Halal or Not Halal

By Amar Prakash

I have always found the concept of Halal very mystifying. Recently there has been much comment about the subject, especially the controversy over comments made by Inder Singh Ghagga that stated that Guru Nanak may have eaten Halal. With this in mind, I wanted to really look at what Halal is and what the Gurus said about.

According to the Rehit, one of the transgressions of a Sikh is to not eat the meat of an animal slaughtered in the Muslim way.I believe that we have confused how an animal is killed and what Halal really is. It is a moot point that there is no humane way to kill an animal. If you believe that it is unacceptable to eat a chicken that has had its throat slit and bled to death but somehow find it acceptable to eat a chicken that has died by having an electrode shoved up its rectum and electrocuted, you are totally missing the point.


What really makes something Halal is not the method of killing but the fact that some ritual or prayer has somehow made the food sanctified or purified in order to make it acceptable and thus every thing else as unacceptable. There should not be any food that is acceptable or unacceptable to a Sikh because Sikhs have no such rituals.

With this said, I find that the group that is most upset about the comments about Guru Nanak eating Halal, the Akhand Kirtini Jatha, has a diet that is almost a text book example of the above definition of Halal.

Let's take a look at what the Gurus had to say about Halal.

"Let what is earned righteously be your blessed food." Guru Arjan page 1084

To Guru Arjan, the only thing that would make a food not blessed would be to earn it non righteously.

In fact, the aim of a Sikh is to become Halal and be purified by the knife in order to be “attached to the Lord.”

"First Mehl: The knife is Truth, and its steel is totally True. Its workmanship is incomparably beautiful. It is sharpened on the grindstone of the Shabad. It is placed in the scabbard of virtue. If the Shaykh is killed with that, then the blood of greed will spill out. One who is slaughtered in this ritualistic way, will be attached to the Lord. O Nanak, at the Lord's door, he is absorbed into His Blessed Vision. 2 "Guru Nanak page 956

The only thing that a Sikh should consider as Halal is a Liberated One.

"FIRST MEHL: The fools argue about flesh and meat, but they know nothing about meditation and spiritual wisdom. What is called meat, and what is called green vegetables? What leads to sin?" Guru Nanak page 1289

What I believe the Guru is saying is that food is food and it is foolish to argue about what we should eat. How can there be a sin committed when all we are doing is eating to survive. Then how can a sin be committed if the meat is Halal or not. It is in the mind of the individual if it is Halal or not. I choose to see nothing as Halal and I believe Guru Nanak would have also. I believe that if the food that was served to Guru Nanak was Halal, the food that he ate was not. Eating has nothing to do with spiritual attainment and neither is the manner that it is prepared.


Later he writes:

“Those who renounce meat, and hold their noses when sitting near it, devour men at night. They practice hypocrisy, and make a show before other people, but they do not understand anything about meditation or spiritual wisdom. O Nanak, what can be said to the blind people? They cannot answer, or even understand what is said. They alone are blind, who act blindly. They have no eyes in their hearts. They are produced from the blood of their mothers and fathers, but they do not eat fish or meat.” Guru Nanak page 1289

Here the Guru is saying that vegetarians who look down their noses at people who eat meat are also fools. I remember a conversation I had with a woman from 3HO. I mentioned that someone who we both knew ate meat. Her reply was: 'Then how can he be an Amritdhari Sikh?' This is exactly what Guruji condemns in the above.

Table of Contents

"Eliminate Duality"

"Imagine ... No religion too,…"

Thoughts on Christianity

Contemplation

Here Now or Here After?

Devolution

"Break on Through to the Other Side"

"Losing My Religion"

Veil of Illusion

"Mired in Maya"

Eliminate Duality

by Amar Prakash

"Truth is available only to those who have the courage to question whatever they have been taught." (Unknown) And the real crime is that very few have the courage to do this.

"Guru Nanak opposed what he considered to be the ineffective and distracting rituals of Hinduism and Islam. Insistence of their careful observance resulted in the formalism which kept the worshiper preoccupied with the temporal to the neglect of the spiritual. Thus he would assert that 'Rituals and ceremonies are the chains of the mind.' p. 635."
                     

krm Drm bMDkwrI ]

Religious rituals and ceremonies are traps.  
Guru Nanak p. 135

It's rehits that have "resulted in the formalism" which keep us separated from the Spiritual and in these "chains" and "traps," Sikhism has built it's own prison, unable to see beyond the Veil of Illusion to attain the Spiritual or Transcendent World. 

