Autumn 2023 Edition
Table of Contents
The Journey of Fateh Singh - A Converted Sikh
By Rasak and Dataar Singh
Free Will Within Hukam
By Sayva Kaur
An Analysis of Prabh Mera Antarjamee Jan
By Uday Singh
Ik Onkar Poem
Nadhri Kaur
A Look at Tennessee Gurmat Camp
By Sayva Kaur
Haumai: Unveiling the Human Ego
By Uday Singh
The Journey of Fateh Singh - A Converted Sikh
By Rasak and Dataar Singh
When most people think of a Sikh, they envision the turban and large beard but little attention is paid to the skin color of the man wearing the crown. Today, we sat down with Fateh Singh (formerly known as Frank Tarney), a white Sikh convert. His journey with Sikhism will be explored in this article along with his unique life experiences and viewpoints.
Before we explore Fateh’s story, some context is needed. In the 1960s, the red scare was at an all time high as the United States wanted to prevent the spread of communism around the world due to the ideology of domino theory (the fear that if one country falls to communism, the neighboring countries will shortly follow). There was heavy opposition to continue fighting this war due to the large amounts of violence and bloodshed. When the troops returned back to the United States in the early 1970s, contrary to what one might expect, they were seen as war criminals. Fateh Singh, a veteran in this war, explains how Sikhi took him out of this dark place, “I am a more understanding person and more forgiving. After the Vietnam war, I was very angry and bitter. I am so much happier as a person because of my faith.” Because Sikhism pulled him out of this dark place, Singh became committed to the religion and its practices.
Singh explained that he discovered Sikhi due to his fascination with a specific Sikh general during the partition of India. “I was very impressed with this Sardar (Turban wearing Sikh) general, he was not arrogant but dignified and I was very impressed with that.” He adds “I will admit, I thought the beard and the turban were kind of cool.” Fateh Singh was initially attracted to the Sikh military history but as he researched more and more it led him to the spiritual side of things. “These people were willing to be tortured and killed for their faith. They know something that I want to know.” This “something” is what caused him to take a deep spiritual dive into Sikhism and all of its philosophies. Singh resonated heavily with both aspects of the religion which is why he converted very swiftly after first discovering it. “Within about six months I started to consider myself a Sikh and then about another six months I stopped cutting my hair.” To Singh’s surprise, most of his friends and family were very supportive of his decision to convert, so much so that his mother attended the Gurdwara (temple) with him occasionally. Singh describes how his mother called the Gurdwara “good water,” but instead of correcting her, everyone let her call it that because it served as a very fitting description.
However, not everyone was as enthusiastic about Sikhism... Fateh Singh remarks about how “hostile” some of his Christian relatives were at his uncle’s funeral. He found it ironic that they worship someone (Jesus) who also has a long beard but acted so negatively towards himself. Singh stated that the responses in the Sikh community were also a mixed bag. Most of them welcomed him with open arms while a few others showed signs of subtle disdain for him. This is something that needs to be corrected by Punjabi Sikhs. Anyone and everyone can explore the religion and become immersed in it regardless of their background. The good news is that a few bad experiences didn’t derail Singh from his spiritual path.
Not only has Fateh Singh’s conversion to Sikhi affected himself, it has also affected his wife, Polly Tarney. Mrs. Tarney is a Christian and retains her Christian values, however, she has assimilated parts of Sikhi in her life. For example, Polly’s closest friend in life is a Sikh woman and they bond together by playing cards. Additionally, even though she isn’t a Sikh, Mrs. Tarney visits the Gurdwara weekly with her husband and listens intently to shabads (Sikh hymn) being sung. Although she does not speak or understand Punjabi, she reads the english translations of the shabads on the TVs in the Gurdwara and relates it to the messages she receives through her Christian prayers.
Throughout this interview, Fateh Singh hammers home on how Sikhism has improved his life and overall made him a better person. Because of this, Singh thinks that Sikhism would be great for a lot of people, especially in our current society in the west. “Sikhi is the world’s best kept secret. I think our faith would work for a lot of people in the west if they were exposed to it.” He also adds on how Sikhs don’t go out trying to convert people like missionaries which may be the reason why many Americans aren’t aware of it.
