First few days in Reykjavik…

I found this post today, October 1.  I wrote this on January 30, 2011 while in Reykjavik Iceland.  Enjoy!

I’ve been in Reykjavik going on 48 hours. All my molecules have arrived now…which means the bulk of the jetlag has been overcome.   It’s about 2:30 in the morning and I’m typing in the dark in my tiny and wonderful room in my hosts’ home.  I can’t yet really spell their names but I’m getting close to being able to pronounce them reasonably well as I figure  them out one by one.  Gudrun Darshan and her husband Logi and son live next door.  I’m staying with Gudrun Darshan’s parents.   The Icelandic language is difficult.  There are a couple of consonants that are completely unique to Icelandic and many consonants and vowels that are pronounced in ways that are completely unique to my tongue.    And they are not always as they’re written.  For example, there’s a consonant that, when pronounced, starts with an ‘h’ sound and ends in a trilling ‘r but you wouldn’t know it by looking at it.  My hosts explain and patiently demonstrate these to me.  I practice them and get them down to some degree of reasonableness, but then the words and unique little pronunciation twists seem to float away in the cool Icelandic breeze.  This surprises me and I feel a bit of a let down that the words have drifted away.  Most Icelanders speak English very well, however.  So, when you go to the store or the pool or speak with pretty much anyone, they readily switch to fluent English.  I had a funny moment last night in the kitchen at Gudrun Darshan’s home.  Sara, her 19 year old daughter, and I were in there together and Sara shouted a question to the living room.  I replied to her without missing a beat — ‘it’s on the table’.  I could tell that she was asking if there was salad.  We laughed a little bit at the fact I actually could understand.  I told her that I could understand Icelandic far better than I can speak it.  Ha!  That is purely a joke.

I taught a Kundalini Yoga class at Audur’s yoga center downtown.  Gudrun Darshan’s mother gave me a ride.  I had a few minutes to walk around the area.  Across the street is a small white house where Gorbachav and Reagan held a summit in the 1980s that is said to have marked the beginning of the end of the cold war.  The house faces the sea and there is a busy highway between it and the sea.  Reykjavik stretches far in both directions.  Iceland has only 300,000 inhabitants and most are in Reykjavik.  It’s bigger are more spread out than I imagined.  There is a sleek and  large black building nearby that Gudrun Darshan’s mother, Hallveig, tells me has become the symbol of the economic collapse of Iceland in 2008.  Many of the offices within it are empty and dark.  There are quite a few banks in Iceland — sleek, glassy, beautiful buildings.  From the outside, they look vital and in a ‘life proceeds on’ sort of way.  I do know that the economy and the people of Iceland are deeply impacted by their economic collapse. Where it was once easy to get jobs, it’s not so easy any more.  The kroner has devalued so things are more expensive for Icelanders than they used to be (but way less expensive for visitors!).  Opinions run strong.   Of course, we in the states experience all of this in a similar way as well.  The impact here, however, is uniquely palpable and acute.

Audur’s yoga center, LÓTUS JÓGASETUR, is on the 4th and top floor of a building nearby.  http://jogasetrid.is/   I had the pleasure and honor of teaching her 5:45 pm class.  She began with a dance warmup at 5:30.  Audur was an accomplished ballerina and leads the women in free movement.  We danced to Mool Mantra and Ang Sang Wahe Guru from my Kundalini Beat album.  This is somewhat surreal and delightful for me — to dance to this together and to witness the women’s freedom and abandon as they move to these songs.  I sing all the words as I dance.  🙂

I taught a kriya from Dr. Siri Atma Singh’s book ‘Waves of Healing’ on the pranic body and vitality.  It was a powerful kriya with lots of breath to oxygenate the blood and increase the flow of energy in the body.  It was my first time teaching in Iceland and I worked to speak more slowly and enunciate more clearly so I could be more readily understood.  I’m aware that my English is full of all sorts of slang and casual colloquialisms that could make it hard to be understood me sometimes.  I’ll be conscious and careful of that as I teach these next three days. We ended with the Wahe Guru meditation for releasing fear, which seemed fitting after all of this work on the pranic body.

