial. These two examples are hardly the outer peel of the onion that is Sadh Sangat. Without peeling back, we won’t get to experience the tears of yearning of our souls begging for a reunion with the Beloved. Indeed, we end up stuck on “the good keertanis” and “the crazy tabla” and maybe - just maybe - we stop there.

This magic is not merely a song! It is the journey to acknowledge, to understand, to know, and imbibe the Guru within your heart!

So perhaps we can move beyond our pride of how we sang at. Instead, we can go many steps further, and experience Sangat! Perhaps, instead of merely “Goin’ to samagams”, we can do ourselves one more favour, and we can “Go Into Samagams”. The adventure only begins when you arrive at the samagam. Let’s take the focus off of merely showing up, and start putting more emphasis on what we do when we get there, and what we do when we go home. Are we merely “Goin’ to the samagam?” or can we in fact go deeper, and allow our minds and our souls the opportunity to meet each other after such a very very long time, and to open the windows and remove the thick veils of our ego, and our obsessions, and our desires, and our attachments. And in the process, invite Guru Nanak into the emerging garden of our hearts, where he can plant the seeds of the Eyk Bageecha, and infuse our spirits with Amrit.

Don’t worry, you need to make but the first step. Guru Nanak will take care of the rest.