Their recent Gurpurab (the day They took birth) on 1 February has been the final push to start this blog that I had been thinking about for a long time already.
Sikhs see the Light of the One (Ek) pervading through all life, and they recognise that all life is connected through the cycle of reincarnation. There are 8.4 million life forms (species) on Earth, and we all have gone through those life forms thousands, millions, billions of times. Through the gradual awakening of our consciousness we are again, in this lifetime, reminded of that intricate connection and we start honouring it in our daily life, in the choices we make, in our actions. We strive for a life of righteousness (Dharam) instead of one where we keep creating more Karma.
While the task of all Sikhs is to serve selflessly, that of Khalsa (initiated or 'Amritdhari' Sikhs) in particular is to protect and serve. Not just protect and serve other Sikhs. Not just protect and serve all humans. But protect and serve Dharam (righteousness) and that includes the whole of Creation. 'Raj Karega Khalsa' ('Khalsa will rule the world') means that this consciousness of righteousness, of truth and true living, which is the consciousness of Khalsa (the pure ones), will ultimately prevail everywhere on Earth.
But is seems like we still have a long way ahead of us. As Sikhs we don't live ascetic lives somewhere withdrawn from the world, trying to change it from the margins. We are right in it, in the muck of it, we are trying to live like lotus flowers, feet in the mud but unaffected by that mud. Yet it is often hard to stay unaffected, to not get drawn into so many unconscious habits that are prevailing all around us. Because of the busy lives we lead, because of financial strains, because of a whole variety of reasons we sometimes end up choosing the 'easier' rather than the more conscious way. Making your own cleaning or toiletry products for example might seem daunting or impossible at first sight - while it doesn't have to be and some are made in just minutes. Choosing the foods that are right for us, for general health or for a particular condition, requires a lot of research and we might just not have time for all of that - so we end up taking medication we might not need, and which then ends up unbalancing/damaging our own health and that of our planet. And just as often we are simply not aware of the alternatives or the natural solutions out there, because nobody has ever told us!
This blog is a humble attempt to touch upon those various aspects. It's not just for Sikhs, and most posts will not speak about Sikhi. But my identity as a Sikh underlies everything I do in life. And it underlies this blog too.
We read this line every morning. Let's start living in the consciousness of it, every day a little bit more.
May we treat Mata Dharat Mahat, our great Mother Earth, with the same kindness as was shown to us by our Guru Sahib. May that consciousness pervade our choices in what we eat and how we grow our food, in the modes of transport we use, in the choices we make as to what detergents and beauty products we might be using, in the packaging we use or don't use, etc.
May this blog inspire others, and may those others in turn inspire their families, their communities, etc.
May it become a lighthouse.
Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
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