Duality dwells in the consciousness of the people of the world.
Humans destroy by sexual obsessions, rage, violence and egotism.
Whom should I call the second, when there is only the One?
The One Immaculate Reality is pervading all.
(Pause and reflect on this)
Our dual-minded evil intellect speaks of a second.
Those who harbor duality come and go and die.
In the earth and in the sky, I do not see any second.
Among all the women and the men, the Light is shining.
In the lamps of the sun and the moon, I see Light.
Dwelling among all is my ever-youthful Beloved One.
Mercifully, Creator/Creation has tuned my consciousness to One.
Guruji has led me to understand the Infinity of One.
A Gurmukh experiences only the One.
(Gurmukh literally means “wise mouth” or “one who speaks wisdom” - also means “one surrendered to the Sikh Guru’s teachings”.)
Subduing duality, we come to realize the Word of the Shabad (we experience the teachings of the Sikh scripture/Guru).
The Divine Command prevails throughout all worlds.
From the One, all have arisen.
There are two routes, but remember that their Source is only One.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad (the SGGS),
recognize the Hukam; the Command of the Cosmos.
The Beloved One is contained in all forms, colors and minds.
Says Nanak, praise the One!
Guru Nanak
SGGS page 223
10 Comments
July 9, 2008 at 11:47 am
Hello Soulbride!!
I love, love all your writing. You are by far the most intersting person I have read in a long, long time. Take care and keep learning…
Harjinder
August 4, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Good post. good luck.
August 19, 2008 at 8:52 am
Hello Kamalla!
I hope you remember me. We met back in 1994/95 when I was living in Seacliff with Dayan, Steve and James.
I remember walking out to the cliffs with you one afternoon and talking about life, being a woman and how all the cats would try to sleep on the holy books in the ashram.
Your website is deeply interesting to me. I would love to talk with you about it. I married (in a somewhat “arranged” fashion) a Punjabi Sikh man in 2003. We have been together for 5 years now and had a “real” (traditional Sikh) wedding in Punjab in 2006.
I live in a joint family. Most of his family is secular, whether or not they practice a few “Ks”. He is a “cut sird” if you will, but he feels very much a Sikh.
I would love to talk with you about the dynamic of Sikhs vs. Sikhi. Your writing on this subject has made so many murky areas of our lives clearer to me. I love reading about your experiences in Gurudwaras, with the online community, etc.
Please write to me!
Much Love,
April Richards-Virk
August 21, 2008 at 12:12 am
Amazing! I have emailed you.
October 12, 2008 at 1:43 am
Reading your post sure made my Saturday morning. My father use to say understanding the meaning of Gurbani in both Gurmukhi and good English crystallizes underlying message.
BTW: In Punjabi ‘mukh’ refers to ‘face’. So Gur.mukh is someone who is ‘Guru-facing.’ Opposite is ‘man.mukh’, someone who if following lower aspirations of their mind. In this way ‘mukh’ also means who you are following.
December 30, 2008 at 3:35 am
I recognize that our intellect, in labeling and categorizing and judging the world, brings us into duality and unnecessary suffering. I also recognize a great interconnectedness of everything, although I am averse to “creator god” notions. I am interested in your philosophy and how one may go about ‘undualizing’ oneself or reuniting with the infinite.
- from your CEP ex-co-worker friend -
December 30, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Blessings Adam!
How you feel about a Creation God?
Sikhs do not believe in a Creator, in the Western sense, nor in original sin. “Creator” and “Creation” and “Spirit” and “Nature” are All One for Sikhs.
Using the metaphor that life is a movie, we know that your life’s story/production is completely distinct from my life’s movie, and the lives/movies of all other beings. You were born into a different era, with different sets and settings and also different personal roles to play. Yet you are a character in my movie and I am a character in your movie too. Our films overlap and merge.
It is easy to get fixated on the you and me aspect, my movie is not your movie. But truth is, it is all One show.
Sikhs do not believe that Sikhi is the “only Way”, not one bit. It is all the Play of the Creation (God). Sikhs “practice” non-dualisitc consciousness by reminding ourselves – as much as we can remember to remember – that it is All One.
But when Sikhs achieve non-dualistic awarenenss, it is by Grace. “I” can’t get there alone, so to speak.
Here are a couple posts to get you started. Leave comments and questions anywhere.
The Amrit Vela
http://kamallarosekaur.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/the-amrit-vela-by-kamalla-rose-kaur/
Do Not Be Concerned with Public Opinion
http://kamallarosekaur.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/do-not-be-concerned-with-public-opinion/
January 2, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Hi,
Very interesting and informative site.
Keep up the good work.
And a Happy New Year to you all.
February 24, 2009 at 11:05 am
Hi,
I’ve been doing a lot of research on Sikh culture, communities and literature and i found this website to be very informative and interesting. I was wondering if anybody knew of any modern poets, writer’s or other literary figures who have articulated some of these ideas in their work ? Work that focuses on the Pacific Northwest, or Western interpretations in general would be very helpful..
Thanks!
July 26, 2009 at 12:39 am
My comments are related to your response to Adam on Dec 30, 08.
In one word ‘Beautiful.’
This concept of ‘One’ is really liberating. As you say we just have to ‘remember to remember.’ I also agree that it is by Grace one starts to comprehend this paradigm. If I may, we can expand upon Grace and say it is a Blessing or alms. And our Guru says, ‘If a beggar cries out at the door, the Master hears it in His Mansion.’ -Page 349.