7 Billion World Religions

There are now 7 billion people in the world, and thus there are also 7 billion world religions, since each person on Earth has their own way of life, their own perspective, their own ideology, their own ethics, their own understanding.

We may claim that we are part of a particular religion, but the truth is that we see and experience that religion in a completely unique way to every other person. It is simply the ego which wants to keep things together, and just like human beings, even a religion has an ego that needs to be satisfied by asserting its distinct identity.

Yes - we may have some commonalities of understanding and we may think we believe in the same thing, and we may do some daily rituals or prayers which are the same, but that is not what defines a religion. A religion, a country, a nation is defined not by a mere title, but instead by our own perspective of that religion. HOW WE SEE THAT RELIGION THROUGH OUR OWN EYES!

For example, some may think Sikhism is a religion, but some take it to be a spiritual way of life which is compatible with other religions. Perspective changes everything. Therefore, what ultimately binds us together is not our religion, but our humanity.

I repeat: what binds us together is not our religion, but our HUMANITY. The very fact that we are from the same species, developing ourselves as human beings, is enough commonality for us to collect together as one Earth, one world, hand-in-hand, each a brother and a sister to one another. As one world we are stronger, as 'apparently' separate religions we are weaker.

There is nothing wrong with groups of people with common beliefs coming together as a religion - in fact we should encourage it as any togetherness is good - but ultimately as individuals we can never truly be defined by our religion as we are each totally unique individuals with totally different ways of life, different perspectives, ideologies, ethics and understanding to everybody else. It is this very variety and uniqueness in us which gives rise to the entire beauty of life.

It is in the variety of being human, and also in the commonality of being human, that we can learn to flourish as a society, as a world, as a humanity.

So let us see beyond our titles of religion and country, and unite together in our humanity - the rest of the Universe's nations are waiting for us to do so.

Sat Naam.

Osho on Vegetarian Food

Focus, And It Will Grow

Anything we focus on will grow.

Anything we take our focus away from will die.

For example, in order to build up a company, it requires intense focus. The focus itself is enough to make the company succeed. But, as soon as one's eye is off the ball, as soon as we stop focussing on it and are distracted by other things, the company will soon begin to die a slow death.

Another good example is relationships. Relationships which we put time and effort into will succeed, but if a person does not have a work-life balance, then either work will have more focus or life will have more focus (but usually it is work) and one will slowly begin to die. Therefore, balance is required.

I remember when I was working for 3M Health Care, my manager Ammer once told me that if you have lots of projects on the go, the trick is to keep all the plates spinning at the same time. Every plate must spin at the same time, so as soon as one plate is beginning to slow down, it's our job to put a burst of activity into it and keep it spinning. If one plate falls, chances are it will distract us too much, and then the rest of the plates will fall too. This is how people's worlds often come crashing down.

So...focus, and it will grow, and remember to keep all the plates spinning at the same time!

;)

Free Christmas eBook - The Illusion of Power (RRP: £4.99)

To all those who have gone on the NLA FREE 8 Week Course in Self Improvement, I have offered one of my books called The Illusion of Power for free. I'm now extending this free eBook offer to all of you this Christmas as a present from me which you can share with all your loved ones.

"The Illusion of Power eBook contains a set of 168 spiritual realisations, in the form of quotes, written by Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa through his spiritual journey. Some of the quotes are humorous, some profound, some business related, and some are just very down to earth level-headed advice – but all share one thing in common: they are entirely original."

Download here now, Merry Christmas!

Quote of the Day - Happiness

"If you want to be sad, no one in the world can make you happy. But if you make up your mind to be happy, no one and nothing on earth can take that happiness from you."

Paramhansa Yogananda

Dr Savi Interview with Jasdeep & Onkardeep Singh Khalsa

Interview by Dr Savi Arora.

Purchase Spiritual Poetry: A Disciple's Journey today!

Quote of the Day - Socrates on Life

The unexamined life is not worth living

Socrates

Spiritual Ego

Image originally posted by Spirit Voyage

Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa Sikh Channel Interview

Quote of the Day - Say What You Feel

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

Dr. Seuss

3 Types of People in Life

My name's Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa, and I am as much a humanist as I am a technology enthusiast. By humanism, what I mean is how to live as a human being, and by technology enthusiast, I mean I regret being born in 1988 instead of 2088.

The question of what it means to be human has pervaded the deepest parts of my psyche and my heart ever since I can remember. It's always been something I continually assess in every moment of my life. I just can't stop thinking about this topic: what makes people tick? What makes people from unfortunate circumstances successful, and what makes people from fortunate circumstances unsuccessful? What makes the poor happy with the little they have, and what makes the rich unhappy with the lot they have? It's really in the contradictions that one finds all the keys to the Universe.

It's all a mystery ultimately. I don't have the answers, and yet, that is the best answer. I don't believe that God exists, and yet I am God and God is me. I don't believe the Truth can be spoken of, and yet only in the spoken word can there be truth. By letting go, we find. By giving up God, God comes to us. Ultimately, I have come to a few key conclusions.

There are three types of people: 1. those who are too inactive/lazy. 2. those who are too proactive/action orientated. 3. those who fit into neither of those categories, but just like water adapt to both situations just as well. In Sanskrit, these three types of people are known as tamo, raja and sattva. Tamosic people are too lazy to strive for their goal. Rajistic people want to achieve their goal quickly. Sattvic people understand that they ARE the goal. I'm sorry to say, that neither Tamosic, nor Rajistic people have understood reality.

Reality is like water, since water knows itself, it can adapt to any situation - whether it requires one to be laid back or take a lead - every way is valid. On the other hand, Rajistic people are always the leaders, and they escape their emptiness, low self esteem through activity and being busy. Tamosic people believe they cannot make a difference in the world and are therefore waiting around for things to happen, letting the Rajistic people do all the work. Rajistic people get very annoyed with Tamosic people, because they think laziness is wrong. Equally though the Tamosic people think their activity is wrong because it hides their loneliness, their lack of self worth, and makes them act like they are someone they are not. Sattvic people watch all the drama of the Tamosic people and the Rajistic people and laugh at the absurdity of it all - for in reality - there is no right and wrong.

Rajistic people run all over the world trying to do something, and everyone thinks they are really successful, go-getters, all whilst the Tamosic people sit at home watching telly and eating take out food, and everyone thinks they are lazy, useless. The only way to be is no way. There are times for activity, and there are times for laziness. Each has its time. A Sattvic person recognises their inner nature, conquers their inner loneliness and lack of self worth which drives them to become either leaders or followers, understands the value of activity and non-activity, and understands that in order to understand one must not take anything seriously, especially life. That it's all alright in the end.

Sat Naam.

Quote of the Day - Giving

No one has ever become poor by giving

Anne Frank

Programming Is Orgasmic

This is true for me at least ;). I know this isn't a technology blog, and programming is probably the farthest from Self-Help as one can imagine, however, I needed to share this so instead of starting a new blog on technology, I'm going to bore some of you with my techy speak. Too bad - feel free to unsubscribe at any time ;)

I only just learnt to program in JavaScript, and I can say that I'm on cloud 300 million right now! (cloud computing lol - did you get the geeky joke?). It's the feeling of being able to create exactly what you want on a computer. In order to create on a computer, you have to learn how computers speak - you have to learn THEIR language. Until two days ago, I did not know how elegant JavaScript was as a language. It's like the French of computing languages.

