Moving On

Dear friends,

I don't wish to underplay the importance of this closing letter - it is a significant moment for me which I would like to share with you all.

My life has moved into a new phase, a new chapter of creating a low-fat life which is simple and down-to-earth. On the surface it will appear to be an ordinary life but there is an extraordinary transformation going on within - a kind of germinating process.

I use the word 'extraordinary' with great reservation and trepidation as I am not in any way extraordinary or special - far from it. This transformation is happening within everyone constantly, whether one realises it or not, it always has and always will happen. It's the transformation of nature refining itself, redefining itself, unfolding itself in new ways, and discovering itself through itself anew in each moment. That's too incredible to really put into words - that's the very nature of the Universe - the great mystery of the Universe which keeps us fascinated, excited, discovering, wondering, enthralled and in love with life!

Everything which is born must die, only to be reborn again in a new form - this is what is happening to me and to New Life Awakening. Physically I may still be alive but my mind, my view of the world and of myself is dying, only to be reborn once again. So this is my goodbye letter to you all, as difficult as it is to write, I feel this is the end of this journey and hopefully the beginning of another. This blog, The Divine Within, has served its purpose for me to collate, refine and share my thoughts and experiences about myself and about the spiritual world - and I leave my thoughts here intact for reference.

In summary, out of all of my limited learning so far I just wanted to share that I feel so strongly right now that you should all be open and innocent with your love, talk as sweetly as possible with one another and if you want to challenge someone make sure you already have a strong friendship where you can challenge without causing hurt. Let's be honest, life's too short to go around hurting people. Life's too short to be indecisive. Life's too short to not do what you really deep down want to do. Life's too short to not live with total innocence, love, passion and joy. Life's too short to not share truthfully what you deeply want to say to someone in your heart.

So thank YOU dear friends for being here for me, for all your inspiration, comments, sweetness, kindness and openness, and for allowing me to pour out my heart to you and for you to accept me for who I am without judging or criticizing me. It's only for your service that I was born and that I continue to live.

In love, kindness and sadness,

Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa.

02/11/12

15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Article by Dana from Purpose Fairy: http://www.purposefairy.com/3308/15-things-you-should-give-up-in-order-to-be-happy/

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

Developing Relationships [Video]

Jasdeep's Story Of Intuition [Video]

Are You A Hypocrite?

The path to self realisation begins with the thought that 'I am a hypocrite'. Admitting the truth, only then can things change.

I have had many realisations like this, many times, and I hope I continue to throughout my life as it keeps me on my toes and makes me realise that I'm not perfect and still have a lot to learn. It keeps me learning, sometimes very harsh lessons.

Being a personal development coach requires one to always be alert to what is really going on inside. Sometimes I find that I don't follow my own advice and ultimately it leads to my own downfall, and I end up being very harsh to myself about it. 

I usually know the answer but I'm not always willing to follow the answer, trust the answer, live the answer. Change is easy to delay unless there is a pressure to change, and often, there is no pressure from the outside, so it must be created from within.

One of the greatest pressures is the thought of death. I ask myself, "are you really willing to continue being a hypocrite if you were to die tomorrow, is what you're doing worth it?"

This is how I learn. I learn by assessing where I'm being inauthentic in my life. I learn from where I'm preaching but not practising. I learn by remembering death.

So, ask yourself these same very blunt questions if you think you're ready for a transformation in your life:

• Where are you being a hypocrite in your life?
• What will it take for you to change?
• What happens if you were to die tomorrow, is what you're doing worth it?

Sat Naam.

Quote of the Day - Benefit

"There is always a benefit, if you look hard enough"

Battling Yourself [Image]

How To Be Original

Originality is a simple formula:

Be You + Don't Care What Others Think + Express Yourself = Originality

Well Einstein did say the formula to everything would be simple ;)

So...

Basically: express your true self.

Your true self is already perfectly original. God doesn't make mistakes and doesn't repeat Himself. God doesn't repeat Himself.

The question then arises: I don't know what my true self is? And how do I express it?

The true self is the unconditioned self. First you have to do A LOT OF WORK on yourself. Undo the conditioning of society, family, religion. Undo beliefs, morals, preferences, likes, dislikes. Undo your personality and know why you do what you do.

Then you learn to not BE anything, except just yourself. Then you're not trying to manipulate people or boost your own ego either quietly or overtly, you're not trying to ACT like anybody else, you're not trying to mimic someone else (not even your role models), you're just authentically YOU.