After teaching, I walked about a mile to the public pool where I swam and soaked in the hot pots and sat in the steam room.  The pool complex is huge with an indoor and outdoor pool and a large outdoor water play area.  The pool rules are very clear and adhered to — remove your shoes before entering the changing rooms, shower completely without your swimsuit and with soap before you enter the pools, and, after your swim/soak, dry off completely after you shower and before you enter the changing area.  I met Hallveig in the hot pot with the jets.   The bubbling hot pot.  After my swim, I walked another 1/2 mile home.  I felt quite accomplished and independent to be able to walk from one place to the other by myself.  Mind you, this particular journey was all on a single road but there was a bit of a sense of anxiety that I was out on my own.  My phone is programmed with the right numbers and the pool is a good landmark.  In fact, the big black building that is the icon of the economic collapse is a solid landmark.  I knew that if I moved away from that, I was headed in the right direction.  There’s a metaphor in there, perhaps.

Time to go back to sleep.

Winter Winds of Reykjavik

It’s late at night in Reykjavik and, once again, I am in the experience of lingering jetlag.  So far, every night I awake at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and am awake for many hours.  Tonight I sit in the dark in my cozy little room and listen to the wind outside.  It is a wet, cold wind that I am told is more common to a Reykjavik autumn than winter.  The students in the teacher training tell me that the winter in this part of Iceland is once again mild as it has been for the past several years.  This damp wind gusts and surges through the trees throughout the neighborhood.  It’s a comforting sound and sensation for me.  In northern New Mexico, the spring winds are dry, strong, dusty, and incredibly intense.  They shake the house from the south and are deeply irritating for me.   It’s not a simple irritation.  It really goes deep into my being.   These winds are why I find spring to be my least favorite season in New Mexico, even with the promise of green and renewal.  But this damp, gusty, swirling Reykjavik-ian wind brings me great comfort.

My throat is a little scratchy and I could be getting a little sick, probably directly because of that damp, cold wind.  I am very cautious about this.  I had been foregoing wrapping my neck with a scarf, even though I’ve been carrying one around.  Now when I go outside, the scarf is cozily around my throat.  I have been drinking water and Icelandic moss tea, taking homeopathics, and resting — even as I sit here in my jetlagged awakeness.  We will have group sadhana (daily meditation) at the yoga center tomorrow morning.  I am prayerful that I will attend but my priority will be to rest, particularly given that I am awake now. Here is the website for the yoga center, by the way http://www.andartak.is

We have one more day of the three days of teacher training.  We are definitely on track with what I have intended to cover.  The topics are sound & mantra and mind & meditation, which interweave very very nicely.  I simply love being in Iceland.  I love the feel and the easy pace and lovely, smiling hearts of the people.   I love working with these wonderful students as we collectively work with the material and draw forth our own experiences to make the topics palpable and taste-able.  We are having great fun and getting to new places of awareness and understanding.  I always learn so much when I teach.  I am deeply grateful.

Relating the pronunciation of the mantras of Kundalini Yoga to Icelandic equivalents is fascinating and a valuable means of figuring it all out.   I can see, in a new way, how the language of Gurmukhi is quite simple, really.  We often say that when Guru Amar Das designed the written script in the 15th century, he did it in such a way to be particularly simple and accessible so that anyone could learn it and have access to the wisdom of the words.  I can see more clearly that, in Gurmukhi, what you see is what you get.  When you know the rules and learn the alphabet, you can figure it out, read it and pronounce it reasonably well.  Learning to speak just a little bit of Icelandic has helped me to understand this much more deeply.  Icelandic is beautiful and fascinating and rich … and quite complex.  From a pronunciation standpoint, what you see is often NOT what you get.  For example, ‘yes’ in Icelandic is  Já but it is pronounced e-yow.  And sometimes they say Já on the inhale rather than the exhale in a sort of hushed whisper.  After being here for a few days, I can hear this whispered hush more readily in the patter of Icelandic around me. 

It’s time for sleep, or at least a non-computer sort of rest.  The winter wind continues to sigh and blow outside.  The wind of language and hushed e-yows and the sensation mantras moving through my throat sigh and blow within me.

Blessings

Yogi Tea Recipe – The best version I know of!

I’ve made a lot of Yogi Tea in my day.  Early on, I didn’t measure the spices very accurately and came up with some not-so-great tasting brew, particularly when I put too much cloves in the mix.  My good friend Shanti Shanti Kaur tested the combinations and measures of spices until she got it just right.  I always use the recipe now and it always works for me:

Ingredients:

Good Cinnamon — 13 long sticks (6″ or so)

3 Tablespoons cardamom pods — pound them so they open up (I roll them with a rolling pin)

1 Tablespoon cloves

1 1/3 Tablespoons peppercorns

As much as two handfuls of peeled and chopped ginger in long sticks

2 1/2 to 3 gallons water (I use a big pot that I have — holds about 2 gallons or so)

Wait until the water is at a full boil  Add the ingredients.  Lower the heat to a slow roll (not a lot of steam) and simmer for 2 hours.  As soon as it’s cooled off enough to handle it, strain the tea (or else it will get bitter).