I also feel this very strongly: everybody should learn basic programming. It should be compulsory like Mathematics or English. It's such a core skill since all of our lives are now on computers. We hardly exist offline these days! Programming can also enrich many subject areas like physics, psychology, mathematics, art, business studies, languages - since one needs to know a little about all these areas in order to produce useful programs. The possibilities which open up when one knows how to program are ENDLESS!

I have wanted to learn programming for soooooooo long, and you people who read this blog religiously may remember that my 2011 resolution was to become a decent Python programmer. I also talked about doing, rather than waiting for things to happen. Somehow, it ALWAYS seems to work out that I end up completing everything on my to do list, even if I never look back at the to do list. It's as if, when I write something down, it goes deep into my subconscious and my mind subconsciously begins working on solving and creating the things I wrote down into reality.

Well, I suppose that's only half-true. I'm not a decent Python programmer, but I am (and that feeling of deja-vu swarms over me yet AGAIN whilst writing this) a much better a programmer than I was 1 year ago. In fact, I just started a software company called KhalsaSoft.

The feeling of creating a program that works is absolutely orgasmic! Especially since I have struggled for around 12 years to create one. But to be fair, I only struggled because I never really tried to go on a course to learn programming, nor tried to find a tutor. All I did was buy a few programming books, which I never read. I learnt later on that I'm a visual learner, so at the advent of YouTube, learning anything for me became much easier.

By the way, if you DO want to learn programming I totally recommend The New Boston by Bucky Roberts: http://thenewboston.org/. He's a really down to earth, young and witty programmer who is sure to make you laugh several times as you learn to program step-by-step. This is how I learnt basic JavaScript in just two days (with a little pre-requisite knowledge of computing concepts and no distractions), and also basic Python in around 2 weeks. Also, use this website religiously: http://www.w3schools.com/

If you're a complete newbie to programming follow this sequence of learning programming languages. Once you've got the hang of one, move onto the next:

1. HTML/XHTML - For creating simple web pages
2. CSS - For styling web pages beautifully
3. JavaScript and/or JQuery - For creating advanced interactive web pages
4. Python and/or PHP - For doing more heavy stuff

A final note to connect all of this mumbo jumbo to Self-Help is that the future is only going to become more and more computerised. We almost NEED to know some basic programming, so we can create some basic scripts in Excel, in Word, in a browser: to ultimately simplify and automate our lives, reduce our stress and increase the time we have for actually living a life we want, full of quality, richness and love.

Sat Naam.

Simple Rules of Business

Business in my eyes is pretty simple.

It's all about margins. You have to sell something for more than it costs you to purchase. If you do this, your business will be profitable, and the higher you can sell for than it costs you to purchase, the richer you'll be. However, this requires you to produce quality services and products, as only quality sells for a high price.

I was thinking today of an analogy. As humans we naturally look for good quality in products and services. We ALSO look for good quality in people. If a person doesn't have any good qualities, we naturally will devalue them in our minds. For example, if a person has no integrity, does not keep to their word, we will not trust them. If a person is very dominating, we will devalue them and maybe even resort to secretly swearing at them behind their backs. On the other hand, if a person is sweet, humble, caring, confident, assertive, kind, funny, a good communicator, trustworthy: naturally we will have HUGE value for them and a high opinion of them.

Let's think of another fictitious example. Say we always shop at M&S for our food and their quality is always excellent. Now let's suppose that on just one occasion, ONE OCCASION, we find the food we bought is mouldy. We may never feel like shopping at M&S again because there has been one occasion where they have not lived up to their values. Similarly, with human beings, all it takes is ONE OCCASION where we do not act with high quality, high morals, integrity and in the eyes of the other person we will have no value, no more trust left. All its takes is ONE OCCASION to lose all value.

What do we take from this? We must remember to do the right thing always, and not cut corners. It's easy to cut corners, its difficult to keep up quality. But remember this: quality sells for a high price, has a high margin, and ultimately leads to becoming rich...a bit like in business ;)

Download the free 120 Factors of Spiritual Development report today which lists all the qualities of a human being.

Sat Naam.

Quote of the Day - Yogi Bhajan on Kindness

"Kindness knows no defeat. Caring has no end. And touching a person's heart is the only language God knows."

Yogi Bhajan

Is Meditation Escapism or Experience?

I want to talk to you about a topic which is not really talked about very much (as its scary to those who call themselves spiritual), and applies to people who meditate regularly.

This is a very deep and advanced topic that can only be understood through the experience of doing, not merely by reading this article.

There are two types of spiritual people:
1. People who meditate to escape life, "control" their emotions, thoughts, feelings. Believing there is something inherently wrong with them that needs to be "fixed" with meditation

2. People who meditate for enjoyment, alternate experience

Majority of people fall into category 1 - escapism, even if they think they are part of category 2 - experience.

Ask yourself a question. Do you feel you need to meditate or should meditate daily? If the answer is yes, you're in category 1. If the answer is no, you're in category 2.

Those in category 1 - escapism, should stop meditating for a while and learn to accept themselves AS THEY ARE and learn that every moment and action of life is a meditation, and that they are actually perfectly OK and nothing needs to be fixed at all!!! This will be a HUGE relief and release.

Those in category 2 - experience, should START meditating and will find a great joy, alternate experience in meditation. Experience of the inner world enriches one's life.

The majority of regular meditators forget to remember that meditation ITSELF easily becomes a RITUAL and an ATTACHMENT that we use to escape life and ourselves and use to fix ourselves. So by dropping meditation for a little while reinforces the idea that we were born perfectly OK without needing any tools to fix ourselves - that our true nature is perfect AS IT IS.

Sat Naam.

A Small Impact is OK

We need not make a huge impact in the world - a small impact is OK.

We are just small individuals with large hearts, so even just making a small impact is OK.

Whether that impact is encouraging somebody, sharing your feeling or thoughts, having a conversation, being nice to somebody, doing what you can to improve the world a little - a small impact is OK.

Whether we are known or not, whether we are recognised or not, so long as we make a small impact daily it will lead to a huge impact across the course of our lives.

Remember - do whatever little or lot you can - and be OK with making a small difference.

Sat Naam.

Quote of the Day - Lao Tzu on Transformation

"If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself, if you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation."

Lao Tzu

Quote of the Day - Choice

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them."

Denis Waitley

Inner A/B Split Testing

I'm trying out an inner A/B split test experiment. A/B testing is where you test one change over a period of time to see which one is more effective in reaching the goal, the original or the variation?

Usually this is used to optimise websites, and its done over a long period of time.

But how can we use this technique to better ourselves? Well, lets try cutting out/adding just one thing in our life and see what difference it makes? Everything else should remain the same, only make one change.

To give you some ideas, you may want to:

• Trying giving up being right all the time, or making other people wrong
• Give up a ritual in your life which you're holding on to
• Give up an idea which you hold about yourself or somebody else
• Become vegetarian for one day of the week
• Try meditating 5 minutes before you go to sleep
• Try running 10 minutes in the evening after work
• Try adding one fruit to your diet a day
• Try changing your nickname
• Try making a prayer before you eat something

Change one thing, and see if the change makes a difference to yourself.