Because you're not so worried about how you come across, you naturally feel OK to express yourself just how you are. This is how you can learn to just flow. Creativity is your nature. Creativity is only blocked when you're trying too hard to impress, to fit into somebody else's box, to try and modify yourself so you are more 'acceptable'. Be you. Don't Care What Others Think. Express Yourself.

...then you'll be creatively original.

Sat Naam.

Struggling Against The Inevitable

Often we know something is inevitable, and although we try to struggle against it, to fight the current, we know we cannot stop it.

Like old ideas. We hold onto them, but inevitably they will die out. Like old relationships. We hold onto them, but they cannot continue.

For example...

The idea that money, property, wealth and position are important is outdated.
The idea that manipulation and secrecy are important is outdated.
The idea that competition and winning are important is outdated.

The idea that personality, names, titles and qualifications are important is outdated.

The idea that you can achieve happiness outside of yourself is outdated.

For example, we "believe" in a God. Believing in God does not make God so. God exists independent of our opinions or beliefs. God is too vast to believe in, to understand, to comprehend. And yet we still try to know Him, we still try to reach him. You can only reach the God in you. You cannot reach the God beyond the beyond. We want to hold onto something beyond ourselves, we are not secure in holding onto our own self within ourselves.

We do not realise that we are Gods. Our hands have the power of creation and destruction, as do our lips, our minds and our hearts.

But, we continue to struggle.

Religion is just a set of beliefs and rituals which are empty without consciousness. The job of religion is for individuals to grow in self awareness, in truth, in compassion and love for everyone, but often people who are insecure hold onto religion as a means of feeling reassured. People of such consciousness are outdated, they will not understand the new world which is coming to be.

Struggle happens when our expectations are not met by reality. Reality is changing and so should our expectations. The world is changing and so should our expectations. The universe is changing and so should our expectations.

The struggle only ends when we grow, when we learn to flow, when we learn to give it up.

Do not struggle dear soul of the new age, go with the flow, and allow the flow to lead you into the ultimate light of awareness and beauty.

Sat Naam.

Quote of the Day - Singing

"I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think"

Rumi

The Indigo Evolution [Video]

Indigo Children [Gallery]

Indigo Children is a term to describe the new wave of children being born into the world who are already very developed and mature, naturally have a greater sense of compassion, intuition, emotional intelligence and understanding of the world as one human family. Their two main traits are greater sensitivity and self awareness. Here are a selection of pictures to celebrate this new wave of remarkable children who are destined to become the leaders of tomorrow's world:

Buddhist Children Doing Selfless Service

Meditating Buddhist Boy

Group of Buddhist Children

Meditating Child

Buddhist Child

Indigo Baby

Indigo Boy

Indigo Girl

Time Travel & Creativity

Please understand that everything we think, say and do is recorded into the fabric of space-time by the Universal Tape Recorder which stores this information forever. The information is stored in a particular location (longitude and latitude) at a particular point in time. The Universe has an unlimited amount of storage space too to store all this information.

Sometimes when people are sitting down and they have a moment of genius, a light bulb moment, often this is because they are sitting in a spot where there is a lot of stored information from the past and because they are meditative they are picking up the data through the intuition or pituitary gland. The information includes thoughts, conversations, feelings and actions done by people in the past in that exact location.

If you know how, you can access all these thoughts, conversations, feelings and actions just as simply as rewinding and playing a tape recorder. It requires one to meditate and listen deeply through the inner ear which is infinitely more sensitive than the physical ears and can pick up information from the past, present and future. If you just listen deeply you can hear and see all those conversations. Cool hey? It's a bit like time travelling.

Therefore, for all intents and purposes do not think negatively, do not speak negatively and do not do negative actions otherwise they will be stored in history and you will be held to account for them. As crafty as some people like to be, they cannot get away from the universe storing the truth on its tape recorder - and the truth has a funny tendency of coming out sooner or later right?

The past is a great source of creativity to tap into through meditation because the chances are that everything that can be thought of has been thought of at some point in history by somebody. The Universe works on basic principles, and so rarely is an idea ever totally fresh, it's usually just another way of looking at or expressing an existing idea.

Creativity can therefore be perceived as not creating something new from the ground up, but instead reusing something existing in a new way.

Sat Naam.

