Post by JUMBO JET on Jul 15, 2004 13:34:58 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Sikh Student Camp[/glow]
The essence of a Sikh is the the search for Waheguru.
The path towards reaching this goal is most elusive. It requires tempering one’s mind, colouring one’s mind with thirst for reaching this goal and love for Waheguru and everything within Waheguru’s creation.
Ultimately, it is the mind alone that holds the key. But the mind is not easily tempered. It is so easily distracted. Try sitting even for a few minutes closing your eyes and thinking of one thing, and the mind quickly jumps elsewhere. The mind both holds the key and presents the greatest obstacle. It quickly angers at the slightest provocation, becomes enamoured with the opposite sex, seeks to have all of that which it does not have, grows attached to that which it does have, and, worst of all, thinks only of its own immediate pleasures.
Though the obstacles seem insurmountable, Gurbani, the experience of the Gurus, can serve as a guide. The essence of being a Sikh is to allow the experience of the Guru’s to serve as our guide. The Guru’s have tread this path, faced these same obstacles that we face, and they overcame these obstacles and reached their goal, through both simran and seva, meditation and service. But, from the Guru’s experiences, it is also clear that one cannot tread this path alone.
One requires two elements in one’s life. One is sangat, the company of those who also walk on this path. Our sangat, the people we hang around with, has such an influence over us that with time we begin to mould ourselves into the shape of our sangat. If our sangat’s focus is on sports, then we will mould ourselves to also enjoy those sports. If our sangat’s focus is on drugs, then eventually we will be led towards experimenting with drugs and maybe addiction. If our sangat’s focus is on reaching Waheguru, then the influence of that sangat will awaken a spiritual thirst amongst our own selves as well.
But Sangat is just one ingredient. The second is discipline. Reaching any goal requires discipline. Ask any olympic athlete how much discipline they have had to have in their own lives in order to reach the stage they have.
The spiritual goal, perhaps more difficult than any other endeavour in life, requires much discipline in every aspect of our lives (emotional, mental, and physical). And, though the spiritual journey towards Waheguru is purely an internal one, the mind is so affected by external influences that one must seek to eliminate negative external influences in one’s life and surround themselves with positive external influences that will assist them on the internal journey. Sangat, for instance, is one external influence.
Receiving Amrit, one chooses to follow the Sikh way, and one adopts an external form that is intended to promote disciplined living. The kakkar’s, the daily routine of Nitnem, all of these should be used to one’s advantage towards a disciplined lifestyle.
This is not to say that all of those that adopt the external form of a Sikh are living a disciplined lifestyle and making progress on the spiritual journey. Many, perhaps most, are not.
The inward journey is so difficult that many who have sought to walk on this spiritual path have fallen from it, due to their inability to disengage their minds from the vices the mind covets, and the inability to temper their minds with love for Waheguru. For them, the external manifestations are all that remain to show that, once, they had attempted to walk on this path. For them, the external manifestations are a constant, daily, reminder that they must make the attempt again. They may fail again, but if the external remains, the self, which is so easily affected by external queues, will eventually pick itself up and make the attempt again to walk on the spiritual path. Life, for many who try to walk on this path, becomes a constant struggle, but without the external queues to remind them of their journey, there may be no struggle towards Waheguru at all.
The one that has struggled but failed in the spiritual journey is richer still than the one that has never even attempted the journey.
Our minds, it seems, constantly seek out the negative in others, to convince ourselves that we are doing pretty well ourselves (even if we are not). Seeing other people engaged in things we perceive as wrong provides us an opportunity to forgive our own mistakes and feeds our egos. It is not "society", Sikh or otherwise, that is hypocritical. It is our own minds that are hypocritical.
The important thing is to not look towards those who have fallen from the path and be dissuaded from walking it yourselves, because on any journey, there will always be more people that attempted and failed than have reached their goals successfully.