I'm currently running an experiment myself, will let you know the results soon ;)

3 Rules to Improve Productivity

Rule No. 1
Always set a deadline for work tasks, small or big. When you set a deadline - time compresses and you become more productive in a shorter period. Deadlines should be realistic and no deadline should exceed 48 hours.

Rule No. 2
Pareto's 80/20 rule applies to everything. Only 20% of tasks contribute towards 80% of results. The majority of time is wasted on tasks of low importance and low impact. Time should be spent on high importance and high impact tasks. For example, meetings are generally low importance and low impact, instead you can catch up on the minutes of the meeting from a colleague, and focus on more important tasks.

Rule No. 3
Automate cumbersome tasks wherever possible by empowering individuals to take on responsibility or putting in a technological solution. For example, instead of making all the decisions and doing everything, just empower somebody to make some low to medium importance decisions and do some tasks for you. You can always outsource for $40 an hour. If there is some manual processing which is taking time, you can find a computer programmer to develop a little software tool to help you out ;).

Summary
Identify the 20% of the most important tasks, and then set a deadline to achieve them - gain 80% of results! Empower others to take on some of your responsibilities & automate wherever possible.

Rule No 1 & 3 makes time more efficient

Rule No 2 makes time more effective

The Power of Shower

I just had a shower. There's nothing particularly fascinating about that, rare, but perhaps not fascinating (joke).

However, the feeling that I was overcome with whilst showering WAS fascinating - it was a feeling that EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE, and that...IT'S ALL YET TO PLAY FOR!

Perhaps it was the fact that the shower cleaned by auric body as well as my physical body, thus increasing my vertical potentiality to vibrate at the cosmic frequency (whatever that means). Perhaps it was that showering gave me a moment to self reflect, thus accessing my infinite nature. Perhaps it was a random occurrence of the Universe that I was present to. Perhaps not. Perhaps. Or...not.

But perhaps, I just like using the word perhaps. (Silence)

(Cough, clears throat) Moving on...

Such an INCREDIBLE feeling. Brought so much JOY to me all of us sudden. Like me riding on a wave of pure consciousness. It made me glow. It made me flow. All of us sudden I came ALIVE. I felt that it's all still yet to play for, and everything is possible.

So...why delay living life how you want it? Ask for the grace and blessings of God, or whoever you believe in, and start living your life exactly how you feel inside you want to. There's no blocks. Challenges, but no blocks. Challenges are good. Blocks are illusions.

If you do have some challenges or need some inspiration (as well all do from time to time), get a FREE 30 minute 1-2-1 coaching session or come on the NLA Becoming You course in Feb 2012 (Only 30 places! Apply before Dec 31st) and get clear, like a squeaky clean window. How beautiful ;)...


Sat Naam.

Savi Seeks - Interview with the Authors of Spiritual Poetry, A Disciples Journey [Video]

Dr. Savi is a friend of ours who kindly helped me and my brother Onkardeep Singh Khalsa produce the audiobook of our book Spiritual Poetry: A Disciple's Journey through his business KHL Interactive.

This production was a labour of love. Mamta Saha, founder of ThinkSpaLonon and a very dynamic coach, gave her time and energy as a guest voice for the book. Indi Kaur, a very talented musician gave us permission to use her beautiful music. Dr. Savi Arora produced and edited our audiobook in kind, giving us a whole business day and many more hours of editing, as all the proceeds from the audiobook are going directly to building a school in Ioriang village in Uganda.

Please help support the building of this school in Uganda by purchasing this audiobook, which is full of 1 hour 20 minutes of beautifully read poetry for just £8.99: http://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1479426&aff_id=3924

Here is a video of the production of the audiobook which aired on the Savi Seeks show on the Sikh Channel on Friday 11th Nov 2011 at 10pm:

Savi Seeks - Interview with the Authors of Spiritual Poetry, A Disciples Journey

An Enlightened Singer: Jason Mraz

Hey everyone,

One of the singers who's music I completely enjoy and admire is Jason Mraz. His music has a consciousness to it, and his lyrics are always giving a Universal message of unity, peace, love, happiness & celebration. This kind of music in the music industry is rare.

Often people sing about fighting, money, attachment, sex and wild emotions which just causes more disturbance to the self. However, Jason's music calms the self because the space he comes from is full of love and stillness. Here is a video of Jason Mraz on the road (which should give you more of an insight into this incredible singer), exploring a building called the Integretron which is supposedly meant to have the most perfect acoustics in the world:

I'm So In Love [Poem]

I'm so in love, I'm so in love, with life and all its facets.
Each experience everyday brings me closer to this love.
Life is an incredible mystery, Divine in its origin.
This fool is in love with living life as an Odyssey.

Religiosity plays no part, the people are the Gods.
I worship their service, gives me satisfaction like wine.
Rich is that one, who gives all to the needy.
And leaves for himself, but a dime to eat with.

Still I do not know the way life will take me.
But my heart knows exactly what it wants.
You do not know what you want till you search deeply.
You just follow fame, fortune, ego very sheep-ly.

Whether I die and I'm gone, is no matter to me.
Just that I left the world better than what I see.
I cherish in good things like charity and simplicity.
I banish those things which eat away my clarity.

All of us sudden, from a deep sleep I see.
That the world is a beautiful place to live and be.
Each of us think we're chained, and yet we're free.
This is the test of choice, given by Divinity.

Thee and me, is no difference I see.
I do not know a God bigger than the real me.
For I encompass eternity, time and reality.
I am all there is, in what I see and don't see.

Free yourself from barriers. Free yourself from thoughts.
Free yourself from carriers. Free yourself from noughts.
Free yourself from anger. Free yourself from pains.
Free yourself from danger. Free yourself from stains.

For, this fool is in love with living life as an Odyssey.

Divine in its origin, life is an incredible mystery.
I'm so in love, I'm so in love, with life and all its ability.

Each experience everyday brings me closer to Infinity.


By Guru's Grace - JHBSK - 08/11/11

The Graceful Martial Art of Wu Shu

We just finished watching the film True Legend in which Su Can is looking to perfect the martial art of Wu Shu. He goes through many challenges, getting his arm broken, his father getting killed, and even losing his beloved wife Ying...but after all these horrifying set backs, he always manages to slowly pick himself up and learn something more about the martial art of Wu Shu.

Watching the film I felt such a deep connection and even yearning to practice and perfect a martial art which is graceful and mature like Wu Shu. The last time I did any martial arts was when I was around 10, learning a little Karate, and then 16, learning the Sikh martial art of Gatka (which is not really very difficult!).

I believe the reason for the deepness of my feeling is three-fold: one is that my family's ancestry are all warriors (Kshatriyas) and so its in my blood, two is that I really love physical fighting and God gave me a very hard fist for my build, and three is that my spiritual father, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, was very much akin to the perfected angel-like Wu Shu spiritual warriors shown in the movie. He was more destructive than even those who practised the darkest arts, and yet more delicate and sweet than a flower. He was a perfect spiritual warrior, born out of total compassion and kindness - a concept which today is virtually non-existent.


People who practice martial arts today either become too macho, full of anger and ego, or are too soft to ever be able to fight in reality. Rare...really rare...are those who have transcended their ego, their anger, their revenge, are fearless, sweet, kind hearted and extremely skilled martial artists. In the past people had time to dedicate to practising martial arts, these days there is hardly even 5 minutes spare to talk to a friend, let alone spend countless hours in training!


