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English Medium
Nirankari Sant Samagam
On the afternoon of Sunday, September 14th, an English medium samagam was held in Barrie, Ontario following the regular Toronto sangat. Despite the bad weather, there was a wonderfully large turnout. In addition to the local saints, many others from nearby cities like Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton also attended the congregation. The chosen topic for the samagam was “The role of Satguru in our Spiritual Awakening”. Many different saints expressed their thoughts on this subject through speeches, devotional songs and poems. To begin the congregation, one saint broke down the definition of the word Guru as being a spiritual guide; one who brings you from darkness into light and from ignorance to enlightenment. Following this, a very important question was raised. Is Baba Ji God? We are all aware that Nirankar (Formless God) is a great energy force, which exists in everything. It was explained that in order for this energy to be channelled, it must pass through a medium and be embodied in a human form, such as a Satguru (true master). In this way, we are able to communicate with Nirankar. Like the lighthouse that guides the lost at sea, our Satguru guides us when we are lost in this materialistic world. Sharing a very personal experience, another saint spoke about the importance of having faith in Nirankar through good times and bad, and accepting God’s will always, realizing that whatever He does is for our benefit. These thoughts are reinforced by keeping the company of saints (satsang), doing selfless service (sewa) and remembering God (simran). Doing so, benefits us alone and through introspection whenever in the company of saints, we must truly ask ourselves if we are spreading this message and following His teachings to truly create a heaven on earth as Baba Ji wishes. Living the life of a saint means practicing what you preach and ensuring that your words become your actions. An interesting point was brought up when a saint pointed out the correlation between economic stability and church attendance. During times of good economic conditions, church attendance dropped, yet when conditions worsened, attendance was on the rise. A human being realizes how easy it is to turn to God during times of trouble or need, while a saint remembers and thanks God when things are going well also. This God remembrance is also a reminder of the first tenant or principle that body, mind and material possessions belong to God. We’re all aware of the reality that we come into this world alone and we also leave it empty handed. The only things we take with us are our actions and the impact we have left on this earth. This should serve as a reminder to all of us that we must be responsible human beings and accountable for our thoughts, words and behaviour. We have no right to judge anyone because our creator will also judge us, and He alone has the right to judge. Finally, in the closing discourse a saint shared a great example of Michelangelo’s response to admirers of his statue when they asked him how he was able to create such a beautiful masterpiece out of a single stone. He humbly replied that the statue already existed and that he had simply used the tools to bring out the beauty within the stone. Similarly the Satguru, not blinded by ego and judgement, is capable of seeing the goodness in everyone and bringing humanity out from within. As disciples of Satguru Baba Ji and through His grace, we have attained this God knowledge. We should use this gyan as a tool, like a pair of eyeglasses, which remind us to only see the good in others. Since we all come from the same source of purity, we cannot allow our ego to blind us. This saint further described how the essence of spirituality has never changed, the physical body that bestows this divine grace may change, but the message is the same. The teachings equally remain the same, as does the truth. His Holiness Satguru Baba Ji is our guide to God realization. He is our spiritual mentor and he is our prime role model. We must follow His practical life and become true human beings full of love, compassion and humility. As His Holiness has said “ We are not physical beings having a divine experience, we are divine beings having a physical experience”. In closing, the entire samagam was a blissful experience and truly inspiring. It was wonderful to see the efforts of all the saints to come to Barrie and help make it a great success. We look forward to future samagams with just as much enthusiasm and energy as displayed here. * * * * * * * |