Fateh Singh has had a very abnormal path of becoming a Sikh (most people are born into the religion) but that makes his story so much more interesting. It goes to show you that Sikhism can be practiced and enjoyed by anyone on the planet.
Fateh Singh and his wife Polly Tarney.
Free Will Within Hukam
By Sayva Kaur
Hukam. As Sikhs, we have heard this phrase multiple times. We usually refer to hukam as Waheguru’s will, but what does that exactly mean? When I was a little kid, I thought this meant that all our actions were predetermined. That anything I did wrong was not always my fault, but a result of hukam. If I was ever scolded by my parents I would think. “Waheguru, why did you make me do something that upset my parents?”.
As I’ve gotten older, I have a better understanding of hukam, but I still struggle with the concept. Especially when we discuss how much of our life we live according to free will and how much of our life is determined by Hukam. Hukam is not always easy to understand. However, we can always try to learn more about hukam and other confusing concepts in Sikhi.
In order to gauge our understanding of hukam and free will as the Sikh youth, I was able to ask a few of my peers to speak on this topic. When asked about hukam vs. free will, one person replied:
“While a lot of our life is predestined and is hukam, we do have free will. For example if you have a decision to take, whether you choose to take the good decision or the bad decision, each of those will have its own outcome and we have the free will in terms of which decision to pick, or what option to pick, what path, where to go in life essentially. And then based on the decision we make, Waheguru’s hukam will impact us in that way. The outcome of it will be predestined.”
Another person responded to this question by saying: “In terms of free will vs. Waheguru’s hukam, I think you can’t just leave everything up to Waheguru. For example, if you have a job and then you just quit your job, and you’re like it’s going to be Waheguru’s hukam that I am going to make money, that is not going to work. Instead you should have the will and desire to do well in life, but let’s say you study really hard and work really hard and it just doesn’t go your way, or you have a great life but then somehow you get cancer, that’s just Waheguru’s hukam. You tried your best and you put everything in the hands of Waheguru. It’s not like you can’t try and just give up, and Waheguru will take care of it. No, you have to put your effort in and then Waheguru will do the same.”
The last person we interviewed replied: “In my opinion, I think we kind of have both. We have free will but the Guru also guides us. He gives us these choices and he shows us the path, but it’s up to us to choose which path we want to take.”
In some ways these views differ from one another, but they also share many similarities. Even one of the Sikh elders, Dr. Amarjit Singh, shared similar views. First we asked for the definition of Hukam to which Dr. Singh replied, “Hukam is Waheguru Ji’s rules. How he runs the whole universe…The way he runs the world also depends on what we do. That comes in free will. Waheguru Ji has given human beings power, particularly humans and animals free will under his rules, under his Hukam. We choose the right way or the wrong way. We have a choice, if we start going the wrong way, then he corrects us which many times we perceive as a punishment, but it is not a punishment, it is for our good.” We then proceeded to ask how many of our actions in life are out of free will and how many are Hukam. Dr. Singh then replied, “It is not meant to happen but everything is really free will and our free will is under his hukam, under his rules. But he gives free will to go one hundred percent the way you want to go, you want to go Guru’s way, you want to go your mind's way, that is your choice. But when you go in the wrong direction, he corrects us by giving various problems, what we call “dukh” but it is really “dukh daroo”. They are a treatment for our weaknesses… Free will is under his hukam too. How much free will he gives is up to him. Whatever he wants, but he has given us free will to choose.”
Although different people can have different interpretations of hukam in relation to free will, there is a common theme that we have all learned throughout our lives as Sikhs. Most people seem to think that hukam is more of the consequences of our actions. That our own individual choices are freely made, but that when we do something good or bad, the appropriate consequences will follow. Even though these opinions are not set in stone, it can hopefully give us a bit of insight on hukam and encourage us to continue learning more on our own. There are many concepts in Sikhi that can confuse us, but if we make the effort to learn, we can start to make more sense of Sikhi.