But what I think is achievable is 1 hour a week going to a martial arts lesson after work. It's good for de-stressing, letting out some steam and keeping the body fit at the same time. Intention is however important, a martial artist should never be overly ambitious to win every fight nor should derive pleasure from inflicting pain on another to prove they are better - I've seen martial artists suffer from both.


The real martial artist lives in the present moment, not distracted by winning, losing, emotions or thoughts, but completely present to every moment of the fight. Being present, time slows down and one can see everything much more clearly.


So, I think this is an exciting new chapter to my life. I look forward to going to my first martial arts lesson in a long time!

Recording of 5 Keys to Happiness Webinar [Audio]

Thanks to all those who attended the 5 Keys to Happiness Webinar. In case you missed it or want to listen to it again here is a link to it:
http://www.anymeeting.com/WebConference/RecordingDefault.aspx?c_psrid=E956DC89894E

Also, here are the slides to view or download:
http://portal.sliderocket.com/AKNOJ/Sample-Layouts

In your Service,

Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa
NewLifeAwakening.com

10 Tips to Better Relationships

Relationships can be complex, when they go right they can fulfil our lives with tremendous joy, but when they go wrong it can feel like the end of the world - such is the power of love. So here are my top 10 tips to better relationships:

Tip #1: Expect Less - Nowadays people have high expectations, which come crashing down when they are not met. Expect less from your partner, live more simply.

Tip #2: Give More - People often forget to give to their partner - its in the giving that there is joy. So give a little more, stop being so selfish!

Tip #3: Look After Yourself - Remember that you are a person of equal value to your partner, however much you may love them. Remember to maintain yourself, take time to yourself, spend time with yourself.

Tip #4: Communicate Often - Communicate with your partner often, this is the only thing which lasts after physical beauty wanes - even right into old age!

Tip #5: Share Deep Thoughts - Often people forget to share their true deepest feelings, their true deep thoughts on nature, life, the universe, or whatever else is of interest. Remember to share with your partner at all levels, so you are left feeling totally fulfilled.

Tip #6: Forget Easily - We hold on to so much, even little things our partner has done wrong. Just drop it, forget it and move on - its a beautiful quality to have.

Tip #7: Love Freely - Jealously only comes into a relationship which has too much attachment. Love freely, don't restrict your partner from doing anything. Let the love flow freely like a bird, no one wants to be put into a cage.

Tip #8: Expand Your Circle of Love - Often in relationships couples become too concerned with each other and forget their friends and family and wider life purposes to some extent. Instead, as a couple you should go out, meet more people, make more friends and spread the love.

Tip #9: Feel The Love - Whenever any problem arises in a relationship, go back to your own heart and feel the love you have for your partner. Love gives us the strength to persevere through any problem or block.

Tip #10: Be Humble - Remember not to always have it your way, be humble and sensitive to other ways of doing things, always listen and take into account your partner's suggestions.

So applying all these top 10 tips, I don't see how your relationship cannot work out. Go on love birds - make it happen!

Quote of the Day - New Heights

"Humans have created machines to raise themselves to new heights, but have lost the capacity to raise themselves to the height of their infinite creative potential"

Quote of the Day - Compensating

First you overcompensate, then you undercompensate, then you find balance

By Guru's Grace - 05/09/2011

FREE 5 Keys to Happiness Webinar by New Life Awakening - Friday 4th of November 2011, 7pm UTC

FREE 5 Keys to Happiness Webinar by New Life Awakening

Friday, November 04, 2011 - 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM UTC (Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London )

Come join us and learn the 5 keys to happiness from Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa, founder of New Life Awakening (http://www.newlifeawakening.com), a personal growth company.

Jasdeep is a charismatic speaker, author of 4 books, a poet, a hypnotherapist and a spiritual counsellor, with an incredible insight into what makes human beings successful in life having gone through a rigorous process of self development with many highs and lows. Jasdeep's main focus is on experience rather than beliefs or philosophy, making him a very practical and down-to-earth teacher and coach.

Register for this FREE webinar here: http://anymeeting.com/PIID=EA55DD89854A

Happy Diwali to Sikhs, Hindus & Jains!

A Diwali Diya (Candle)

This year Diwali falls on 26th of October which is the New Moon. Diwali is celebrated by Sikhs, Hindus and Jains worldwide for different historical reasons that coincide with the seasonal shift from autumn to winter.

For the Sikhs, Diwali or Bandi Chorh Diwas, is the day the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, was released from Gwalior Prison along with 52 Hindu Kings who he refused to leave without after being wrongly imprisoned by Emperor Jahangir, ruler of the Mughal Empire.

For the Hindus, Diwali or Deepawali is the festival of lights marking the return of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshman from his 14 year long exile.

For the Jains, Diwali marks the day Lord Mahavira attained enlightenment.

The deeper meaning behind Diwali is that even in the darkest of nights, all it takes is a small candle to illuminate the darkness. But what can we learn from these stories in order to enhance our lives? How can we become a candle-light for others?

We can practice acting more valiant, noble and royal just like Guru Hargobind, Lord Rama and Mahavira who were all of royal decent. Royal people never live an ordinary life, they live to serve others with fairness, love and kindness.

Similarly, we can also learn to act more valiant, noble and royal in each of our lives, help spread a little more love in our families and our communities, and help light up someone’s life – let’s make this Diwali a memorable one, full of celebration, joy and light.

Self Improvement - History Behind New Life Awakening

Self Improvement - History Behind New Life Awakening

Find out the history behind how and why Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa started his self improvement and personal growth company New Life Awakening. Jasdeep relay's his spiritual experiences as a child, and explains what a real human being is. Finally, he explains how New Life Awakening courses are unique and offer a complete picture of a human being. Sign up for a FREE 8-week course at http://www.newlifeawakening.com

Osho on Philosophy [Video]

Superheros From Other Worlds

Recently I've been seeing a lot of movies which have very extraordinary beings in them from other worlds, other dimensions that are full of valour, courage and charisma. The possibility of this being real interests me a lot and always has since I was a kid. I used to love watching Superman, who was all powerful, full of kindness and who had special powers..

These movies get me thinking very deeply that each of us are superheros, but in order to realise this we must first unlock our gifts, our special powers which we naturally have had since birth. Some people are naturally intuitive, some have tremendous courage, some are extremely kind, some are very present to the moment, some can communicate very effectively, give great advice, some have a skill such as art or science or mathematics, some are musical, some are creative, some are fantastic at solving problems and others have a tremendous ability to get things done! Each of us is naturally talented or gifted in some way.

But a lot of people, in their view of themselves, do not believe they are gifted in any way. This is just the game of the ego. The ego limits us from realising our full potential. The ego acts to disguise who we really are and from recognising the incredible gifts we possess. The more we conquer the ego, the more clearer we see who we really are.

When I realised who I was, I felt an incredible power within me arise, I felt connected to the whole Universe, I understood the Universe's plan which it had in store for me and felt that I was born for a very special purpose. I remembered who I was and my destiny to complete on planet Earth. There was a wider plan in place which many spiritual beings had invested their time and energy into getting me to follow. I realised my origin, and this gave me tremendous peace, joy and a feeling of being humbled.

We are each superheros from other worlds who are visiting planet Earth for a special purpose. What is that purpose? Which superhero do you most relate to and why? Perhaps the superhero you most relate to, you desire to be like, or perhaps, you already are just like them?

