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SPNer
source:http://www.sikhspectrum.com/082007/awakening.htm
My Religious Awakening
Simran Grover
It has been said that children are born like a blank slate. Experiences and environments mold the slate into a masterpiece. As a Sikh daughter, I know that Sikhism has been an essential part of my upbringing. From the earliest of my childhood memories, a Baba Ji’s kamra was always in our home, paath was regularly played on the tape player, and my father always had us repeat pordis of Jap Ji Sahib in the car. Parshaad was cooked generously by my paternal grandmother who has lived with our family since my parents’ marriage. Even being born and raised in the United States, Punjabi was my first language. Sikhism has always been an important factor in my life and its influence truly molded me.
The sculpturing of my personality slowed down over the years and as of two months ago was a vague and blurred image. My parents had molded me into a great design but the finishing touches were still missing. These finishing touches came from within and this is what I term my religious awakening.
Because our molding comes from our parents, our religion is already determined for us from birth until we decide to change it. I had come to a point in my personal development that I was ready to accept Sikhism because I wanted to, not because I was born into a family that supported Sikhism. I wanted to know what it all means. Who are we? What are we here for? In a popular British comedy, “Goodness Gracious Me” they showed a young, confused Sikh boy. He asks his parents the same thing, Who are we? What are we here for? His mom and dad had realized that soon this day would come and had an equation in mind: pug + man = man + pug = Sikh! To them it was as simple as that, but the boys’ questions remained unanswered. Although this was meant to be a comical, the young Sikh boys’ words continue to echo in my mind. There is a big difference from thinking something verses having them verbalized.
When I go to Gurudwara, I do not fully understand Gurmukhi, so I cannot understand the Guru’s teachings. Many gurudwaras across the world are putting up projection screens with translations from SikhitotheMax.com. But still, many gurudwaras yet need to provide this for the sangat. I do not want to be left in the dark anymore and I want to know what it means. I want to know who are we and what we are here for. In order to execute this decision I deemed it necessary to understand the meanings of the scriptures and absorb the history. I started my quest on the internet. I began reading the translation of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, I began reading the history of Sikhism in 580+ question format provided by GHISS, Sikhiwiki.com became one of my most visited websites, and Sikhspectrum.com and Sikhnet.com are on my bookmark toolbar.
There have been many people also involved in my improvement. My family is best friends with GB & Neetu Singh. GB Uncle is a regular writer for Sikhspectrum.com and he himself is truly a beacon of hope. His knowledge is immense and he has been my inspiration to finally want to obtain the final touches. There are so many misconceptions out there but he evaluates every argument practically and critically. He refers directly to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and in my opinion, there is no better source. Oddly enough, many people act like politicians and circle around subjects and do not answer the question or they provide unreliable sources. GB Uncle does not do that. He provides an example, a support, and a counter example, or in other words, the perfect argument. He thinks critically and in this day and age, my generation wants real answers, something that my parents’ generation never really questioned. He is one of the most influential people in my life and for that I am very fortunate.
Also, recently my family and I attended a wedding in Calgary, Canada. The bride’s family had invited a granthi, Bhai Baldev Singh, from Vancouver to perform the ceremony. He spoke entirely in English and really connected to my generation. His simran was so powerful that I got goosebumps listening to him! He did not just explain the meaning of the four lawan, but took the ceremony further. He explained how Guru Ramdas Ji created the hymns for this ceremony to perform his own marriage. After so many hundreds of years, the bride and groom were about to embark in the same spiritual journey as the Guru himself did. His talk put everything in perspective. Bhai Baldev Singh is an accomplished Sikh in the Royal Mounted Canadian Police, or RMCP, and is truly a skillful human being. It is people like him who give this generation a “wake up call.”
This “wake up call” was something I truly needed. There does not go one day that I do not learn something new about Sikhism; every day I become more and more pleased that I am a Sikh. These are the finishing touches on the sculpture that my parents started. Now the image is no longer vague and blurred but rather clear and defined because I know and understand who I am. I am a proud to be a Sikh and this feeling grows with every moment that I become immersed in the Guru’s teachings.
