Sat Nam Dear Family,
“Yes, sir. I want to do what you want me to. Thank you so much for the reminder again. Thank God, you put up with me.” The Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan, and I were seated in the New Mexico Estates on a crisp Tuesday afternoon. I remember that it was Tuesday because communication on Tuesday, Mars day, war day, should be done consciously, and this was a Tuesday, the worst day to need his help as, inevitably, it would take longer and more doubt had to be overcome.
I had a business. It produced money. I dealt with many people. I only knew one way to deal: the way I had been raised. It happened to be a method to success if you take it to heart. But, not everyone can as it’s a very direct way. That frustrated me. Why don’t others understand what’s necessary to succeed? So, my dealing with them wasn’t in the best interest of many others, as well as mine I might add. I couldn’t hear this. My mind was made up. I believed I knew the way to success and why doesn’t everyone just listen?
Into the fray steps the Siri Singh Sahib. “Son, How are you going to handle the conflict you have with so and so?” I went into a soliloquy about how this other party needed to understand, etc., etc., etc. He listened patiently. I got it all out. Then what he said hit home deeply, “You are his boss, you must act like it.”
“What does that mean exactly sir.”
“If your his true boss, then you must do what’s right in spite of what you believe or he believes. You must be flexible; you must be compassionate; you must be obedient to the teachings. That usually means you must bend and that’s painful. I know that. A boss is willing to go into the pain to come out the other side. Otherwise, he’s just a sucker, energy sucker, moneymaking sucker, and something that rhymes with it.”
I loved the way he spoke. It was so real both in content and style. His style made his content all the more relevant. At least it did for me. I knew what he meant. He was reminding me that he would make the decision as to how to handle this situation and I wouldn't like it, but that didn’t matter, and that he didn’t wish to cause pain, nevertheless, when change in the right direction was necessary, he had no choice.
I understood this. I was committed to this. I was devoted to this. I knew that I wasn’t perfect at this, so I understood when he’d remind me that I wasn’t the boss of my teacher, he was mine. And, as both a good servant and good boss, I had learned a great lesson. I’ll only be a good boss when I follow his direction. After the initial shock of the necessity in donning my humility coat, order would only come through the service of sacrifice, surrender, and acceptance. Our beloved teacher’s direction is all that mattered. This was and still is my mantra. After all, that’s why I signed up forty five years ago.
We all came for a reason and we’re here for a reason. That reason is to clean ourselves up. By that I mean to commit and work to going through the pain of learning, learning how to deal with the pain of change, and learning to enjoy the pain associated with changing yourself for the better. That’s why we’re here, to better ourselves. There are a myriad of methods and degrees, nevertheless, they all exist to ease pain. The anomaly is that in order to ease pain, a painful process is in order.
Our way not only eases pain, but it does it organically through trust. We’ve found a very easy way to clean ourselves up. It’s called “obedience to the truth.” That’s it. If you are sincere in trusting in your obedience, you quickly become what you’re obedient to. There are a lot of traps here. Many, many things are attractive which are less painful, even enjoyable. But, obedience to our teachings, our teacher, our Guru, and God Himself is our process. I know that obedience is a charged word, especially since it leaves one vulnerable. Have no fear. For whatever reason, for good karma, for luck sake, we’ve been blessed to follow a teaching which serves us, not exploits us. Thank God for that.
I have found a way and I want to share it with you. It’s up to you to believe me or not. But, for those of you who want to believe me, I share my story. Our teachings and our teacher are the way to our Guru. Our Guru is our way to God. If this is true, then surrendering to our teacher’s will is the easiest, quickest, and most efficient way to elevate yourself. This is one of the great blessings in the universe. It allows the student to travel well beyond limits, limits not even seen.
Serving our teacher has been my miracle. It can be yours too. Many don’t believe it; many don’t want to believe it; many can’t surrender to it; many, many, many. But, for those blessed few who take advantage of what I’m saying, serving your teacher so that he reciprocates by being your constant reminder, your alter ego, your teacher in reminding you that obedience is all that’s required. This is the cost of your elevation. And, here’s the best news, it’s still available. Although he isn’t with us physically, we can still serve him through his teachings. That’s where he’s found again.
His reminders reminded me that I’m not my own teacher, and anyone who thinks they are has ended up in destruction. That’s the statement of history, not mine. However, I do agree with it. So, the constant nagging, tugging, pulling at me was necessary and I’m extremely grateful for it.
Once again, he cleared it up for me. I humbled myself and acted like a boss. It wasn’t easy, but I did it, and I continued to do so until it became easy. His reminders have taught me that criticism, especially coming from your teacher, is a blessing. It’s no longer criticism, it’s a teaching. It’s another opportunity to practice and experience another way of thinking which leads to nothing but elevation. This new way of thinking does not have a negative effect on me anymore. That’s a great experience. It makes doing what is uncomfortable easy. That, too, is a great experience.
“Sorry for bringing this up on Tuesday sir.”
There was no response from him. That wasn’t all that unusual. Now, what does his absent response mean? Another game to understand on this dance of love. It’s beautiful and neverending. Stay tuned,
In the Humility of Service and Gratitude,
MSS Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa
Chief of Protocol
Sangat Representative