P.S. This is an advanced topic and this article contains many gems and truths which can only really be understood and realised through an experience of activating the inner ear which hears all of time.

Time Follows Your Orders

Time follows your orders. When you say 'I don't have enough time' or 'time is too short' then time must obey your orders. Time is a being. In Sanskrit time is given the name Kal, and Kal can speak and comment on the events of the past, present and the future yet to come.

Time is bound to a human being's orders, and all other beings with consciousness. So when we say 'time is going fast', we are causing it to go fast and when we say 'time is going slow' we are causing it to go slow.

A human being often becomes a victim to their own orders and then blames time. When humans are stressed they begin to feel an urgency to do things, they panic and in their panic they say, think and feel things like 'there's no time' or 'time is running out'. Time or Kal then obeys these orders, creating a destructive loop of increasing stress and reducing time.

Therefore, whenever possible, be aware of what you order time to do or not do and it will obey your orders, your thoughts and your feelings. Remain self-aware and make Kal your friend.

Sat Naam.

Want an Enlightenment Experience? [Video by Yogiraj Siddhanath Gurunath]

I first went to see Master Yogiraj Siddhanath Gurunath when I was 18 years old. At the time I was studying at Aston University in Birmingham, and had just been watching a few videos on YouTube of him when curiosity made me check out the Hamsa Yoga website. Miraculously enough he was visiting Birmingham the very next week! Can you believe it? I was over the moon! It was one of those WOW moments when destiny becomes crystal clear. I vividly remember it being a Thursday, the same day I used to do a Kundalini Yoga class. In fact, the exact date was Thursday 14th of June 2007 (thanks to Gmail). So I text my yoga teacher to ask permission to see if I could go to this event instead and she text back with the simple words "Follow your intuition. Sat Nam". And so I did, and went along, knowing it to be a part of my destiny.

I was intrigued by what the master said he could do, and indeed what all masters are able to do:

1. Shivapat - Sharing his Enlightened Consciousness of thoughtless awareness
2. Shaktipat - Transmitting center to center in the disciple’s Chakras the Kundalini Energy which burns their negative karmas
3. Pranapat - Breathing his spiritual Prana (life-force) through the breath of the disciples in their spinal cord flushing out all toxins & emotional stress.

So I went with the sole purpose of experiencing these transmissions from the master.

I went away that day, after also having the chance to eat opposite the master in a restaurant after the event, experiencing all of those graces of the master and getting a direct initiation into Kriya Yoga by Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath himself.

I left that evening with a much wider heart, a much wider mind, an experience of a still mind state and an experience of enlightenment. I went back to see the master many times at different retreats, but I'll save those enchanting and more miraculous stories for another day.

Now for the real deal, experience what I experienced that day for yourself. Drop your mind, drop your doubts, drop your thoughts, drop your scepticism, open your heart, feel love for the master, connect to the master's heart, trust the master, look at him with eyes of love and you will be well on your way to an unforgettable experience...

Sat Nam...

After watching the following video, it brought all those wonderful memories back of the first time I got to see him. The time and grace I enjoyed with this very rare master whom I believe I am related to from previous lives.

Ego vs Humility

Some people are so EGOTISTICAL that they think they're humble. For me this is the most annoying type of human being which I wouldn't mind slapping around a little.

Somebody who thinks they know humility, and pretends to act all humble, when under the surface there is clearly shit hitting the fan, an over cleverness and an over righteous attitude.

Being humble is a very sacred state between an individual and the Guru, the Universe and God. Humility is in not caring what other people think, being compassionately truthful and totally AUTHENTIC. Authenticity lacks in an egomaniac. There is just an image which must be protected, an idealism, a pompous over-perfection. It really makes my blood boil sometimes! :@

A humble person is straight up, says it how it is, and yet is not doing it out of anger but instead out of integrity and truth. A humble person radiates total respect for the other, has authentic sweetness and compassion for all. Again that buzz word: authentic which can be defined as what you see is what you get.

Egotistical people like to bullshit often, sweet talk just to play games, and have an idea that they have a reputation to protect. I personally don't buy it and don't indulge in it myself. The truth is sometimes sharp and politically incorrect, but I prefer it over living a lie and covering up everything just to look good in front of people.

So there we have it - a not so comprehensive introduction to humility vs ego - but I hope you got the flavour ;)

Love,

J.