The following are quotes from the Adi Granth. I find it amazing that the first two are from pages 2 and 3 of Jap Bani. These are read every day but no one seems to be paying any attention.

qIriQ nwvw jy iqsu Bwvw ivxu Bwxy ik nwie krI ]

If I am pleasing to Him, then that is my pilgrimage and cleansing bath. Without pleasing Him, what good are ritual cleanings? 
p. 2 Guru Nanak

mMnY mgu n clY pMQu ]

The faithful do not follow empty religious rituals. 
p. 3 Guru Nanak

isrIrwgu mhlw 3 ]

mnmuK krm kmwvxy ijau dohwgix qin sIgwru ]

syjY kMqu n AwveI inq inq hoie KuAwru ]

ipr kw mhlu n pwveI nw dIsY Gru bwru ]1]

Siree Raag, Third Mehla:

The self-willed manmukh performs religious rituals, like the unwanted bride decorating her body. Her Husband Lord does not come to her bed; day after day, she grows more and more miserable. She does not attain the Mansion of His Presence; she does not find the door to His House. ||1|| 
p. 31 Guru Amardas

isrIrwgu mhlw 3 ]

kWieAw swDY aurD qpu krY ivchu haumY n jwie ]

AiDAwqm krm jy kry nwmu n kb hI pwie ]

gur kY sbid jIvqu mrY hir nwmu vsY min Awie ]1]

Siree Raag, Third Mehla:

You may torment your body with extremes of self-discipline, practice intensive meditation and hang upside-down, but your ego will not be eliminated from within. You may perform religious rituals, and still never obtain the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, remain dead while yet alive, and the Name of the Lord shall come to dwell within the mind. ||1|| 
p. 33 Guru Amardas

suix pMifq krmw kwrI ]

ijqu krim suKu aUpjY BweI su Awqm qqu bIcwrI ] rhwau ]

Listen, O ritualistic Pandit: that religious ritual which produces happiness, O Siblings of Destiny, is contemplation of the essence of the soul. ||Pause||

p. 635 Guru Nanak

siB sMjm rhy isAwxpw ]

All strict rituals are just clever contrivances. 

p. 72 Guru Nanak

It is because of these rituals and regulations that understanding becomes nearly impossible. It is ironic that at one time I enjoyed the rituals of gurdwara and was a strict adherent of the rahit. But since I have had glimpses beyond the Veil of Illusion, I see these  rituals as road blocks to true understanding and result in Duality.

As I have said in the past: the Gurus were almost never talking about the temporal but only speaking of the transcendent. It is the rituals that keeps everyone from seeing this. In other words, the transcendent has become the temporal and everything is seen as real and not metaphors for the transcendent. Let's take a look at how rituals have led to much confusion and misunderstanding.

The first misunderstanding concerns Gurdwara. This the most important because from this other misunderstanding have arisen.

The big misunderstanding concerns the definition of Gurdwara. Gurdwara doesn't mean "Door to the Guru." 

cMdnu cIiq vswieAw mMdru dsvw duAwru ]

Like the essence of sandalwood, He permeates her consciousness, and the Temple of the Tenth Gate is opened. 
Guru Nanak p. 54

The Tenth Gate, Dasam Dwaar, is the true Gurdwara that exists in the Spiritual Realm. The door to the Guru should be referred to as the gate to ritualism because that is what it really is. The Guru's Gate is one way. The Guru goes through it to the Spiritual World of your mind.but you don't. It's a one way street.

I would like to ask: Is there any real learning happening in gurdwara? I really don't think so. They are held captive by Grantis who have little or no understanding of what the Gurus were talking about. And all the misunderstandings and misconceptions are perpetuated. This is what Guru Nanak meant on page 464: `The leaders of Sikhism are "the magicians (who) perform their magic in the market place, creating a false illusion." 

In the Guru's times they had Dharmasalas. There, people were living and learning the Dharma. That doesn't seem to be happening today.