On my way to Iceland

I’ll be leaving for Iceland on Tuesday morning where I have the honor and pleasure of teaching in a Level 1 Kundalini Yoga teacher training course there, as well as teaching a Naad Yoga workshop and presenting a concert.   Plus I hope to soak in hot springs, take in Reykjavik, visit the countryside a bit (hopefully!), and maybe ride an Icelandic horse (very furry this time of year).  I’ve been anticipating this trip with great enthusiasm for months and months, studying about Icelandic culture and history, watching the news, getting a feel for what it might be like, imagining myself being there, and, perhaps most importantly, imagining myself TEACHING there and meditating about what might be most important to convey.  As is my specialty, I will be focusing primarily on sound and mantra.  That being said, how the teaching comes forth is unique each time I teach depending on the moment, the students, the culture, and the result of ‘tuning in’ using Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo before we teach.  As we say ‘Ong Namo and away we go!’

You might imagine my excitement when I received the email from Gudrun/Darshan Kaur inviting me to teach.  I immediately sent emails to her from three different email accounts to make absolutely certain she got my reply!  A little overboard, perhaps, but I didn’t want this opportunity to slip me by.  This connection began about 5 or 6 years ago, when a lovely Icelandic woman named Audur/Siri Avtar Kaur came to study at the KRI teacher training here in New Mexico.  She was introduced to Kundalini Yoga through Gurmukh’s yoga dvd.  Darshan Kaur and another Icelandic woman came to New Mexico the year following Audur’s visit to also go through the training.   Audur and I have remained in contact and I have been longing to visit Iceland all this time.  In fact, I was planning to visit in early 2009 but broke my ankle and was unable to go.  Darshan Kaur emailed me when a teacher was unable to come and she was looking for a replacement.  I believe Deva Kaur from Florida suggested I come.  Also, the lead trainer, Shiv Charan Singh, knows me and my work.

In preparation for my trip, I’ve tried my hand (tongue?) at learning a little tiny bit of Icelandic learning a few words here and there that aren’t particularly useful but are fascinating to look at and attempt to pronounce.  My first, as some of you know, was ‘kakkalakin’ or ‘cockroach’.  I’ve been informed by my host that there aren’t many — maybe no – cockroaches in Iceland.  But it’s a fun word nonetheless.  Darshan Kaur also taught me the word for awesome which is ‘meiriháttar’.  I say ‘awesome’ alot.  Per Darshan, ei is pronounced like a in alien, á is pron. ou like in outsch! and tt is pron. as if there was an h in front of it, and a is pron. like a in afternoon.

Now I’m going through my final preparations to go.  Making sure I prep the material I’m teaching, have the materials and tools that I need, and pack enough but not too much (I tend to overpack).  I have my camera and I’ll bring a computer so, by God’s Grace, I’ll blog a bit.

For fun, here’s my bio in Icelandic…  🙂

Dev Suroop Kaur er fjölhæfur tónlistarmaður og hefur gefið út fjölda geisladiska sem njóta vinsælda í kundalini-heiminum. Hún kennir Kundalini jóga og Naad yoga (jóga sem byggir á hljóði). Dev Suroop Kaur notfærir sér list hljóðsins til að ná fram heilun og umbreytingu. Hennar sérsvið eru að kenna kennurum Kundalini jóga og meðvituð samskipti auk þess að kenna öðrum að nálgast fegurðina og kraftinn sem býr í röddinni.
Dev Suroop Kaur kynntist Kundalini jóga árið 1983 og hitti kennara sinn, Yogi Bhajan, meistara í Kundalini jóga, stuttu síðar. Þá hófst langt og ríkt ferðalag andlegrar iðkunar, náms og vaxtar. Hún býr með manni sínum í Espanola, New Mexico og starfar við tónlist og sem framkvæmdastjóri.

Biggest blessings!

Prosperity & the Value of Giving – Translated into German

Here is the prosperity article I wrote for the German Kundalini Yoga Journal, translated into German (about 1/2 of the article).