P.S. This blog post is intentionally written in a VERY provoking style to get across the idea of "not caring what other people think". In reality what other people think is also very important, and should be balanced against the idea of not caring what people think (a complimentary contradiction in terms which shall be explained in a later article on this fascinating subject)

Quote of the Day - Reactions

‎"Never be right or wrong, always be neutral. Speak not through the positive mind or the negative mind, but from the neutral mind. And whenever you have to confront a calamity or a pleasure, take the altitude. Adjust the attitude. Do not react right away." 

Yogi Bhajan - 7/22/96

Vision of New Life Awakening

I have an intense feeling inside which relates to my life's vision and mission.

My primary rule in life is to never compromise who I am for anybody or anything. When a flower is in bloom who can tell it to be or smell any other way?

My mission in life is to bring spirituality to the common person, make it accessible, understandable and practical. Even whilst we are living in a highly technological, global and complex world - still spirituality must become our bedrock, our foundation, our grace because it is who we really are. It's what allows us to access our humanity.

As a result I'm going to create as many articles, books, workshops and videos to bring spirituality to the people in a form which can be used for hundreds of years to come. Well, to be honest, this is not a one man mission, but requires a whole team of like-minded people to come together and convert these old manuscripts of ancient wisdom into practical manuals for modern life, which can then be passed onto future generations.

The best thing is that, for the first time in billions of years, history will record these manuals and the process to create these manuals for all time to come. My name is unimportant. My personality is unimportant. All that matters is sharing these teachings purely. For when truth is spoken, it shines of its own accord and is recognised in value only by those who are seeking it and are open to receiving it.

Surely all that's worth the sacrifice of one human life, or for that matter, a few? ;)

With all my love and deep felt gratitude to you,

JHBSK xxx

The 21 Stages of Meditation

Below are the 21 Stages of Meditation, as outlined by Yogi Bhajan, along with Kundalini Yoga meditations which help realise each stage. Journey One - Experience and Crystalize the Self Stage 1 – Upset Meditation to Conquer Upset Stage 2 – Boredom Meditation: See Your Horizon Stage 3 – Irritation Meditation: Eyeglass Traatik Stage 4 - Frustration Meditation: Self-Hypnosis to Dissolve Frustration Stage 5 – Focus Meditation: For Focus and an Alert Mind Stage 6 – Absorption Meditation: For Absorption in the Crystal Being Stage 7 – Experience and Crystallize the Self Meditation : To Experience and Crystallize the Self Journey Two - Express and Distill the Self Stage 8 – Rasa/Nectar Meditation Series for Rasa/Nectar Stage 9 – Delight Meditation: For Delight, Destiny and Creative Flow in Life Stage 10 – Politeness Meditation for Politeness Stage 11 – Humility  Meditation: Bowing Before the Infinite for Humility Meditation: Speaking Humbly before the Creative Infinity Meditation: Bowing for Humility to Transfer Prana Stage 12 – Elevation  Meditation for Elevation Meditation for Rasas and the Inner Eye Meditation for Elevation Stage 13 - Graceful Enlightenment Meditation for Graceful Enlightenment and Strength of Heart The three gunas, the three forces of nature, are all balanced. That opens the heart. On that the head is fixed and steady. You are aware of All and the Crown Chakra shines as the Sixth Chakra commands. –Yogi Bhajan The key to this stage lies in how we handle the polarities we experience. Life is filled with them. How gracefully we handle them is the measure of an enlightened human being.  –from The 21 Stages of Meditation Stage 14 – Express and Be Your Self The Laya Yoga Kundalini Mantra Meditation: To Clear the Channels and Raise Kundalini Meditation on the Laya Yoga Kundalini Mantra Meditation: Sankh Mudra Kriya Laya Meditation to Beam and Create Meditation: Sukh Sadhana Meditation to Express Your Real Self and Develop the Subtle Body Journey Three - Transcend and Sublimate the Self Stage 15 - Presence Like a Beacon Tattva Siddhi Meditation for Presence Like a Beacon Stage 16 - Everywhere Radiance Meditation: Polishing the Radiant Body Stage 17 - Prayerful Stillness Meditation: Deeksha Patra for Prayerful Stillness Stage 18 – Preacher Meditation: Chautay Padma Nirgun Mantra Stage 19 – Teacher Teacher Meditation- Traatik to See the Energy Stage 20 – Sage Meditation for the Sage: Sarb Gyan Kriya Stage 21 - Infinite Pulse Meditation for Infinite Pulse: Sodarshan Chakra Kriya Learn to master the 21 Stages of Meditation in an  upcoming course with the Kundalini Yoga Research Institute. The 21 Stages of Meditation course has no pre-requisites. It is open to those at any stage of their spiritual journey. The 21 Stages of Meditation Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Española, New Mexico Wednesday, June 6-Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Registration Price: $995.00 (Discounts Available) Want to learn more? CLICK HERE

Picture of the Day - Meditation

Quote of the Day - Mother Teresa

“A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in his love than in your weakness.”

