Search SikhNet News Archive

10/22/2007

Comments Email this Article

The Fifth Lord of Miracles Tour in Honor of Guru Ram Das has begun. As Sikh missionaries and visionaries we are traveling and meeting with the Sangat throughout South America

This year’s tour includes thirteen cities in nine countries over thirty-nine days.

Five years ago Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa told Singh Sahib Gurubachan Singh Khalsa that he should travel throughout South America and the world sharing the teachings of the Shabad Guru, Kundalini Yoga and Guru Ram Das. Now in our fifth year, Singh Sahib Gurubachan Singh Khalsa is again joined by Siri Sardarni Kaur Bhai Sahiba Dr. Inderjit Kaur Khalsa Bibiji wife of Yogi Bhajan. This time for the first time they are joined by Sardarni Sahiba Dr. Guru Rattan Kaur Khalsa, Professor of Chemistry at Thiel College in Pennsylvania, Acting Secretary General of Sikh Dharma International Saradani Sahiba Panch Nishan Kaur Khalsa, Devi Dyal Kaur Khalsa LCSW and Yoga Teacher, Ram Das Singh Khalsa Personal Assistant to Gurubachan Singh, and recent graduate from Miri Piri Academy in India Guru Amrit Kaur Khalsa of Austin, TX.

During this tour we are teaching the science of Kundalini Yoga and the Shabad Guru. We will be conducting various seva humanitarian projects in each country. My personal commentary on this historical tour follows.

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fathe! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Panch Nishan Kaur Khalsa, and I have the blessing to finally join this tour and be with our communities in South America. For the past three years I have been serving Sikh Dharma International in the area of Community Development. It is with gratitude and honor that I find myself with the opportunity to visit our communities in South America to experience the amazing growth and the beautiful ways in which people are living and serving to spread the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and the light of Guru Ram Das.

To attempt to describe the Lord of Miracles Tour is to try to put words to experiences that glow inside your heart with the warmth and radiance of a perfectly lit ruby. This tour is a great blessing for anyone wanting to challenge herself or himself to serve the moment, using all of your collected life experience gained from being with Siri Singh Sahib as your teacher and sitting at the feet of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and applying that experience on the spot without any preparation.

I was teasing the leader of this tour, SS Gurubachan Singh, today about why it is called the "Lord of Miracles" tour. It is due to the fact that it is a miracle just to keep up with the pace of this trip. I sleep on an average 2–5 hours a night and the rest of the time is filled with talking to people to better understand their community, teaching and serving hand-in-hand with the local sangat in outreach to the broader local community. Exploration of opportunities for expansion and specialization of the teachings is on-going. We sit in Meditation and join with the community during the big "Lord of Miracles" event in each city.

All I have to say is what an incredible family we have in South America! I write these words as a humble offering to share with those of you who may be unable to travel here the incredible width and breath, beauty and bounty, majesty and grace in which our communities thrive in South America.

Through the Lord of Miracles Classes, led by SS Gurubachan Singh, many people were inspired to rise up and meditate. One woman mentioned when she walked in that she felt black and at the end left feeling white. Another said she came in unhappy and left happy. All the classes have been well attended and received by the local community. In addition many people who have never meditated or done yoga before came to have a new experience. The sound of Guru Ram Das’s name echoed through the lecture halls lifting the spirit and blessing all that were there. This tour has created such an impact in each community where we go. We are witnessing the high regard and the value being placed on the technology of the Shabd Guru throughout the communities we have visited. We have ended every class in exuberant joy with Bhangra dancing & celebrating life together.




Honoraria, on behalf of Sikh Dharma International & the International Khalsa Council, were presented to those community leaders in Chile and Bolivia for their initiatives that are having a major impact on the people in their respective cities. The sevadars who are being recognized are receiving this honor with humility and grace. It was touching to them and the community and an honor for us as Sikh Dharma International that this seva is being done on behalf of all of you, all over the world.


CHILE

We had the fortunate blessing to celebrate the three year anniversary of the Siri Singh Sahib’s passing with the Santiago community.




Morning Sadhana at the Narayan Yoga Center on the three year anniversary of SSS Ji's passing

During the Lord of Miracles event, Bhai Sahiba Bibiji Inderjit Kaur wife of Yogi Bhajan, told stories about the Siri Singh Sahib and his presence was deeply felt. People who had never met him were so moved by her words.





Community Meeting where four different working groups shared their work

LANGAR CHILE

Oh, the inspiration that opened my Corazon! This group, ‘Langar Chile’ has been serving food in the streets of Santiago every Thursday for over four years. They invited us over for lunch for a most delicious traditional Chilean meal to connect with Sikh Dharma International and share the vision for this project. In conversation they mentioned that they have supported others to start programs, however, the programs often died out because of the commitment & discipline that it takes to perpetuate this seva. I asked them what inspired them to keep this commitment and discipline. Each person around the circular table answered with a jewel of wisdom that was offered over our meal together. The words came from the depth of their own experience and absolutely filled our heart with insight and our eyes with tears. One woman described that she serves the people on the street food and thinks, ‘that could be me’ it fills her with such gratitude and humility.