Novemberausgabe 2008

Wohlstand und der Wert des Gebens –

Yogi Bhajans Lehren umgesetzt

Von Dev Suroop Kaur Khalsa, New Mexico

Ich kann mich daran erinnern, wie sehr mich Yogi Bhajans Konzept des

Wohlstands am Anfang, als ich gerade seine Schülerin geworden war,

herausgefordert und an meine Grenzen gebracht hat. Für mich hatte es

immer mit finanziellem Wohlstand und Reichtum zu tun gehabt, ich

hatte die Vorstellung, wenn ich versuchen wollte, „wohlhabender“ zu

werden, dass es meine primäre Absicht sein müsste, Geld anzuhäufen,

damit ich mehr Besitz oder einen hohen Netto Wert hätte. Aber wenn ich

um mich schaute, wusste ich, dass finanzieller Wohlstand allein kein

bleibendes Glück und wirkliche Zufriedenheit bringen konnte. Nach

dieser Definition war „Wohlstand keine hohe Priorität für mich.

Yogi Bhajan hingegen benutzte für Wohlstand Begriffe, die viel

umfassender und weitreichender waren als alle meine Vorstellungen in

Bezug auf dieses Konzept. Für ihn war Wohlstand die vollständige

Verwirklichung des Glücks, der Erfüllung und des Sinns im Leben eines

Menschen. Er lehrte, dass der Schlüssel zum Wohlstand darin lag,

solche essentiellen Werte wie Charakter, Integrität und Nobilität zu

pflegen. Anstatt dem Erfolg und dem Glück hinterherzujagen, ging es in

erster Linie darum, still zu werden und auszustrahlen – damit alles zu

dir kommt, was du brauchst.

„Ein Mensch im Wohlstand zeichnet sich durch bestimmte Merkmale

aus. Für diesen Menschen ist Reichtum an sich nicht das eigentliche

Ziel. Der tritt sowieso ein. Ein Mensch im Wohlstand häuft nicht Fülle

an, sondern die Fülle der Fülle. Wie auch immer sich die Umstände

gestalten, ein Mensch im Wohlstand erschafft, erledigt und erfüllt. Er

bleibt gleichmütig und beständig trotz aller Widrigkeiten und

Belastungen. So ein Mensch wird niemals die Werte seines Charakters

oder seiner Identität aufs Spiel setzen, um einen kurzfristigen Gewinn zu

erzielen. Er wird sich immer an die Gegenwart und die Möglichkeiten des

Unendlichen in jedem Menschen erinnern. Er wird Ausdauer, Hingabe

und Achtsamkeit kultivieren. Für so einen Menschen ist Wohlstand so

natürlich wie der Atem, so unbegrenzt wie der Geist und so unmittelbar

wie dieser Moment.“ (Yogi Bhajan)*

Uns daran zu erinnern, dass wir zeitlose sind, Tod-lose Wesen sind, ist

ganz unmittelbar mit Wohlstand und der Erfüllung unserer Bestimmung

verbunden. Und doch erfährt jeder von uns in seinem Leben die

andauernde Herausforderung der Versuchungen und Anforderungen der

materiellen Welt und die Neigung des Verstandes und des Egos, uns in

die falsche Identifizierung mit Begrenzungen zu ziehen. Uns so in den

Griff zu bekommen, dass wir an jenen stillen Ort unserer eigenen

inneren Unendlichkeit gelangen – unserem „Sat Nam“ – erfordert Übung,

Unterweisung, Geduld und nicht nachlassende Bemühung.

Yogi Bhajan hat uns in zahllosen persönlichen Begegnungen, in einer

Vielfalt von Yoga Sets und Meditationen und in immer neuen

Vorlesungen herausgefordert, uns über unsere begrenzte Vorstellung von

uns selbst auszudehnen, über unsere eingeschränkte Wahrnehmung

unserer Fähigkeiten, damit wir lernen konnten, uns beständiger auf

unser unbegrenztes Selbst zu beziehen. Wir können diese Anweisungen

jeden Tag umsetzen, wenn es uns vergönnt ist, den kuscheligen Komfort

unserer Betten zu verlassen, um aufzustehen und am frühen Morgen zu

meditieren, oder wenn wir eine Meditation 40 Tage lang praktizieren –

und uns alle möglichen Gründe einfallen, aufzuhören, wir aber doch

weiter machen – oder wenn wir es schaffen, eine schwierige 62 Minuten

lange Tantra-Meditation durchzuhalten.