For the millions of children that toil with their footballs on a daily basis and dream of playing professionally, most will not succeed. But it is the few that do succeed that inspire others to continue to try to make the attempt. The important thing, in the spiritual journey, whether you walk on that path as a Sikh or otherwise, is to look at the example of those that have tread that path and succeeded, and to gain inspiration from them.
Saying this, if you have a hunger to learn about the sikh religion at your own pace, you cant afford to miss a summer camp being held in South England called [glow=red,2,300]Sikh Student Camp[/glow]. This camp is organised for people who are looking for pure bliss with sports, activities, langar, kirtaan, meditation and discussions, plus something “extra” that you may not find in your normal day to day lifestyle.
some of the great activities planned at this camp this year are,Horse Riding, Archery, Gladiators, Yoga, Kabbadi, rock climbing, the now legendary Operation Aloo and much more.
As well as this, Sikh Student camp gives you a chance to learn and chill out and with people of your same generation that have been thorough the cycles of schools, uni's and all the burden that goes with it and would like to learn more about their roots in a friendly and social atmosphere.
Everyone has experiences to share, and knowledge that can help others, the camps have amazing effects and can be a real catalyst for improvements in life, Let's call it a "Spring board" into the Soul, through education and understanding and a wicked time.
Also on a personal note, I have attended many camp in the last few years, and the one thing that l have learned is that you cant just become a enlightened one over night unless your neo, you cant just look like a sikh and do ritualistic praying hoping to find inner peace. You have to EXPERIENCE sikhi, and the only way you can do that is when you are having fun and spending time with like minded people.
Come to this camp, EXPERIENCE a unique feeling in a friendly atmosphere where you move at your own pace with many guides to help answer any questions you may have.
[glow=red,2,300]Sikh Student Camp[/glow]
What: 6 days of great activities with a chance to explore our rich heritage in a relaxed & friendly environment
When: Sunday 22nd - Friday 27th August 2004
Who: If you are aged 17 and above, then your are most welcome!
[glow=red,2,300]www.sikhstudent.org - CHECK IT OUT![/glow]
www.sikhstudent.org
The essence of a Sikh is the the search for Waheguru.
The path towards reaching this goal is most elusive. It requires tempering one’s mind, colouring one’s mind with thirst for reaching this goal and love for Waheguru and everything within Waheguru’s creation.
Ultimately, it is the mind alone that holds the key. But the mind is not easily tempered. It is so easily distracted. Try sitting even for a few minutes closing your eyes and thinking of one thing, and the mind quickly jumps elsewhere. The mind both holds the key and presents the greatest obstacle. It quickly angers at the slightest provocation, becomes enamoured with the opposite sex, seeks to have all of that which it does not have, grows attached to that which it does have, and, worst of all, thinks only of its own immediate pleasures.
Though the obstacles seem insurmountable, Gurbani, the experience of the Gurus, can serve as a guide. The essence of being a Sikh is to allow the experience of the Guru’s to serve as our guide. The Guru’s have tread this path, faced these same obstacles that we face, and they overcame these obstacles and reached their goal, through both simran and seva, meditation and service. But, from the Guru’s experiences, it is also clear that one cannot tread this path alone.
One requires two elements in one’s life. One is sangat, the company of those who also walk on this path. Our sangat, the people we hang around with, has such an influence over us that with time we begin to mould ourselves into the shape of our sangat. If our sangat’s focus is on sports, then we will mould ourselves to also enjoy those sports. If our sangat’s focus is on drugs, then eventually we will be led towards experimenting with drugs and maybe addiction. If our sangat’s focus is on reaching Waheguru, then the influence of that sangat will awaken a spiritual thirst amongst our own selves as well.
But Sangat is just one ingredient. The second is discipline. Reaching any goal requires discipline. Ask any olympic athlete how much discipline they have had to have in their own lives in order to reach the stage they have.