Shabad Analysis - Prabh Mera Antarjamee Jan
By Uday Singh
This beautiful shabad, written in Raag Kalyan by the 5th Sovereign, describes the all knowing nature of the param-aatma and his hukam (divine will, under which everything is encompassing). In Sikh Exegetical literature, known as steeks or teeekas, the historical contexts behind certain shabads are given. However, no such context, or uthanka, is given for this shabad, which is somewhat unique.
ਕਲਿਆਨੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
Raag Kalyan, M: 5
ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਅੰਤਰਜਾਮੀ ਜਾਣੁ ॥ ਕਰਿ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਪੂਰਨ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਨਿਹਚਲੁ ਸਚੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਨੀਸਾਣੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
O my Lord, You are the Knower of the innermost thoughts, and O Perfect Supreme God, please bless us with Your grace, for You are the Unchanging and True Form, the Word of God, and the Manifest Sign.
ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਆਨ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਸਮਰਥੁ ਤੇਰੀ ਆਸ ਤੇਰਾ ਮਨਿ ਤਾਣੁ ॥
O Lord, without You, no one else is capable. My hope is only in You, and Your power reigns in my heart.
ਸਰਬ ਘਟਾ ਕੇ ਦਾਤੇ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਦੇਹਿ ਸੁ ਪਹਿਰਣੁ ਖਾਣੁ ॥੧॥
O Lord, You are the Giver to all beings; You give clothing and food to all. ||1||
ਸੁਰਤਿ ਮਤਿ ਚਤੁਰਾਈ ਸੋਭਾ ਰੂਪੁ ਰੰਗੁ ਧਨੁ ਮਾਣੁ ॥
The splendor of knowledge and wisdom, and the glory of people's appearance, beauty, wealth, and (respect) honor that exists
ਸਰਬ ਸੂਖ ਆਨੰਦ ਨਾਨਕ ਜਪਿ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਲਿਆਣੁ ॥੨॥੬॥੯॥
O Lord, all these pleasures are obtained by meditating on Your Name.
Ik Onkar Poem
By Nadhri Kaur
We are one,
One living within us,
Transcending time,
Alive far beyond space.
We are infinitely connected,
Eternally intertwined,
We are cosmically abundant,
In a way no words can do justice.
We are whole,
Forever together,
Bound together by a force,
The energy of Waheguru.
This union makes us complete,
And perpetually ties us together,
So tight and close, a universal knot,
That cannot ever be undone.
Our confines are imagined,
So let’s shed our separation,
Let go of this hatred,
And embrace our connectivity.
When we close our eyes,
We can see it in such clarity,
Oneness lives within all,
The universe, solely.
All that you know is a unit,
That entirety stands under,
We may have a total of many,
But the sum always equals one.
Picture golden thread flowing through all,
To recognize strangers as family,
And see how our world sings in harmony,
How it thrives in this divinity.
A Look at Tennessee Gurmat Camp
By Sayva Kaur
The Sikh youth within North America is spread out all over the continent and for many, it is difficult to find Sikh communities or just Sikh friends in general. For myself, living in a city with few Sikh people can be isolating. Going to school where no one else practices the same religion as you and where you always have to explain to others who you are isn’t easy. For me personally, having a Sikh community where you fit in and don’t have to explain yourself is important. This is something that many of the Sikh youth feel which is why many of us go to Sikh camp over the summer. But while we go to Sikh camp, we don’t really always know how the camps started and all the work that is done to keep the camps running.
For this article we interviewed Rajinder Uncle, who founded one of these Sikh camps: Tennessee Gurmat Camp. When planning a Sikh camp, location is very important seeing as without a campsite, camp could not occur in the first place. According to Rajinder Uncle, when trying to find a location, “We basically looked all over the area to see what needs a particular sight would need to fit with our requirements and we found Fall Creek Falls. It made a very good setup for the number of kids that we were going to have.”
