The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Spirituality, Gurbani, Naam, Bani, Bana, Simran and Seva.

The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby Yuktanand Singh » Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:00 pm

Be a Disciple, Not a Teacher:
The Way of The Sikh
Letter & Spirit # 34

YUKTANAND SINGH

Translated from Bhai Vir Singh's ‘Gurmukh Sikhia’

Part XXIII-A


Everyone wants to be a teacher, but a disciple is rare. When we have grasped something, we need to act on it instead of teaching others without having practiced it.

A photographic film absorbs an image. This results in a beautiful picture. In contrast, countless faces enter a mirror but the mirror does not retain any. It stays vacant.

Self-appreciation is not a virtue. Guru Nanak counts self-praise as one of the faults that we need to avoid:

“Greed is a dog; living in falsehood is a filthy street-sweeper. Cheating is eating a rotting carcass. Slander is putting the filth of others into your own mouth. The fire of anger is the outcaste who burns corpses at the crematorium. I am absorbed in such tastes and flavors, including self-praise. Such are my deeds, O my Creator!” [GGS:15]

Self-deprecation is also a fault. Condemning oneself is sin. We need to find the balance that would lead to the proper way.

Guru Sahib has expressed it this way: “O my dear, we are slaves of the Lord in His sanctuary; we are neither high nor low nor in the middle.” [GGS:504]

We must always examine and analyze gurbani. Our Guru Sahib had perfect knowledge. Let us contemplate, for example, the psychology of this verse:

“O Farid! Answer an evildoer with benevolence.”

What happens then?

“You do not harbor anger in your heart. Your body shall not suffer from disease, and you shall have obtained everything.” [GGS:1381]

The jewel of naam is a priceless commodity. It takes us beyond the realm where we have only wonder and awe. Modern world searches for various ways to achieve relaxation when in fact naam is the best method of relaxation. It keeps us free of disease and takes us closer to Waheguru because it continues to direct our attention towards our inner self.

When the sage Vashishta had finished teaching king Raam the metaphysics of yoga which we can now read in the book called ‘Yoga Vashishta’, king Raam asked the sage to show him the aatmaa(n) -- the ‘overself‘. The sage would stay silent. After being asked several times, the sage explained that the aatmaa(n) could be seen only subjectively, by approaching one’s inner self.

Naam simran is the method to become subjective. By giving us simran, our Guru Sahiban have made it easy for us to meet Waheguru.

Simran is not hard labor. Rather, it is addictive because it cools the fire in us. The word “ghaal” (toil) in gurbani does not mean hard labor; it means perseverance or great effort to maintain continuity. There is a difference between this and being obstinate or being hardheaded.

Those who regard the practice of simran as hard labor, they have not grasped the Guru’s lesson yet. We can grasp this lesson in the sangat. We face various difficulties due to lack of this understanding. It is a bridge that takes us across. And if we want to see Waheguru, then we must do the simran.

A pen is an instrument in the hands of the writer. It can write only what the writer wants it to. Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh have used me as an instrument to write whatever they have wanted. Whatever I have done, the credit must go to them, not to me.

Our Guru was capable of transforming uneducated people, enabling them to engage in debate even with learned priests. We have all heard the saakhi (episode) when the eight year old Guru Harkrishan Sahib had enabled an illiterate street sweeper to defeat a pundit in elucidation of the Bhagvadgita and how, this pundit then fell at the child Guru’s feet, became a Sikh, and started doing naam simran.

People seek recognition after acquiring a little knowledge. But the Guru has said: “When someone believes that he has become something, he is caught just the same as a parrot trapped upside down over a bowl of water. When someone believes that he is a devotee or a spiritual teacher, then the Lord in the world hereafter has no regard for him at all.” [GGS:255]

Teachers can confuse us. We follow their teaching and then we want to feel divine. This is a mistake. After meeting a gurmukh, our aim becomes meeting the divine instead of trying to be divine ourselves.

Someone with simran residing in the heart is already with Waheguru and is liberated already.

We cannot see Waheguru objectively, but we can perceive Him in a subjective manner. Whatever we experience or see as an object is impermanent and destructible.

Waheguru is not impermanent.

How, then, can we see Waheguru? We can see everyone else but we cannot see our own vision. We know this difference.

The same difference applies here.


August 19, 2013
http://sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=4458&cat=12
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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby arshi » Thu Aug 22, 2013 5:06 am

Yuktanand Singh ji

I always read your articles with interest, and you are doing a tremendous service with Bhai Sahib Vir Singh ji’s translations.

The translation of ‘bhagat’ (SGGS 255) puzzles me in the context of this shabad. You have interpreted this as a devotee, same as Dr Sant Singh ji. However, I sometimes use the term devotee in place of a seeker. Surely, the Lord will approve of a seeker. Would self-styled (appointed) sant or baba be more appropriate here? Just a thought!

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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby Yuktanand Singh » Sat Aug 24, 2013 9:51 pm

Rajinder Singh ji,

Thank you for pointing it out. I choose Dr. Sant Singh’s translation and then modify it only to correct or enhance the meaning, but I am prone to making mistakes.

I agree with you. ‘Devotee’ is not the best choice here but there is no good translation for ‘bhagat’ and we try to avoid using non-English words in a translation.

I feel that the idea in this verse was to remind even a sincere devotee (not necessarily a self-styled devotee) and to remind even a sincere teacher to be not proud and to not feel accomplished through one's own effort.

This is because, as we know, true bhagti (or true spirituality) and true teaching cannot be of our own doing.

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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby arshi » Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:08 am

Yuktanand Singh ji

Many thanks for the clarification.