Während er noch lebte, konnten wir diese Vorstellung von Wohlstand bei

Yogi Bhajan auch in der persönlichen Beziehung zu seinen Schülern

beobachten. Wenn er z.B. wollte, dass ein Buch zu einem bestimmten

Thema geschrieben werden sollte, dann hat er diese Aufgabe jemandem

mit einem bestimmten Talent aufgetragen – von dem dieser Mensch

vielleicht nicht einmal wusste, dass er es besaß – und ihm eine sehr

kurze Zeit dafür eingeräumt. Es schien, dass das Buch nur noch der

Nebeneffekt der Bemühung war – in Wirklichkeit ging es darum, dass

dieser Mensch sich dadurch ausdehnte und wuchs. Wenn jemand

anderes z.B. musikalisch war, dann hat er ihm oder ihr aufgetragen, eine

Woche lang jeden Tag ein Lied zu schreiben – und ihm dieses Lied dann

jeden Abend vorzutragen. Oder er hat jemandem aufgetragen, ein

bestimmtes Lied aufzunehmen und ihm innerhalb von drei Tagen nach

Europa zu schicken. In dem Bemühen, diese Aufträge zu erfüllen, hat

jeder der Betroffenen sich vermutlich enorm angestrengt, aber sie sind

dabei weit über das hinaus gegangen, was sie sich hätten vorstellen

können zu erreichen. Sie sind dabei in einen sehr viel größeren

„Wohlstand“ hineingewachsen.

Kindness – Lovely Quote!

The only thing you can do in your life to win the world is to be a kind speaker and a kind listener-that’s what makes humankind. Why do we talk?  Because we want to express our passion. That’s fine; but when we act out of passion, we are a disaster. Talk passionately and act compassionately.

© The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, June 30, 1988

Shabd Guru — Clarity and Unity

Shabd Guru — Clarity and Unity
by Dev Suroop Kaur Khalsa
Originally written for Aquarian Times

In the Sikh tradition, the written words in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib are known as the Shabd Guru. The Shabd Guru is seen not simply as a compilation of uplifting and inspiring words written by enlightened saints and sages and placed on the pages of this volume, but as the living Guru of the Sikhs.

Those who wrote the words of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib transcended individual identity and ego, and their words came from an exalted state of things unlimited. When we take the opportunity to read, sing, chant, and listen to these words, we deeply connect with our excellence. There is no external personality to confront in the process. There is only our relationship with our own Infinity. The Shabd Guru is a powerful technology universally available to anyone in any walk of life to uplift and transform oneself and others. Through the Shabd Guru, we can directly use and gain infinite benefit from the sound that “clarifies the doubt of the mind and gives unity and essence to the man.”

Total Knowledge of God – Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee

Total Knowledge of God – Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee
By Dev Suroop K. Khalsa
(Originally published as ‘Shabd Guru’ in Aquarian Times, Fall 2003)

For nearly 30 years, Yogi Bhajan has invited women from all over the world to join together each summer in New Mexico and develop their inner strength, talent and grace at Women’s Camp.  Those of us who have been blessed to attend these courses have many fond memories of gathering for summer evening lectures under a huge big top situated in a grove of cottonwood trees.  We spent many precious hours at the feet of the Master as he would share innumerable gems and jewels about how to live fulfilling, satisfying and more self-realized lives.

In these cherished lectures, Yogi Bhajan would often repeat the same concepts over and over again and in different ways in an effort to penetrate our years of habits, conditioning and preconceived notions about ourselves.  He would tell stories, invite women to share their life experiences to the group, answer questions from the crowd or simply provide straight-on lectures. Of the many penetrating concepts he would teach and share, he often discussed the pitfalls of the human tendency to ‘go out and get’ what we believe we want.  He repeatedly stressed that the way to success was not in seeking anything outside of ourselves—be it wealth, status, power, possessions or approval. Rather, through meditation and developing a deep relationship with the divine within, the key to victory is to train yourself to be still and allow things to come to you. To become truly ‘attractive’.  He summed up this concept with the simple and penetrating line “Go inside and be a Master, go outside and be a victim”.   Stated differently:  Go deeply inside, touch your soul and vibrate at the frequency of the Divine.  There you will find your victory and satisfaction—your self-mastery.  On the other hand, succumbing to the seduction and illusion that answers lie outside of yourself, you will become a victim of your own expectations and illusions.  True satisfaction will be fleeting.

Look around you.  Look at yourself.  Many of us have a tendency to look for solace ‘outside’.  Our active mind is ever creating schemes and machinations to gain material goods, status, affirmation, sympathy and empathy.  Even though we do it all the time, we often find that there is something empty in seeking for solutions outside. Self-mastery comes from a deep relationship with the self. The Shabd Guru is a powerful tool to develop that rare relationship between the finite you and Infinite You. When you have trouble, go to the Shabd Guru.  Choose a verse or chant…any one will do…to sing or recite. By reciting the words, connect with your soul. Go inside.  By so doing, you will find a deep and rich state of being where lie the permanent, true answers and solutions to your troubles.