Tennessee Gurmat Camp started over thirty years ago and throughout this time, the camp has experienced many significant changes. “I think when we started this camp, our children were very little. And then our children became youth teachers, and then those youth teachers, those same children became counselors and now finally, they are basically managing the camp” remarked Rajinder Uncle. “So over the years, the best way I can describe how this camp has changed is that when we started off, more than thirty years ago, most of the kids were not too much into Sikhi. I would say, seventy percent of kids were not into Sikhi and only thirty percent were. But today I think it has turned around, and we have at least ninety percent of the youth that are interested in Sikhi, and ten percent that are not.”
The people who have been to Sikh camps their whole lives have memories and moments from these camps that they still remember. Not just the campers, but the counselors, organizers, and teachers. When asked about memories, Rajinder Uncle replied, “There are so many memories, good and bad. Memories means memories right? The bad memories were that we used to allow many kids to come to the camp, but then some instances happened where we decided that we would not want to allow the little kids to come to camp. It would only be seven and up.” When it came to the good memories, Rajinder Uncle said, “I think if you look at our camp and where we started it, today it has become like a family camp. Every participant who comes here enjoys and is basically a part of our family. And we really mean that in every aspect, in taking care of the kids, in taking care of the volunteers, so that everyone who comes here is basically fulfilling their needs to either enjoy the camp as a camper or to enjoy the seva that this camp provides for them.” Rajinder Uncle later commented “The best memory that we have is that when we were younger as youth teachers we could play with kids, and we played soccer with them, we played volleyball with them, now with our age, now I'm seventy-six years of age, now I don’t have that energy. So those were my real memories, that I could play with those kids and those kids felt so good playing with older teachers. That it was a really memorable thing for them.”
When discussing Sikh camp, the preparation and planning is a key aspect in making sure that the camp runs smoothly. According to Rajinder Uncle, “This particular site when you hold the camp, they require the reservation to be two years ahead of time. And they only have a window of two weeks beginning January fifteenth. So if you don’t make your reservation at that time, the camp is gone. So from the standpoint of making reservations, that’s the kind of protocol that we have to follow. As for the preparation of the camps are concerned, I would say starting in May-we have our camp at the end of June-but starting in the end of May when we start to figure out how many campers we are going to have, how many sevadaars we are going to have, how many youth teachers we are going to have. So it starts at the end of May and then as time progresses, as it gets closer to the camp day, then the work is more and more. So I would say about a month earlier.”
As time goes on, camps continue and new campers come every year. As the last part of the interview, we asked about the vision for the future of Tennessee Gurmat Camp to which Rajinder Uncle responded saying, “My vision that I would like to have is that the people who come to this camp will be able to start families with Sikh values. So that is my vision for the camp, that anyone who has participated in this camp as a student, as a teacher, as an adult, that they will spread the message of the Gurus wherever we live, or wherever we get our labors, our school workers, our professional workers. So that’s the vision that I have, that we can basically spread the message of Guru Nanak and all the ten Gurus to the rest of humanity.
Overall, we can see planning Sikh camps is a lot of work and that camps can change throughout the years. Camp is a yearly event that not just the Sikh youth, but Sikhs in general enjoy and this article was meant to be a bit of insight into how camp is run and the history of the camp. After reading this, perhaps we can all begin to have a better understanding of camp and maybe a little more appreciation for it.
Photo credits to Tennessee Gurmat Camp
Haumai: Unveiling the Human Ego
By: Uday Singh
Art from 1830’s Janamsakhi Manuscript
Table of Contents
Introduction
Etymology
Gurbani & Sikh Lens
Universality
Notation in Other Religions
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
Hinduism
Conclusion
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Haumai; It’s a fundamental concept in Sikhi, but many of us don’t really know what it means or entails aside from the surface level definition of “ego”. Many of us read it every single day, at the end of the 2nd Pauri of Japji Sahib. But why is Haumai so important? How does it affect us? Does it exist in every one of us? How can we get rid of it? These questions will thus reveal to us that Haumai is something very intricate, and is embedded into virtually everyone’s Sense of Being.