― Mother Teresa

The Story of How I Became Rich [Yogi Bhajan]

from Success and the Spirit - An Aquarian path to Abundance.

by Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji

A student asked Yogi Bhajan the following question:

"Is giving an act of God?"

Yogi Bhajan replied, "No, no, no, no. Not at all. It is a perfectly selfish act. Have you heard about when I became rich? Listen to this. It is true. Verbatim, this is exactly true.

I taught a class at the East-West Cultural Center. And I did a wonderful job. There were three hundred and some dollars collected at class. I do not know exactly how much. But I definitely know one hundred fifty and some cents were given to me in an envelope as my fifty percent of that lecture. This is what they do. You go. They advertise you. You teach in that center. And whatever money comes in on that day, fifty percent is given to the lecturer and fifty percent goes to the center.

I did that. Then the director of the center takes the speaker out to dinner. Now this lady, the director, was more spiritual, well-read with the scripture and much wiser than I was. I was very happy with her and she was extremely happy with me, because when she would talk scriptures, somewhere along the line, I’d give her the understanding of the scripture. I’m not very good with all this bookish knowledge but certain things I just know.

She said, "Today your lecture was so pleasing. I just want to take you to eat. Please come with me." She was just overwhelmingly joyful.

I said to her, "Well, there seems to be a storm behind the sunshine."

"What can it be?"

"We’ll see."

When we came to the restaurant, on the side there was a pole. Standing beside the pole was a very beautiful, well-dressed black man. And he was saying, “I do not want to beg, and I don’t want you to help me, but I have children. I have a life, and I have a family. I am selling these pencils. You can buy these pencils for any amount, because I am blind and can’t see it. But I hope by the end of the day there will be a profit and I can take care of my family."

When I heard that I handed over my envelope to him and I took one pencil out. She saw me doing that and God, that divine woman became a living fire. She said, "What have you done? You know, that’s what Indians do. You have encouraged beggary." She was so rude.

I said, “Ohhhhh!” That was my first experience, awakening the mind to encounter the bitchiness of an American woman. Up until then I was fine.

I said, "What have I done?"

"You took one pencil for one hundred and fifty dollars. Do you know that you can get a truckload of them?"

"I don’t need a truckload of pencils."

"Why did you take one pencil?"

"I want this one pencil to write my own fortune."

"And you paid one-hundred and fifty dollars for it?"

"No. I paid much less. I paid nothing."

"I don’t understand you. You don’t like money. You don’t love money."

I said, "I love money more than you like it. I love money. Don’t worry about that. I just wanted this pencil to write my fortune. I paid the money you gave to me."

She said, "I can’t believe it."

Meanwhile, we entered the restaurant. Then you know what she said? She said, "All right. I’ll teach you something practical." 

"Sure." 

"I’m not going to pay for your dinner." 

"Sure."

"That will show you what happens when you don’t have money."

I said, "Sure. It’s okay."

So I took my plate to the place where you pick up your salad, and you pick up this and that and I picked up everything I wanted to eat. I walked to the tables and the lady at the check-out counter said, "Thank you, sir." She never says that. I just went up there, took the things of the tray, and put them on the table. We were about three or four people and when the director came, the counter clerk told her, "Thank you, ma’am. You can pass."

She said, "Who paid for it?"

The clerk said, "It is all paid for."

So, she felt a little small and she came and sat down next to me. Meanwhile, the counter girl came and brought sixty-some dollars and gave it to me. Imagine. I didn’t have a pocket. I didn’t have a dollar. I didn’t have a penny. She told me that she isn’t going to pay and I said to the counter clerk, "Give it to her."

The clerk said, "No, no. It is for you, sir. It is for you."

"Why for me?"

"There was a student of yours sitting here. He left me with a hundred dollars and he said, 'My teacher is coming. All the people with him should be paid for, and the balance given to him.' So I am just doing what he said."