The sound current of the Shabd Guru produces a pure vibratory frequency, much like a tone emitted from a tuning fork when it is struck.   The essence of the sound current of the Shabd Guru is the deep, rich reality of Truth. There is no difference between that reality and the affect one achieves when they recite the Shabd Guru. Yogi Bhajan states that this technique is very powerful.  The words of the Shabd Guru ‘train the brain’—the memory and the neurons—and create the means through which the brain directs the entire body.[1]

Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee is the first verse or pauree of Japji Sahib following the Mool Mantra.[2] In this verse, Guru Nanak describes this very concept—that searching outside of you is illusory. In Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee, Guru Nanak lays out the secrets of how to live well.  He says that you can attempt to think and think one hundred thousand times; yet thinking won’t accomplish a thing.  You may try to pile up worldly goods and possessions, but that does not provide true, lasting satisfaction.  And of all your wise and fantastic schemes, none of them will go with you in the end.  So given that, time and time again, we experience that our thinking, acquiring, searching and maneuvering do not really work, how do we become truthful? How does the wall of falsehood fall apart?  Guru Nanak says the answer lies in walking with the very command of God that is with us and within us.

It is said that the total knowledge of God and ecstasy is contained in this pauree.  It is an antidote to depression.  It will lift you from the deepest depression, insecurity, nightmares and loss.

Use the power of the Shabd Guru to go inside of yourself, touch your deepest Self, touch God and find Mastery.

The First Pauree (Verse) of Japji Sahib —Guru Nanak
The language of the Shabd Guru is Gurmukhi, a language similar to Sanskrit in its power to transform. The Siri Guru Granth Sahib was written in Gurmukhi script and has been translated into English. Here we provide both the transliteration and the translation.

Sochai soch na hova-ee
Jay sochee lakh vaar
Chupai chup na hova-ee
Jay laa-I rahaa liv taar
Bhukhi-aa bhukh na utree
Jay banana puree-aa bhaar
Sehs si-aanpaa lakh ho-eh
Ta ik no chalai naal
Kiv sachi-aaraa ho-ee-ai
Kiv Koorai tutai paal
Hukam rajaa-ee chalnaa
Naanak likhi-aa naal

English Translation

You think and think
Ten-thousand thoughts,
But not one thought
Will give you
What you seek.

You sit in silence
To find the silence
But silence never comes.
Your spirit always sings
The song of the Divine.

And all your troubles,
And all your cares,
These will never fade away
Though you may hoard
Every treasure in the world.

And all the clever tricks
You use,
The countless little tricks-
Not even one
Will go along with you.

How can we find
The House of Truth?

How can we break
This wall of lies?

Surrender yourself
And walk to Way
Of Spirit’s Will.

Nanak,
Be with what
Is already written.

English Translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa.  Go to www.alibris.com to purchase a beautiful and inspiring complete translation of ‘Japji Sahib – The Song of the Soul’.

How-tos:
A Shabd should be recited 11 times a day for a minimum of 40 days to experience its power. Recite in English or in Gurmukhi transliteration, both are beneficial. However, reciting in Gurmukhi allows you to better access the power of the mantra, and as the words are recited in proper Naad or sound current, the tongue hits the meridian points on the upper palate, effecting a change in consciousness.  Work carefully to pronounce the words properly.

---

[1] KWTC 1998 p. 22

[2] A beautiful recording of Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee by Matamandir Singh Khalsa is available from Ancient Healing Ways.

The Karma Completer

The Karma Completer
By Dev Suroop Kaur Khalsa
(Originally written for Aquarian Times — Fall 2004)

Of all of the spiritual vernacular in use today, ‘karma’ is the word that we probably hear most often. Karma is explained scientifically by Newton’s Third Law of Motion:  “Every action has a reaction, equal and opposite.” Simply stated, when we create a cause through our actions and thoughts, and we do not complete or resolve what we have created, we must incarnate again to complete it. Everything that we are today—both positive and negative–is a result of what we have created in the past.  Everything that we become tomorrow is the result of what we create today.  Our fears, limitations, old patterns, reactions to our environments, habits and feelings inhibit our ability to feel the Infinity of the moment and complete what has been created.  The resulting karmas create the behaviors, patterns and circumstances in our lives that are unpleasant and sometimes outright destructive.  Usually we don’t understand these behaviors. Sometimes, we’re aware of them but unable to control them.