The teachings of Guru Nanak are about being liberated and not how to become liberated. There are no tools or technologies. Otherwise the teachings would be nothing more than a "How to Book" or even worse: "Liberation for the Complete Idiot." If it were so easy, but it isn't and that's the reason there are so few who are liberated.

gurmuiK ivrlw bUJY koeI ]5]

How rare is that Gurmukh who understands. 
Guru Nanak p. 224

jlu iblovY jlu mQY qqu loVY AMDu AigAwnw ]

The blind ignorant mortal stirs the water and churns the water, wishing to obtain butter. Following the Guru's Teachings, one churns the cream, and the treasure of the Ambrosial Naam is obtained. The self-willed manmukh is a beast; he does not know the essence of reality that is contained within himself. Guru Nanak p. 1008

Also it is gurdwara that leads the guru panth down the path away from Gurdwara and Guru.

As can be said: 

mnmuK mUV mwieAw icq vwsu ]

The leaders of Sikhism are `the magicians (who) perform their magic in the market place, creating a false illusion.

Guru Nanak p. 464.

Only the Guru can break the Veil of Illusion by opening your tenth Gate and showering you with true Amrit.

The two other concepts that are misunderstood are Ishnaan and Amrit.

mÚ 4 ]
gur siqgur kw jo isKu AKwey su Blky auiT hir nwmu iDAwvY ]
audmu kry Blky prBwqI iesnwnu kry AMimRq sir nwvY ]

Fourth Mehla:
One who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name.
Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe, and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar.
Guru Ram Das, p. 305

This is probably most quoted and the most understood Shabads written by any Guru. Guru Ram Das is speaking about performing Ishnaan.

Most people believe that Ishnaan is physically taking a dip or taking a bath. But this is not true. How can you take a dip in something that is ethereal, Amrit?

Ishnaan is a mental state where you feel that your Tenth Gate (the True Gurdwara) has been opened and within your brain you are taking a bath in the Ambrosial Nectar:

mnu mqvwr myr sr BwTI AMimRq Dwr cuAwvau ]1]

"Let your mind be intoxicated with the stream of Ambrosial Nectar which trickles down from the furnace of the Tenth Gate.1" Bhagat Kabir page 1123

Your eyes tear:

AMimRqu bolY sdw muiK vYxI ] AMimRqu vyKY prKY sdw nYxI ]

"Those who continually chant the Ambrosial Words of Nectar see and behold this Amrit everywhere with their eyes." Guru Amar Das page 118

And you can taste the Amrit:

siqguir idqw hir nwmu AMimRqu ciKAw ]

"The True Guru has blessed me with the Lord's Name, and I have tasted the Ambrosial Nectar." Guru Arjan page 523

These and many others, such as Sach Khand, Kirpan, Sadh Sangat, GurPrasad and Lavaan, exist only in your Transcendent Mind.

Although the Gurus teachings are about the Transcendent Realm, They are also important in the temporal world, as George Harrison wrote: "I'm living in a physical world." 

And what does Gurmat tell us how to live in this world without being caught up in the Duality of Maya.

We are to be detached: 

jl purwiein rs kml prIK ]

This is the true mark of wisdom: that one remains detached, like the water-lily, or the lotus upon the water. Guru Nanak p. 152

We are to be humble: 

rwm Bgiq jnu rhY inrwrw ]2]

The humble devotee of the Lord remains unattached.
Guru Nanak p. 354

We are to live modestly: 

nwnku AwKY rwih pY clxw mwlu Dnu ikq kU sMijAwhI ]4]27]

Says Nanak, you will have to walk on the Path of Death, so why do you bother to collect wealth and property?
Guru Nanak p. 24

We are to live with daily remembrance of the Guru's Grace: 

qIrQu sbd bIcwru AMqir igAwnu hY ]

My sacred shrine of pilgrimage is spiritual wisdom within, and contemplation on the Word of the Shabad.
Guru Nanak p. 687

We are to live as a Householder: 

so igrhI so dwsu audwsI ijin gurmuiK Awpu pCwinAw ]

He is a householder, he is a renunciate and God's slave, who, as Gurmukh, realizes his own self.
Guru Nanak p. 1332 

Renunciate is a key word here.

There is nothing that tells us to walk around with majesty wearing a crown on our heads.

There is nothing that tells us to attain wealth and live in mansions.

We are to live humble and simple lives, understand Gurmat, honestly earn our living and share those earnings with others.