Another man answered, "the team which works with langar Chile is so magnetic and joyful, and there is a group energy that happens when we serve together."





Langar Chile sevadars after a night of service

The leaders of the program encourage people to participate on their own terms. The way this seva is done is to remain open to whoever wants to step forward and serve. Simrat Singh co-leader of Langar Chile related that when he goes to these people's home in the street he learns from them and is honored to serve them. Guru Darshan Singh the other co-leader mentioned that family has now been developed as time has built trust. He described the opportunity for the people on the streets to tell stories, talk about their families and for the Langar Chile sevadars to witness them and share insights with them.





A street musician who has a video on YouTube

At one point he was describing one man who yelled at him and completely insulted him & the food. I couldn’t help but think of the Siri Singh Sahib and the way he, in his nature as a Saturn teacher would often tear people apart to shake their psyche and let them see with fresh eyes. What this story triggered in me was the realization that this collection of people serving together as ‘Langar Chile’ find that through their service, their spiritual teacher is woven within everyone and everything. It further illuminated the principle that when one does seva like this, direct and genuine from the heart, how incredibly transformative it is.




It is their spiritual practice and disciple that has given such grace, joy and beauty to their character as well as powerfully uplifting the Santiago Community at large.




LA PAZ the city that sits with its heart pressed to the heavens

Upon exiting the plane I immediately felt such a deep peace in the people & in the land. The mountains surrounding the city and the earth on which it was built have a most ancient and sacred feeling (in this way it reminded me of India, although it not nearly as chaotic.) People live in a natural state of meditation here.


CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF GURU RAM DAS

It was no coincidence we landed in La Paz for the actual day of Guru Ram Das’s Gurpurb as the people there so naturally serve the needs and challenges of the local community. On this day we went to visit a Drug Rehabilitation Center where we learned the history of this facility and discussed with the treatment providers the idea of weaving Kundalini Yoga and Super Health Technology into the program. Their complete receptivity was a signal of the new age into which we are moving. We sat with both the staff and clients in the program. There were many questions the clients had about after-life, karma, etc. They were so hungry for us to share our experience and knowledge. It was a gift to touch them with the hand of Guru Ram Das.








Later that day we had a meeting with a few of the leaders of the community in Bolivia. The fact that there are only eight Kundalini Yoga Teachers doing so much there is quite impressive. SS Dharma Kaur (formerly from Espanola & Chile) is such an asset to this community and through her initiatives the sangat had Guru Ram Das chanting in different homes every night leading up to the birthday.



We learned about a Seva project, inspired by Sham Kaur and Gian Bir Singh, where members of the community go every Sunday to serve Langar to a group of homeless kids ages 13–22 who live under a bridge and spend a lot of their time sniffing inhalants to get high and escape the pain of their surroundings. This seva, done in the name of Guru Ram Das, has been happening every week for two years. It was a blessing to hear their vision and ideas for expansion to better serve the needs facing the La Paz community. We had the blessing to go and serve with them and bring the kids a treat of chocolate cake! Through their dedication, commitment, devotion and mostly their love, they give these homeless kids a home.








To close the evening of Guru Ram Das’s birthday a Darbar was held in the home of Raj Pal Singh and Sadhana Kaur. This most beautiful Sikh couple, who welcomed us into their home were born in New Delhi, India and have traveled and lived all over the world. Their destiny has brought them to La Paz Bolivia to enrich and be enriched by this community through the practice of Kundalini Yoga and service in the name of Guru Ram Das. In La Paz, the presence of the Guru is felt through the Gurdwara there and through the generous and caring hearts that stand always ready to serve those in need.









The culmination of Guru Ram Das’s Birthday was the 10 PM TV news, where SS Gurubachan Singh was interviewed by a man who is the equivalent of Jay Leno in the US. He was broadcast throughout Bolivia, dressed in his beautiful bana speaking about Kundalini Yoga. The questions he answered in response to the show’s host where on point and compelling. The TV host invited all his viewers to the Lord of Miracles class the following night and many new people showed up that evening.




Early the following morning, SS Guru Rattan Kaur and I taught a class to the woman of La Paz in a yoga center called "Prana" which was newly opened by Angad Kaur. Many of the ladies were deeply touched and their lives altered by receiving Yogi Bhajan's teachings for women, delivered through our own experience. The tears that spilled down some of the women's cheeks landed in my heart as precious gems, and reawakened my honor, grace, strength and power as a woman.

Stay tuned to the SikhNet News. In a few more of days we will share with you more pictures of our experiences in Asuncion, Paraguay, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte Brazil.

With Love & Muchas Bendiciones to everyone!

SS Panch Nishan Kaur
On Behalf of the Lord of Miracles Tour
SS Gurubachan Singh, Bhai Sahiba Bibi Inderjit Kaur,
SS Guru Rattan Kaur, Ram Das Singh, Devi Dyal Kaur,
and Guru Amrit Kaur

Email the News Editor Add SikhNet news to your website


Become a SikhNet Supporter
Make a one time contribution or sign up as a monthly SikhNet donor.
History - Donation - Privacy - Help - Registration - Search


Copyright © 2007 SikhNet
Phone: 505-753-3117 - Email SikhNet Support