Where there is Dharma, there is no karma. Dharma is a way of living where we transcend karma and live in alignment with our true purpose in life.  It’s not that we lose our humanness and capacity to feel and experience.  Rather, it’s where we have gained enough clarity and capacity that, in the face of great challenge, we choose to act in ways that elevate us and bring us toward Infinity.  Instead of a commotional and reactionary approach to life that creates negative consequences, we truly can channel our emotions into devotion and move through life with ease.

By chanting, reciting and vibrating the sound current, we chip away at those burdensome patterns that grip us. Eventually, through time and by Grace, the old karmas become loosened up enough that a simple comment, look, word or action can crumble and dissolve the illusions, setting into motion a whole domino effect where false beliefs and scripting can fall away for a more elevated you.  What a relief.

It’s like paying off a high-interest credit card.  You feel awful that you have the debt but have a hard time shaking it.  Finally, after facing the music, you discipline yourself and begin pecking away at the debt and eventually pay it off.  You feel better:  Uplifted and released from being beholden to a debtor.

Reciting the 32^nd Pauri of Japji Sahib pays your debts and completes your karma.  As you can see from this translation, Nanak states that choosing an active path of deep devotion yields Grace—a state of ease, virtue and divine assistance—as a gift of Creation.

Ik doo jeebhao lakh ho-eh lakh hoveh lakh vees
Lakh lakh gayraa aakhee-a-eh ayk naam jagdees
Ayt raa-eh pat pavaree-aa charee-ai ho-i ikees
Sun galaa aakaash kee keeta aa-ee rees
Nanak nadaree paa-ee-ai kooree koorai thees.

English Translation

If my one tongue
Were to become two,
And the two to become
One million,
And the million
To become 20 million,

Then millions and millions
Of times
I would recite and speak
Of the One Spirit
Pervading and guiding
The Universe.

On this path,
The spouse climbs
With devotion
Step by step
To Union with Thee.

Hearing what is recorded
In the Akashic records,
Even the lowest beings
Have a longing
To return home.

Nanak,
Grace is brought in
As a gift of the Creator.

Those who praise themselves-
False are they
And ever false.

English Translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa.  Go to http://www.sikhdharma.org/content-online-store to purchase a beautiful and inspiring complete translation of ‘Japji Sahib – The Song of the Soul’.

Suggestions for Practice:
A Shabd should be recited 11 times a day for a minimum of 40 days to experience its power. Recite in English or in Gurmukhi transliteration, both are beneficial. However, reciting in Gurmukhi allows you to better access the power of the mantra, and as the words are recited in proper Naad or sound current, the tongue hits the meridian points on the upper palate, effecting a change in consciousness.  Work carefully to pronounce the words properly. A pronunciation guide can be found in The Psyche of the Soul, available through Ancient Healing Ways at a-healing.com.

Mool Mantra – Change Your Fate to Destiny

Mool Mantra – Change Your Fate to Destiny
By Dev Suroop K. Khalsa
(Originally published in Aquarian Times — Summer 2003)

It is safe to say that each one of us is experiencing the pressures and stresses of the time. We are faced not only with today’s turbulent political and social environment, but we are also coping with our own private, internal landscape. We may be processing feelings of insecurity, concern, or anger from ever changing and intensifying world events. At times each of us may find ourselves dealing with the constant roiling of our mind, memories, and reactions from life-patterning, or simply coping with life. Sometimes events in our environment or feelings within us seem uncontrollable; we seem to have no influence over them but, nevertheless, we are affected very deeply by them.

How do we cope with challenges and difficult times and with the depressions in the flow of life? Many of us have tried to cope in ways that, later (or sooner), we discover really do not work. Losing your self in anything from mental fantasy to alcohol abuse or drugs may provide some relief, but only temporarily. At some point, we may have the blessing of waking up and realizing that the damage created, the pain inflicted, and the recovery time are simply not worth it and that there is a better way, a permanent and hopeful way, a simple way.

The technology of the Shabd Guru is available to serve us all. Quite simply, the Shabd Guru is ready and able to take us out of the abyss of our own misery. The words of the Shabd Guru are universal and were written for all humankind. Anyone of any faith or any background can use this technology. There is no prerequisite, no need to sign up for anything. You don’t need to be anything but you to use and benefit deeply from this technology.

So how does it work? First of all, select a verse from the Shabd Guru—any one will do—and give it a try.[1] You might select one that seems particularly applicable to your life. For example, perhaps you’re feeling limited and trapped. Correctly chanting the sixth Pauri (verse) of the Sikh prayer Japji Sahib dispels limitation. Whatever you choose, recite it 11 times a day for 40 days and see what happens in your life. Don’t miss a day! If you do, gently and lovingly, start over again. Allow yourself to experience, firsthand, the miracle of transformation through the sound current.