But it is easy to see that especially in the West the lives of Sikhs are completely the opposite of this. We have become caught up in the Life of Prosperity or as Guru Nanak said on page 222: 

mnmuK mUV mwieAw icq vwsu ]

The consciousness of the foolish, self-willed manmukh is the dwelling place of Maya.
Guru Nanak p. 222: 

As can be said: 

swcy gur kI swcI sIK ] qnu mnu sIqlu swcu prIK ] jl purwiein rs kml prIK ] sbid rqy mITy rs eIK ]3]

True are the Teachings of the True Guru. The body and mind are cooled and soothed, by the touchstone of Truth. This is the true mark of wisdom: that one remains detached, like the water-lily, or the lotus upon the water. Attuned to the Word of the Shabad, one becomes sweet, like the juice of the sugar cane. ||3||

Guru Nanak, p. 152

Awsw mhlw 5 ]
BeI prwpiq mwnuK dyhurIAw ] goibMd imlx kI ieh qyrI brIAw ] Avir kwj qyrY ikqY n kwm ]
imlu swDsMgiq Bju kyvl nwm ]1] srMjwim lwgu Bvjl qrn kY ] jnmu ibRQw jwq rMig mwieAw kY ]1] rhwau ]

Aasaa, Fifth Mehla:
This human body has been given to you. This is your chance to meet the Lord of the Universe. Nothing else will work. Join the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; vibrate and meditate on the Jewel of the Naam. ||1|| Make every effort to cross over this terrifying world-ocean. You are squandering this life uselessly in the love of Maya. ||1||Pause||

Yet, most everyone continues to squander this human birth.

"Imagine…No Religion too,…"

By Amar Prakash

"Imagine ... No religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace..." John Lennon wrote these words and concluded with: "You may say I'm a dreamer,..." Well, I don't have to imagine or be a dreamer to realize this because Guru Nanak gave us "no religion."

When Guru Nanak emerged from his Meditation, he was quoted as saying: 'There is no Hindu and there is no Muslim. Then who's path should I follow? I will follow the path of Truth.' Was he saying that Hinduism and Islam had ceased to be relevant religions and that he was going to start a new religion that would be a syncretism of both? No, he was saying that there was no religion and if he were alive today he would say: 'There is no Sikh.' His next utterance was Mool Mantar. We only have to look at the first line of Mool Mantar to understand what he was talking about. To really understand this, you have to look at what Ek Ong Kaar, Sat Nam means. Does it mean 'There is one God (Creator) and Truth is His Name?' Or does it just mean 'There is One Truth?' I believe that it is the second. Was there truth before Guru Nanak? Yes, that is what is meant by Aad Sachch. "The Truth was in the beginning." It's the Truth that we are after. Truth is our Sat Guru. It may be a trite statement but 'The Truth will set you free.'

I believe that Guru Nanak was taking all the attributes that people believe that God or Gods possess and distilled them down to one idea and that is the Truth. The Truth transcends all other concepts. It is not limited by preconceived notions of what God is. Western and especially British concepts of God and religion are very limiting but have come to define the way Sikhs approach the teachings of the Gurus.

Sikhs had the Truth and the Truth was passed on to the Adi Granth. One of the Truths that Guru Nanak taught was the uselessness of rules and rituals. What do golden temples, marble floors, chauri sahibs made with silver strands, jedhadars, singh sahibs, siri singh sahibs, have to do with the Truth. Absolutely Nothing!! Because he knew what would happen to the Truth if it was turned into a religion, he taught a Spiritual Path. A Spiritual Path that entailed attaining the Truth.

Guru Nanak understood that religion and spirituality were mutually exclusive. Being religious has nothing to do with being spiritual.

And just how do we attain this truth? Nam Simran is remembering and contemplating the Naam or the Truth. Chanting or meditating on a mantra such as WaheGuru is a dead end. You will never attain any understanding of the Truth by this method. Jap is the title of Jap Bani, which means a meditation. Meditation can be defined as engaging in devoted religious contemplation or transcendental spiritual introspection. I have come to the realization that the true meaning of "Jap" is contemplation. This becomes more apparent when you realize that "Rahao" is the only command and appears several thousand times in the Guru Granth.