Sat Naam.

My Voyage to India (Sep - Oct 2011)

My recent trip to India was a real experience and I had a lot of transformational experiences there! There's so much I want to say, but I'll keep it succinct:

Great Things About India
Growth - As India is developing, its slowly creating modern cities like Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Gurgaon, which are in complete contrast to other cities like Amritsar that still need massive redevelopment. Slow and steady wins the race

Efficiency - I've learnt that everything is possible, for example, travelling with your entire family (4 people) on standard a bicycle or motorcycle. Indians always make the most of what they have, rather than buying new equipment or infrastructure. If you don't have a ladder, use the wood in your garden (or your neighbour's garden) to build one

Spirituality - Its built into the fabric of the society with rituals, temples and ashrams at every corner. However, a lot of Indians take their spiritual heritage for granted and do not practice its teachings, which is a shame, but everyone respects their religion and other religions and ways of life too

Hospitality & Humility - Indians understand how to host people and are really a humble people at their core. Their hospitality is unrivalled to anything I've seen elsewhere.

Not-So-Great Things About India
Waste management - A lot of India stinks of not so nice things: urine and faeces. There needs to be a law passed to ban people from peeing on the pavement in public and also there's needs to be a government initiative to recycle and dispose waste properly. Currently most Indians just throw litter on the street or dump their rubbish into large mounds of waste which are usually in public places - horrible! This is a reflection of India's emotional consciousness too, of not properly disposing their internal emotional waste

Road safety - There are no laws of the road, anything goes. You can even go in the reverse direction on a motorway! Although I personally did not see any accidents, a recent article by Times of India claims 14 people died every hour in India in 2008. They go on to say that, "While trucks/lorries and two-wheelers were responsible for over 40% deaths, the rush during afternoon and evening hours were the most fatal phases". I have to say I'm not surprised and this is in line with what I have seen

Anger & Sexual Repression - I saw a lot of anger and sexual repression - which are often linked together. The more sexually repressed a society is, the more anger which is prevalent. India has just awoken to the sexual freedom of the West, where sex is seen as important for pleasure just as much as it is for procreation. However, in becoming more sexually expressed, India is losing its grace and humility, the roots from which it came, and this goes onto my second point...

Still Growing - Because India is in massive growth and transition, its like a child trying to act like its older Western brother and in the process forgetting its identity, its values and its roots. Sure, the western lifestyle is appealing, but India has still yet to mature and learn how to balance its values with the new wave of Western culture.

Initially therefore, a lot of the younger generation are experimenting with new ideas of having boyfriends and girlfriends, going to night clubs, partying, taking drugs, indulging in all the things their parents would never indulge in. Eventually though, when India matures it will rediscover its spiritual roots, its grace from which is came, and the peace India has shared with the world shall again be restored back to India.

Quote of the Day - White Light and Consciousness

"Just as all colour comes from white light, all religion comes from consciousness.

Focus on white light. Focus on consciousness. Then you will understand religion in all its colours."

Quote of the Day - Life and Death

"Life without meaning is death without bliss"

By Guru's Grace - JHBSK

Quote of the Day - Success

We can only do what we can do in the circumstances in which we live. Our impact on the past and the future is unimportant, the only important thing is the now. Do not look for cause and effect between why something occured, instead see it occuring and enjoy it. For everything once occured through a mystery of nothing arising into something - that's the mystery of the origins of the Universe. But indeed, the Universe has no origin, it has existed always and will forever continue to exist. So, ultimately, this work which I do today is meant for the betterment and growth of human beings today, it may or may not have a tremendous impact on the future. If it does or does not is not important, what is important is the impact my work has on now, this moment, today.

By Guru's Grace
Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa, Transformation Consultant & CEO of New Life Awakening

Quote of the Day - Success

We can only do what we can do in the circumstances in which we live. Our impact on the past and the future is unimportant, the only important thing is the now. Do not look for cause and effect between why something occured, instead see it occuring and enjoy it. For everything once occured through a mystery of nothing arising into something - that's the mystery of the origins of the Universe. But indeed, the Universe has no origin, it has existed always and will forever continue to exist. So, ultimately, this work which I do today is meant for the betterment and growth of human beings today, it may or may not have a tremendous impact on the future. If it does or does not is not important, what is important is the impact my work has on now, this moment, today.

By Guru's Grace
Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa, Transformation Consultant & CEO of New Life Awakening

Humility is an Underrated State of Being

Humility is an underrated state of being. Most people prefer to be dominating, wanting everything their own way, having lots of expectations, complaining frequently about things which are wrong, expressing anger towards colleagues, friends, family, parents, children and just wallowing in their own negativity, thinking that they are superior to other people or at least, going out to try and impress other people. Ultimately, a lot of people do not really care or think about their impact on the world or the people around them even if they have the best of intentions. A lot of people in this world are selfish, egotistical and too demanding, irrespective of whether they have developed themselves spiritually. So, humility is really an underrated state of being.

To be humble, one must find within themselves pure kindness, sweetness, truthfulness and innocence - and once found continue to remember and use these beautiful qualities on a daily basis. A humble person is kind towards all living and non-living beings, an insect has as much right to exist as the rock on the shore. A humble person rarely talks harshly, harshness comes from a lack of consciousness, and instead their words are extremely sweet and pleasant to listen to. A humble person is truthful and has transcended all their games, manipulations and trying to influence or impress people no matter how 'high' or 'low' the other person may be. A humble person is just childlike, playful, expresses their emotions freely and holds no grudges. Humility is certainly an underrated state of being.

A humble person has no need to tell anybody what to do or how to live their life and does not demand from anybody to treat them in any special or particular way. A humble person does not feel the need to show off what they are good at or to even self-judge what they are bad at. A humble person is a person of prayer, of love and of silence. A humble person loves to serve, and has no conflict against being served. A humble person has no need to be right, or to always express their opinion. Humility is an underrated state of being.

The Sikh Gurus deserve a special mention here, although I know they would not want a mention, I feel they really taught humility like no other religious prophet has. Ego has poisoned many religions of the world, and although many religions aspire for reaching God and the spiritual realms, and perhaps even to some extent succeed, I have personally seen that the ego still poisons their lives - they begin to think they are right, hold the only truth and hold the monopoly on God. They begin to ridicule other religions and try to prove how their religion is better and superior to others. Humility is an underrated state of being.

Spiritual and religious people perhaps have the biggest egos of them all, since they are aspiring for the highest peak and status of human experience - God - and can get easily caught up in the illusion that they have made it. The irony is that they have just begun to climb the mountain, and that the remaining mountain can only be seen through a humble perspective where one lowers oneself to the feet of the Universe and all its creation. The Universe then automatically raises that human being to the peak of the mountain. Humility is an underrated state of being.

The final climb to the summit is not possible to climb, but rather one must give up the desire to climb the mountain, one must realise that one is inadequate to complete the journey, one must realise that one needs help and support from some force far greater and more beautiful than us - the force of the Eternal Guru. Thus, the summit is reached not by wanting to get there, but by not wanting to get there and asking humbly for support and help in our journey. Once the illusion of a destination is removed from the mind, only the journey remains, a journey which is supported by the Universe and which is lived in the present moment. Humility is an underrated state of being.