The spiritual goal, perhaps more difficult than any other endeavour in life, requires much discipline in every aspect of our lives (emotional, mental, and physical). And, though the spiritual journey towards Waheguru is purely an internal one, the mind is so affected by external influences that one must seek to eliminate negative external influences in one’s life and surround themselves with positive external influences that will assist them on the internal journey. Sangat, for instance, is one external influence.
Receiving Amrit, one chooses to follow the Sikh way, and one adopts an external form that is intended to promote disciplined living. The kakkar’s, the daily routine of Nitnem, all of these should be used to one’s advantage towards a disciplined lifestyle.
This is not to say that all of those that adopt the external form of a Sikh are living a disciplined lifestyle and making progress on the spiritual journey. Many, perhaps most, are not.
The inward journey is so difficult that many who have sought to walk on this spiritual path have fallen from it, due to their inability to disengage their minds from the vices the mind covets, and the inability to temper their minds with love for Waheguru. For them, the external manifestations are all that remain to show that, once, they had attempted to walk on this path. For them, the external manifestations are a constant, daily, reminder that they must make the attempt again. They may fail again, but if the external remains, the self, which is so easily affected by external queues, will eventually pick itself up and make the attempt again to walk on the spiritual path. Life, for many who try to walk on this path, becomes a constant struggle, but without the external queues to remind them of their journey, there may be no struggle towards Waheguru at all.
The one that has struggled but failed in the spiritual journey is richer still than the one that has never even attempted the journey.
Our minds, it seems, constantly seek out the negative in others, to convince ourselves that we are doing pretty well ourselves (even if we are not). Seeing other people engaged in things we perceive as wrong provides us an opportunity to forgive our own mistakes and feeds our egos. It is not "society", Sikh or otherwise, that is hypocritical. It is our own minds that are hypocritical.
The important thing is to not look towards those who have fallen from the path and be dissuaded from walking it yourselves, because on any journey, there will always be more people that attempted and failed than have reached their goals successfully.
For the millions of children that toil with their footballs on a daily basis and dream of playing professionally, most will not succeed. But it is the few that do succeed that inspire others to continue to try to make the attempt. The important thing, in the spiritual journey, whether you walk on that path as a Sikh or otherwise, is to look at the example of those that have tread that path and succeeded, and to gain inspiration from them.
Saying this, if you have a hunger to learn about the sikh religion at your own pace, you cant afford to miss a summer camp being held in South England called [glow=red,2,300]Sikh Student Camp[/glow]. This camp is organised for people who are looking for pure bliss with sports, activities, langar, kirtaan, meditation and discussions, plus something “extra” that you may not find in your normal day to day lifestyle.
some of the great activities planned at this camp this year are,Horse Riding, Archery, Gladiators, Yoga, Kabbadi, rock climbing, the now legendary Operation Aloo and much more.
As well as this, Sikh Student camp gives you a chance to learn and chill out and with people of your same generation that have been thorough the cycles of schools, uni's and all the burden that goes with it and would like to learn more about their roots in a friendly and social atmosphere.
Everyone has experiences to share, and knowledge that can help others, the camps have amazing effects and can be a real catalyst for improvements in life, Let's call it a "Spring board" into the Soul, through education and understanding and a wicked time.
Also on a personal note, I have attended many camp in the last few years, and the one thing that l have learned is that you cant just become a enlightened one over night unless your neo, you cant just look like a sikh and do ritualistic praying hoping to find inner peace. You have to EXPERIENCE sikhi, and the only way you can do that is when you are having fun and spending time with like minded people.
Come to this camp, EXPERIENCE a unique feeling in a friendly atmosphere where you move at your own pace with many guides to help answer any questions you may have.
[glow=red,2,300]Sikh Student Camp[/glow]
What: 6 days of great activities with a chance to explore our rich heritage in a relaxed & friendly environment
When: Sunday 22nd - Friday 27th August 2004
Who: If you are aged 17 and above, then your are most welcome!
[glow=red,2,300]www.sikhstudent.org - CHECK IT OUT![/glow]
www.sikhstudent.org