What is Rahao? The Rahao line of a Shabad is the essence or meaning of the Shabad. What does Rahao mean? Loosely translated it means Pause but it means more than that. It means Pause and Contemplate the previous line. It is said that Sikhi is a meditative religion but what it really is, is a Spiritual Path of Contemplation.

"God's name, Truth, is the real pilgrimage place which consists of contemplation of the word of God, and the cultivation of inner knowledge." Guru Nanak

"The state of Contemplation of the Lord in His Praises, is the Highest state of Mind of Sehaj, the Essence of Worship, which takes man to Highest Eternal Wisdom, Joy and Eternal Truth." Guru Arjan

Before you can begin to Contemplate you must first have meaning. Gurbani should be read and studied in the language that you understand. Phonetically reading Gurbani or reading a transliteration of Gurbani without meaning is an empty ritual and as Kabir would say, empty rituals are like churning water. No matter how long you churn, you will never get butter.

diD kY BolY ibrolY nIru ]1] rhwau ]

"Mistaking it for cream, the people are churning water." Bhagat Kabir

Through contemplation I have come to understand that everything in Sikhi is Transcendental, it's all in the mind, and what most people believe is grounded in Maya. Somewhere along the line, what was symbolic became real and what was real became symbolic. It's as if Sikhi has been hijacked by the people who most do not understand the Truth.

Awsw mhlw 5 ]

dwnu dyie kir pUjw krnw ] lYq dyq aun@ mUkir prnw ] ijqu dir qum@ hY bRwhmx jwxw ]

iqqu dir qUMhI hY pCuqwxw ]1] AYsy bRwhmx fUby BweI ] inrwprwD icqvih buirAweI ]1] rhwau ]

AMqir loBu iPrih hlkwey ] inMdw krih isir Bwru auTwey ]

mwieAw mUTw cyqY nwhI ] Brmy BUlw bhuqI rwhI ]2] bwhir ByK krih Gnyry ] AMqir ibiKAw auqrI Gyry ] Avr aupdysY Awip n bUJY ] AYsw bRwhmxu khI n sIJY ]3] mUrK bwmx pRBU smwil ] dyKq sunq qyrY hY nwil ] khu nwnk jy hovI Bwgu ] mwnu Coif gur crxI lwgu ]4]8]

"Aasaa, Fifth Mehl: They give you donations and worship you. You take from them, and then deny that they have given anything to you. That door, through which you must ultimately go, O Brahmin - at that door, you will come to regret and repent. 1 Such Brahmins shall drown, O Siblings of Destiny; they think of doing evil to the innocent. 1Pause Within them is greed, and they wander around like mad dogs. They slander others and carry loads of sin upon their heads. Intoxicated by Maya, they do not think of the Lord. Deluded by doubt, they wander off on many paths. 2 Outwardly, they wear various religious robes, but within, they are enveloped by poison. They instruct others, but do not understand themselves. Such Brahmins will never be emancipated. 3 O foolish Brahmin, reflect upon God. He watches and hears, and is always with you. Says Nanak, if this is your destiny, renounce your pride, and grasp the Guru's Feet." Guru Arjan

Guru Arjan warned us about this many years ago but we have not heeded his warnings. The farther away we get from the Guru's teachings of the Truth, the more we will stray.

As Yosuf Al Islam (Cat Stevens,) a British convert, said: "I thank Allah that I met Islam before I met Muslims." I sometimes wish that I had met the Truth as taught by Guru Nanak before I met Sikhs. This is not to say that there are no Sikhs who understand the Truth, but that they are few and far between.

Thoughts on Christianity

By Leo Tolstoy

Editor's note:

This essay by Leo Tolstoy is a critique of Christianity, "The Religion." With very little word modification it could be a critique of Sikhi, "The Religion," or a critique of any "Religion," even a critique of "Religion" in general.

I have included this essay by Tolstoy because there are many parallels between the developement of Christianity and Sikhi. It has been around 500 years since the time of Guru Nanak and it was at a similar time period that Christianity was wrestling with the same issues as Sikhi is facing today. Tolstoy was writing about some of the same issues that both religions faced and are facing: truth vs religion and the place of dogma.Sikhi has one advantage over Christianty, in that there is the Guru Granth. Jesus never wrote anything down, so the only source of what Jesus said is the Gospels. This would be like Sikhi being totally based on the Sakhis.

