Teachings from Guru Granth sahib

[smg]

Honest Living and Labor
They who eat the fruit of their own labor and share with others are the people who have found the right way, O Nanak.
Man becomes what he loves best.

Equality of Gender
How can you call woman inferior, She is the one who gives birth to great men.

Service
There can be no love of God without active service
When one does active service in this world, then alone he achieves salvation
Those who meditate on Him, serve humanity

Unity of Mankind
We all have common father, so we are all his children
There is only one human race
 
Truthful Living
Truth is higher than everything, but higher still is truthful living

Self Realization
One who knoweth one's own self, recogniseth God
By conquering the mind thou shalt conquer the whole world
One who knoweth the meaning of soul, knoweth Supreme Essence
On my soul thou hast emanated from the Light of God, know thy true essence
The supreme lord is realizable within the soul

Egoism
Egoism is deep-rooted disease (causing suffering) When mind is defiled with sin, it is purified by the love of the Name. 
The perverse cannot offer devotion from their hearts, they are destroying themselves in ego

Prayer
Prayers from the true heart never go in vain.
The mind's pain goeth when one offereth praises to Him in one's prayers.

Human Relations
Let all be called high, as no one seemteth low.
From one light hath come the whole world, so who is good and who is bad.
Measure the value of people in terms of their spiritual stature, and not in terms for their caste.
Every work or profession is noble if performed in the right way.
Sweetness and humility are the essence of all goodness and virtue.

Source: http://www.infoaboutsikhs.com/guru_granth_sahib_teachings.htm

 

 

[rr_sai_bhakt]

A good attitude that we all can bring into our lives -

Chardi kala


Chardi Kala is an important expression used in Sikhism for a mind frame that a Sikh has to accept and practise. It loosely means a “positive, buoyant and optimistic” attitude to life and the future. Always be – in "high spirits", "ever progressive", "always cheerful", etc are some other terms used to describe this phrase. It reflects an eternally evergreen & blissful mental state of a Sikh.

This attitude of "Chardi Kala" is to allow one to sail through the ups and downs of life with as little harm as possible to the individual. To join and help others in their hour of need is part of this “Chardi Kala” spirit.

Chardi Kala signifies a perennially blossoming, unwilting spirit, a perpetual state of certitude resting on the unwavering belief in Divine justice. Hence acceptance of his Will is in the interest of and for the benefit of His Creation, even if at times one suffers severe hardship.

The 'Kala' of Sanskrit origin gives a dominant meaning which is ‘Energy’. 'Chardi', in Punjabi means rising, ascending, soaring. So, Chardi Kala would mean an intensely energized, ever–ascending state of the spirit of an individual or of a group. It is characterized by faith, confidence, cheerfulness, courage, fortitude, discipline and resolute willingness to uphold the cherished ideals and readiness to perform the assigned tasks even in the face of the most daunting challenge.

Courage is that state or quality of mind and spirit which enables one to face dangers with self-possession and resolution. Discipline resulting from training that leads to controlled behavior, mentally and morally, is also an essential constituent of Chardi Kala.

Perpetual readiness to act is another - he pursues the ideals he cherishes, makes no noise over a good deed, and proceeds to another. Kala also means "fine art", so actions in Chardi Kala become characterized by elegance and gracefulness. It also meas playing a winning "Game" according to the accepted rules of the game.

Chardi Kala, meaning “the positive attitude” is an equivalence of a mind that never despairs, never admits defeat and refuses to be crushed by adversities.

Chardi Kala is the superior and glorious state of mind in which there is no fear, jealousy or enmity and there is a constant celestial bliss of self-dignity, self-abundance and grandeur of soul.

Om Sai Ram ...

[smg]

very true RRji.

"Subah hoti hai, sham hoti hai, umra yuhi tamam hoti hai".

We are spending our days but that is not life. We will have to move towards amrit. Kabir says –

"Kahan sunan kachu nahi, nahi kuch karan hai".

What should be done to know this amrit, to know this life.

"Kahan - sunan kachu nahi."

What conversation should be done? Mandukya Upanishad says-

‘Na yen aatma pravachanena labhye.’

Self realization cannot be attained from discourses.

Om Sai Ram

[smg]

Nanak and the Two Villages

Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, came with one of his disciples into a village where most of the people were very nice, sweet, generous and religious. Nanak and his disciple were extremely happy to see this village where people were so pious. Nanak was very pleased. He said, "Let this place be extinguished. Let this place have no existence."

"How can you do this?" said his disciple. "This is such a wonderful village! All the villagers are so devoted to God. Is this how you show your compassion?"

Then Nanak took the disciple to another village where the people were corrupt and evil and there was all kinds of fighting and quarreling. Nanak said, "I wish this village to prosper."

"What is this? This is the place that deserves to be destroyed and you are saying it should prosper!"