I looked at the director. I said, "You didn’t pay for it?"

"No."

"You got paid for, too?"

"Yes."

I said, "See how God works?" And I pulled out ten dollars and I gave it to the waitress.

She said, "O my God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

And I gave the director the fifty-some remaining dollars.

She asked me, "What for? I don’t understand. You seem so happy."

I said, "Today, my Guru and my God have made me a giver. Before this, I was a taker. I was at your mercy. And when you tested it, Guru came through. He saved me at the last minute. I am very mad at Him for that. But because He always does it, I am very grateful. I have seen my Guru. I have seen Him in action. I am grateful."

Copyright Sikh Dharma International without permission from The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan

How To Be A Good Human Being?

எல்லோரும் இன்புற்றிருக்க நினைப்பதுவே 

அல்லாமல் வேறொன்றறியோம் பராபரமே!

அன்பர் பணி செய்ய எம்மை ஆளாக்கிவிட்டுவிட்டால் 

இன்பநிலை தானே வந்தெய்தும் பராபரமே!

Excepting to think and act for

Well being of all beings, I know nothing.

If we all are molded to serve Humanity

Happiness will automatically Flow here.

Saint Thayumanavar

A Letter from Hargopal Kaur

From the March 2012 Library of Teachings Newsletter - Kundalini Yoga Research Institute

Sat Nam!

Have you also been searching for Infinity? Did you see which rabbit hole leads to the cosmos? And who are our guides?

"There are only two teachers: time or your teacher." 1 

Guided by time or teacher! Hmmm. Time can be a very hard task master. And there are so many rabbit holes to explore.

"Teachings are teachings whether I give them or you give them. It isn't the teacher who is important, it's the teachings. The teachings are pure, and they have been passed on purely and they will continue to be pure." 2 

Whether you met Yogi Bhajan in the flesh or not, he is still teaching us-through  Kundalini Yoga and meditation, through his students, through his students' students, and through his teachings. And he always seems to know which rabbit hole to take, or perhaps it's just knowing which rabbit holes to avoid.

"Teaching is not done to get money and sell the teachings. Teaching is done to keep the teachings going. It is not for your sakes. You are just the instrument for listening. But our children, our grandchildren, and great grandchildren will be grateful that we left the knowledge for them." 3 

We have all heard of the power of the word. Have you experienced it? Yogi Bhajan shared with us that

"A spiritual teacher has simple rules in life: obey, serve, love and excel. It is a direct route." 4 

Have you experienced this direct route or does the rabbit hole have a lot of turns and dead ends?

"The Golden Chain is a concept in which light flows to add to the frequency of an ordinary person to give him the power to be a Teacher. It is the red-orange colored light which is always coming out of the teacher and is always swallowed by other teachers in variance within the scope of time and space. It is continuous and unending, but those who fall in faith shall lose it. Man is a finite capacity of the Infinite which has come to consciously experience Infinity. Guru is the technology and a constant help. Through obedience to the Guru, one can reach the state of experience of Infinity. God is the Infinity in itself." 5 

Have you looked in the mirror before and after a yoga class or a meditation. Do you see that Infinity? This technology of light, of upliftment, of service, of being, of shuniya is a treasure.
 
Through the Library of Teachings the treasure embodied in Yogi Bhajan's teachings is being preserved, digitized, and prepared so that you can access the teachings anytime, anyplace.

With gratitude we thank you for donations that support this process. We all want it to happen yesterday. And with your help, the tomorrow in which it does happen gets closer and closer to being today.
     
Humbly,
Hargopal Kaur Khalsa
KRI Board Member

From the author's notes, December 7, 1993
 © 1979 The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. Originally published in the Khalsa Women's Training Camp Notes, 1979, p 135.
 ©1985.The Radiant Body. Kundalini Research Institute: Pomona, CA, p. 64]
 ©1985.The Radiant Body. Kundalini Research Institute: Pomona, CA,, p205]
 © 1979 The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. Originally published in the Khalsa Women's Training Camp Notes, 1978, p. 163.