Humility is an underrated state of being. Humility is an underrated state of being. Humility is an underrated state of being. Humility is an underrated state of being.

Sat Naam.

Humility is an Underrated State of Being

Humility is an underrated state of being. Most people prefer to be dominating, wanting everything their own way, having lots of expectations, complaining frequently about things which are wrong, expressing anger towards colleagues, friends, family, parents, children and just wallowing in their own negativity, thinking that they are superior to other people or at least, going out to try and impress other people. Ultimately, a lot of people do not really care or think about their impact on the world or the people around them even if they have the best of intentions. A lot of people in this world are selfish, egotistical and too demanding, irrespective of whether they have developed themselves spiritually. So, humility is really an underrated state of being.

To be humble, one must find within themselves pure kindness, sweetness, truthfulness and innocence - and once found continue to remember and use these beautiful qualities on a daily basis. A humble person is kind towards all living and non-living beings, an insect has as much right to exist as the rock on the shore. A humble person rarely talks harshly, harshness comes from a lack of consciousness, and instead their words are extremely sweet and pleasant to listen to. A humble person is truthful and has transcended all their games, manipulations and trying to influence or impress people no matter how 'high' or 'low' the other person may be. A humble person is just childlike, playful, expresses their emotions freely and holds no grudges. Humility is certainly an underrated state of being.

A humble person has no need to tell anybody what to do or how to live their life and does not demand from anybody to treat them in any special or particular way. A humble person does not feel the need to show off what they are good at or to even self-judge what they are bad at. A humble person is a person of prayer, of love and of silence. A humble person loves to serve, and has no conflict against being served. A humble person has no need to be right, or to always express their opinion. Humility is an underrated state of being.

The Sikh Gurus deserve a special mention here, although I know they would not want a mention, I feel they really taught humility like no other religious prophet has. Ego has poisoned many religions of the world, and although many religions aspire for reaching God and the spiritual realms, and perhaps even to some extent succeed, I have personally seen that the ego still poisons their lives - they begin to think they are right, hold the only truth and hold the monopoly on God. They begin to ridicule other religions and try to prove how their religion is better and superior to others. Humility is an underrated state of being.

Spiritual and religious people perhaps have the biggest egos of them all, since they are aspiring for the highest peak and status of human experience - God - and can get easily caught up in the illusion that they have made it. The irony is that they have just begun to climb the mountain, and that the remaining mountain can only be seen through a humble perspective where one lowers oneself to the feet of the Universe and all its creation. The Universe then automatically raises that human being to the peak of the mountain. Humility is an underrated state of being.

The final climb to the summit is not possible to climb, but rather one must give up the desire to climb the mountain, one must realise that one is inadequate to complete the journey, one must realise that one needs help and support from some force far greater and more beautiful than us - the force of the Eternal Guru. Thus, the summit is reached not by wanting to get there, but by not wanting to get there and asking humbly for support and help in our journey. Once the illusion of a destination is removed from the mind, only the journey remains, a journey which is supported by the Universe and which is lived in the present moment. Humility is an underrated state of being.

Humility is an underrated state of being. Humility is an underrated state of being. Humility is an underrated state of being. Humility is an underrated state of being.

Sat Naam.

Logic Creates Resistance

Being logical and being intuitive are two different worlds which cannot exist simultaneously. That's not to say we cannot use both, it's just to say that we cannot use both at the same time. In any given moment we can either choose to use logic, which is slow and laborious, or to use intuition, which is instant and simple. Trying to use both at the same time will just create resistance and conflict in us.

Logic uses the mind, which is limited by thoughts, perspectives, and emotions.

Intuition uses the Universal mind, which is the collective intelligence of the whole Universe.

The choice is this: if we use logic, it could take us years to work something out that otherwise would take just a few milliseconds with the intuition.

The choice is between solving a problem using a 500Mhz Intel processor running Windows 95 or using the fastest Quantum Supercomputer in the Universe running Ubuntu or Linux. Which one would you opt for if you had access to both?

The logical mind is slow and clunky. The intuition is fast and accurate beyond your wildest dreams!

So I invite you to join me and the growing number of us who trust and use our intuition, instead of our logical/practical minds, to guide our lives. Just like you never go back to using a slow clunky computer, you'll never go back to using the slow clunky mind again. God made us naturally perfectly intelligent, even if the education system taught us that we're stupid, so let's use our God given gift of intuition to conquer every aspect of our lives so that our individual plan is in tune with the Universal plan of God Almighty Most Gracious.

Sat Naam.

Logic Creates Resistance

Being logical and being intuitive are two different worlds which cannot exist simultaneously. That's not to say we cannot use both, it's just to say that we cannot use both at the same time. In any given moment we can either choose to use logic, which is slow and laborious, or to use intuition, which is instant and simple. Trying to use both at the same time will just create resistance and conflict in us.

Logic uses the mind, which is limited by thoughts, perspectives, and emotions.

Intuition uses the Universal mind, which is the collective intelligence of the whole Universe.

The choice is this: if we use logic, it could take us years to work something out that otherwise would take just a few milliseconds with the intuition.

The choice is between solving a problem using a 500Mhz Intel processor running Windows 95 or using the fastest Quantum Supercomputer in the Universe running Ubuntu or Linux. Which one would you opt for if you had access to both?

The logical mind is slow and clunky. The intuition is fast and accurate beyond your wildest dreams!

So I invite you to join me and the growing number of us who trust and use our intuition, instead of our logical/practical minds, to guide our lives. Just like you never go back to using a slow clunky computer, you'll never go back to using the slow clunky mind again. God made us naturally perfectly intelligent, even if the education system taught us that we're stupid, so let's use our God given gift of intuition to conquer every aspect of our lives so that our individual plan is in tune with the Universal plan of God Almighty Most Gracious.

Sat Naam.

2012 A Message of Hope [Video]

Video by Choice Point

2012 A Message of Hope [Video]

Video by Choice Point

What is true health? What the NHS & Department of Health should know

Recently I have been going through some physical ailments like getting injuries to my leg, getting a throat infection, getting redness and itchiness all over my body due to a reaction to some insect bite or nettle sting. However, in spite of it all, I am in perfect health emotionally, I am extremely happy, I am enjoying the experience and I have not lost my values. Emotional health is a choice, physical health is often not.

The National Health Service of the UK, and the Department of Health should understand that getting people to become more emotionally stronger will help reduce the strain and burden on NHS staff. Usually when people are ill they become irritable, angry, depressed or irresponsible, they want sympathy and want to feel they are the center of the world and thus should not have to wait to be seen by a doctor or a nurse. Often patients lose their patience, which makes doctors and nurses take on a lot of stress and makes working everything but a joy.

A society is drained and becomes poor not because of the physical sickness of its people, but because of mental sickness which is so often ignored by the world of scientists, doctors and nurses.

I thereby must announce that I shall be starting a programme for the NHS and Department of Health to firstly train the directors and NHS staff in emotional health, so that they can better handle the stress of their jobs and then eventually this programme can be rolled down to the patient level. Often patients are just waiting in a waiting room being unproductive, when this down-time could be utilized to improve their mental health and emotional fitness and caliber. To increase the levels of their tolerance and happiness. My theory is that this will reduce the burdern on staff, make patients happier and make hospital a more pleasant experience. Ultimately this will be the societal move from antibiotics to Gurubiotics - which is the name of my new programme.