*****************************************************************************

The true Christian teaching is very simple, clear, and obvious to all, as Jesus said. But it is simple and accessible only when man is freed from that falsehood in which we were all educated, and which is passed off upon us as God's truth.

Nothing needful can be poured into a vessel full of what is useless. We must first empty out what is useless. So it is with the acquirement of true Christian teaching. We must first understand that all the stories telling how God made the world six thousand years ago; how Adam sinned and the human race fell; and how the Son of God, a God born of a virgin, came on earth and redeemed mankind; and all the fables in the Old Testament and in the Gospels, and all the lives of the saints with their stories of miracles and relics, are nothing but a gross hash of superstitions and priestly frauds. Only to someone quite free from this deception can the clear and simple teaching of Jesus, which needs no explanation, be accessible and comprehensible. That teaching tells us nothing about the beginning, or about the end, of the world, or about God and His purpose, or in general about things which we cannot, and need not, know; but it speaks only of what man must do to save himself, that is, how best to live the life he has come into, in this world, from birth to death. For this purpose it is only necessary to treat others as we wish them to treat us. In that is all the Law and the prophets, as Jesus said. And to act that way, we need neither icons, nor relics, nor church services, nor priests, nor catechisms, nor governments, but on the contrary, we need perfect freedom from all that; for to treat others as we wish them to treat us is possible only when a man is free from the fables which the priests give out as the truth, and is not bound by promises to act as other people may order. Only such a man will be capable of fulfilling, not his own will nor that of other men, but the will of God.

The reader should understand that the belief that the Gospels are the inspired word of God is not only a profound error, but a very harmful deception. He should remember that Jesus himself did not write a book, nor did he transmit his teaching to learned or even to educated men, but spoke for the most part to illiterate people, and only long after his death were his life and teaching described.

The reader should also remember that a large number of such descriptions have been written, from which the church selected at first three, and later a fourth Gospel, that out of the great mass of literature about Jesus they accepted much that was inaccurate. and that there are nearly as many faulty passages in the canoncal Gospels as in the rejected writings. Nor does it follow, becauce the teaching ofJesus is inspired, that all the descriptions are inspired. He should remember that these official Gospels are the work of many human minds; that over the centuries they have been selected, enlarged, and commented upon; and that the most ancient copies which have come down to us are only from the fourth century. The reader must remember all this in order to disengage himself from the idea, so common among us, that the Gospels, in their present form, have come to us directly from the Holy Spirit. If he does so, he will admit that, far from it being blamable to disencumber the Gospels of useless passages, and to illuminate passages the one by the other, it is unreasonable not to do this and to consider every one of these verses sacred.

On the other hand, I pray my readers to understand that, if I do not consider the Gospels to be sacred books, coming directly from the Holy Spirit, even less do I regard them as mere monuments in the history of religious literature. I am conscious of both their theological and historical significance, but I do not consider either of these important. What I see in Christianity is not a divine revelation nor a mere historical phenomenon, but a teaching that gives us the true meaning of life.

When, at the age of fifty, I first began to study the Gospels seriously, I found in them the spirit that animates all who are truly alive. But along with the flow of that pure, life-giving water, I perceived much mire and slime mingled with it; and this had prevented me from seeing the true, pure water. I found that, along with the lofty teaching of Jesus, there are teachings bound up which are repugnant and contrary to it. I thus felt myself in the position of a man to whom a sack of garbage is given, who, after long struggle and wearisome labor, discovers among the garbage a number of infinitely precious pearls. This man knows that he is not blameworthy in his distaste for the dirt, and also that those who have gathered these pearls along with the rest of the sackful, and who thus have preserved them, are no more to blame than he is, but, on the contrary, deserve his love and respect.

When I perceived that only light enables men to live, I sought the source of this light. And I found it in the Gospels, despite the false teachings of the church. And when I reached this source of light, I was dazzled by its splendor, and I found in it answers to all my questions about life, answers which I recognized as being in complete harmony with all the known answers gained

among other nations, and, to my mind, surpassing all other answers. I sought a solution to the problem of life, not to a theological question. And that is why I did not care about knowing whether Jesus is God, or whom the Holy Spirit proceeds from, etc. For me, the only important concern was this light, which for eighteen hundred years has been shining upon mankind,

which has been shining upon me as well, and which shines upon me still. But to know, in addition to this, how I ought to name the source of this light, what elements compose it, and what kindled it, did not interest me in the least.