My Religious Awakening
Simran Grover
It has been said that children are born like a blank slate. Experiences and environments mold the slate into a masterpiece. As a Sikh daughter, I know that Sikhism has been an essential part of my upbringing. From the earliest of my childhood memories, a Baba Ji’s kamra was always in our home, paath was regularly played on the tape player, and my father always had us repeat pordis of Jap Ji Sahib in the car. Parshaad was cooked generously by my paternal grandmother who has lived with our family since my parents’ marriage. Even being born and raised in the United States, Punjabi was my first language. Sikhism has always been an important factor in my life and its influence truly molded me.
The sculpturing of my personality slowed down over the years and as of two months ago was a vague and blurred image. My parents had molded me into a great design but the finishing touches were still missing. These finishing touches came from within and this is what I term my religious awakening.
Because our molding comes from our parents, our religion is already determined for us from birth until we decide to change it. I had come to a point in my personal development that I was ready to accept Sikhism because I wanted to, not because I was born into a family that supported Sikhism. I wanted to know what it all means. Who are we? What are we here for? In a popular British comedy, “Goodness Gracious Me” they showed a young, confused Sikh boy. He asks his parents the same thing, Who are we? What are we here for? His mom and dad had realized that soon this day would come and had an equation in mind: pug + man = man + pug = Sikh! To them it was as simple as that, but the boys’ questions remained unanswered. Although this was meant to be a comical, the young Sikh boys’ words continue to echo in my mind. There is a big difference from thinking something verses having them verbalized.
When I go to Gurudwara, I do not fully understand Gurmukhi, so I cannot understand the Guru’s teachings. Many gurudwaras across the world are putting up projection screens with translations from SikhitotheMax.com. But still, many gurudwaras yet need to provide this for the sangat. I do not want to be left in the dark anymore and I want to know what it means. I want to know who are we and what we are here for. In order to execute this decision I deemed it necessary to understand the meanings of the scriptures and absorb the history. I started my quest on the internet. I began reading the translation of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, I began reading the history of Sikhism in 580+ question format provided by GHISS, Sikhiwiki.com became one of my most visited websites, and Sikhspectrum.com and Sikhnet.com are on my bookmark toolbar.
There have been many people also involved in my improvement. My family is best friends with GB & Neetu Singh. GB Uncle is a regular writer for Sikhspectrum.com and he himself is truly a beacon of hope. His knowledge is immense and he has been my inspiration to finally want to obtain the final touches. There are so many misconceptions out there but he evaluates every argument practically and critically. He refers directly to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and in my opinion, there is no better source. Oddly enough, many people act like politicians and circle around subjects and do not answer the question or they provide unreliable sources. GB Uncle does not do that. He provides an example, a support, and a counter example, or in other words, the perfect argument. He thinks critically and in this day and age, my generation wants real answers, something that my parents’ generation never really questioned. He is one of the most influential people in my life and for that I am very fortunate.
Also, recently my family and I attended a wedding in Calgary, Canada. The bride’s family had invited a granthi, Bhai Baldev Singh, from Vancouver to perform the ceremony. He spoke entirely in English and really connected to my generation. His simran was so powerful that I got goosebumps listening to him! He did not just explain the meaning of the four lawan, but took the ceremony further. He explained how Guru Ramdas Ji created the hymns for this ceremony to perform his own marriage. After so many hundreds of years, the bride and groom were about to embark in the same spiritual journey as the Guru himself did. His talk put everything in perspective. Bhai Baldev Singh is an accomplished Sikh in the Royal Mounted Canadian Police, or RMCP, and is truly a skillful human being. It is people like him who give this generation a “wake up call.”
This “wake up call” was something I truly needed. There does not go one day that I do not learn something new about Sikhism; every day I become more and more pleased that I am a Sikh. These are the finishing touches on the sculpture that my parents started. Now the image is no longer vague and blurred but rather clear and defined because I know and understand who I am. I am a proud to be a Sikh and this feeling grows with every moment that I become immersed in the Guru’s teachings.
Thanks Aad0002 jeo! 