One day I have a dream, to see a waiting room full of patient patients.

Sat Naam.

What is true health? What the NHS & Department of Health should know

Recently I have been going through some physical ailments like getting injuries to my leg, getting a throat infection, getting redness and itchiness all over my body due to a reaction to some insect bite or nettle sting. However, in spite of it all, I am in perfect health emotionally, I am extremely happy, I am enjoying the experience and I have not lost my values. Emotional health is a choice, physical health is often not.

The National Health Service of the UK, and the Department of Health should understand that getting people to become more emotionally stronger will help reduce the strain and burden on NHS staff. Usually when people are ill they become irritable, angry, depressed or irresponsible, they want sympathy and want to feel they are the center of the world and thus should not have to wait to be seen by a doctor or a nurse. Often patients lose their patience, which makes doctors and nurses take on a lot of stress and makes working everything but a joy.

A society is drained and becomes poor not because of the physical sickness of its people, but because of mental sickness which is so often ignored by the world of scientists, doctors and nurses.

I thereby must announce that I shall be starting a programme for the NHS and Department of Health to firstly train the directors and NHS staff in emotional health, so that they can better handle the stress of their jobs and then eventually this programme can be rolled down to the patient level. Often patients are just waiting in a waiting room being unproductive, when this down-time could be utilized to improve their mental health and emotional fitness and caliber. To increase the levels of their tolerance and happiness. My theory is that this will reduce the burdern on staff, make patients happier and make hospital a more pleasant experience. Ultimately this will be the societal move from antibiotics to Gurubiotics - which is the name of my new programme.

One day I have a dream, to see a waiting room full of patient patients.

Sat Naam.

Movable Cities

In the ancient native cultures, a piece of land was only lived on for a short period of time before the tribesmen would decide to move away from it so to allow the land to regenerate itself.

It seems to me, after travelling through the UK, US, Canada and Europe, that there is plenty of land which is under-utilised. Modern society should take a lesson from the ancients socities that walked this Earth, and we should for the future create movable cities.

The idea of a movable or mobile home is already in existence, so why not a movable city? Where an entire city is relocated to another area temporarily in order to allow the Earth to regenerate itself. This would create the necessary flow in order for us to restore our balance with nature, and in the future this I feel will become a possibility and a necessity. Of course, unlike mobile homes, you cannot move entire buildings, or the city infrastructure of transportation, sewage, water and gas, but you could relocate to another place that has some more basic infrastructure in place which is sufficient for a short period of time.

It also seems to me that if any city was deserted for even a short period of time, it would probably begin to look more like a forest in no time at all, as nature is alive and wishes to grow and expand just like we do. We should stop and allow nature time to expand itself and regenerate itself. I feel this idea of movable cities will become more common as we become more in touch with our true nature, and transform into a conscious modern society of using more natural products, minimising waste, recycling everything, using renewable energy sources and preserving our Earth together.

Movable Cities

In the ancient native cultures, a piece of land was only lived on for a short period of time before the tribesmen would decide to move away from it so to allow the land to regenerate itself.

It seems to me, after travelling through the UK, US, Canada and Europe, that there is plenty of land which is under-utilised. Modern society should take a lesson from the ancients socities that walked this Earth, and we should for the future create movable cities.

The idea of a movable or mobile home is already in existence, so why not a movable city? Where an entire city is relocated to another area temporarily in order to allow the Earth to regenerate itself. This would create the necessary flow in order for us to restore our balance with nature, and in the future this I feel will become a possibility and a necessity. Of course, unlike mobile homes, you cannot move entire buildings, or the city infrastructure of transportation, sewage, water and gas, but you could relocate to another place that has some more basic infrastructure in place which is sufficient for a short period of time.

It also seems to me that if any city was deserted for even a short period of time, it would probably begin to look more like a forest in no time at all, as nature is alive and wishes to grow and expand just like we do. We should stop and allow nature time to expand itself and regenerate itself. I feel this idea of movable cities will become more common as we become more in touch with our true nature, and transform into a conscious modern society of using more natural products, minimising waste, recycling everything, using renewable energy sources and preserving our Earth together.

Are you trying to fix yourself?

It is obvious from all of our childhood comic book heros like Superman, Superwoman and the X-Men, that we all wish to have super powers and become perfect human beings, just like these superhuman caricatures.

However, the only reason we do not believe it is possible to become a Superman or a Superwoman is because we THINK there is something INHERENTLY WRONG with us which we spend our entire lives trying to FIX, either through worldly activities like parties, drinking, drugs, or even through spiritual activities like meditation, yoga, prayer. The side-effects may be different but the disease is the same - the disease of trying to fix ourselves constantly in order to feel 'OK' or 'normal' again.

We lead ourselves to believe that, "of course we have to fix ourselves, because nobody is perfect!" and "we all have weaknesses, emotions and habbits which we cannot overcome". Both of these are lies which we have led ourselves to believe.

The truth is very hard to accept: each of us are already perfect as we are, without needing to change a single thing about ourselves

It's one of those lovely paradoxical situations where as soon as you truly, whole heartedly accept and take on this above statement, then suddenly you will find yourself transform in an instant. The things which you thought were weaknesses or things you needed to change, automatically are transformed and no longer become limitations in your character - often they transform into your greatest strengths.

Accepting this statement TRULY does also give rise to super powers inside of you which shall help you in your path.

Stop trying to fix yourself through ANY means - only a person who is sick tries to fix themselves. A person who is healthy has no need for a fix, they already know they are healthly and need no medicine. Often the trap 'spiritual' people fall into is using meditation or yoga or prayer to fix themselves - but then they are no different to the alcoholics, junkies or socialites all who are trying to fix themselves because they think something is wrong which they must bring into balance.

Read this meditative poem:

• You are perfect as you are even with all of your biologoical needs for food and sex
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your emotional needs for having people around you, for wanting to feel loved, for feeling that your are somebody significant
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your sexual desires, anger, greed, attachment and ego, there is nothing wrong with any of these emotions
• You are perfect as you are even with all of those 'bad' habbits which you cannot seem to break
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your insecurities, fears and challenges
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your imbalances, diseases and illnesses
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your unluckiness, untidyness and ugliness
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your complaints, criticisms and blocks

Read this quote:

"Gurbani was not designed for the sick, it was designed for the Sikh"

By Guru's Grace - 05-09-2011

The meditation and quote above does not mean that a person who is sick cannot pray or gain benefit from reading the words of the Guru, it means that you can only truly understand the words of the Guru when you stop fixing yourself, and understand the who you were, who you have always been, who you are now and who you will continue to be in the future is perfect - because ultimately we are God masquerading as ourselves in the guise of a human body.

So LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO! You're PERFECT as you are, accept yourself as being a perfect being.

Are you trying to fix yourself?

It is obvious from all of our childhood comic book heros like Superman, Superwoman and the X-Men, that we all wish to have super powers and become perfect human beings, just like these superhuman caricatures.

However, the only reason we do not believe it is possible to become a Superman or a Superwoman is because we THINK there is something INHERENTLY WRONG with us which we spend our entire lives trying to FIX, either through worldly activities like parties, drinking, drugs, or even through spiritual activities like meditation, yoga, prayer. The side-effects may be different but the disease is the same - the disease of trying to fix ourselves constantly in order to feel 'OK' or 'normal' again.