To Become A True Professional [Poem]

To become a true architect, you must learn the architecture of the heart,
To become a true engineer, you must learn the inner engineering.
To become a true programmer, you must learn to reprogram your own mind,
To become a true accountant, you must know each action is a transaction.
To become a true analyst, you must be able to analyse your own thoughts,
To become a true consultant, you must be able to consult your higher Self.
To become a true artist, you must be able to paint the future of your life,
To become a true musician, you must be able to access the depths of your Soul.
To become a true priest, you must see God in everyone,
To become a true farmer, you must be able to plant the seed of Truth.
To become a true builder, you must know how to build your integrity,
To become a true entrepreneur, you must learn to transcend uncertainty.
To become a true sales person, you must learn to become authentic,
To become a true marketer, you must learn to listen to your intuition.
To become a true politician, you must learn honesty in service,
To become a true doctor, you must learn the medicine of the heart.
To become a true soldier, you must learn to submit to God,
To become a true volunteer, you must learn to ask for help.
To become a true leader, you must learn to be humble always,
To become a true human being, you must learn to be you, to be.

By Guru's Grace, Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa - 15/03/2012 (Hot off the Press! ;D)

Jason Mraz Song for a Friend [Music]

One of my favourite tracks, simply beautiful...

Quote of the Day - Questions and Answers

"Answers require a timing and a spacing to deliver the correct impact and to create the wholeness of answer"

By Guru's Grace - 13/12/2009

Quote of the Day - The Sky

"The sky is only the limit for those who cannot see beyond it"

By Guru's Grace - JHBSK

Picture of the Day - Closed Minds

A True Spiritual Path Is Difficult

For those who are interested in living an ordinary life - a spiritual path is not for you.

A spiritual path is the most difficult climb, the steepest curve, the highest peak.

Before you walk on such a path, you must know that things will never be the same again. You cannot retain any part of your formed identity nor its various layers - only your core essence will remain i.e. who you really are and have always been throughout all time - and you will have an infinitely more beautiful ROYAL identity grafted upon you.

I often ask people a question: does a King or Queen ever live an ordinary life? Ask Prince Charles, he will tell you. No, a King or Queen has a duty to serve their country, a duty to always have royal actions, royal words, royal dress, royal food, royal activities. It is not possible for somebody who is royal to live an ordinary life.

The difficult part is giving up the ego, the formed identity, controlling the senses, having the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, touch under one's control, giving up objects which seek to just gratify the senses, overcoming attachment, balancing sexual desire, controlling anger, watching greed, dropping hatred, conquering the mind, filtering thoughts, conquering fears, overcoming shyness, transcending anxieties, breaking depression, becoming courageous, being forgiving, kind, compassionate, intelligent, assertive, intuitive, constant, dedicated, faithful. In other words: becoming totally balanced, unshakable, GLOWING.

So, although the spiritual path is the most difficult, it's also the most rewarding. The rewards cannot be quantified in words, as they will be beyond your wildest dreams, and more than you could have ever hoped or dreamed for. You will experience real miracles, superhuman abilities will grow within you, you will have humbling experiences that leave you speechless, your body and face will literally begin to glow with light, you will become AWARE of how to travel between the past, present and future at will, you will begin to hear other people's thoughts and feel other people's feelings, you will come into contact with other civilisations and beings through the intuition, the entire Universe will begin to serve each of your needs, you will find the Universe revolving inside you, nature will become your friend, the elements will change as you want them to, each of your words will become a meditation full of purity and clarity.

You will become incredibly powerful and capable of things only imagined within science fiction, but all your power will be because of your humility, because you would have given up your identity, given up your likes and dislikes, given up being right and making others wrong, given up your ego, your ambitions, your desires, your goals, your fears, given up everything you know and believe to be true, given up your breath, your mind, your body and your soul and dedicated it before God, before the Supreme Being, the Lord of the Universe. Your power will be because of your complete and constant surrender to God and the Guru, the teacher who shows you how to get to God.

I write all these things because there is too much doubt about the spiritual path nowadays. Spirituality and God have just become an empty belief, a childish belief, without any reality, substance, without any true effects and changes taking place within the human psyche, without the idea of God changing our character, improving our character and expanding our awareness about ourselves, without us gaining insight into the impact of our actions on others. True religion makes one a better human being day by day. Nowadays, religion makes one more egotistical day by day.

Therefore... a true religion, a true path is difficult to find within this modern world, but there are paths that exist, and they are very difficult to walk, but the rewards for walking them are mind-blowing and heart-rendering, making you glow and grow beyond what you can ever imagine.

I am always looking for people who want to walk a spiritual path, so if you feeling a calling towards walking such a path please get in touch and allow us to humbly serve you.

Sat Naam.