 The Secretary General  |
The Secretary General
M.S.S. S. Guru Amrit Kaur Khalsa
Secretary General
The Teachings instruct us to give one tenth of our day in Meditation on God’s Name and one tenth of our earnings to the Guru. In our recorded history we have many stories of seekers who have been blessed with protection or prosperity by upholding these pillars of Sikh Dharma.
The question may be...How to make giving to Dasvandh work for me? The Khalsa Council spent one session defining "What prosperity meant." It was interesting to find the variety of answers. Money was certainly the easiest and most obvious way to define prosperity, but prosperity also meant good will, great sadhana, lifestyle improvements and growth in intuition, to name a few; which all would serve to increase quality of life and prosperity. The dictionary defines prosperity as an increase in wealth, a flourishing state, success. The first step toward encouraging Dasvandh to work for you would be to know exactly your definition of prosperity. Then to begin to watch and claim the opportunities that come to you in various forms.
What are the steps to prosperity?
1. The belief that you have the right to claim your birthright of prosperity and blessings from the Guru by tithing your tenth. Knowing a tenth already belongs to the Guru and the remaining amount is what is yours to manage.
2. Clearly defining what prosperity is to you, and defining what it is you want or what your goals are. At this step it is very important to visualize the return or goal clearly.
3. The next step is to tithe one-tenth of your gross earnings and claim your tenfold return.
4. The last step is to recognize the return with gratitude, be it subtle or gross in its manifestation. Certainly giving $1000 and receiving $10,000 is the most dramatic return on giving to Dasvandh. But you could also be receiving the Guru’s blessing in non financial ways which lead to a greater earning capacity. Watch for the opportunities to show themselves to you. As the opportunities appear, claim your gifts of prosperity, acknowledge them and live in gratitude.
Where does Dasvandh fit into my life? For some Dasvandh is the first priority, it is the first payment after payroll. For others it is the last priority, paid only after all other expenses have been paid. For most of us it is just a matter of remembering and working it out with your spouse or accounts. What is the ideal relationship? It is giving one-tenth of your gross earnings immediately upon receiving your pay check, knowing that one-tenth already belongs to God. By dutifully and unconditionally giving it keeps the relationship with the “unknown” peaceful and prospering.
What is the proper relationship between local dues, special fund raisers and Dasvandh?
Local dues are like rent. It is a fee assessed by the community members to cover community usage, expenses and property. It is a collective responsibility of the community so the burden is equally shared for the privilege to participate in the community events and activities.
Special Fund Raisers are called Dhan. It is giving to a charity to serve a specific purpose. This would be giving to a special fund raiser like the Ram Das Puri Building Fund. It would be an amount in addition to your tithe of ten percent to the Guru not in place of it. Dasvandh is a relationship with infinity and the Guru. You give your tenth and then let the heavens arrange your accounts. Dasvandh is giving to the unknown and offering your contribution to serve the Guru’s mission.
I don’t trust how it is used. My contributions: Do they make a difference? Each soul, that has been blessed to walk the Guru’s path, has a special contribution towards manifesting the destiny and mission of Sikh Dharma. As pioneers we must maintain these teachings for the future generations and to serve the Guru’s vision. Each contribution of prayer, seva and dollars will serve to fulfill this purpose. As an Administrator of Sikh Dharma I am entrusted with this responsibility, it is my constant prayer and projection to utilize the Guru’s funds wisely and consciously for the benefit of the collective mission. Any violation of this sacred trust would be short term gain for long term loss.
God Bless you,
MSS S Guru Amrit Kaur Khalsa