We lead ourselves to believe that, "of course we have to fix ourselves, because nobody is perfect!" and "we all have weaknesses, emotions and habbits which we cannot overcome". Both of these are lies which we have led ourselves to believe.

The truth is very hard to accept: each of us are already perfect as we are, without needing to change a single thing about ourselves

It's one of those lovely paradoxical situations where as soon as you truly, whole heartedly accept and take on this above statement, then suddenly you will find yourself transform in an instant. The things which you thought were weaknesses or things you needed to change, automatically are transformed and no longer become limitations in your character - often they transform into your greatest strengths.

Accepting this statement TRULY does also give rise to super powers inside of you which shall help you in your path.

Stop trying to fix yourself through ANY means - only a person who is sick tries to fix themselves. A person who is healthy has no need for a fix, they already know they are healthly and need no medicine. Often the trap 'spiritual' people fall into is using meditation or yoga or prayer to fix themselves - but then they are no different to the alcoholics, junkies or socialites all who are trying to fix themselves because they think something is wrong which they must bring into balance.

Read this meditative poem:

• You are perfect as you are even with all of your biologoical needs for food and sex
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your emotional needs for having people around you, for wanting to feel loved, for feeling that your are somebody significant
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your sexual desires, anger, greed, attachment and ego, there is nothing wrong with any of these emotions
• You are perfect as you are even with all of those 'bad' habbits which you cannot seem to break
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your insecurities, fears and challenges
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your imbalances, diseases and illnesses
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your unluckiness, untidyness and ugliness
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your complaints, criticisms and blocks

Read this quote:

"Gurbani was not designed for the sick, it was designed for the Sikh"

By Guru's Grace - 05-09-2011

The meditation and quote above does not mean that a person who is sick cannot pray or gain benefit from reading the words of the Guru, it means that you can only truly understand the words of the Guru when you stop fixing yourself, and understand the who you were, who you have always been, who you are now and who you will continue to be in the future is perfect - because ultimately we are God masquerading as ourselves in the guise of a human body.

So LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO! You're PERFECT as you are, accept yourself as being a perfect being.

Quote of the Day: Presence

"Presence is independent of the age of the body."

Robert Earl Burton

Quote of the Day: Presence

"Presence is independent of the age of the body."

Robert Earl Burton

Work Less, Live More!

Most people opt to work 9 to 5 in a job, and maybe spend less than 5 weeks a year on holiday enjoying life with loved ones, exploring new things or working on fulfilling personal projects - WHAT A SHAME! We live in a so called 'modern society' which pretends to have all the answers but cannot even allow its own citizens to be free from a system which is akin to slavery or robotics. The truth is: slavery does not exist in the developed world, yet we still choose to be slaves and work as robots to acquire an invented idea called money. Interesting.

Why do we do this, and what excuses do we and society have?

• We need to work to pay our bills
• We need to work to put food on the table
• We need to work to pay our mortgage
• We need to work to pay for our luxuries

All of the above may be true and we may not see them as excuses because they are a question of financial survival, however ultimately they are all choices we have made and at any given point in time, we can choose to undo those choices with little severe impact in most cases:

• If you have bills to pay, you can cut your losses by reducing uncritical expenditure e.g. moving to a simpler phone package (pay as you go perhaps?), using the internet at your library, watching freeview TV or YouTube videos only etc. Point being: a lot of our expenses are comfort expenses, they are not really necessary for survival.
• For example, if you're paying a mortgage, you could sell your house to pay it off or rent it out to a set of tenants and live in cheap rented accommodation yourself, or move in with a friend or relative. Point being: stop complaining that it's not possible and start thinking outside of the box.
• The only thing necessary for survival of you and your family/children is food. Food luckily we can actually grow ourselves with little effort, in the meantime you can cut back on luxury foods, and still eat comfortably. Worst comes to worst, you can take your family to a Gurdwara everyday for sustenance. Point being: regular healthy food is easy to obtain.
• We don't need many luxuries, they just make life more comfortable, but we don't need them. Also, chances are that you're not really a big spender and you only need bouts of comfort from time to time e.g. a holiday, a spa day, a cruise etc. Also, cutting out luxuries does not mean living poor, it means living smart. For example, selling old clothes and buying new clothes, instead of just accumulating new clothes! Point being: don't live poor, live smart

The underlying rule to all of this rambling? THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH!

I admittedly have always spent a few hours in my job, working on my own personal projects whether it be coordinating the development of a new piece of exciting software (like Sikher), tinkering with a website, managing an event, or even writing an article such as this one. Working a few hours on my own projects, after finishing all of my work at work, always gave me some breathing space, some sanity - it was an opportunity for me to express my full set of skills and qualities, which could not really be expressed in any of my work tasks.

Also, I often finished my entire day's work in a couple of hours, partially because I would find an automated way to complete my task, especially if it was a repetitive one. My managers would often get tired of having to set me new tasks, so in the interim I would work on my own, much more fulfilling projects.

My philosophy has always been that computers are designed and specialised in doing repetitive, automated tasks, so why should I do them? My time as a human being should be spent doing what no computer can do: bringing forth new creative ideas and concepts into reality. These very powerful (and somewhat spiritual) ideas in me meant that I could never be fulfilled doing a job and also that no job could stretch me to my true potential. I therefore one day declared to myself that I would NEVER WORK IN A JOB EVER AGAIN.

It's a pretty powerful statement to make, and there's no turning back from it. I went against every advice given to me, and have never looked back since. One can survive quite easily, comfortably without needing to work as such. Perhaps bouts of doing a few businesses deals, selling products or services here and there would not go amiss, but money is not a requirement for life, richness is.

Richness comes from within, when you feel completely fulfilled and at peace with yourself. Richness is beyond all wealth. Even an investment banker isn't as rich as me, I'm one of the richest human beings in the Universe because I have the freedom to live in joy, express my heart, do what I love, have all the time to do it in, have only deadlines which I create myself, and have the whole world's possibilities at my fingertips, the power to create anything or destroy anything, all with humility, gratitude and compassion.

Lakshmi - Goddess of Wealth

Let me destroy another lingering doubt in your mind, the thought you need money to create something or do something. You don't need money ladies and gentlemen, you need the unwavering commitment and desire to pursue something. You should be so convinced that you can achieve it, that everyone around you also becomes convinced, and out of those who are convinced one will become your financier. Money will come to you!

Do not think about money, think about how to add true value to people, how you can serve and give people what they are truly seeking, how you can contribute to their lives. Give without any expectations of return. This is where our trust in spiritual wisdom is tested because there are no two ways about it, we must apply the wisdom to get the result, else we fall into the traps of the survival mind, running after money again and again and again. Let Lakshmi chase you, Vishnu will be jealous and give you anything to get his wife back.

The result of all this? I hope you will start freeing up your time to help contribute to other people's lives, rather than living a selfish lifestyle where you are trapped in the mode of survival. If a lot of people begin to do this and free themselves from their self-created trappings, we then have enough people to build a new world full of joy, freedom and abundance. Right now, most people would LOVE to start an ashram or a school in India or create their own charity or business, but never have the time to do it. Imagine what people could create if they knew they did not HAVE to work, and that the idea we HAVE to work is the biggest lie any parent, teacher or government ever told us? Just imagine...Sat Naam.