Up to the present time, some people, conceiving Jesus to be the second person of the Trinity, accept his teaching only as it accords with that pseudo-revelation of the Holy Spirit which they find in the Old Testament, the Epistles, the Edicts of the Councils, and the Patristic writings, and preach a strange creed founded on these, which they assert to be the teaching of Jesus. Other people, who do not believe that Jesus is God, understand his teaching by the interpretation of Paul and others. But even though they believe that he was a man, they would deprive him of the right every man may claim, of being answerable for his own words, and in trying to explain his teaching, they credit him with what he would never have dreamed of saying.

Contemplation

By Amar Prakash

One of the first things that we learned in 3HO about Sikhi was that the Jap in Japji Sahib, was the only command in the Guru Granth and we Japped (Chanted) everything. But, was chanting what Jap was all about? Jap in this case is not even a command but is the title of Jap Bani and means Meditation. The truth is that Mul Mantar is it's own separate Bani and the first line of Japji is "It was True In The Beginning."

What is the meaning of meditation? Meditation can be defined as engaging in devout religious contemplation or transcendental spiritual introspection. I have come to the realization that the true meaning is contemplation. This becomes more apparent when you realize that Rahao is the only command and appears several thousand times in the Adi Granth.

What is Rahao? The Rahao line of a Shabad is the essence or meaning of the Shabad. What does Rahao mean? Loosely translated it means Pause but it means more than that. It means Pause and Contemplate the previous line. It is said that Sikhi is a meditative path but even more so, it is a Spiritual Path of Contemplation.

"God's name is the real pilgrimage place which consists of contemplation of the Word (Naam), and the cultivation of inner knowledge. " Guru Nanak

But what is the name of God. Contrary to popular belief the name of God is not WaheGuru. The chanting of WaheGuru is a fairly recent phenomenon which rises out of ignorance and misunderstanding of what the Gurus were talking about. There is absolutely no mention of WaheGuru in the Adi Granth except where Bhatt Gayand uses the term in praise Guru Ram Das. The chanting of WaheGuru is nothing more than some magical mystical mumbo jumbo that is being foisted off on the ignorant masses along with outrageous miracle stories that are not to believed.

When I was in 3HO I had many so called Kundalini and Tantric experiences but it only been through contemplation that I have experienced true Ishnaan moments.

Most people believe that Ishnaan is physically taking a dip or taking a bath. But this is not true. How can you take a dip in something that is ethereal, Amrit?

Ishnaan is a mental state where you feel that your Tenth Gate (the True Gurdwara) has been opened and within your brain you are taking a bath in the Ambrosial Nectar:

mnu mqvwr myr sr BwTI AMimRq Dwr cuAwvau ]1]

"Let your mind be intoxicated with the stream of Ambrosial Nectar which trickles down from the furnace of the Tenth Gate.1" Bhagat Kabir page 1123

Your eyes tear:

AMimRqu bolY sdw muiK vYxI ] AMimRqu vyKY prKY sdw nYxI ]

"Those who continually chant the Ambrosial Words of Nectar see and behold this Amrit everywhere with their eyes." Guru Amar Das page 118

And you can taste the Amrit:

siqguir idqw hir nwmu AMimRqu ciKAw ]

"The True Guru has blessed me with the Lord's Name, and I have tasted the Ambrosial Nectar." Guru Arjan page 523

"The state of Contemplation of the Lord in His Praises, is the Highest state of Mind of Sehaj, the Essence of Worship, which takes man to Highest Eternal Wisdom, Highest state of Mind of Sehaj" Guru Arjan

What is the first step in gaining the Highest "Eternal Wisdom, Joy and Eternal Truth?" Before you can begin to Contemplate you must first have meaning. Gurbani should be read and studied in the language that you understand. Phonetically reading Gurbani or reading a transliteration of Gurbani without meaning is an empty ritual and as Kabir would say, empty rituals are like churning water. No matter how long you churn, you will never get butter. And that is exactly what chanting WaheGuru is, water.

diD kY BolY ibrolY nIru ]1] rhwau ]

"Mistaking it for cream, the people are churning water." Bhagat Kabir

Here Now or Here After?

