harsimiritkaur
SPNer
I don't understand it. Many Sikhs are busy visitint the gurdwara sahib and bowing to a book format or the written version of Guru Gian in what we call Shri Guru Granth Sahib, the living Guru. Rare is the person who go up to the palkee and read. Most Amritdharis only read 5 banis and Sukhmani Sahib for the sake of getting God's blessing. Many Sikhs are very much concerned about showing respect to Guru Granth Sahib, and that is fine, but we are we all regressing into. Hindu morat puja. Why do I say this? Because we Sikhs are too busy in our own affairs, jobs and families, then from time to time give Guru Ji a visit to show respect. Rare is the person who takes five minutes a week to learn the meanings of the Guru Granth Sahib's hymns. Too many preachers only preach so called magical stories in Janamsakhi, written by pundits. People want ritual and show off Akhanda Paaths. Granthis are selling Akhanda Paath duties and under paying the readers what the family pays them for. Why are so many people attracted to outward Sikhism and know nothing about Sikh philosophy? Why are people ashamed to read Guru Granth Sahib, yet fake granthis are quick to jump up to the palkee to read the paath for the money, pretending to be Gursikhs? Why are non religious Sikhs so anxious to be a gurdwara comittee member to show off they are doing sewa, when all they want is the golak money and power to sell USA sponsorship letters to people in India. If these people want to do sewa in the Gurdwara Sahib, then why don't they help the local poor in the sangat? Some help the poor, only their immediate family or those who supported their political campaign, while others got no support and were lied to. Look at the Jehovahs witnesses. They go door to door and help the local poor people. Many of them in California are learning Punjabi and they are conducting Bible studies in Punjabi. Why can't we Sikhs have the same kind of outreach to teach Guru Granth Sahib in our communities and promote Guru's wisdom of how to be happy, health, and successful? No, we just prefer to stay in our ethnic shell of rituals and blind faith, like the blind leading the blind. I do not blame comittee people or granthes or raggies. I blame all of us. We are so disorganized in America and we have no good teachers of Gurbani. We shy the good preachers away in exchange for preachers that promote Brahmanism and fake Baba Ji Saints thay have no concern for your souls. W should be ashamed of ourselves for bowing so much in reverence for Guru Ji, yet not learn or even practice what we learn. There is more to Sikhism than just bowing to Guru Granth Sahib and hiring people to mumble quickly through Akhanda Paath. There is more to it that listening to Bollywood raggies that are not true Sikhs. There is more to it that strict conformity to limit gurdwara conduct to merely sitting still, not allowing clapping of hands or controlled body movements to the rythym of the kirtan. We are not in only India. Look at the churches, they are modernized in a way that they know what attracts people and what people need. There is a time to sit quietly, and there is a time to cheer Guru Ji with hand clapping. Hand clapping is a taboo in India because people clap their hands in the drinking bar, and I heard prostitutes do it to get people's attention. God and Guru Ji are not stupid nor ignorant. They realize there are different cultures with different customs that may be offensive to other cultures. Guru is flexible and reasonable and true. I would never impose handclapping in a sangat where it is considered disrespectful. But what are you going to do when thousands of Americans and Asians flood the gurdwaras. There will not be enough time to tell all them that they can't clap their hands to God with a clean heart. And if you tell them, then they will thing you are interefering with the moving of "the spirit of God." And besides, Bhagat Ravidass teaches, Naam tero artee. Who are we to show God respect. We are nothing and He is all.