Etymology
If we look at the grammar of this word, we see that is is an amalgamation of the words *hau* [ਹਉ] and *mai* [ਮੈ]. The word "hau" literally meaning "i" and "mai" literally meaning "me". Usually we think that the word “ego” only means things like pride and self importance. With this translation, Haumai has been simply interpreted as being a kind of self-centeredness, ego, or mere overconfidence. However, in reality, Haumai points to an extremely deep existential question, which has been the subject of examination by virtually every single great spiritual tradition known to man.
Most dictionaries give at least 2 definitions for ego. The second is used in psychoanalysis, and refers to the part of the mind that is responsible for a sense of personal identity. This, I would argue, is a more apt definition for ego in this case.
Gurbani & Sikh Lens
As pointed out by looking at the etymology, the word haumai means “I” or “I am”. So, what exactly is it that we think that we are? We may think that we are our names, races, genders, professions, or any other attribute, but Guru Sahib gives us a unique definition. Guru Sahib tells us -
ਮਨ ਤੂੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਹੈ ਆਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥
man too(n) jot saroop hai aapanaa mool pachhaan ||
O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light - recognize your own origin.
ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣਹਿ ਤਾਂ ਸਹੁ ਜਾਣਹਿ ਮਰਣ ਜੀਵਣ ਕੀ ਸੋਝੀ ਹੋਈ ॥
mool pachhaaneh taa(n) sahu jaaneh maran jeevan kee sojhee hoiee ||
Acknowledge your origin, and then you shall know your Husband Lord, and so understand death and birth.
How do we understand these mystical verses? If we are truly the embodiment of the jot, then why haven’t we become mukt and One with Waheguru? If we are already one in essence with Waheguru, what is the need for prem-bhagti and bhajan-bandgi (devotional worship towards a higher power, greater than oneself). And, with this wisdom given to us, would it be accurate to call ourselves God?
Our essence is one with Waheguru, and this is why Waheguru is known as Paramatma and Paar-Brahm Parmeshwar. The word Paramatama means the “super soul”, which unites all souls together. The word(s) Paar-Brahm Parmeshwar refers to that being which is all pervading, as Guru Gobind Singh Ji says -
ਪ੍ਰਣਵੋ ਆਦਿ ਏਕੰਕਾਰਾ ॥
pranavo aadh eka(n)kaaraa ||
I Salute the One Primal Lord.
ਜਲ ਥਲ ਮਹੀਅਲ ਕੀਓ ਪਸਾਰਾ ॥
jal thal maheeal keeo pasaaraa ||
Who pervades the watery, earthly and heavenly expanse.
Alas, it is solely our self identity which separates us from God. It is not our ego-self, which we think is what we truly are. Rather, our inner-self, our soul, is already one with God’s essence. In the same way surface tension separates droplets, and waves separate the ocean, such does our ego-self, our identity, separate us from God, the prevailing ocean. In Indian Philosophy and Spirituality, the ego-self is known as the "Jiv", and is known as the "Nafs" in Islam. It is a universal phenomenon that invites introspection and spiritual growth across diverse cultures and belief systems.
Universality
This idea of the ego-self has existed as a part of theological theorization for almost as long as humans have been around. Some of the oldest religions which are still practiced today, such as Hinduism & Judaism, carry deem mystical paradigms concerning the unity of God and Man, which requires the destruction of a specific element within the individual. We will be exploring the nature of this special “element”, which in Sikhi we know as Haumai, and will be comparing it to other belief systems one-by-one.
Islam
In Islam, especially less mainstream and more mystical branches of the Islamic Traditional (often characterized as Sufi), a concept exists of the Nafs. This simply means “ego” within the Arabic language. In broader terms, it can also refer to the self (identity). As some Sufi Scholars have described, the existence of the Nafs denotes two spirits which reside within every human: one being an animal spirit - which allows us to eat, breathe, live, reproduce, carry out mundane tasks, etc. and the other being the true human spirit essence) - which is unique only to humans and brings us to Allah. With this paradigm established it is easy to conclude that the Nafs is purely animalistic and Anti-Godly, and yet it is reported that Prophet Muhammad said, “If you know your Nafs, you know Allah.”