By Amar Prakash

"Be Here Now" is what Guru Nanak was talking about. Most religions are concerned with what happens to you after you die. Sikhi is concerned with what happens to you before you die. Although there are many mentions of reincarnation, the effects of Karma, heaven and hell, Chitar and Gupat etc., in the Guru Granth, these are only meant to be understood metaphorically. Owen Cole wrote about Guru Nanak: "...such ideas are not the one's which concern him utimately. His preoccupation was with enabling his listeners to become one with God and so escape the death of separation which awaited them if they persisted in duality."

Guru Nanak said what happens to us after death was a mystery: 

Byqu cyqu hir iksY n imilE jw jim pkiV clwieAw ]JUTw rudnu hoAw duoAwlY iKn mih BieAw prwieAw ] sweI vsqu prwpiq hoeI ijsu isau lwieAw hyqu ] khu nwnk pRwxI cauQY phrY lwvI luixAw Kyqu ]4]1]

"In the fourth watch of the night, O my merchant friend, the Grim Reaper comes to the field. When the Messenger of Death seizes and dispatches you, O my merchant friend, no one knows the mystery of where you have gone. So think of the Lord! No one knows this secret, of when the Messenger of Death will seize you and take you away. All your weeping and wailing then is false. In an instant, you become a stranger.You obtain exactly what you have longed for. Says Nanak, in the fourth watch of the night, O mortal, the Grim Reaper has harvested your field." page 74

His concern was with conquering the fear of death: 

AMimRq kw rsu ivrlI pwieAw siqgur myil imlwey ] jb lgu sbd Bydu nhI AwieAw qb lgu kwlu sMqwey ]3] An ko dru Gru kbhU n jwnis eyko dru sicAwrw ] gur prswid prm pdu pwieAw nwnku khY ivcwrw ]4]3]4]

"Only a few obtain the sublime essence of the Ambrosial Amrit, united in Union with the True Guru. As long as the mortal does not come to understand the mystery of the Shabad, the Word of God, he shall continue to be tormented by death. Whoever finds the door of the One True Lord, does not know any other house or door. By Guru's Grace, I have obtained the supreme status; so says poor Nanak." Guru Nanak page 1126

mukiq Bugiq jugiq qyrI syvw ijsu qUM Awip krwieih ] qhw bYkuMTu jh kIrqnu qyrw qUM Awpy srDw lwieih ]2]

"Liberation, comfort and proper lifestyle come from serving You; You alone cause us to serve You. That place is heaven, where the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises are sung. You Yourself instill faith into us." Guru Arjan page 749

kauqk kof qmwisAw iciq n Awvsu nwau ] nwnk koVI nrk brwbry aujVu soeI Qwau ]2]

"In the midst of millions of games and entertainments, the Lord's Name does not come to their minds. O Nanak, their home is like a wilderness, in the depths of hell." Guru Arjan page 707

As usual the Guru's are speaking about Transcendent concepts in a metaphorical manner. It is a big misunderstanding to see these as real. One example of this is the concept of Sach Khand.

kir kir vyKY ndir inhwl ] iqQY KMf mMfl vrBMf ] jy ko kQY q AMq n AMq ] iqQY loA loA Awkwr ] ijv ijv hukmu iqvY iqv kwr ] vyKY ivgsY kir vIcwru ] nwnk kQnw krVw swru ]37]

"In the realm of Truth (Sach Khand,) the Formless Lord abides. Having created the creation, He watches over it. By His Glance of Grace, He bestows happiness. There are planets, solar systems and galaxies. If one speaks of them, there is no limit, no end. There are worlds upon worlds of His Creation. As He commands, so they exist. He watches over all, and contemplating the creation, He rejoices. O Nanak, to describe this is as hard as steel!" Guru Nanak page 6

Sach Khand is not something that you go to when you die. Sach Khand is a state of mind that you enter when you are alive.

I remember going to a Bhog for a friend of mine, who had died. There was a lot of chanting of Akal, Akal, to help the soul's passage to Sach Khand. The truth is that if you are not in Sach Khand when you are alive, no amount of chanting after you are dead will get you there. It is also a misguided belief that Guru Gobind Singh rode his blue steed into Sach Khand. This is the kind of misunderstanding that can fill your mind when you literally interpret Gurbani.