Nanak replied, "Look here. I said that the first place should be destroyed. This is why: The people there are so good, so spiritual. When the village is destroyed, those people will be scattered. One will go to one village, another to another village, another to some other place, so that each person will be able to spread his good qualities. In destruction good will be spread, so there is no real destruction. In the second village, which is very bad, I said, let them prosper. Let them not go outside the boundaries of their own village or otherwise their evil will spread everywhere. Let them prosper here. This is divine justice. If we go deep within we will see the larger reality and then we will understand the divine dispensation. Otherwise, we will be really confused."

(Source: http://www.writespirit.net/stories_tales/stories_by_sri_chinmoy/tales_of_faith/sikhism)

OM SAI RAM

[gunj]

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Karma Quotes:
"According to the karma of past actions, one's destiny unfolds, even
though everyone wants to be so lucky."

"Born because of the karma of their past mistakes, they make more
mistakes, and fall into mistakes."

"For the sake of it, you journey to sacred shrines and holy rivers;
but this priceless jewel is within your own heart."

"Give up your selfishness, and you shall find peace; like water
mingling with water, you shall merge in absorption."

"Whatever pleases you is a pure action of karma."

"True wealth does not burn; it cannot be stolen by a thief. "

"When the mind is cleaned with the jewel of spiritual wisdom, it does
not become dirty again. "

"People are entangled in the enjoyment of fine clothes, but gold and
silver are only dust. They acquire beautiful horses and elephants, and
ornate carriages of many kinds. They think of nothing else, and they
forget all their relatives. They ignore their Creator; without the
Name, they are impure."

"By the karma of good actions, some come to serve the Perfect Guru."

"Those who act in ego do not go beyond karma."

"The person who is basically evil by nature will always be averse to
virtuous deeds. He is always engaged in bad karma. "

"Meditate and listen to the Name of the Lord, and give it to everyone.
In this way, the filth of lifetimes of karma shall be removed, and
egotistical pride shall vanish from your mind."

"Born because of the karma of their past mistakes, they make more
mistakes, and fall into mistakes."

As she has planted, so does she harvest; such is the field of karma.


When good karma dawns, the wall of doubt is torn down.

[PiyaSoni]

Guru Granth Sahib Ji
(1708-Present)

Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the Sikh Holy Scripture. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, collected all the sacred writings of the first five Gurus and also those of many saints whose views were in accord with the Sikh teachings. He compiled these into one large volume and named it the Adi Granth in 1604. Later on, Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji added the writings of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and completed it in 1705. He declared that there would be no more Gurus in human form after him and that the Sikhs will recognize 'Adi Granth' as their Guru. Thus in 1708, the Adi Granth became Guru Granth Sahib Ji.


Guru Granth Sahib Ji is written in the Gurmukhi script. Guru Granth Sahib Ji is exactly 1430 pages of hymns. However, many people call the pages 'Angs', or body parts, because they believe that Guru Granth Sahib Ji is human. The hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji have been laid out in a very musical and well planned manner devised by Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The hymns have been arranged according to the 'Raga', or melody, in which they are meant to be sung.


Guru Granth Sahib begins with the 'Mool Mantra' which contains Guru Nanak Dev Ji's description of God. The hymns from Guru Granth Sahib Ji contain the philosophy of Sikhism and it is the central part the Sikh Culture. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji teaches us many things. These include: 
    1) Love of God and as well as mankind
    2) Service to God and the community
    3) Equality of man and woman
    4) Respect and tolerance for other religions

The Sikhs have great devotion for Guru Granth Sahib. It is placed on a 'Palki', or decorated seat, which is kept on a 'Takkat', or a raised platform, at a prominent position in the Gurdwara hall. It is covered with  'Ramalaas', or a richly embroidered cloth called . Above Guru Granth Sahib Ji is a colorful 'Chandni', or canopy.

Every day Guru Granth Sahib Ji is installed and a hymn is read from a page opened at random. This is called the 'Hukam', or the order of the day. This whole process is called 'Prakash'. The professional singers 'Ragees' sing 'Keertan', or hymns in praise of God. A 'Granthi' performs all ceremonies and conducts prayers. During the singing of the hymns the Granthi sits behind Guru Granth Sahib Ji and occasionally waves a 'Chaur', or fan, over the Guru. The Chaur and Chandni are symbols of Guru Granth Sahib Ji's authority. After the evening prayers the Guru Granth Sahib is ceremoniously closed and taken to its 'Sukh-Asan', or place of rest.

A continuous reading of Guru Granth Sahib Ji from beginning to end by a number of readers is called an 'Akhand Path' and it usually takes 48 hours to complete. It is done on special occasions like births, weddings, moving to new homes, and other special occasions.

There are many important values that are taught to the Sikhs in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.