ਹਉਮੈ ਦੀਰਘ ਰੋਗੁ ਹੈ ਦਾਰੂ ਭੀ ਇਸੁ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
haumai dheeragh rog hai dhaaroo bhee is maeh ||
Ego is a chronic disease, but it contains its own cure as well.
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ - ਮਃ ੨ - ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ - ਅੰਗ ੪੬੬
Judaism
The unique theology of Judaism also yields such elements of mysticism (although maybe not in the mainstream). Within the tradition of “Kabbalah”, also known as Jewish Esotericism (secret practices limited to small groups), a kind of similarity, perhaps even divine unity is recognized within the tradition.
Kabbalah uses analogies of trees to represent Jewish Metaphysics (How things are in relation to each other in the Universe, a kind of “higher”, less objective study of physics). There are two trees, with two pairs of branches, and two pairs of roots. The roots represent the causal action, whereas the branches represent the effect. The trees face each other in the opposite direction. The lower tree has its roots firmly rooted in the higher, non-physical realm. This is very similar to the conception of nirgun and sargun within the Sikh tradition. Similarly, the upper tree has its roots in the sargun (the creation) and its branches and fruits (the effect) becomes revealed in the spiritual realm.
The two trees can also be likened to the Man-ManMaker paradigm. The man being the lower tree and the Man Maker being the higher tree, both affecting each other and yielding fruits. The transcendence of the ego (the body, haumai) allows the branches of the human to yield fruits within the spiritual realm. Within mainstream religion, it is commonly accepted that God is unaffected by the creation, and this is also true in mainstream Sikh understanding of Metaphysics. This is not the case in Judaism. In Judaism, it is
said that God needs humans, and thus this is the reason why he created them. In this way, the man has influence over the maker, as the maker has influence over the man.
It is not a pyramid of power, but perhaps even an equal one (within the jewish tradition)
Christianity
While neglected in mainstream Western Christianity, particularly Protestantism and Catholicism, mysticism has an integral relationship within Eastern Orthodox Christianity, even within the mainstream. Hesychasm, the path to what is described as the deification of man, is a path within Orthodox Christianity, which involves certain methods which are meant to call the human back to its divine origin. In Orthodox Christianity, the Jesus Prayer is often recited multiple times on a prayer rope, or what we know as a mala within the Sikh Tradition. Meditation on this prayer or Mantra is one of the practices in this path of deification. The prayer is such:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Repetition of this prayer is done within the path of Hesychasm and other esoteric Christian Mystic paths. The negation of the ego can be noticed in this prayer with the last clause, “a sinner”, as the meditator prays towards his beloved “isht”. In Sikh and Sufi metaphysics, this could be interpreted as the soul-bride serving the Almighty with such devotion and such care, that in ecstasy, the soul-bride merges with her husband, thus becoming one with the divine.
Hinduism
In the mainstream, due to Hinduism not being a codified religion, there are no clear metaphysics to compare, however when looking at individual sampradayas (schools of thought), we can see immense similarity between “Hindu” and Sikh theology.
Within the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism, an incredibly strict, non duality is recognized, as well as the complete rejection of all that which is impermanent. Everything which has a start and an end is, by its nature, bound to be fallible, and is therefore considered false. All of these objects fall under the category of “Maya”. This includes human identity. Since the human “aatma” (the soul) is really just like a small puzzle piece of the param-aatma (the super-soul), the aatma is the non-fallible, impermanent part of the human. Thus, the aatma is what we truly are, and our body, mind, identity, and self-perception are all temporary, and therefore false.
Conclusion
Something interesting is that traditional Sikh Learning institutions, such as the Damdami Taksaal and various “Nirmala Taksaals” teach various “Vedant” Granths (Books) as part of learning the intrinsic definitions within Gurbani. It is also known that the Masnavi Sufi poem, by Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, was translated into Braj Bhasha within the court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji in Anandpur. It is therefore time that we reinvestigate the philosophic and universal parallels within Sikh theology and other systems of thought. As expounded upon above, the ego or “haumai” within Sikhi is such a universal phenomenon that it is even recognized outside the realm of theology, as a topic of noteworthy discussion within psychoanalysis.