Leaving Hope, Wishes, and Desires in the Dust for a Life of Promises that Delivers
Imagine a life that not only promises fulfillment but truly delivers it. Imagine discovering that the God is real and that the Divine is genuinely on your side, and that no amount of gratitude could ever capture the depth of appreciation you feel for the security this life provides. This isn't just hope; it's a living reality, a realized prayer.
The Mantle of Custodian General
I hold the title of Custodian General of Sikh Dharma in the Western Hemisphere. While titles may sound impressive, their true weight is measured by how they are carried. Sikh Dharma has always embraced diverse customs and perspectives. Some are readily adopted, some are tolerated, and some, with love and respect, must be declined.
My charge is both simple and exacting: like a baseball umpire, I must call balls and strikes. Whenever a new custom, philosophy, or psychology, you name it, approaches our sanctuary, I ask one fundamental question: does it honor the essence of who we are? If it does, we embrace it in the spirit of flexibility and service. If it does not, we courteously let it pass. This flexibility, especially when guiding those less fortunate ones with less understanding, is a deeply Sikh — and indeed, a universally virtuous principle. Truth, after all, is everywhere.
Compassion as Our North Star
Sikh Dharma stands as a testament to righteousness, virtue, and elevation, all under the banner of compassion. Any seeker on any path who accepts righteousness as a standard may rise through its teachings. I emphasize "may," not "will," because the crown of spirituality is bestowed solely by God, not captured by man (metaphorically). Our labor merely demonstrates sincerity; the final call is His.
Recognition should never be confused with duty. A title demands more than applause; it demands clear direction. I have learned that when every decision is bathed in genuine compassion — displayed through patience, tolerance, forgiveness, understanding, flexibility, and perspective — the right answer unfailingly reveals itself. This is the promise Sikh Dharma has kept.
Navigating Doubt and Polarity
Many will undoubtedly question what I say, and this skepticism is a necessary part of balance. Doubt (the killer of all dreams, commitments, prayers, etc.) once challenged me, as it challenges all. Now, we are good companions. Challenge often breeds doubt, doubt leads to a pulling back. Yet, it can also lead to profound clarity. We are all, in the end, carried by the same current. When perception aligns with God through His grace, miracles unfold.
Unta Beant: Beyond the Beyond
We Sikhs refer to this grace as Unta Beant: Infinite, absorbing, and elevating, affirming, but the gateway is universal. All we can do is make ourselves available and confident for God's review. The rest is His blessing, no matter what the review reveals.
The opportunity this title bequeaths, for which I am deeply grateful, includes the responsibility of defining righteousness for our community. As our defined righteousness is lived as our standard, insecurities fall away, and spiritual nobility takes its rightful place in it’s steed. Those whose roots are firmly planted in compassion, displayed through every action, truly come into their own. Without compassion, every claimed path to God is hollow, for God speaks to humanity in the language of love. Love is infinite; compassion is love’s earthly expression.
The Practice of Compassion
Compassion must be rightly defined to accelerate students toward spiritual elevation. Sikh Dharma teaches what true compassion looks like, how to practice it, and whom to worship. Regardless of personal preference for the method, our compassion is universal, free of judgment or revenge, and, yet, it yields the serenity of a relaxed heart. This creates a perpetual loop of gratitude, adding to an already gratitude-filled portfolio leading to Guru ji's recognition that the "review" standards are being upheld.
Our journey spirals ever deeper into God's love. Sikh Dharma, coupled with Kundalini Yoga, awakens more and more reserve energy, focus, and boldness. Here, "more and more" means giving more — more surrender, more happiness, more dignity, more divinity, more understanding (even of misunderstandings), more acceptance of pain, and more sharing love.
Boldness and Humility
Boldness, when rightly aligned, eclipses judgment. To believe you are worthy of God’s grace is the humility of true self-esteem. The bolder you are in kindness, the closer you come to reflecting the Divine.
I have wagered my life on Sikh Dharma, and my experience unequivocally vindicates that wager. Why not you? Find a compassionate path and stay the course.
A Mirror of Compassion
God mirrors our soul. As we practice compassion, He responds in kind, surrounding us with grace. This is the essence of all spirituality: a conversation of love that elevates us beyond what we could ever imagine Stay tuned.
In gratitude and service,
Hari Jiwan