Yes, you are absolutely right! Often it is very difficult to find an appropriate word in English. You have done a wonderful job translating from audio tapes, which is more difficult than doing so from the written work.

I agree that the key point is the presence/absence of ego. I know you assumed this, but in my naivety I missed this. Perhaps adding the words ‘in his ego’ would have covered it.

“When someone believes, in his ego, that he is a devotee or a spiritual teacher, then the Lord in the world hereafter has no regard for him at all.” [GGS: 255]”

I can now see devotee is fine, in this context, as a ‘bhagat’ may be at difference stages of enlightenment, i.e. from a very basic stage to an enlightened one.

What do you think about ‘spiritually enlightened’ or ‘spiritually blessed’ as a substitute for ‘bhagat’? This is just for my own future reference. Of course the correct word would always depend on the context.

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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby Yuktanand Singh » Tue Aug 27, 2013 9:45 am

Rajinder Singh Ji,

Dr. Sant Singh had added the words ‘in his ego’ - possibly for the same reason as yours, to indicate that the aim here was not rejecting a ‘bhagat’ or a ‘gyani’ but rejecting having the ego about it. This is totally acceptable.

In that case, do we know someone who is without ego?

In the entire world, those who have no ego could be counted on just a couple fingers. The rest of us have some form of ego. Thus, adding ‘in his ego’ becomes unnecessary. May be these words were not in the shabad for a reason.

Adding ‘in his ego’ would definitely prevent confusion. But omitting them makes us think deeper and makes us analyze, forcing us to touch the spirit of gurbani.

Most people understand the ego as only ‘pride’ and thus, they feel that as long as we are humble and not proud, it means that we do not have an ego, even if we feel accomplished after having succeeded in something.

But this shabad says that if one feels that one has become something or has done something, anything, even feeling happy that one was not proud and not egotistic any longer, one is trapped, then.

The same message is given in Sukhmani Sahib where, Guru Sahib started with ordinary pride etc. but in the fourth verse, Guru Sahib takes us to absolute self-abnegation, advocating complete elimination of the 'me' and 'mine':

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਜਾਨੈ ਮੁਝ ਤੇ ਕਛੁ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਤਬ ਇਸ ਕਉ ਸੁਖੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥
As long as someone thinks that he is the one who can do something, he shall have no peace.
ਜਬ ਇਹ ਜਾਨੈ ਮੈ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਰਤਾ ॥ ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਗਰਭ ਜੋਨਿ ਮਹਿ ਫਿਰਤਾ ॥
As long as he thinks that he is the one who does things, he shall wander in reincarnation through the womb. [GGS: 278]

This is akin to lifting oneself off the ground. It cannot be done.
Gurbani teaches us how this impossible task can be accomplished.

-----------------

Regarding the ‘spiritually enlightened’ or ‘spiritually blessed’ as a substitute for ‘bhagat’:

The fact that we are seriously interested in these topics shows that we are spiritually blessed to a degree, but we are not necessarily spiritually enlightened and the meaning also changes with the context.

A bhagat on the other hand, is someone who is deeply in love with God due to God’s/Guru’s kirpa.
Enlightenment is not an issue with bhagti. I feel that there is no good translation of ‘bhagat’.

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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby arshi » Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:27 pm

Yuktanand Singh ji

Many thanks for your insight. I have already acknowledged in my earlier post that in the context of the whole shabad the term ‘devotee’ was quite appropriate. My only concern was that for the unwary and wondered whether it could be made clearer.

My other thought was that the terms ‘bhagat, and gyani’ are normally used for those who are advanced theologically. So a feeling of being thus elevated will fire up their ego and will have no or little value in His court. However, in the case of a seeker on a sincere quest to learn, I feel, perhaps wrongly, the Guru and the Lord may be more forgiving despite an element of ego in the devotee (the sakhi of Joga Singh and Guru Gobind Singh Ji comes to mind)

As for the substitute ‘spiritually enlightened’ I agree with you entirely, the reason I gave another alternative ‘spiritually blessed’. But yes, you are right there is no satisfactory translation of ‘bhagat’.

I hope you don’t mind me picking your brain. Your valuable comments are educational and very much appreciated.

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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 34

Postby Yuktanand Singh » Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:39 am

arshi wrote: So a feeling of being thus elevated will fire up their ego and will have no or little value in His court. However, in the case of a seeker on a sincere quest to learn, I feel, perhaps wrongly, the Guru and the Lord may be more forgiving despite an element of ego in the devotee (the sakhi of Joga Singh and Guru Gobind Singh Ji comes to mind)


Rajinder Singh ji,

I agree with you. The difficulty appears when we regard God’s forgiveness as a singular act or as an all-or-none deal, when in fact God’s mercy and forgiveness is necessary to help us grow and to overcome hurdles throughout our life.

We may be confused due to the way the sakhis were told to us when we were children. When we read that Ganika was “saved” it does not mean that she entered ‘Sach Khand’ immediately. It meant that the events and the state of her heart were transformed so that she was turned towards God from that moment onward.

Similarly, Bhai Joga Singh received Guru Sahib’s mercy and forgiveness. But only Joga Singh knows how many hurdles, trials and temptations he had to face, before and after the episode recorded in the sakhi that we read.

We have read earlier in these series that a God-conscious-being leans on God at all times. He has no haumai left over to lean on. We, on the other hand, feel accomplished after each success.

Gurbani says that kirpa (mercy) is necessary at each step. For this reason, even as a sincere seeker, whenever we feel that we have succeeded without His kirpa, we are then acting in our haumai. Waheguru is not pleased with us then.

Our ego does not stop or cancel His mercy. It prevents growth and intimacy in our relationship with Him.
In my opinion, this is what the above verse meant.

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