Through it all, no matter what pain circumstances may create, keep-up in praise of Guru ji, God. The Siri Guru Granth Sahib ji shows us how, “Katya duke bukh sadmir, ebe dot te re da tar,” Oh Supreme Giver, if you cast a hundred thousand more pains, curses and hunger upon me, that, too, I will say is Your gift. Whatever happens becomes necessary, so no judgement is necessary.

Wow, a life totally free from bias, prejudice, indifference. Lean back for just a moment and imagine what life would bel like if you lived it in love for ALL? Non-judgmental love. Unconditional love. Pure love. Love filled with wishing well for all, and I meaning it.

This is our standard, we call it “Charhdi Kala.” This is our history, our legacy, our honor. This is our love. Love from the depth of the cave of pure love deep within our heart. Our power, our strength, our victory, everything, we are, we owe to living to this standard, our Sikh standard. Our way to Charhdi Kala.

Yes, we stand ready and prepared for battle, but only as a last resort. Patience, tolerance understanding come first. I’m a Libra Sikh, which means that I see the scales of justice (karma) very ]well. The scales aren’t always in equilibrium,. When an out of balance scale is seen, truth comes forward. It can be unsettling to view. Which way are the scales of justice tilted? How do we get them in balance? Do we even care to do so?

These questions are relevant in a country, a community, a family, in any relationship. What I believe, who I am, and what I default to, is compassion. I believe in compassion before any evidence is presented. In my book, compassion comes first. Then, I’ll listen to why compassion should possibly be seen a little differently There’s always more to every story if you can see it.

Please don’t misunderstand. Compassion must be followed by order and justice. This is the balance between the heavens and the earth. My titles, my duties, all lead me to one place, compassion. This is the balance to order and justice. In order to  serve our Guru ji, we must ride the train of compassion.

This train travels through the village of Patience, past the borough of Tolerance, on to the outskirts of the town of Understanding, and, prayerfully, arrives at the city of Forgiveness soon. True forgiveness is when any and all transgressions, past and present, are forgiven, both our own and of others. On this earth, transgressions became forgivable and punishable at the same time.

The train continues on to the Universe of Compassion, and, finally, to the last stop, the Infinity of Love. Compassion is the true display of love; love is the experience of compassion. Compassion breeds love, and love encompasses compassion. They are one and the same with this caveat, true love must come from God.

Being compassionate cures many, many ills. When the scales of order and justice show a great imbalance, compassion fills the void, God’s balance fills in any leftover ill weight in the scales when He’s satisfied with the compassion displayed. Then, God and you, you and God, are One.

Where does this lead? First compassion, then order and justice, that’s what’s necessary for survival and continuity. A Sikh adds one more layer of compassion. After order and justice, compassion is again applied. then, and only then, should action follows.

This last layer of compassion is Guru ji’s grace. This layer comes directly from God. It comes when the student surrenders to the truth that compassion is Godly. Therefore, naturally, God loves those who show great compassion.

A student can work his way up to compassion by making unnecessary stops at various towns along the way, but that’s the hard way. When the city of Forgiveness is passed, the Universe of Compassion opens up and the Infinity of Love follows. If the student is smart enough to know that he should take the express non-stop train straight to the city of Compassion and not stop along the way, he saves oodles of time. In doing so, all the other cities, towns, whatever, are covered.

These standards lead to a life of love, of being in love. A Love so deep it can only be handled in pieces. Love which forgives all. Love which maintains order and justice while always exercising compassion for all. A love in obedience to the direction of Guru ji. A love of surrender. A love of serving the will of our God. A love of divine presence.

Chanting it, singing it, thinking of it, even dreaming of God’s true name enables the train ride to go faster. Repeating the name changes the brain programing chemistry. Vibrating neurons challenge this change. They hold on tighter, until they no longer can, and the train keeps moving ahead.

Sipping the sacred name of God, Wahe Guru, with Guru Gobind Singh in charge means that a lot can happen in a short amount of time. Compassion comes with His holy name. God is compassion, so His name reflects, vibrates, and experiences His presence. My advice is to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to do something really good for yourself. You can do it anywhere, unknowningly, or publicly. See what Guru Gobind Singh can and will do.

Sip in Wahe Guru with your morning cup of tea. Make it a sadhana of sorts. It’s been my experience that even a little thing like this can have miraculous effects. I’ve seen it happen many times.

A student can work his way up to compassion by making unnecessary stops at various towns along the way, but that’s the hard way. When the City of Forgiveness is passed, the Universe of Compassion opens up - a trip straight to Charhdi Kela.

God is a vibration and different words vibrate at different frequency which have a direct effect on the brain and on God at the same time. Remember, you and God are One, so any thing which happens to either of you or God directly effects the other. Good mantras effect positively.

As your existence and Guru ji’s will begin to match-up, magic happens. No longer is your life in your hands. Whatever you think, you want, you will, becomes irrelevant. This can be a little unsettling and frustrating at first until you figure out what’s going on. The answer, just surrender to it.

This is what you’ve been seeking, don’t freak-out now. Relax and enjoy the ride. After all, that’s what we signed up for a half century ago, isn’t it? Just be grateful, reverent, devotional, and happy, and enjoy the train ride NON-STOP to Compassion and experience Charhdi Kala. Stay tuned.

Your Friend,

Hari Jiwan