You’ll find the words of the Mool Mantra, or root mantra, at the end of this article. Guru Nanak, a saint and minstrel and the founder of the Sikh lifestyle, composed this simple, powerful, and universal mantra. While traveling throughout Asia in the 1400s, Guru Nanak sang these and other words and taught that all people are inherently divine and created equal by One Creator. The very first words of the 1,430 pages in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib are the Mool Mantra. They encapsulate “a complete philosophy and psychology of human potential in one compact phrase.” [2] Many things are written about the power of reciting this mantra. The Mool Mantra gives an experience of the depth and consciousness of your soul. It is often called the fate killer. (Fate is what you start with in this life. It can be changed through exerting the effort of will.) Reciting this mantra can change your destiny to complete prosperity. (Destiny is your highest potential in this lifetime.) The Mool Mantra can help you find your spiritual identity and the ways and means to live it.

In its simplest form, Shabd means “sound” and Guru means “teacher” or “knowledge that transforms you.” Put together, Shabd Guru is a special sound that is a teacher. Yogi Bhajan often says that there are two teachers—time and space—or a spiritual teacher—and that we can learn our lessons from either. While both paths lead to the same destination, time and space, or fate, is often a cruel and painful teacher. This is the commonly traveled path, with all of the associated pain of making mistakes and then arduously having to regroup and learn from that pain.

In seeking fulfillment in life, you might try to find your soul mate, gain status and achievement through your career, or strive to purchase the home you always wanted. However, the fulfillment from such endeavors is transitory. Through discipline and surrender, using the technology of the Shabd Guru, and with the intervention of a spiritual teacher who helps you transcend limitation, you can rise above fate and be transported to your destiny. The course that fate might have taken you on can be elevated to the fulfillment of your soul’s original promise when it incarnated as a human being. While the path to living your destiny is not necessarily an easy ride, there is no fulfillment on any other level that can be as deep and gratifying.

Give yourself a chance. Rather than being buffeted by the harsh winds of time, use the Mool Mantra to begin to change your fate which could be disappointing or painful, to your destiny which promises to be ultimately fulfilling and satisfying. Give yourself the opportunity to transform a life of fate into one of destiny and fulfillment.

The Mool Mantra–Guru Nanak
The language of the Shabd Guru is Gurmukhi, a language similar to Sanskrit in its power to transform. The Siri Guru Granth Sahib was written in Gurmukhi script and has been translated into English. Here we provide both the transliteration and the translation.

Ek Ong Kaar
Sat Naam
Kartaa Purakh
Nirbhau Nirvair
Akaal Moorat
Ajoonee Saibhang
Gur Prasaad
Jap!:
Aad Sach
Jugaad Sach
Hai Bhee Sach
Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach
English Translation
One Spirit Beyond
Moves within the Creation-
Coordinating
Consolidating
Continually
Creating,

And this Spirit
Within me
Is my True Identity.

It Does All
And Causes All
To be Done.

It Protects me
Through all incidents
Of Time and Space.

It fears nothing
And never experiences
Vengeance
Or anger.

Deathless
It comes into Form.

In Itself, It has
Never been born.

Flowing through the cycles
Of Birth and Death,
It moves
By Its Own
Purity and Projection.

This understanding
Shall come to you
As a sweet blessing,
As a gift.

In every moment
Continue
In Its Continual
Remembrance.

From the start
This Truth was True.

All through Time and Space
Is True.

Even now,
This Truth is True.

Nanak says,
Ever shall be True.

English Translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa.  Go to www.alibris.com to purchase a beautiful and inspiring complete translation of ‘Japji Sahib – The Song of the Soul’.

How-tos:
A Shabd should be recited 11 times a day for a minimum of 40 days to experience its power. Recite in English or in Gurmukhi transliteration, both are beneficial. However, reciting in Gurmukhi allows you to better access the power of the mantra, and as the words are recited in proper Naad or sound current, the tongue hits the meridian points on the upper palate, effecting a change in consciousness.
When chanting the Mool Mantra, leave a slight space, but not a breath, between the words Ajoonee and Saibhang. Do not run the words together. Emphasize the “ch” sound at the end of the word sach in the last four lines—this adds power. Work carefully to pronounce the words properly.

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[1] A good resource to use is The Psyche of the Soul, available from Ancient Healing Ways at www.a-healing.com. This source includes a pronunciation guide and gives the healing qualities associated with each verse.

[2] The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level 1 Teacher’s Training Manual. p. 81.